In Conversation With: Amanda Pohio

We spoke with Amanda about her work as a Women’s Health Practitioner & how she supports women in navigating the complexities of motherhood - from fertility and birth to postpartum wellness - while empowering them to deeply connect with their bodies.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, the home you live in, and who you share it with?
Hello! I’m Amanda!! I am a wife, mother and Women’s Health Practitioner. I live in North Melbourne with my Husband Jon, our 10 month old son Leo and our two gorgeous labradors, Tui and Ana. We are new to Melbourne, having both grown up on the southern Gold Coast, later we moved to Sydney for work and now we’ve landed here, for a few years. My husband works in tunnels so we travel around a lot, which I love. It means we get to live and work in many different spots and meet people all over the country. It’s awesome, and supports me to be super flexible and not attach to anything. 

Your work is deeply rooted in women's health, can you tell us a bit about Womb Ripe? 
Womb Ripe started a while back, I had just completed a womb massage course and I wanted to specialise in complimentary fertility support for women. Once I had a qualification I found a clinic space on the Gold Coast as I was living there at the time. I very quickly realised women were needing this type of support and it just boomed from there. I adapted my offerings constantly based on my clientele and what they were coming in for. It has moved more into a space for all women, no matter where they are at in their lives. My sessions are about you, about being with you and supporting wherever you are at. They are there to go as deep and expansive as you would like them to. There is always body work and some talking, the sessions are always very nurturing. I absolutely love to nurture and support women to feel their most true selves. 

Has working in women's health helped you with your own pregnancy and birth experience? 
Every time I give a session, I feel like I receive a session. I feel so enriched after working all day, it’s just so beautiful to be in service to people that I deepen my own love, rituals and practices with my own self/body so I constantly feel upgraded afterwards. So yes, it did support, as I worked for as long as I physically could (until I couldn’t reach my client because there was a baby in the way! Ha) so I could stay focused and purposeful, which in turn supported the deepening to continue throughout delivering Leo. 

How has becoming a mother impacted your health and well-being practices? 
If I don’t nurture my body in a quality that is present, loving, attentive and responsive then how can I possibly nurture and be with my son in that same way? I wouldn’t say my health and wellbeing practices are necessarily different from before becoming a mother, however they have more purpose behind them because of all that I want to be for Leo. It is a ripple effect to how I treat myself to then how I am with him. I feel my body needs different care than before though, so exercise, sleep, rest, body/facial creams are different than before. 

How have you navigated the changes to your body post-birth mentally and physically?
I keep surrendering and responding to my body on any given day and in every moment. Overall I feel amazing, I feel upgraded and more enriched than before because of pregnancy and birth and all that I surrendered to during those processes. Sure there are things that have come up that I have had to address, but it’s great because there is always a learning in them. The biggest thing becoming a mother has taught me is that there is no time for delay, nor self indulgence. You need to be responded to and you need to respond immediately, and that way of being has actually supported my mental and physical health massively. I feel we tend to go into things too much and over complicate them. Whereas if you keep attending to life and what is in front of you without reaction, you just move onto what’s next and everything becomes far more simple. I am definitely not perfect at this, however I just keep remembering - "every moment counts” and that helps me come back to presence if I get a little wonky.

How do you think our perception of self impacts how we are as mothers?Massive. Massive. Massive. It’s everything, everything is a ripple effect. I know I have said this above, but how you are with yourself and how you live massively impacts how you are with everyone and thus your parenting and you as a mother. For example, If I am not confident within myself how can I reflect confidence for my child? If I don't attend to where I am not solid within myself, how can I be a reflection of stability and staying within my own energy for a child? If I disregard my body, I am showing my child that it is normal and ok to do that, which it is not. And then you freak out when they disobey you or test the waters in regards to authority, but of course they will, when you have not been in your authority in life and they watch that. Leo observes EVERYTHING. I am not perfect, and perfection isn’t real however, he will laugh in my face at 10 months old, if I bring discipline in a way that is not coming from a solidness within myself and how I live, but rather from reaction and anxiety. And then I’ve got nothing, because it is the truth. And of course it is not about being hard on ourselves in any way, it's just really interesting to observe how it all unfolds. And it is awesome, because in any moment you just turn it around, you make more loving acts, reach out of support, everyday adjust what doesn’t feel true and listen to your body more. They will notice, they can’t not because it’s a movement. 

I am constantly dropping so many ideals and beliefs and things that just don’t matter and aren’t true anymore, so many things I thought were important just aren’t. You really can just listen to you, you don’t have to do what everybody else is doing, you can just listen to what is best for you and your baby. Thats been a big one for me, and I am still letting it go. The greatest thing I can ever give Leo is to allow Leo to truly just be him. To step back and watch him burst into his own amazing self, and back him 100%. Our children are communicating to us from day one in every moment. How much can we drop ourselves, or the rule book telling us how to be with them, and just be with them, in full. 

Are there any patterns you notice with your clients who are mothers or expectant mothers - what advice would you give them to heal this within themselves?
I have seen a lot. And it’s interesting and very revealing as it shows that we are all connected and even though you may think it’s your problem or issue, it isn’t. The next client will come in with the same scenario playing out for them. The most common pattern I see is women wanting a baby and or a pregnancy to give them something they don’t already have within themselves, like a level of self love/self worth/woman-ness they haven’t connected to within their own body yet. But It will never work. Establish and deepen a foundation for you, within you, so that you feel empowered and your womb space and its essence is claimed. Then, that is the love and base line that the baby is entering into. So a bi-product of what you have already depended, they are housed in as their first home, so essentially what you have been experiencing (written up above) is flipped, and your love is housing them, not them giving something to you. I’ve done it, It’s very beautiful and worth the deepening and stillness the process brings. 

