EBB 288 - From Birthing in the Pandemic to Birthing a Career as a Postpartum Doula and Chef with Malisa Dekker of Planted Postpartum

Evidence Based Birth®

Rebecca Dekker

Pregnancy, Health & Fitness, Childbirth, Parenting, Birth, Medicine, Kids & Family, Doula, Obstetrician, Midwife

4.6 • 978 Ratings

🗓️ 25 October 2023

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, I’m talking with Malisa Dekker, a Postpartum Doula and Chef based in Brooklyn, New York, about her profound journey through two contrasting birth and postpartum experiences that shaped her passion for postpartum wellness.

Malisa’s first birth took place during the tumultuous times of the COVID-19 pandemic, where interventions and a lack of support left her feeling disconnected and overwhelmed. With the desire for change, Malisa embarked on her second pregnancy, seeking empowerment and a holistic approach to birthing. She details her transformational shift to a home birth with the support of a dedicated midwife, her partner Taylor, and a community of friends who understood the importance of empathetic care and emphasized the profound impact having one’s emotional needs addressed during labor can have on a birthing person’s experience. Malisa’s experience led her to become a passionate advocate for postpartum wellness and support, driving her to become a Postpartum Doula. Through her unique combination of skills as a Doula and Chef, she aims to provide nourishment, care, and empathy to new parents during the challenging postpartum period.

Content Warnings: postpartum anxiety, a pandemic birth story with isolation and interventions

Resources

Follow Malisa’s work on Instagram: @plantedpostpartum
Learn more about Malisa’s postpartum nutrition mentor, Alicia Allison: CloverandTimothy.com
Check out training opportunities from:
- the Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings (BADT) website
- EBB's parent workshops and classes calendar
- Read “The First Forty Days” book to prepare for postpartum nutrition and self care needs

Listen to EBB Episodes

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com.

Want to get involved at EBB?

Check out our Professional Membership (including scholarship options) here
Find an EBB Instructor here
Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everyone on today's podcast we're going to talk with Melissa Decker,
0:04.0	postpartum Dula and Chef about her two very different birth and postpartum stories
0:09.2	and the importance of postpartum wellness. Hi everyone, my name is Rebecca Decker,
0:13.0	pronouns she hurt,
0:15.0	and I'll be your host for
0:25.2	today's episode I wanted to give you a heads up that today as well as
0:30.0	tomorrow which is Thursday October, are the last chances to get into the
0:36.2	Evidence Space Birth Pro membership at more than 20% off. So if you've been looking
0:41.3	for support and learning more about evidence-based care,
0:44.8	earning contact hours as a birth worker, nurse, or midwife, or you just want to surround yourself
0:50.0	with a community and get Dula Mentorship. These are all things we provide inside the
0:55.1	evidence-based birth pro membership. Just go to EBBirth.com slash membership
1:00.0	and sign up now before the sale expires.
1:03.0	And with that, let's turn our attention to today's episode.
1:06.0	I wanted to let you know that if there are any detailed content or trigger warnings,
1:10.0	we always post them in the description or show notes that go along with this episode.
1:14.0	And now I'd like to introduce our honored guest.
1:17.3	Today I am so excited to welcome Melissa Decker, pronouns she her.
1:22.0	Melissa is a Brooklyn New York-based postpartum dula and chef. She had
1:25.9	two drastically different post-partum experiences herself that led her to this work of
1:31.1	wanting to help new parents feel nourished and supported through
1:34.2	homemade food and in-home postpartum care.
	...

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