DOULA
Paulina Koltan-Janowska, MSc
Paulina supports Polish families living in Iceland. She offers individual childbirth preparation classes, accompanies births as a doula and conducts online courses. She has created an email guideline - Birth in Iceland (polish Rodzę na Islandii) , through which Polish women can access information in their mother language about pregnancy and childbirth.
She provides support in early motherhood and breastfeeding. Paulina is also a hypnobirthing instructor, has completed training in Rebozo shawl massage and Essential oils for pregnancy and childbirth. She also did courses such as: Family support after loss and in difficult obstetric situations, and Psychological aspects of the perinatal period. She did her master's degree at the Faculty of Physical Culture and Health Promotion at Szczecin University and although it was not medical studies, she successfully applies the knowledge she gained there in her work. She continues to learn systematically - now she focuses on learning Icelandic. Paulina has started to study Icelandic as a second language (íslenska sem annað mál) at Háskóli Íslands.
Paulina works under the brand Good Birth (polish Dobry Poród) because she believes that childbirth can be a beautiful and empowering experience. She shows women how to experience a good, positive birth on their own terms. In her work she focuses on reducing fear of childbirth by providing knowledge, fighting birth myths and putting emphasis on informed consent. She is an enthusiast and bases on EBB (Evidence Based Birth).
In the Reykjavík Birth Center she will teach Polish classes preparing for childbirth and lead services to Polish families.
“I have lived in Iceland for 7 years. When I was pregnant it was really difficult for me to understand the Icelandic maternity care system. I wasn't happy with the amount of tests during pregnancy and I didn't know where to find help and information. I lived in the countryside, so I did not have access to any pregnancy classes. My pregnancy wasn't the easiest one so I couldn't imagine going to Reykjavik. Despite my husband's support, I felt alone and lost. I missed my grandmother, my mother and the rest of my family who were in Poland.
Several years have passed since then and a lot has changed. I became a mom, then a doula, and an antenatal teacher. I came to understand and trust Icelandic midwifery. I fell in love with childbirth. I have decided to support women so that they would not feel as lost as I felt. So that they would have someone to write to, to talk to, to ask. So that they would have a chance to prepare for childbirth in their own language or get access to online classes if they need it.
If I could go back and choose my studies again I would definitely choose midwifery. But back then, the idea never even crossed my mind. It was motherhood that changed me and showed me what my passion is. And that is childbirth”
