“From periods to motherhood and everything in between” basically sums up Nour Emam’s Instagram account that every lady, and man, should be following. And the reason we made sure to mention men is because there’s so much that they need to learn about women and their bodies; this information isn’t only for the ladies.
Nour Emam is a Doula, Educator, and Women’s Health Advocate. Her platform Mother Being was born after she had a tough birth and postpartum experience, and realized that a lack of knowledge and information was one of the main contributors to what she was going through.
“I actually started the page after I had surpassed or was getting better with my postpartum depression. I started my training as a Doula while I was in the midst of my postpartum depression. It was definitely challenging trying to manage my clients, births, family life, my Instagram content, and being a full-time mom,” said Emam.
“This platform offers free, accessible, easy to understand information that is integral for every woman regardless of age and background. I think, this platform started out as a maternity services page, that offers fertility, pregnancy, birth and postpartum related information. But with time, women following this page have opened my eyes to all the different things they need to know. So, this page has shifted into a space that encompasses maternity care as well as women’s rights and health advocation and awareness,” added Emam.
In the Middle East, it’s quite rare to come across a platform that shares information about the female body, fertility, pregnancy, “baby blues”, and so much more. Most of us grow up in households that teach us that speaking about anything related to periods is shameful and taboo, and discussing what goes on in a female’s body during pregnancy, and otherwise, is inappropriate, sometimes even in female-only circles. And although postpartum depression is a medical condition, these feelings can sometimes be looked down upon in our society and seen as “not thanking God for your baby” or “not being happy about giving birth”.
All these factors make her platform not only unique, but even inspiring, and shows that these societal restrictions on what to say and what not to say are slowly being removed. It’s about time.
