She Burned Out as a Daycare Teacher. Now She's a Doula.

Friends, sometimes the only thing that helps is a total career change. And when you find something that truly fills you up, the way Mandy Hänsel did, it's like hitting the jackpot. Mandy was a daycare teacher until one day she simply couldn't do it anymore. Today she works as a doula in Berlin (her business is called Doula für Dich, or "doula for you"), supporting women through the sensitive stretch of pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. She's not there in a medical role like a midwife. She's an emotional anchor who strengthens, carries, motivates, and catches women when they wobble. And how! (Fair warning: after reading this, you might want to become a doula yourself…)

Dear Mandy, you recently went out on your own. What did you do before? 

For many years I worked as a daycare teacher at several different daycare centers, mostly in the under-3 rooms.

What made you think: that's it, I'm quitting and starting something completely new?

Working conditions for daycare teachers got harder every year. There was constant understaffing, a lot of overtime, and very little appreciation, while more and more was demanded of us. I was at my limit. On top of that, a lot was going on in my private life in 2024. There were some devastating blows in the family, and with work, I couldn't be there for my kids the way I wanted to be. I kept realizing that I couldn't keep going like this and couldn't handle it anymore.

After a breakdown at work, I decided at the end of 2024 that something had to change. Around the same time, I came across my wonderful midwife Klaudia Kadau on Instagram by chance. She took care of me during all three of my pregnancies. I saw that she had founded the Doula+ Academy and was training doulas. That spoke to me right away.

What worries and what excitement came along with that? 

Definitely a lot of relief at not being stuck in that hamster wheel anymore. When I handed in my notice, so much fell off my shoulders, and I could feel it was the right decision. (Even though saying goodbye to my coworkers and the kids a few months later was really, really hard for me.)

What I looked forward to most was being there more for my own kids and being able to set my own hours. And of course I was so excited to support pregnant women and their families during these sensitive and exciting times in their lives, and to learn a lot of new things in my training.

But there were worries, too, and there still are. Being self-employed was totally new territory for me, and I was and am sometimes afraid that people will reject me and nobody will book me. But I tell myself, if not now, when? If I don't try, I'll never find out whether it works :).

You've become a doula. Do you remember when you first heard the word? 

I'd picked it up here and there, but I only really noticed it when I ran into my former midwife, like I said earlier. That's when I dug into it. The word comes from ancient Greek and means something like "woman's servant."

You say a lot of people don't even know that having a doula is an option… 

Yes! Now that I'm trying to make a name for myself as a doula and talking to lots of people about it, I've noticed that so many of them have no idea what a doula is, or that the job even exists. There's still a lot of educating to do.

Why do you think doulas are still so important alongside midwives? 

First, I think it's really important to say that as a doula, I have a lot of respect for midwives, and my work can't replace the important work they do. We doulas never work in a medical capacity. We complement midwives and focus more on the emotional support of pregnant women and their families. Prenatal checkups can only be done by a midwife and/or an OB-GYN. And we doulas would never attend a birth on our own.

Midwives usually have limited time and focus more on the medical side. A doula can add emotional support, strengthen the woman, and take plenty of time for her worries and fears. She can accompany her continuously through pregnancy, during the birth, in the postpartum period, and beyond.

Depending on what each doula offers, she may also go along to important appointments during pregnancy, create a strengthening space for the pregnant woman with massages and relaxation exercises, and of course share her knowledge and experience. A doula can also make time for the pregnant person's partner or for siblings. Some doulas even prepare delicious meals made with high-quality, healthy ingredients for the pregnant woman.

Pregnancy and becoming a mother bring so much that's new. Your whole life changes, and I think young families, especially moms, deserve so much more support during this time. Someone who's there for them without judging. Someone who encourages them to listen to their gut. Someone who holds them, catches them, and shows them that all their feelings are okay and are allowed to be felt.

No "You just have to get through it" or "Well, you wanted this." A doula is a voice for the woman when she doesn't have the strength to stand up for herself (especially during birth). The postpartum period is also unbelievably underrated. Ads and the people around us suggest that as brand-new moms, we have to be happy all the time, because after all, we just had a baby.

But this time is so challenging. It should be a time to rest, to heal, to process everything you've been through, and to grow into this new role at your own pace. Usually everyone pounces on the newborn during this time, but where does that leave the mom? A doula can fill those gaps, give support, and simply be there.

More and more studies also show that continuous support from a doula during pregnancy and birth can lower pain and C-section rates and shorten labor. The support also boosts the woman's emotional well-being. A doula encourages and supports a woman to experience her pregnancy and birth on her own terms, which has been shown to have positive effects on how the birth goes and on the postpartum period.

I really hope that in the future midwives and doulas will work hand in hand more and more, and that doula support will be recognized and covered by health insurance, so that young moms and their families get better support and care during this sensitive time.

Was there a real aha moment for you during your training? 

The doula training at the Doula+ Academy was one of the most emotional, beautiful, and eye-opening experiences of my life. Apart from the solid knowledge we got from instructors in all kinds of fields (breastfeeding support, babywearing consulting, stillbirth, first aid, the course of labor, aromatherapy, and much more), the community of all those wonderful women made a lasting impression on me and changed me.

For the first time, I really felt how empowering it can be when women support each other. No competition (which I'd run into a lot in my life up to that point), no envy. Just being who you are as a woman, building each other up, and working together toward one goal: supporting and accompanying other women through pregnancy and beyond. I never expected it to give me so much, and I'm incredibly grateful and proud that I got to take this path and chose it.

What does the job give you? Have you already had experiences you'll never forget? 

I've always loved taking care of other people and supporting them. It makes me happy to be able to accompany women through this sensitive phase of life through my work. When I think back to my own three pregnancies, I wish I'd had more support. So many times I doubted myself, and I didn't know those feelings were completely normal.

Becoming a mom and being a mom is so, so hard, but people stayed silent about that for so long. With my work as a doula, I want to help women break out of that cycle of self-doubt and create awareness that a woman doesn't have to go through this alone.

When I supported my first pregnant client, it showed me right away how much continuous support, and actively listening to and acknowledging her fears and worries, can help. She was worried about the postpartum weeks ahead, so we made a vision board together. That way she could actively work through it and put into words what mattered to her for that time and what would give her strength when certain situations came up.

When I came for the next visit, she had put the vision board where she could always see it, which made me so happy. It helped her let go of some of her worries, or at least she was well prepared. Supporting her in the postpartum period after the birth was so beautiful, and so was watching her and her partner grow a little more confident in their new roles each time. We also texted back and forth on WhatsApp when she had questions, so I was at her side in between visits, too. Working as a doula adds so much value, and that makes me very happy.

This February, my doula colleague and I are hosting our first pregnancy retreat in Berlin-Lichterfelde. That's a whole new experience, too, and I'm really looking forward to it. Also in February, I'll be giving a themed afternoon at a parent-child center in Berlin-Rüdersdorf to introduce families there to what a doula does.

What would you like to tell all women in this sensitive phase around the birth of their child?

Above all: "Listen to your gut." Especially during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period, the "well-meant" advice comes at you from every direction. Do what you think is right, and set boundaries. You decide what you want for yourself and your baby and what you don't. That goes for everything, whether it's choosing where to give birth or the topic of breastfeeding. And get support. You don't have to do it all on your own.