Mia Mendoza | Founder
CD (DONA International and Austin Baby Guru), B.A. Psychology and anthropology ut austin
Birth + Postpartum Doula
Mia fell in love with the worlds of birth and postpartum after becoming a mother herself. Her first long and complicated labor, resulting in a cesarean birth, followed by a liberating VBAC with her second child, opened her eyes to the importance of birth in creating empowered beginnings. After an experience with postpartum anxiety, Mia realized the necessity of whole-hearted support through the transformative time of postpartum adjustment.
Mia is a DONA International trained birth doula. After receiving a postpartum doula scholarship from The Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Alliance of Central Texas, Mia completed her postpartum doula certification with Austin Baby Guru. In addition, she has received specialized training in postpartum mood disorders, trauma-informed care, infant sleep, infant massage, acupressure for labor support, optimal fetal positioning, Hypnobirthing, rebozo for labor support, and more. Mia also teaches private infant safety/CPR, newborn care, and breastfeeding courses with Austin Baby Guru. She specializes in low intervention hospital birth and Vaginal Birth After Cesarean, but enjoys serving families no matter how they choose to birth.
When she's not engulfed in birth work, Mia can be found on the trails with her husband and two boys in northwest Austin. She has been a doula for 6 years, supported 200+ families through birth and the postpartum transition, and is a professional member of Central Texas Doula Association.
Shannon Christ, CD (Doula trainings International)
postpartum Doula
Shannon is a DTI trained Postpartum doula.
She comes to Matriarch Mother Care with over 10 years clinical experience serving the women of Austin. She started her journey in women’s health in 2008, working in assisted reproductive technology at Texas Fertility Center. During that time Shannon had an incredible opportunity to offer compassionate care while helping patients work through the challenges of infertility. While at TFC, she taught Injection classes on administering gonadotropin therapy injections and assisted physicians in clinical procedures such as IUI’s, IVF, & ultrasounds.
In 2012, Shannon made a transition into the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology while pregnant with her first child. She joined OBGYN North and Natural Beginnings Birth Center working alongside Physicians and Certified Nurse Midwives in a collaborative practice model. It was here Shannon found her calling in the birth world. After witnessing her first natural birth in the Natural Beginning’s Birth Center, she knew becoming a Doula was where her heart lies. Since completing her doula training with DTI in 2020, Shannon has supported dozens of families through the postpartum transition. She uses her extensive experience and knowledge in women’s health and newborn care to support families in creating a smooth postpartum transition.
Shannon is a mother of 2 boys, 8 & 10. In her free time, she enjoys playing/singing live music with her husband and family, hula hooping, and gardening. She is currently completing her studies for her BSN.
Mhari Fleischman, CD (Doula Trainings International)
Postpartum and sibiling Doula
Mhari is a DTI trained postpartum doula and the newest addition to our team! She was called to the world of doula-ing after her own difficult transition into motherhood. As the oldest of 5 girls herself, she has spent her whole life around babies and children. When she had her son, she was surprised to find the learning curves of newborn parenting came as a challenge. When learning to feed, getting the hang of sleep (integrating a new baby is hard work!) - she often felt there was no one to talk to that would understand. It was then that she realized her calling as a doula. It is important to her to be there for new moms and allow them a safe place to ask questions, to be a listening ear as they navigate the 4th trimester.
Since training with DTI in 2022, Mhari has supported many Matriarch families in their postpartum transition. When she isn’t doula-ing, she loves cooking, gardening, reading, and spending time with her two kiddos (14 & 9). Mhari and her husband of 20 years also own a company that converts classic cars into electric vehicles. She will geek out with you on all things car!
