Today we’d like to introduce you to Madeleine duPont.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was raised playing and adventuring in the mountains of Sun Valley, Idaho. I am a mountain girl with an international soul, constantly connecting, adventuring, and learning from people all over the world. After receiving my BA in Humanities with a focus on Sociology, Psychology, and Gender and Women Studies, I traveled to many corners of the earth studying ancient Amazonian herbal medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, Mindfulness, and Hatha, Ashtanga, and Prenatal Yoga.
After several years abroad, I moved home to the states to give Ayurvedic Abhyanga treatments and to witness the birth of my sister’s first son. This is where my passion for all things related to birth was deeply inspired. From this moment on, I knew I would devote my life to supporting women during this beautiful and sacred time in their lives.
I moved to Boulder, Colorado, to study at The Sacred Window, where I completed my Postpartum Ayurvedic and Birth Doula training. Labor, and especially the postpartum window tends to present a big Y in the road for mother’s physical and often mental health because of how fragile this period can be.
As a doula, I find profound purpose in being able to support, listen, guide, respect, breathe with, advocate for, and love mama’s and their families throughout this process. I am passionate about women having beautiful, empowering, and supportive birthing experiences while transitioning into motherhood during the postpartum time.
Currently, I am focusing on international birth work with my doula sisters through an organization called Wombs of the World. Wombs of the World supports women by connecting professional doulas with international birth clinics in Tanzania and Ecuador. I just returned from Tanzania, where we work in two rural clinics offering our hearts and our hands to help support healthier births. Tanzania has some of the highest infant mortality rates in the world and I feel passionately about decreasing these numbers.
After my first trip to Tanzania, I was feeling extremely sad and frustrated by the infant deaths that I experienced. I came home with fuel and fire to put on a big event and raised money to buy an ultrasound machine for the Karatu District Hospital. We were able to raise $17,000 in one night to purchase the machine! It was such a gift to go back this year and see the machine with a line of mamas out the door that will undoubtedly improve maternal and infant health and save lives.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road at all! I have always surrendered and trusted that my heart will take me where I am supposed to go. This act of surrender has taken me all over the world with numerous jobs, internships, business endeavors, training and adventures. I have lived with many families in the far corners of our planet and have learned from numerous different cultures that have all led me to the healing arts and eventually to birth work.
It can be difficult to pave your own way and not sign up for a 9 to 5, but we have to try if we believe that the world needs what we have to offer… Trusting in the process doesn’t always guarantee a smooth road.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
A doula is a trained professional who provides physical, mental, emotional, and informational support for a mother before, during and shortly after labor. The continuous support offered by a doula helps mothers achieve the healthiest and most supported birthing experience possible. Whether it’s a family’s first child or their tenth, a doula adds ease, comfort, and support to both the birth and postpartum experience.
As a Birth Doula, Postpartum Ayurvedic Doula, Certified Yoga Instructor, and Mindfulness coach, I have found that intention and preparedness allow for a more smooth & sacred birthing experience. I work closely with my clients to understand their visions and intentions for their birth prior to labor. My primary goals are to help prepare and support each woman and family, to create the most comfortable environment possible for delivery which is an environment surrounded by love and compassion.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The front range is a great place for doula work! People are very open-minded and are seeking full spectrum birth support. In many parts of our country, most people have no idea what a doula is, let alone a postpartum Ayurvedic Doula. I have found that in the front range, the majority are aware of and know the importance of being supported in this way, and who are seeking it.
If you are thinking about becoming a doula, this is a great place to start. Denver Health has a wonderful doula program set up where new or experienced doulas can volunteer for 12-hour shifts to support mamas from many different backgrounds and upbringings as well as incarcerated mamas. This is a great place to gain vital experience and get to know the beautiful doula sisterhood in this area.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mddoula.com
- Email: madidupont@gmail.com
- Instagram: md.doula
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