This weekend, here at Compassiva, we’re celebrating the contributions of the mothers who combine work, volunteering and studies with motherhood to serve through our projects. We’re celebrating the mothers in our neighbourhood who bring their children to our projects and face various challenges as mothers, often living in vulnerable situations. And we’re celebrating the mothers we’re able to walk alongside personally through our various projects for women.

This Mother’s Day, we have the pleasure of sharing the launch of our newest project: Cord of Affection, which walks alongside pregnant refugee women as they approach motherhood.

Angélica, a volunteer who has been serving at Compassiva since March 2016, decided to use her skills as a nurse to create this project, and to this effect completed a doula course.

She walks alongside these women through four stages: contact and reception, pre-natal, birth and post-natal. She offers support wherever it’s needed and asked for, from attending appointments to answering questions on caring for the baby after the birth.

The doula profession is recognised and promoted by the International Health Organisation, and its positive influence has been extensively documented. The presence of the doula makes the pregnancy more positive, reducing caesarean rates, the duration of childbirth and the need for epidural and use of forceps, to give just a few examples.

However, the doula profession is still relatively unknown and misunderstood, and in the State of São Paulo not all hospitals allow the presence of a doula or of a second companion; currently, it is only permitted in municipal hospitals. This makes the doula’s work with husbands, encouraging their understanding and involvement, even more important.

“A doula offers both physical and emotional support during pregnancy, birth and the post-natal period. She answers questions, suggests some exercises, some massages – anything that can help the pregnant woman through the process of natural childbirth, so she can go through this time with more awareness of her body, knowing that she’s not alone.”

For the refugee women served by Cord of Affection, the common challenges of the transition into motherhood are amplified as they also face the challenge of transitioning into life in a new country, with an unknown language and culture.

“They are often left without support, without understanding what’s happening. This question of many of them being here without support from the family is something that they face constantly. It’s about welcoming them, being with them, and them not feeling alone during this special moment.”

Accompanying these women on the journey to motherhood isn’t just a gift for the women served, but also for Angélica, who enjoys the privilege of being present for such an important moment.

“It’s very special to be able to take part in such a unique and precious moment for the family; being able to be with the women, having the pleasure of being invited to be with them and witness the birth of their child. When they take the baby home and say that they felt welcomed, that for them this is priceless, it’s really great.”

This Mother’s Day, Angélica, who’s on tenterhooks, since one of the women she’s been accompanying reaches 40 weeks today, is reflecting on the meaning of motherhood:

“It’s a daily construction of love which started with nine months of gestation. It’s going through a time of decision-making, going through challenges during the birth and then going through a full process of maturing during the upbringing of the child. It’s simply a daily construction of love.”