Tell us about you, Athina
Bonjour! I am Athina, a Mauritian and HR professional since 2014. I am happily married and a mom of two kids, Ella 3 years old and Jules 6 months old. I am the last of a family of 5 kids and the only girl!
You are the creator and host of your podcast Lakaz Mama, tell us more about it.
I created Lakaz Mama in August this year with the aim to set-up an inclusive platform that shares everything related to pregnancy and parenting, including birth and postpartum issues, without any taboos, guilt or judgments. The podcast gathers the key persons, tools and resources around parenthood that are available in Mauritius to Mauritians and expats.
It is a podcast with a new episode every 2 weeks where I interview health professionals who will talk on a specific topic (it can be midwives, doulas, doctors, chiropractors amongst others). It can also be a conversation with a mum/dad who will share their personal journey about becoming parents. A variety of topics are addressed such as the parents' journey through pregnancy, the actual birth, breastfeeding challenges or joys, infertility, mental health, the new balance to be found as a couple, postpartum depression etc.
I particularly want to help expatriates living in Mauritius through my podcast. It is so important for expats who are living on the island, far from their birth country, their families and friends, to find support when they need to. The health care system may be different from their home country. For instance, there is no home birth (yet) in Mauritius, no birth centres nor water births, so I sincerely hope that, with Lakaz Mama, they will get access to information and knowledge to live their maternity and parental journey in the best possible way. I really wish to open the eyes of new parents to the resources available and the infinite
possibilities in becoming parents in Mauritius. It is a magical journey but it is also a hard one and we must not feel isolated in this. You must know that you are not alone in your feelings and there are many mothers out there experiencing the same emotional state.
Tell us something fun about you!
I am a spoon collector. I have about 150 spoons from different countries, cities or small towns. It is always the thing I do not forget to buy or ask a friend to bring back to me when visiting new places.
What's your favourite part of Mauritius and why?
The west, Les Salines Pilot. I have lived there for many years and it is safe, calm and you have everything at walking distance: the beach, the sea, the mountain! It is where I feel most alive!
What are your plans for the future?
I would love my podcast Lakaz Mama to reach more people, and for expectant parents and parents to really connect. I want to create this community around maternity and parenthood where there are no taboos, just sharing and support. There are so many issues surrounding parenthood but we (too often) only hear the ‘nice things'. A lot of people suffer from infertility, depression, difficult births and hard times in post-partum, so I want the podcast to be a place where people can share their worries as well as their joys!
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