How Doula Do?
I love this picture which is why I selected it first.
At this point in time, I am missing my mother even more. In essence, I am about 90 miles or so from home. My mother is not physically on this earth to rub my back or hug me or tell me about when she was pregnant with me. I go by memories. I have my husband who this is his first child as well. We have a team of midwives and have registered with the hospital. I think my qualifications apply for me to have a doula but honestly, anyone can ( and may be I am biased but should) have a doula.
First off, what is exactly a Doula? According to DONA international:
"A birth doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth."
Many websites boast that doulas assist in reducing births that require- vacuum, forceps, c-sections, epidurals and tearing or an surgical cuts. (I am very bad at spelling out what the procedure is so I just left it at a lay man's term.)
When I first heard the term "doula" I had just moved to Chicago and was working in a Chiropractic office before I begun my journey in Chiropractic school. The massage therapist there was also a doula on the side and told me what that was. I just shrugged it off and assumed she was a "tree hugger". I began to watch more birth stories and few of them included a doula that was there to mainly assist and comfort the laboring mother and in some cases help the husband adjust and be aware of what is going on.
After being in the hospital room for my good friend Amy when she gave birth to my beautiful goddaughter, Mila last August I began thinking may be this is a route that I might want to take. To eventually become a doula as I helped her stay strong and focus on birth and less on the pain.
I had no idea where the next year was going to take me.
I honestly think birth is beautiful, natural and overall amazing. It is loaded up in pain and we have done a great job of providing anxiety and fear to the mix. Notice how so many movies about labor have some extreme measures?
1- Nine Months- Hugh Grant hits a bicyclist, and gives an elderly man a heart attack on top of having his newly pregnant laboring wife screaming at him because he dated the hostess when they were broken up.
2- Father of the Bride Two- Both mother and daughter go into labor at the same time. One's fetal heart rate is excessive and has to get a c-section. I think both don't have "normal" labors.
3-For Keeps- I am not going to go into this movie of teenage love and pregnancy but seeing that movie made me NEVER want to have a kid. . .especially as a teen.
I am not going to sit here and tell you that I am not going to be in pain or I am not going to be a little scared. I will because this is something that is completely new to me. My body is currently going through changes daily. I am calling my pregnancy, "My body's adventure" as I have gone through changes and still come out eight months and had a man tell me, "You may be the first sexy pregnant woman I have ever seen. Usually they are all wide and nose got all big. Not you. You got a belly and that is about it." If I ever doubted God before, that will never ever be an issue now. He is truly with my husband and myself and yes I am reading a book called, "Spiritual Midwifery" which may or may not be Christian but adding your own spirituality makes one more prepared if you have put all your trust into the higher power of your choice. In my case, that is Jesus Christ who did the ultimate suffrage.
This week, we are interviewing two doulas. One on Tuesday and one on Wednesday. One actually worked with my Midwives before so she has a step ahead of the other. I want to be able to when I see her I want to hug her. If I can feel instantly comfortable with her during the interview I want her there. I want her there to massage my back and soothe Vince and I's fears. I would love her to help me with my birth plan (will post about one later) as well as help me out for all I need as far as preparation for birth and preparation for breastfeeding as my little critter will be breastfed.
"To Live for God, to Bear Fruit for Him who Sits on High."
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