So, what made me want to become a doula? And what qualities do I believe make me a good one? Let’s talk.
So many things influenced my becoming a doula. Before my first birth, I had never even heard of a doula. We decided to have a homebirth and were working with a local midwife. The midwife who ended up attending our birth worked with a doula as a team. So, you could say we ended up with a doula by accident, but I like to think of it as Providence. She was truly magical.
Now, what do I remember most about her? Did she suggest physical comfort measures and help to make me comfortable as best she could? Sure, she did. But, what I remember so much more than that is her emotional support. And that’s not to discount the support that I got from my husband, which was invaluable. But she fully complimented him and said just what needed to be said at just the right time. She brought my breathing down where it needed to be and breathed in rhythm with me. She helped remind me that I was birthing my baby and doing it like a boss!
I believe that birthing mothers benefit greatly from having a steady, calming, grounded presence at their birth. If fear is not brought into a birth, then a mother will have less pain. She will have less struggling against the process and be able to go with the flow of labor more easily.
It is my honor to be welcomed into the sacred and intimate experience that birth is. I believe in your body; that you were made to do this. Whatever your outcome, I will be by your and your partners side, encouraging you every step of the way.
It is the job of the doula to be intuitive and discerning of the situation as it develops and evolves. Birth is unpredictable and sometimes messy. I can read situations and emotions well. I know what is normal in labor and can help reassure your partner that what they might think is scary is really just a variation of “normal”.
As a doula, I bring a calm and reassuring presence.
The most important thing when hiring a doula is making sure that they are someone you feel comfortable with. Someone you feel will bring the right support to you and your partner and the right energy to your birth space.
My training, knowledge, experience and personal strengths of encouragement, intuition, discernment and empathy all make me the best doula I can be. If you’re looking for those qualities in a doula, then let’s get in touch and talk!
Every birth is unique, but all births deserve respect and honor. You are fierce!