From massage therapist to postpartum care specialist
Interview with Ayla Judd
I chat with Newborn Mothers graduate Ayla Judd from Blossom Motherhood. Together we discuss Ayla's transition from a massage therapist to a postpartum professional, her experience studying with Newborn Mothers, and the development of her business. At the core of this conversation, we explore holistic care that celebrates and nurtures mothers.
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About Ayla
Ayla is a Postpartum Education & Care Professional caring for Mothers in Launceston. She is also a Remedial Massage Therapist offering pregnancy & postpartum in-home care. Her clients describe her as “Sunshine in human form.” As she enters her third year of Blossom Motherhood, creating education & networking opportunities in her community for other mother-care professionals has become a real focus. Hosting sold-out workshops and joining advocacy groups, all in an effort to keep Tassie a thriving & vibrant environment for mothers & professionals to reach their full potential.
Reach out to Ayla here: http://www.blossommotherhood.com.au
We explore the following questions:
What inspired you to transition into postpartum care, and how did your personal experiences shape this journey?
How can challenges during postpartum, such as breastfeeding issues or physical recovery, influence a career in supporting mothers?
What are the benefits and challenges of online learning for postpartum care professionals, especially for those with unique learning needs like dyslexia?
How can postpartum professionals tailor their services, such as in-home care and massage, to meet the unique needs of mothers?
What role does education and community building play in providing better outcomes for postpartum mothers?
How can postpartum professionals build confidence in networking and collaborating with other professionals?
What lessons can be learned from starting a postpartum care business, and how can professionals adapt their offerings over time?
How can postpartum professionals create sustainable practices that focus on supporting mothers’ transformations?
Why is it important to centre postpartum care around mothers rather than solely focusing on babies?
What are the opportunities and challenges for postpartum professionals working in regional or isolated areas?
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Transcript
Julia Jones:
Hello and welcome to the Newborn Mothers Podcast. Today we're chatting with Ayla from Launceston. Ayla started out as a massage therapist and now does pregnancy and postpartum in-home care. And, I know that her clients describe her as sunshine in a human form. And Ayla, you are a delight to have in our Newborn Mothers student community, and a delight to have on the podcast. How are you going?
Ayla Judd:
I'm really well, thank you. Yes, thank you so much for having me. I'm super pumped.
Julia Jones:
My pleasure. I'm glad. We've been trying to tee this up for a while, so I'm glad we've finally managed to make it work. I wanna take you back to the beginning of your journey of becoming a postpartum professional. Tell us a little bit about what you did before and what made you make that shift?
Ayla Judd:
So thank you. I've been a massage therapist for about 10 years, and during my pregnancy, I think education and knowledge was, in hindsight, looking back, was really important to me. And then I had my son and then postpartum hit, and it was wild. I had a unwanted caesarean, and shortly after on about six weeks, I was having breastfeeding trouble and then I developed a breast abscess. So these are quite rare. And that was super challenging. Had to have surgery. And so I essentially had a postpartum with a bag attached to my breast. It was a lot. But somehow I got through all that and I kept breastfeeding. I saw like a thousand different lactation consultants and just still that hunger for knowledge and wanting to get really up-to-date information.
Ayla Judd:
And then I got de Quervain's. So de Quervain's tenosynovitis is a tendonitis in your wrists and your thumb. Some refer to it as mum thumb. And sadly, it's very common. I suppose mums where we are the sole carer of our babies and we are picking them up with our thumbs out underneath the armpits. And then I couldn't go back to my massage work, so that was a really hard time. But then I discovered your training. At first I was a little nervous because of my dyslexia, but I was pleasantly surprised that I really thrived with the audio and the videos, and it was the best thing to discover.
Julia Jones:
What an interesting journey that you had all these challenges and I mean, this is such a common theme, I think when we talk about postpartum care, is that women have their own really challenging experience and then, you know, really motivated to, to support other mothers, which is really a beautiful thing to come out, you know, a nice silver lining.