Do you have any rituals or rhythms that you incorporate into your daily life to boost your well-being? - either personally, or ones which involve your baby?It feels like my whole life is a flow of daily rituals and responding to my rhythm and everyone else’s rhythm in the house on any given day. At the moment whilst Leo is still quite young and in the first year of his life, everyday feels like there is a new adjustment for him, so there is always a new cycle for him that I am attending to. Some days we get up together, some days I wake up before him so I just let the day come and then see what it is we both need. There is so much in the day that I love, for me, the biggest thing is joy, just being in joy with Leo, with every thing, feeding the dogs, changing the nappy, having breakfast together (now that he loves food, this is a ritual we do together), going for walks, singing, dancing, kissing, he cracks me up and he calls (demands) for joy, for love, fun and togetherness. He loves watching my husband and I embrace. I have observed so much hardness in parenting, why does it have to be like that? There is so much emphasis on what is wrong and right and the purity of being with such a pure being its at the core of the day. I love our bath times together, they are so beautiful and deeply supportive for our winding down and sleep time, it’s also a time my husband is home so it’s extra special as that is his ritual with Leo. Whilst Leo naps during the day, I’ll do housework, exercise for myself, have a shower and attend to my self care rituals, then I’ll catch up on any work that I need to do and admin things/gardening/attending to my dogs etc.. I love incense and I have a bit of a stash, so every morning I will sense what the house/room needs and burn that particular incense, whether the house needs clearing, or deepening, or settling etc. I am not perfect with this, however it is really beautiful...if you meet every day/every moment as a clean slate, so instead of going in to get Leo out of his cot after a nap like I always do, I open the door and just see what it is he needs, a lot can happen during sleep so it’s more supportive for both of us if I just meet each moment without an expectation and just go from there

Can you tell us a little bit about your breastfeeding experience so far? Is it what you imagined it would be? 
I adore breastfeeding, and I wouldn’t be upset if it ended tomorrow. Meaning I’m not attached to it. I am just here, available and the milk is flowing for as long as he needs it. Once he doesn’t need it anymore, great, we will move onto what’s next. The purity of it is what is so special. And it has really called me to be still. From the moment Leo was born he latched, he knew exactly what he was doing and he was in full purpose to get the milk in, all I had to do was surrender, but that’s how Leo is with everything in life.

My milk came in pretty much straight away and whilst in hospital I had some beautiful midwives supporting to adjust a few things to make it more comfortable for me. I remember the moment my milk started to come in. It was such an incredible feeling, I had a long nap and woke up to the flow. Once home I asked my friend who is an amazing lactation consultant in Sydney to come over; she observed us feeding and gave some more adjustments to support both of us. My let down at the start was super fast flowing, so the ‘laid back breastfeeding approach’ is what worked best for both of us. As months have gone on I’ve gotten more confident to adjust things on my own if that’s what’s needed and I reach out for support if I need to. Someone once said to me “allow your breastfeeding to be luxurious” and this resonated with me as it allowed me to realise that I need to be super comfortable and look after me whilst feeding. I need to drop my shoulders, relax my jaw, be still and enjoy the moment of connection. 

In terms of it being how I imagined it to be - I actually received a lot of thoughts that my milk wouldn’t come in. I didn’t go searching for information, it just came to me interestingly enough. You know you just hear so many stories whilst pregnant, so I dropped all expectation and just thought - “who cares if my milk doesn’t come in? It does not make me less, nor does it define my connection with my baby”. 

Regardless of how you nourish your child, you can still feed them in the same holding, love, connection and intimacy whether that be by your body or through a bottle. And take all that noise you receive before you become a mum with a teeny, tiny, incy little speck of salt - just give it nothing, and keep deepening with you.

Do you have any advice for mothers about the postpartum cycle and what they may experience post-birth?
Rest deeply while you can - was the most Heaven-sent advice I received. So… rest deeply while you can. Allow your body to totally surrender when you sleep. Deeply enjoy your baby. Be in joy with your baby. They said yes to you just as much as you said yes to them. Toss the rule book out and just respond to what your baby and you need. Keep it so simple. Don’t emphasis the lack of sleep. It’s not forever, it’s just for now. Stay focused on one thing at a time. Ask for support when you need it. Eat super nourishing foods. Drink water and keep hydrated. Totally let go when in the shower.. even if you only have space for a quick shower, be present in there and nurture your body and attend to what it needs. Everyday is a new adjustment so keep responding. Keep it simple - I know I already said it but it is so important.. you have no where else to be, so just enjoy and adore you and your baby, and your partner if you have one.. totally love them and confirm them, this is big for them just as much as it is for you. 

Are there any books/podcasts/journals that have inspired you on your journey into motherhood?
There is a lot of information out there and it can feel overwhelming and can get a little complicated. So I didn’t read any books or journals or listen to any podcasts. I didn’t stop myself from searching for those things, rather I just felt settled with the support I had around me, and I very much surrendered to listening to my body and my baby - (wow it sure is a lesson in surrender!). We can’t do it on our own though, so I had an incredible Doula friend that supported me big time, however her approach was always in confirming and empowering me rather than informing me, so that in itself allowed me to let go and trust my own senses. Work helped me stay focused, deep rest supported me to feel surrendered, regular body work sessions helped me to feel powerful and strong. Whatever you need to do to support you to feel solid, surrendered and to keep things simple is best. 

Can you tell us one piece of advice or lesson in life that you want to pass on to your child?
By how I live and parent Leo, he will always know that he is far greater than human. So, reading life rather than absorbing it, will be second nature to him, thus his super power will be his grand sensitivity. 

@womb_ripe