Local yogi and new mom Rita Goncalves featured on the cover
Tell us about your background, how did you get into childbirth education?
I first became interested in child rearing choices when I minored in Anthropology in university. My major was in biomedical physics-my interest at the time was medical imaging but that never panned out into a career as it didn’t quite meet my strong desire for meaning in my work that I found in discussing and investigating social justice issues.
When I became pregnant with my first child, Caleb, who is now 5, I was a new arrival to Singapore, a “trailing spouse” as it were. I was a bit nervous about the prospect of having a baby in a medical system that was foreign to me, so I researched tirelessly about my options, and ended up choosing a childbirth education program called HypnoBirthing–The Marie Mongan Method. I also hired a doula, which is a woman with experience in childbirth who supports labouring women physically, emotionally and spiritually. I ended up having a truly wonderful birth experience and I owe it to the people I chose to support me. I had a great team. Fast forward a few months, and in sharing and listening to other women’s birth experiences with my online “moms group” I realized that many women were not having the same satisfying births, and many women were unaware of the choices available to them. Because my doula had been an essential component of my enjoyable birth, and because I was really interested in the feminist component of helping educate and empower women, I decided to become a doula.
A year later I gave birth to my daughter (Caitlyn, now 3) in an entirely different circumstance and entirely different way-this time by emergency cesarean and in a very scary and vulnerable way. It helped me to see the side of support I had been unaware I was lacking until then. I realized that in addition to supporting women with mindset training and education I also needed to foster a deeper empathy within myself to help support the whole family when difficult situations arise.
Because of that experience and the psychological impact it had on me: I went through an acute stage of PTSD with severe depression and anxiety for about 18 months later, I realized that not only does the way we birth matter, and have an impact not just on us as mothers (and fathers as witnesses and participants), but our children and the next generation as well. It’s a ripple effect. So now my education focuses not just on birth choices and preferences, but on fostering attachment between mother and newborn, and strengthening relationship between parents. There’s a saying “it takes a village to raise a child,” and it’s true, but in our society, and especially for foreigners who don’t have their extended families nearby it can be difficult to incorporate. It takes a village to support a new mother as well, and that’s what I’d love to see begin happening. Women supporting women, without shame or competition, just kindness and openness.
Tell us about your company – what do you do and what is your guiding philosophy?
Conscious Wellness Macau was named essentially because there are tricky rules about naming businesses here and I couldn’t use any words relating to pregnancy, parenthood, education or health. So “wellness” it is, but fortunately that works well for me too. I have a personal background in yoga and meditation and believe that along with education, in order to be happy, productive individuals –not to mention good parents–we need to do a good amount of introspection and self-exploration. So I hope that with guidance and encouragement, my clients will be inspired to make conscious choices about birthing and parenting. My guiding philosophy is to share what I know, to the benefit of others, and the things I know best are the things I have experienced. So one of my main business practices is practicing radical authenticity, and continuing to delve into my self-exploration to find lessons about my own self-care that I can communicate to others.
As far as my actual services, I offer the HypnoBirthing childbirth preparation classes as a certified practitioner, I provide doula support to pregnant couples before, during and after their births, I offer breastfeeding counseling and I do ‘belly casting’ which is a method of preserving the beautiful form of a mother’s pregnant belly in plaster to be decorated as a keepsake. I have also partnered with MOMS-Macau Maternity Support to develop and deliver parts of their childbirth and parenthood preparation series. 
I am a frequent supporter of mental health initiatives, particularly for new mothers, as without that “village” support I mentioned, it is all too easy for mothers to succumb to depression and anxiety disorders, as I did myself. To that end, I have started a free breastfeeding group that meets once a month, just for moms to get out of the house and chat, drink coffee and exchange stories and advice about child rearing, peer-to-peer. Sometimes a little socialization with others who “get” it can make a world of difference.
How do people hear about what you do and who is your typical customer?
Word of mouth has been my biggest calling card in Macau so far. The English-speaking community is so small and tight-knit, and the Portuguese community even more so. I was lucky to find a few well-connected families to work with when I first arrived, and the rest has happened as a result. It also helps being the only doula in town!
My typical clients are first time mothers who are nervous/curious/excited about childbirth, mainly from the expat community, as I cannot speak Chinese very well yet. Many come to me after they’ve given birth to ask about breastfeeding issues, and some come to me as second time parents who had difficulty the first time around and/or want to try something different.
Do you incorporate any environmental practices in your business such as recyclable materials, low waste practices etc?
Environmental stewardship is something that has been important to me my whole life, a value that has been passed on to my from my mother. As an education provider, I don’t personally generate much waste, but I do encourage the use of waste reduction practices such as breastfeeding (it’s good for Mother Nature too!) and cloth diapering. I have for sale a line of modern cloth diapers that are easy to use and end up being cheaper in the long run than disposable diapers. If you think about the number of diapers a typical baby goes through in the first year of life it is mind boggling to think of how much of that is just sitting in landfill, or worse, getting incinerated so all the chemicals go into our air and water.