I'm also really interested in your experience of being a dyslexic student as well, because I still get people who say to me, oh, you know, I am not sure about online learning. I agree it's maybe not for everyone. but I also think there are a lot of advantages to online learning that are probably really underestimated. And I think it's for people who are dyslexic or have other kinds of neurodivergence or people who speak English as a second language, or even just people who are busy and can kind of like do it in their own time, at their own pace.
Were you worried about that? What had your experience of studying been before and how did it all work out for you?
Ayla Judd:
Yeah, like the massage training back like 10 years ago, I remember I did really struggle 'cause that was a lot of reading from books and textbooks, whereas I think being a busy mum and being able to listen to the content of the course in like a podcast as you're kind of pottering around the house was just so easy. You can change the speed of it, you can really whiz through it, and then being able to replay videos. I just thrived with it. And I think being dyslexic, I'm a bit of a slow learner. It takes me a while to pick up things, but dyslexic people can be super creative as well. You can just play it over again and listen to it. Multiple times, write notes. no, and I've done other study since with other professionals and they haven't offered the audio and I've purchased courses and I haven't gone back and finished them because it's just too hard. The Postpartum Education and Care professional training is really easy to take in the content. And I mean, there's a lot of it in there. You could do the course multiple times and you'll learn something different every time. But no, it's very accessible.
Julia Jones:
I'm really glad to hear that. And I know as a lifelong student as well, I always do lots of courses, but I'm the same. I always feel really frustrated when I pay for a course and they don't provide video, audio, and text. I'm like, oh, it's so easy to just give the option to the student. I'm surprised how many online training courses don't just automatically offer all of that.
Ayla Judd:
I finished your course and then the de Quervain's settled. I healed from the breast abscess surgery although I had three months of nerve pain, which was pretty nuts. And then my wrist came good, and then the melting pot of massage and postpartum care kind of came together and that's when Blossom Motherhood launched back in October 2022. I've just clicked over two years into my third year. Just that passion for education, even through pregnancy, struggling with breastfeeding problems. During my postpartum I did the breastfeeding course first 'cause I was really passionate about all the information and loved soaking it all in. And then I did the collective after that. And then I loved it all so much that I went back and did the Postpartum Education and Care Professional training back in 2023. That information and knowledge I've just loved, since having my son and still breastfeeding my son and it's a topic that I'm really passionate about.
Julia Jones:
Yeah. And what an amazing gift for you to give your son, that through all of that you managed to keep breastfeeding. I think that's really incredible. So well done.
Ayla Judd:
Thank you.
Julia Jones:
And so you studied, you decided that this is what you wanted to do. How did you feel about launching your website, your offers, your social media? How did it feel? Because I guess you already had a business as a massage therapist, so was that a big leap for you or did that just feel kind of like a natural kind of next step?
Ayla Judd:
I finished the Postpartum Education and Care Professional training. The membership, there's so much in there. I think with a lot of other trainings, like, say massage for instance, you finish your formal training and then you kind of just dropped into it and you haven't got any business training at all. So the membership was gold. There was so much in there to set up the business. I just took my time and set it all up and followed your steps. I'm blessed that I have a very IT-thinking husband. So he was very supportive. It's very basic and to the point, but I'm still proud of it. And off I went and got my first client. I started with my first client about two or three months after I launched, and she had her baby the same date as my son. So that was really fitting and beautiful.
Julia Jones:
Yeah. Wow. That's beautiful. So tell me about that. What was it like to get your first client?
Ayla Judd:
I just kept pinching myself, like, and just being in the home and they're napping and I'm making banana bread and raiding their pantry for all their beautiful spices and bits and pieces and hanging up the washing. I just couldn't help pinch myself at the work that I was doing. And it's still like that, you know, these two years later. Making the foot baths for the mamas. Listening. It really is work that lights me up and I love it.
Julia Jones:
Do you still do massage as a standalone service or do you only offer that as part of postpartum care now?
Ayla Judd:
I still offer that. I'll usually do a day of massage and then a couple of days of postpartum. I'm super excited that my massage work has become better because working with mums, they're just going through the biggest transformation. So say you're doing a pregnancy massage, just understanding the transformation that they're going through, or say you're doing a massage for a mum who is postpartum. Going to her home, offering in-home care so that she doesn't have to leave baby and she feels comfortable. Stopping the massage so she can do a breastfeed. I think it's become beautifully tailored to mamas and what's happening, the changes they're going through, the needs they have. I'm really proud of that.
