Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriela Gonzalez.
Hi Gabriela, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am originally from San Antonio, born and raised. My family is from Puerto Rico. I found out I was pregnant with my oldest when I was 19, and shortly after her birth became a single mother. I welcomed my second daughter at 23 and ended up in a physically abusive marriage. After divorcing my abuser, I became a single mother again, and here is where my story really begins. I started to establish myself in my career as a medical assistant at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. Late in 2018, I got the opportunity to move to Austin with Texas Children’s as they expanded to central Texas. In 2019, while very focused on my career and raising my daughters, I met my now husband, Jonathan, who was also a single dad, and we decided to blend our families together, making us a blended family with 5 children. In November 2020, we welcomed our sixth child, and I was later let go by Texas Children’s Hospital in a series of layoffs, feeling lost as to what my next steps were, but interested in stepping into a more holistic style of care, and joined the team at Truly Chiropractic here in South Austin. I felt the pull to get into birthwork during my time here and began to follow that calling in 2022, when I established Nido Birth Services, and in October of that same year, we welcomed our seventh child, my fourth daughter. Since 2022, I have been navigating building a business, raising a family, and serving our Spanish-speaking community through resources that are rooted in tradition and faith, catering to the many thresholds women cross in their lives. We continue to do this work today, as well as expanding the services we offer to include: pre-conception and fertility care, birth and postpartum doula care, traditional bodywork known as sobadas, teen and maiden support circles, and herbal care rooted in traditional Caribbean medicine.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It absolutely has not been! The hardest struggle I think I have faced in building a business from scratch is self-doubt, but through it, I’ve learned a lot about myself and who God has truly created me to be. As much as this industry might seem like it is an all-loving, all-caring one, it lacks a lot of that because we are all so very different in our beliefs, goals, and starting places. I have found gratitude in this, learning to be grateful for those who serve selflessly through heart and sincerity.
Another struggle was finding balance in the business-owner/momming life. Learning how to create boundaries that prevent burnout, protect my privacy, and make sure that my family and my clients get the best version of Gabriela has not come easy and has taken a lot of time. 4 years later, though, I can say that I think I’ve found that.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Nido is my invitation to women to join my hive. I deeply believe that every woman has so much wisdom to offer through her own individual light and life experiences.
What I want mothers to know and experience with Nido is that we understand that motherhood is not just simply a moment of life, but a series of holy transitions. Our society has pushed us to believe and live in a time where so many mothers are expected to cross thresholds alone, when we should be held. I know this from my own experience, especially in my time of raising children alone. In today’s modern culture, we expect moms to be strong instead of supported, and my heart is to serve women the way women have always been served, with presence, touch as medicine, listening, and reverence for the unseen work we do. Rarely do women need to be fixed. We just need space, safety, and someone who will slow down and stay a while. I would be honored to be that person, and I believe that’s what sets Nido apart.
I am most proud of being able to offer these services to our Spanish-speaking communities, because wisdom and care grow when we share them.
At Nido, we offer a variety of services, including:
-Birth and postpartum doula support for every kind of birth and postpartum experience
-Bodywork through La Colmena Sana, where we focus on supporting the womb space and women through traditional sobada and rebozo care. We also offer Teen and Maiden support circles, a place for mothers and daughters to connect.
-Herbal medicine such as loose leaf teas, Yoni steams, and herbal remedies for women and children through our line, Miel Medicina
-Polinizadoras-Austin’s first childbirth education class completely in Spanish! We also offer 1-on-1 childbirth education and classes in English, taught from a physiological birth perspective
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I like best about Austin is all the little hidden gems and treasures you can find around the city, and how much people really put into creating here. The creative community here is gold. Least? The lack of diversity and resources for Spanish-speaking communities (we’re in Texas, y’all)! Also, the pseudo-feeling of being more holistic than it really is. I was very surprised to find that there aren’t many (accessible) holistically minded providers, but I do see that changing!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nidobirthtx.com
- Instagram: @nidobirthtx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084749506492
