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Meet the ParentLink Team
Manuela Trisoglio
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| When Manuela began searching
for ways to treat health problems she was battling several years ago,
she found that one of the most important aspects for her of choosing
health care was in understanding the options available and deciding what
was right for herself in her unique circumstances. Her interest in
women's health care widened to include working with families at one of
the most special times of their lives: pregnancy and birth. She brings
a background in nutrition and kinesiology, and knowledge of complementary
therapies to her work, and is completing her doula training with
Childbirth International. |
I have been living in Singapore for close to nine years with my husband, Oz,
and daughter, Lania. I'm originally from London; I know my name doesn't
sound very English, but that's thanks to my Italian dad and German mum.
I am a full-time mum to my
four-and-a-half-year-old, and we are hoping to have more
children.
My husband and I love living in Asia and see this as home for a long
time to come. We have been so lucky to do lots of travelling in the time
we've been here and two years ago decided to invest in the region. We now
run two wonderful villas in Bali. My life back in the UK
– long journeys on
the underground and working all hours in the City
– couldn't be further from what
I do now!
My interest in complementary care began in the 1990s when my health was
suffering and GPs and tests were doing no good. I started to do a lot of
research around alternative medicines and therapies, ranging from herbs
to
acupuncture to massage. I became certified as a nutritionist and then
went on to complete a diploma in Applied Kinesiology. I always wanted to
help and care for women and children and I am so fortunate that becoming
a doula has given me this opportunity to help others become informed and
make choices important to them throughout this wonderful time in their
lives.
My introduction into the world of doulas was purely by chance and, as
fate would have it, just at the right time. I was around
five months
pregnant and was trying to sell my Alfa Spider sports car (totally
impractical for a pregnant woman, let alone a baby), and the man who came
to test drive it was married to a doula working with ParentLink. We
chatted and as soon as I got back home I checked out the web site,
booked my antenatal classes, and went on to have a wonderful birth with
the support of two doulas.
Active childbirth was still pretty much in its infancy at this time in
Singapore, but thanks in a great part to Nikki Macfarlane,
the founder of ParentLink, all this has changed over the years and women have so much
more choice and information available to them today.
At the time I was pregnant I didn't have any friends in Singapore who
were also expecting a baby. The stories I heard from women I met didn't
sound like the kind of birth experience I was hoping for. ParentLink
gave me just what I was looking for: classes of a small size, with a
great group of couples who were all interested in playing an
active role in planning how they wanted their births to go.
The support I received during my pregnancy and labour was incredible and
I have never been so grateful as during the birth of my daughter. The
encouragement and information we received as a family made me decide
that every woman should have the opportunity to experience
birth with support from someone knowledgeable and experienced. I started
training to become a doula with Childbirth International at the end of
2005.
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See also:
what training do you have?
can I meet you before I decide?
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