I mean, I remember in my postpartum, my massage therapist — I rocked up, I'd had a Caesarean healing, I'd had the breast abscess and she was like, I haven't seen you. And I was like, well, I haven't been able to get away. So I think for my massage work offering in-home care and really understanding what the mums are going through through has been amazing. And even now I've just launched a breech massage care consultation. So I'm doing different techniques to essentially help get baby into a great position. and I'm offering a little e-course module to accompany the massage. I never would've thought of that, you know, 10 years ago being a massage therapist, but now with the Postpartum Education and Care Professional training. I understand the importance of knowledge and education for my clients. It’s really amped up that massage work.
Julia Jones:
Oh, I love that. I'm glad I asked that question 'cause that was a really interesting answer. So going through then, you know, a couple of years later, and you've had a few more clients and a bit more experience, what lessons have you learned along the way? How have you sort of changed things or adapted or tweaked as you've had a bit more experience?
Ayla Judd:
Oh, little things. I've been focusing a lot on education in the community. I've become just that little bit more confident, you know, even connecting in with other professionals, like referrals, feeling really confident in that. So if something's out of scope, that's been an area that's really developed and has changed and I'm really proud of that. What else? Building up a little Facebook group for a community, for mums. We have regular mum catch ups, so that wasn't there two years ago, but that's a new little offering that I've built up and changed and added. I suppose essentially it's still the massage, the cooking, light house work, listening.
Julia Jones:
That’s good. So it hasn't really changed. A lot of people will, you know, go on a big journey of discovering their boundaries and getting burnt out and it just sounds like you've just enjoyed it.
Ayla Judd:
I mean, and don't get me wrong, there's always little challenges and little things that pop up. I feel like having the membership, I've been able to bring those little hurdles and kind of talk them through. I find that really helpful, being able to as a professional, being able to talk it out with someone. I suppose pricing, yeah, that's been a little hurdle that I've had to, just evaluate and look at and talk it through and make little adjustments. Maybe something that has changed, maybe offering like smaller little packages. but then like the other week, like a mama bought a big package, so there, yeah, it's kind of in flux.
Julia Jones:
It's a really great example what you're talking of, of that idea that I think it's Seth Godin, but it's not a tattoo, that you've sort of like tried this, tweaked it a little bit, tried something else, adjusted it, but you haven't kind of like had this really fixed idea of this is what I'm gonna sell, this is what it's gonna cost, and, and you know, it's just been a much more organic fluid kind of a process.
Ayla Judd:
Mm. Oh man. I mean, I got so many ideas I need to keep writing them down, and then you get distracted and you're like, oh yeah, I was gonna do that course and that workshop and for people. And yeah, so I'm always wanting to offer new things and like just this breech massage offering is just starting to really kick off. 'cause I'm about the only practitioner in Launceston that really focuses on that and oh, the relief for mums, you know, that they've found someone. Like even the little email e-course with the information in it. I suppose having your training has really sparked a fire in me to collate information and be able to share it.
Julia Jones:
Yeah, I love that. I think something that a lot of people think before they do my training is that they have to know everything. But really what we focus on is, is actually just building resources and being able to direct our clients into the right directions, makes the biggest difference.
Ayla Judd:
All my postpartum clients get a six week e-course with topics on village building and sleep and nutrition and I love it all. I could talk about it for hours and I've slowly become that person. Like when they're celebrating their baby's first birthday, I'm like, happy first 12 months postpartum! I'm that person now. I'm just obsessed with it all and celebrating mums. And I think, 'cause growing up I come from regional Victoria and now I'm in Tassie and I just don't think celebrating mums and the transition has been something that has been in my culture around me. So I'm just really passionate about focusing on the mama. You know, don't get me wrong, I love babies, but just trying to really hold the mother as the centre. If she's feeling loved up and held and celebrated, then she can give the best to the baby. And mums are really loving that, that there's someone out there looking for them, got the foot bath ready for them, got the cup of tea ready before they even think about wanting it. So it's really special and magical work.
