Stephanie Norquay
BIRTH DOULA, POSTNATAL DOULA, BIRTH PREPARATION, BIRTH DEBRIEFING, PREGNANCY & POSTNATAL MASSAGE, INFANT MASSAGE
I have been providing pregnancy, birth and postnatal support to women and families in home and hospital settings all around Melbourne since 2005.
I am the mother of 2 fantastic grown kids who have each taught me much about myself. Birthing my children changed and enriched me in immeasurable ways. I am very inspired by the transformation a woman goes through as she becomes a mother, and feel naturally drawn to supporting women to develop their own instincts and internal resources along the way so they feel able to ‘back’ themselves in their birthing and mothering.
Getting to know my clients, their partners and families; their stories, hopes, fears; and their priorities for birth and life is a great privilege! In turn, my clients frequently share with me how important it has been to have someone walking beside them as a consistent supportive presence throughout the winding road of pregnancy and labour, and in the early days and weeks with their babies. I love working with women and couples as they discover themselves as parents, and navigate the enormous changes that occur in their lives when they begin to grow their families; and I feel a strong commitment to helping build happy, healthy and connected family relationships!
Preparing positively during pregnancy allows you to relax, create focus and connection, and feel confident and excited for what is to come.
I support you to create positive and empowering experiences during this amazing time – to plan for a space where you can feel calm and capable during your labour; to put steps in place to build your parenting ‘village’; and to continue to develop the self-confidence and awareness you need to birth and parent in the ways that feel right for YOU.
“Being able to reach out and access additional support when needed is so important. Whether it be arming yourself with knowledge during pregnancy, more support in labour for you and your partner, or an extra helping hand in those first exciting, testing, tiring weeks…”
Professional Training & Development
Childbirth Physiology – Dr Rachel Reed
Body Ready Method Training– Lindsay McCoy, Body Ready Method (2023)
Debriefing Skills for Birth Workers – Dancy Perinatal Counselling (2023)
Birth Cartographer Training – Catherine Bell (2021)
Calmbirth: Understanding the Psychology of Birth – Calmbirth (2021)
Orgasmic Birth workshop – Debra Pascali-Bonaro (2019)
Physical Birth Skills Training – Fiona Hallinan (2019)
Postnatal Massage Advanced Training – Pregnancy Massage Australia (2018)
The Microbiome and epigenetics in pregnancy, birth and infancy – MicroBirth (2017)
Becoming Us Facilitator Training – Elly Taylor
Spinning Babies workshop – Ginny Phang (2017)
Breastfeeding : Assessment and Support – Christina Smillie MD (2017)
Post Natal Doula Training – Sunderai Felich, Dial-A-Doula (2016)
Acupressure techniques for natural pain relief during labour – Yin Yang Birthing – (2016)
Post Term Pregnancy : Exploring Evidence, Inspiring Confidence – Sara Wickham (2016)
Postnatal Depression and Anxiety : Understanding and responding effectively to risks – Jean Hailes for Women’s Health (2016)
Certificate of Pregnancy Massage – Pregnancy Massage Australia (2015)
Creative Ways of Making Space for the Baby – Birthwork : Jenny Blyth & Fiona Hallinan (2014)
OP labours and VBAC – Birth International (2014)
Active Birth – Birth International (2013)
Pain in labour : Maintaining comfort and progress without drugs – Birth International (2012)
Infant Massage Instructor Training – Infant Massage Australia (2006)
Birth Attendant Training – Rhea Dempsey Birthing Wisdom (2004)
Diploma of Remedial Therapies – Australian College of Massage (2000)
Certificate in Health & Massage Therapy – Australian College of Massage (1999)
Reiki Level I & II – (1998)
CURRENT UNDERTAKINGS:
Traumatic Birth Recovery Debriefing – College of Perinatal Emotional Health
Facilitating A Smoother Birth & Faster Recovery – Institute for Birth Healing
Confidence In Your Core, Pelvic Floor & More – Institute for Birth Healing
Birth Trauma Training for Birth Workers – Dr Erin Bowe
Foundational Hypnotherapy for Birthing Diploma – CTTA
Pregnancy & Birth Support
Having consistent support from someone known and experienced throughout your pregnancy and labour can make all the difference to how it unfolds and to how you feel about the experience afterwards.
Post Natal Support
Having someone there in those first few days, weeks, months at home with your baby can be invaluable in helping ease the workload, catch up on sleep and rest, support family connection, build your confidence and adjust to your new role/s.
Baby Massage
Massaging your baby is a wonderful way for you to connect, communicate and share time together. It is also a unique opportunity for you to learn more about your child and gain confidence in your parenting.
Casey & Jason’s Story
“Throughout the pregnancy Stephanie helped give me the confidence in my own ability to feel more ‘in touch’ with my body than I had ever been before, and was extremely informative and supportive in explaining what my body was able to accomplish during the birthing process. Stephanie also helped my partner feel confident and comfortable about what was happening during the pregnancy and about the ways in which he was able to assist in the birth.”
