Women's health matters!
I have been a Registered Nurse for almost twenty years. All of my career, I have chosen to care for women. I have worked in labour and delivery, postpartum, and in women’s health clinics.
When I started my own nursing practice in 2015, The Mama Coach, one of my biggest “whys”, was having the opportunity to truly listen to the women I had the privilege of supporting.
Nursing is a beautiful profession. I believe that for the most part, we collectively choose this career path because we care about people — how to help them in their most vulnerable moments. In nursing school, we are taught the art of active listening, and I believe strongly that every person deserves to be truly heard when seeking a healthcare professional for support.
I believe nurses want to provide incredible care. I also appreciate most current healthcare systems leave nurses running off their feet, strained for time, and spread very thin. It is a common occurrence for nurses to go home after a shift and feel defeated because they were limited in the quality and quantity of care and listening they could provide to their patients due to these system constraints.
The Mama Coach has allowed me and the nurses I share the brand with to listen to thousands of families needing help, whether it be feeding, sleeping, or parenting challenges. I get to see daily firsthand, the huge impact we are making in our communities, and it all starts with truly listening to the families we work with.
Expanding into women's health
Since its inception, The Mama Coach has always been committed to providing quality education and support to families as they grow. Over the years, I have watched my clients juggle so much — new babies, toddlers, work-life balance, partners, relationships, and the list goes on and on!
As women, I think we can all agree that the primary focus of our days is our family. Whether we are with them or not, we are always thinking about their needs, and often feeling guilty that we aren’t checking all the boxes — as we are constantly holding ourselves to seemingly impossible standards.
And yet, when it comes to our own health as women, we are usually very last on the priority list. Why is that? Why are women taught directly or indirectly, to put our heads down, take care of our families and just keep moving forward — often at our own expense?
I have known for the last year or so that The Mama Coach needed to expand its programming to serve women through all of life’s stages. I feel proud of the care and support we provide to mothers and parents, but I can see, and have personally experienced, the gaps in our healthcare system when it comes to women’s health.
I have researched, and read more articles and books than I can count on perimenopause and menopause. I also recently sat and passed the exam to become a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP). I am so excited to share that The Mama Coach is expanding our programming to serve women, using our foundational principle of listening. I know firsthand that many women are not truly heard, and are gaslit or brushed off when sharing health challenges with their healthcare providers.
Talking about perimenopause is uncomfortable!
I am a 41-year-old woman with two children and a partner. I am passionate about my work and feel comfortable talking about the parental challenges that I have moved through over the years. You may have read my story about the feeding and sleep challenges I experienced with my first son, and how I have worked to advocate for my second son in his classroom.
In my mind, this feels relatively easy to share, and I have always hoped it resonates and makes other moms feel like they too can speak up and ask for support as they move through their parenting journey.
Recently I had a huge moment of self-reflection, and it has proved to reinforce why we need more healthcare providers committed to quality care and support for women. I sat down to share my own story on the blog — about the perimenopausal symptoms I have been experiencing, and my struggles to find someone to actually listen and take me seriously.
I wrote a few paragraphs and was instantly plagued with self-doubt. Was I sharing too much? Was this unprofessional? What would people think of me?
My women's health reality check
I instantly thought about changing the names in my blog to be about a fictional character instead of myself. But then I wondered, why? I have no problem writing about my breastfeeding challenges or the sleep deprivation I experienced as a mother. Why is this topic any different?
After much reflection, I realized I was feeling uncomfortable because in our society women have been taught to participate quietly — encouraged to be caregivers and think of others before themselves, and not complain. Just as boys have been raised to be “tough”, we have been taught to be “good girls” from a young age.
We can talk about motherhood and parenting sure, but even then it’s preferable to share the things that are going well and not make others too uncomfortable with the hard truths. In my practice, I see women daily who are struggling and just trying to manage moment to moment. I want The Mama Coach brand to be part of the integral change needed in women’s health.
You deserve to be heard; we are listening!
Women's health has been historically undervalued
Recently social media has been full of talk surrounding perimenopause and menopause — is it a fad or a trend? Well, I can tell you, it is neither. These are stages that women have been moving through for eons, and the reality is, we are only just beginning to talk about them.
Sadly, the generations before us have quietly suffered through their symptoms and related health challenges such as osteoporosis, heart disease, mental health challenges, and debilitating genitourinary symptoms. Keeping quiet about what was happening in their bodies has led to women’s health being grossly underfunded, under-researched, and undervalued by the Western medical system.
That needs to change. Women cannot be silent anymore, even if it makes some in our society uncomfortable. I realize now the importance of sharing my story and others like it. Not only to help women feel seen and heard, but also to know that they deserve the right to quality care, education, and support as they transition through the different stages in their lives.
Our women's health programming is coming soon!
I am so proud to share that our women’s health programming, focusing on perimenopause and menopause, is launching in early 2024. We have developed evidence-informed, guideline-based programming that starts with actively listening to each woman we support.
Our programming will help all women feel better by assessing different facets of their lives:
Diet
Exercise
Stress reduction
Sleep
Hormone replacement therapy and supplementation
Our programs are for everyone. Regardless of your background or fitness level, we can help you where you are at. If you have been ignored or brushed aside, we will give you the care and support you need and deserve.
If you are a Registered Nurse (RN) or Nurse Practitioner (NP) and interested in becoming part of this change in women’s healthcare, I would encourage you to reach out. We are helping RNs and NPs globally build their own private practices, providing them with the ability to truly listen and spend the time needed with every one of their clients.
I have dedicated my nursing career to serving women and families. I know all of the nurses who share The Mama Coach brand will make a positive impact on the communities they have the privilege to serve.
As always, I am sending you so much love and support. Thank you for being part of our community.
Carrie Bruno RN, IBCLC, MSCP