Julia Jones:
So talking about all those ideas that you've got, what is next for you and for Blossom Motherhood? What do you feel like you'd like to do in the future?
Ayla Judd:
Tassie can be a little bit forgotten down here. So I am really enjoying getting amazing practitioners from around Australia to come to Tazzie to teach again. I think before I even did your training, I reached out to a college and I said, would you think about coming? And they said, no, come to Melbourne. And I was breastfeeding my son full-time. I couldn't do it. Next year I've got a practitioner coming to Launceston to teach caesarean scar massage for professionals. So that's going to be massive and especially being able to incorporate that into my care for postpartum care because our caesarean rates at almost 40%, so it's an important skill to have the latest treatment.
Julia Jones:
I'm just gonna stop you there because I'm in Perth. Western Australia is so isolated as well, but that's actually one of the reasons I started teaching online too, because when I wanted to be a doula, I had to bring a trainer out from Canada. And then I did some online training, but I mean, we are talking a long time ago. Online training was very, very basic and challenging. We're talking like teleconferences, you know, with like dial in codes and things, which you don't even remember anymore. Like it's hard to even imagine what that was like. Printing out a big binder of PDFs, you know. So when I started teaching, I did actually start teaching locally, but I also knew that there were so many people in regional areas and in parts of the world where there was no local training available. So it was really important to me to make sure that that was accessible to everyone.
So I really appreciate the work that you're doing in Tassie and, trying to make sure that those skills are developed and that, there's opportunities for people wherever they live. I think that's really valuable.
Ayla Judd:
And for the mums, you know, so we've got practitioners in Tasmania that can offer that care. I'm really enjoying that part and that's happening start of next year. I'm bubbling away at maybe doing some training for allied health professionals. Just like I have, really blossom that care for mums and understanding the transformation that they're going through and being able to cater their care for mothers. So that's kind of bubbling away in the background and I've gotta put a bit of love and attention into that.
Julia Jones:
Yeah, I love it. That's really beautiful. What about in the long term, if you could picture yourself in 10 years, what, you know, what would Ayla’s dream work be?
Ayla Judd:
It's doing the in-home care, but then also I would like to be doing…oh God, now you got me thinking.
Julia Jones:
How lucky that I asked you what your dream job is and you're like, the one I've already got.
Ayla Judd:
I know that I found my passion and my love and I know I can see myself, you know, being like one of those grandmother doulas. But the education, right from when I was pregnant, having those challenges during breastfeeding and persevering. I think that education and information and having quality support has been a bit of a running theme. So what that looks like in the future, I'm not too sure, but it's definitely something I'm very passionate about. But then really working at that ground roots level with mothers is where I kind of feel like you get the fire to know what's needed, what education's needed and what's happening. So I think that's still really important to me to keep doing that. 'cause it really lights me up and I love it. And offering amazing education and learning and understanding. How we can keep improving things and better outcomes for mums.
Julia Jones:
I love it. That's so beautiful. So people can find you@blossommotherhood.com au. We'll pop the links up in the show notes. Is there anything else you wanna share?
Ayla Judd:
If you're thinking about becoming a Postpartum Education and Care Professional, take the leap and do it. It really is one of the best things that I've done. It just brings me so much joy and it's such important work. You really are changing the lives of mums and their little babies and loving them and nurturing them. And their babies will have babies and it'll be just like, yeah, we have a postpartum doula. This is totally normal. So you're changing the future and putting importance back onto this transformation that the mothers are going through. We're really at the cusp of a big postpartum kind of revolution. Like there's postpartum hotels, there's books, there's education there. It really is a happening space and a beautiful time to be coming into this work. So just do it. It's amazing.
Julia Jones:
Thank you so much for sharing, Ayla, that's so beautiful, so inspiring, and you really are a little piece of sunshine. So thank you for sharing.
Ayla Judd:
Thank you for having me. Thank you for everything you do, Julia.
Julia Jones:
Thank you.
Ayla Judd:
Bye bye-Bye.
