I LOVE Being a Doula!

Sunday I had the great privilege to be the doula at a beautiful birth. It was an amazing experience. It is already two days later and still I am basking in the glow of this birth. I just can't get over what an incredible miracle birth is and how AMAZING it is that women's bodies can create, birth, and feed new human beings. Really, it is the greatest miracle on this earth and I LOVE being able to help women have the type of beautiful, peaceful, and natural birth experiences they want to have.

I know as a doula I don't really do any of the hard work but when this woman's baby was born on Sunday I felt such a feeling of accomplishment. I think it is probably how a coach must feel when their athlete wins the Olympic gold medal-- you know you didn't actually run the race, but you sure helped make it possible. My gold medal was seeing the look of pure rapture, relief, and ecstasy that flowed over my mother's face when she finally felt the baby flow out of her body and enter her arms. It was an amazing moment. I had just spent the last several hours massaging, turning, squeezing, encouraging, directing, holding, stroking and watching this amazing woman as her body worked to bring her child into the world. I'd seen her breath through contractions, I'd seen her relax and allow her body to open, I'd seen her panic and cry, and I'd helped to encourage and direct her when she got scared and tired. But mostly I saw her dive into reserves of strength she didn't even know she had and find the strength to keep going. It was beautiful to see her how her husband cared, supported and loved her through the whole experience. It was this couples first baby and I could tell that he was in awe of what his wife was able to do. It was really inspiritng and stunning to be a part of.

I've decided I LOVE being a doula and that there isn't anything else that I'd rather do. There is not greater privileged that being able to help a woman make it to the end of her "marathon" of birth, to see her receive the baby up into her arms and watch the amazing look of joy and releif spread across her face. It makes all the work that I do as a doula, the massaging,the caring, the encouraging-- SO worth it! I really believe that every woman needs a doula-- even if she wants to have medications-- because no matter how a woman births she deserves to be surrounded by people who are there JUST for her and who believe in her, who respect her and who are able to give her continuous support and encouragement. Doulas don't over power husbands as the primary support giver-- they just help the fathers know what to do to help thier wives and how to be more involved in the whole birth experience. Birth is really such a miracle and as women we are so privileged to be a part it!

Thanks for letting me get more birth enthusiasm off my chest-- I have a lot of it if you can't tell :)