Musing with Nathalie Solis
Nathalie Solis is a Certified Doula, Childbirth Educator and International Family Guide. Born and raised in Germany she spent many years living and working in Spain, Guatemala and the U.S. Nathalie provides practical, informational and emotional support to expecting parents during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. She offers personalised care to her private practice clients in Byron Bay and currently supports hundreds of families from around the world from conception all the way into early parenthood. She is mother to two boys aged 7 years and 10 months and resides in a beautiful beach house in Byron Bay.
What is it for you to be a mother?
To be a mother in 2021 to me means using my creative force and power to give birth to what our world most desperately needs right now: connection, transformation, healing, wholeness, deconstruction of outdated systems, paradigms, beliefs that no longer serve us and our planet and creation of systems that allow us to live more conscious, more peaceful, more healthy, liberated and in a more sustainable way. This applies to our personal and family lives, as well as our professional life and community.
To be a mother and a birth doula means I have a responsibility to help protect what is most sacred: creating and sustaining life. What I am going through on a personal level as a mother is a reflection of what our Mother is going through on a planetary level. The world needs us to step into our power right now.
How did becoming a mother change you?
It changed me on every level. Physically my body has gone through significant changes after two pregnancies, births and many years of breastfeeding. But for me the biggest changes took place on a mental, emotional and spiritual level. It took me many years to get used to motherhood, it was such a shock the first time around. The lack of support, the constantness of it, how mothering is totally undervalued in our society, the complete surrender of my needs and plans to my children’s needs and timing, the list goes on...
That’s why I think motherhood is a superhighway to enlightenment as it forces you to shed all these different layers of ego. It’s an ongoing process of surrender and transformation.
I think overall motherhood has made me become more sensitive, connected, empathetic, and patient but also much stronger, more resilient, confident and uncompromising. On a spiritual level motherhood continues to teach me profound lessons on a daily basis. It is both empowering and humbling! What I love most about becoming a mother is that it gave me access to this raw power I never knew I had.
What was the best advice you received about motherhood?
To always, always, always trust my intuition. This wasn’t advice I received from someone but has been my own learning. When I need parenting advice I have my go to trusted friends and experienced mamas around me who inspire me, and are able to guide me when I feel lost in my parenting. Our children go through so many interesting phases and challenging periods all the time and we are really not meant to have this parenting thing all figured out by ourselves. When in doubt I reach out. Having a supportive community around you is so important!
If you could share one practice that can empower and inspire our Muse community, what would it be?
To surround yourself with like-minded women who inspire and uplift you so that you can create a supportive community around you. Expectations on mothers are great but our villages are shrinking. So more than ever it is vital to find your community of women, sisters, mothers, grandmothers, aunties and love and cherish them and in return let them love and support you too. Motherhood is sacred, powerful, infinite, and magical. It is also the hardest and most challenging job in the world! It certainly deserves all the recognition, protection, and support. We were never meant to walk this path alone.
Follow Nathalie for more inspiration at thebyrondoula.com and @thebyrondoula