Pregnancy is one of the most valued and beautiful phases of a woman’s life. And so is undergoing labor and the post-partum period that may bring her a whole range of emotions. From pain, excitement, and love, to sadness, and depression. Aysha Samrah Abrar, a Certified Lactation Counselor, AMANI Child-Birth Educator & Doula in Training—is compassionate towards the expecting mothers in society. She emphasizes that it is essential that women take an active role in maintaining health during pregnancy and after birthing. And one way to attain this goal is by educating them about pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and post-partum, even before they plan their pregnancy.
At Ahlan Motherhood, Aysha aims to support expecting mothers by providing them with relevant tools and information so that they make an informed choice regarding their pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. There, she offers services like Breastfeeding Counseling & Education, Childbirth Education, Doula services & Home visits, both nationally and internationally.
In an interview with Insights Care, Aysha shares her journey in empowering expecting and new mothers in their journey from conception to post-partum & beyond.
Following are the excerpts from the interview:
Please brief us about yourself and tell us your source of inspiration for venturing into the healthcare niche.
The birth of my first child and the overall experience led me to learn and equip myself with education in the field of birth and breastfeeding. I was aware briefly of the area of education at birth and beyond, however, didn’t get a chance to learn much before I gave birth. When I went through a post-birth traumatic experience and failure to breastfeed my daughter within the first month of birthing her, I realized how important it is for a woman to educate herself on this fact even before she plans her pregnancy.
Education from conception to pregnancy, to breastfeeding, and beyond—is so essential that she becomes a confident mother to her baby and successfully breastfeeds her baby up until two years which is highly recommended for the best nourishment, overall development, and immunity for her baby in the long term. Hence I took my certification as a breastfeeding counselor and training for AMANI childbirth educator & Doula.
Please brief our audience about your organization.
My audience is predominately married women. However, I also encourage unmarried women to seek this area of knowledge so that they are well informed about the best practice in conception to breastfeeding. Through the right kind of information, and learning about the risk and outcomes of hospital protocols, they will finally be choosing a supportive care provider that will help them in having an overall dream birth experience.
Kindly elaborate upon your journey as the guiding light of your organization, and how you have positioned it as a reliable name in the healthcare sector.
Ahlan Motherhood was incorporated mainly because I live in the UAE. Ahlan means ‘welcome,’ which describes “Motherhood as a truly welcoming experience.” Most of us feel overwhelmed as first-time mothers. We don’t relate right to the welcoming experience as a new mother because we get occupied trying to overcome the trauma that we had faced either during labor or breastfeeding. So I wanted to help mothers in realizing this welcoming feeling and work towards reducing the rates of postpartum depression that is so very common for new mothers in the first few months of postpartum.
As you focus on services and excellence, can you elaborate upon the various services provided under your leadership?
At Ahlan Motherhood, I provide Breastfeeding Counseling & Education, Childbirth Education, Doula services & Home visits. My services are both local and international virtually.
As the representation of women in the healthcare niche has increased, is the sector focusing on the needs of women more than ever before?
Yes. In UAE, the midwifery model has gradually been built and recognized. This will inshallah pave way for more mother-centric care for both the mother and the baby.
Having a broad experience in the healthcare field, what is your opinion on the integration of technological advancements in the healthcare sector, especially when it comes to catering to the dynamic needs of the healthcare sector?
Any integration of technological advancement is great as long as it is evidence-based and in line with the best practices, taking into consideration the mental and physical health of the mother parallelly. So yes, it is a good addition.
Being an innovative leader, what advice would you like to give budding entrepreneurs and enthusiasts aspiring to venture into the healthcare niche?
My advice to those who are planning a career in women’s health would be—Learn and keep learning about evidence-based information. Research is endless and communicating with those who have experienced trials earlier to understand what they went through. Connect with experts and learn from them. Adopt their lifestyle holistically, because if they practice it themselves, then they must be relating to their clients at a deeper level.
How to envision scaling your organization’s services and operations in 2023 and beyond?
I am planning on workshops, and classes, and majorly offering my services as a Birth Doula during the coming months inshallah. In addition, I will also be collaborating with organizations to increase awareness of woman’s holistic health.