Green Beginnings Diapers available at Conscious Wellness
How did you get involved in The Blissful Coloane Market at Grand Coloane?
The ladies who initiated the Blissful Market were literally the first friends I made when I came to Macau, so when they asked for my help in organizing, it was a no-brainier for me. One of the things I really missed about living in Canada was the weekly community market I visited religiously with my kids to buy all our produce and get special baked treats and local entertainment. Having the opportunity to help create something like that in my new home is a huge blessing to me. Plus it is a great opportunity to talk up my own business, and meet other like-minded individuals in the community.
What has your experience been at the market – is it growing, do you see new types of visitors, are you getting a lot of questions from people, are the nature of their questions developing?
The market has been well received by everyone, and as long as the weather has been on our side, we have seen improved interest each time. There are a core of regular visitors–who can resist the opportunity to get fresh, local veggies and food? And also many new faces each time. We are slowly bridging the gaps between the non-Portuguese foreigners, Portuguese long time residents, and the local Chinese. This is our ultimate aim, to make it a truly co-operative endeavor between all of the ethnicities that are represented in Macau. A truly “local” event. We are currently taking a break for the summer, and have been collecting feedback and will incorporate these when we return in the fall.
Are there any international wellness trends you wish existed in Macau?
Oh gosh yes. I see a lot of emphasis on bodily wellness, you know, exercise and fitness, clean eating, etc, but there is little talk of mental wellness. It has been a long journey for me to find my path to mental wellness, which in reality should be called “total wellness” since it includes proper nutrition and regular exercise. I have written a blog article about the start of that journey here and plan to write more updates about self-care for parents and families, and people of all walks of life.
Another issue that is glaringly absent here is environmental stewardship, in many forms. I was happy (actually unsurprised, as it is 100% normal in Canada) to find upon my arrival recycling bins in my condo foyer, and have been using them consistently as I have my whole life. I was dismayed to learn recently that I and the others who use these are in a minority here in Macau. Some folks even believe that everything in the recycling bins goes straight in the trash–a horrifying thought–but I have to keep the faith and continue using them if for the only reason to show the powers that be that they are needed and useful. I wish people too more personal responsibility with their trash. We live in a beautiful and unique little territory with many UNESCO protected sights, it is a crying shame to see so many places covered with coffee cups and cigarette butts. Take pride in your city, residents of Macau!
What is your wellness routine, how do you look after yourself in terms of exercise, rest and food?
I have developed this through trial and error, research, therapy and coaching over the past 10-15 years. It started with yoga, and some form of mind-body exercise has become a must for me. Anything that links mindfulness of the breath with bodily movement. My current routine is all about balance, and continuing to take meaningful action. This includes scheduling in regular exercise, social activities with friends, time alone, time meaningfully engaged with my family, time in nature, time doing things that satisfy my life’s purpose, eating reasonably well with plenty of veggies and protein, counseling/therapy/self-exploration, spiritual practice and taking my medications and supplements. Currently in Macau this includes Pilates and proprioceptive movement, cycling, creating home rituals, tending my fish and my garden on my terrace, supporting social justice movements, getting my organic fruit and veg from the Blissful Carrot weekly CSA, and taking the brain support supplements Mastermind and Genesis from Allysian.
Exercise and Genesis green/berry drink
As far as rest is concerned, with a daughter who is still disruptive at night, I call on help from my husband and helper so I can take daytime naps to make up for lost sleep at nighttime, and I use self hypnosis/guided meditation recordings to help clear my mind and relax for bedtime.
What advice would you give people seeking to make lifestyle changes and move towards greater self care?
Take one meaningful step at a time. I’ve read a quote before that “two steps forward and one step back isn’t a sign of failure, it’s a cha-cha” and I try my darndest to keep perspective and humor about my expectations and achievements. Life is always interesting, so keep looking for the meaning, and the lessons in it. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get it right on the first try, just make sure you keep trying, and don’t take the next step forward until you have your balance in your current step.
Is Macau ready to embrace the Wellness movement?
I think “wellness” always seems like a good idea, and there’s definitely profit in it for those who want to go there, so it’s always a possibility for Macau of course. However, I think in these past few years we are witnessing a shift in global consciousness, and while some societies are still striving towards an ever-growing economy, on a community level many people are searching for greater meaning and purpose, and I think that’s where the wellness initiatives come in. Striving for something that’s greater than oneself is also an act of self-preservation, because it makes the individual feel good for doing it. So in that sense, I think yes, Macau is ready to embrace wellness, as more and more people realize wellness is a community, environmental and earthly state of being, as well as individual.
By the end of May, I’d had enough, and posted this on Facebook, with the slim hope for some miracle cure to be suggested by one of my friends. Honestly, being perpetually exhausted, depressed and anxious, I was ready to try just about anything.
After 28 sessions of CogniFit, in conjunction with the Allysian MasterMind and Genesis, I noticed a general uptick in my scores over four weeks. Some days I’d drop a point or two, and I could usually attribute that to lack of sleep or
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