Paula Gallardo, Coordinator

Co-founder of Mamaheaven, Paula Gallardo has been a Doula (birth assistant) and a recognised member of Doula UK since 1995. She has three children and currently works for Refugee Community Kitchen, a charity she founded, to feed displaced peoples in Northern France, Belgium and the UK.

As a pregnancy, birth and parenting teacher and advisor in London she helped many women and their partners on their journey to becoming a parent.

Paula is also a trained yoga teacher teaching regularly at a rehab centre in London.

In her doula work she covered many areas of the birth and parenting spectrum for over 20 years, supporting families physically and emotionally In small groups of birth preparation classes and one-to-one consultations. Subjects covered included:

• Menstruation education

• Fertility advice

• First-time parent’s preparation

• VBAC (Vaginal birth after Cesarean)

• Understanding the physiological process in pregnancy and birth

• Optimal fetal positioning

• Understanding pain and pain relief

• Bonding and attachment

• Newborn care

• Post-natal care for mother and baby

• Breastfeeding

• Relationship issues

• Parenting

At Mamaheaven she coordinates the events and facilitates both the Birth stories and Mamacircle sessions, helping mothers explore their recent experiences.

Through her doula work, active-birth training, parenting courses, counselling and other influences she developed a keen interest in postnatal issues and empowered parenting, especially the importance of reviewing the way we understand and educate the physiology of birth and the importance of "the birth story". She has been greatly influenced by Ina May, Sheila Kitzinger and Michel Odent and still works closely with Da-a-Luz, a group of midwives, doulas and birth supporters dedicated to holistic pregnancy and birth.