Interview with Ashley Winning from the Motherhood Circle

We chatted with Ashley Winning from the Motherhood Circle

Tell us about the Motherhood Circle:

The Motherhood Circle is a safe, nurturing and supportive space for pregnant and new mothers to find their calm, confidence and connection in motherhood.

My website is a resource to help guide pregnant and new mothers to feel empowered, and confident to be the best version of themselves and the best mother they can be, by discovering all the choices available during pregnancy, birth and motherhood.

There is also free Motherhood Video Series where I interview pregnancy, birth and motherhood experts and they share their knowledge and wisdom.

What motivated you to create the Motherhood Circle?

My passion for creating The Motherhood Circle came from my own journey into motherhood. While I was overjoyed and very much in love with my first baby, I experienced feeling overwhelmed with all of the conflicting information available, and very isolated and lonely.

When my second baby was born I experienced sleep deprivation and birth trauma, with lots of big emotions and feelings around grief, shame, anger and guilt and it just felt very hard with very little support and understanding from health care providers, family and friends around me.

I wanted to share my learnings and I didn’t want any mother to have to experience the same road as me. I wanted women to have knowledge of what could happen and how to prepare themselves to have feel calm, confident and connected in their postpartum and motherhood journey.

What does a Postpartum Doula do?

Postpartum doulas are non-medical professionals designed to fill this gap with emotional and physical support during the life-changing transition to motherhood. Postpartum doulas help women step into their roles as mothers with confidence and satisfaction.

Practically, a postpartum doula can:

Provide you with companionship, emotional support, reassurance and encouragement
Support you and your partner as you move into your new roles as parents
Develop your confidence in and support your unique parenting style
Help you to set intentions and develop a care plan for yourself and baby
Encourage you to take care of yourself and ask for help when needed
Relieve your mind by assisting with light house cleaning, occasional baby feeding and changing, washing baby laundry, spending time with baby and your other children etc. to give you some time for self-care, time with your partner, and to sleep
Provide you with breastfeeding support
Relax your body and spirit with a mama massage (baby too!), aromatherapy, music and other natural calming techniques
Share evidence-based information and resources with you about basic baby care and breastfeeding
Build a support community of new mums, groups and professionals to journey with you
Keep an eye out for mental or physical challenges you may be facing, such as breastfeeding challenges, negative mindsets, and postnatal depression that might hamper your enjoyment of motherhood
Provide referrals when necessary

What’s the most common myth about motherhood?

That motherhood and breastfeeding comes naturally to everyone. From my experience, I’ve found every new mother and baby are unique and each comes with their own unique set of skill set and challenges.

Some women have an instant connection and bond with their baby, while other mothers find it takes up to six months or longer to build that bond.

I always like to let new mothers know breastfeeding is natural but is a learnt skill for mother and baby. And skills always take time to master if she decides she wants to breastfeed.

How does your online membership program work?

The Journey into Motherhood is an online membership designed exclusively for pregnant women wanting to give themselves the best chance to have a calm, confident and connected Motherhood with their newborn baby.

Each month we will come together in a monthly group call and you will have a chance to connect in our mother’s circle. Each mother will have a chance to speak, be heard and honoured.

You can ask questions about any challenges you going through or just vent about what’s going on in your life. Motherhood is a flow of up’s and downs and you will never be alone in this journey!

There are 6 foundational modules that will help set a mother up before she has her baby to have a peaceful postpartum and positive birthing experience. These modules include: Birth, Breastfeeding, Sleep, Mothers Intuition, Motherhood Transformation and Build Your Circle of Support.

This is delivered to in our membership site which is easy for you to access at any time! (Including those late-night feeds while you are up with baby!)

In addition, there is also: access to our safe and supportive Facebook Group, Guest Experts to share their knowledge on topics that you are interested in and Facebook Q and A’s from time to time.

Tell us about the workshops you run?

Each month I run a free online Workshop for pregnant women to help prepare them for a peaceful postpartum and life with their newborn baby. The Workshops change based on the feedback and needs of those pregnant women in the community.

One of my workshops is called ‘How to have a Peaceful Postpartum’. This includes learning about:

Reasons why newborn mothers feel isolated, exhausted and overwhelmed
Why it’s important you have a circle of support
Mistakes new mothers make with breastfeeding

You can watch ‘What to expect when you are expecting’ workshop. In this free online workshop you will understand what you can expect during your pregnancy and learn about the many choices available to you during each trimester, your health care team options, birth choices, breastfeeding options as well as much more! Your goals and find out what a birth plan is! This includes:

Ultrasounds and testing by Trimesters
Breastfeeding – it’s a learnt skill for mother & baby
Relationships and Support
What to expect during birth

Who or what inspires you?

I am inspired by anyone who shows kindness, compassion and love and can live a life in alignment to themselves and their values – without being silenced by the world around them.

I love the work Leonardo DiCaprio is doing with Climate Change and the work that Oprah has done, especially with her Super Soul Conversations podcast.

I believe there is more than one way of living and that through sharing stories, providing information and connecting we can all live a fulfilling life surrounded by a circle of support.

Do you have any plans for the future?

I have many ideas and plans for myself and The Motherhood Circle. My top plan is being able to support and reach as many pregnant and new mothers as possible, and to allow them access to the information and knowledge so they can craft a beautifully peaceful and joyful postpartum and motherhood experience.

My personal goal is to grow with my business and the women I connect with and continue growing into the mother and person I want to be by living a life to alignment.

About the Motherhood Circle

Welcome to The Motherhood Circle! A safe, nurturing and supportive space for you to grow, share, ask questions and feel empowered to be the best mother you can be. https://themotherhoodcircle.com.au/

About the Journey into Motherhood

The Journey into Motherhood has been lovingly designed by Ashley Winning – Founder of The Motherhood Circle, trained Postpartum Professional and Motherhood Guide. With the experience of two postpartum’s of my own, I share my own wisdom as a mother as well as a postpartum professional to guide you to be the best mum you can be, ready for your newborn baby.