The Maternal Sidekick

Supporting mom and baby through postpartum

Hey there folks, introducing me, Erika Matkovich, an entrepreneurial spirit, a wife, mother to three children under the age of 6, a postpartum doula, fitness lover and an advocate for pelvic floor health.

When we finish high school we are funnelled into some sort of postsecondary program and with a hope and a prayer from those paying for our education, that program pays off. Not me, I did the college route, and then spent years jumping job to job never feeling satisfied or fulfilled. It was starting to wear on me, a late 20-something year old with no true aspiration and about to start a family. Was being a stay at home mother my true calling? Don’t get me wrong, I love my little nuggets but I still longed to have a career that I was passionate about.

In 2013, I gave birth to my perfectly healthy little girl. Everything was pretty standard and my focus was on keeping my new little bean healthy and happy. But, as the months dragged on I sunk into a funk. I felt like I was losing pieces of my old self and suffered from an identity crisis 6 months postpartum. I didn’t have a large support system and was the first of my friends to have a baby. I felt isolated. I didn’t have the information that I was experiencing postpartum depression, and I was too afraid to ask for help. I didn’t want others to think I wasn’t a good mother for feeling this way. Google quickly became my best friend as I tried to navigate the crises I was experiencing.

I joined a local fitness club specializing in postnatal exercise. Over the next four years, I witnessed the real struggles, lack of postnatal knowledge, and lack of support faced by new moms. In 2016, I pursued a fitness instructor certification and starting teaching postnatal classes and fell head over heels in love. My newfound awareness and passion for women’s postnatal health and wellness and my own struggles birthed the idea of The Maternal Sidekick.

The Maternal Sidekick is a service-based business focusing on the postpartum family, primarily the new mother and baby, offering in-home postpartum support and personal training services with a focus on pelvic floor health education and awareness. This area of postpartum wellness is a crucial aspect of recovery after childbirth, with significant impact on a mom’s quality of life, which is often not given adequate attention during the postpartum period. My goal with every client is that the family is provided with a more positive postpartum experience as well as realistic expectations of their evolving realities. Increasing the quality of a new family’s life in this way is an essential part of facilitating their wellbeing and will also serve to enhance the knowledge and awareness of their peers surrounding the value of postpartum support!

Working on The Maternal Sidekick has filled my cup. I can finally say that I have found my passion and am so very thankful for life all that life has offered me and for making a successful #momboss.

Learn more by visiting thematernalsidekick.com

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