Why I Doula This!

Becoming a doula was a servant-led calling for me. It is all I have ever wanted to do, before I knew there was a name for it.

Welcome to my blog, "Give Me A'kis". I have never blogged before, but I hope to use this medium to connect with my readers and clients in a way that is both current and interesting. Think of it as an ongoing conversation about the doula life, prenancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, parenting, and all things baby!

I went through a time period where I felt like a complete and utter failure. I was angry with myself for not "following my dreams."

So for my first blog, I will share with you why I became a doula. As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be an obstetrician gynecologist so that I could take care of mothers and their babies "when I grew up."

Then I Grew Up

I worked toward that goal through high school and college, making good grades and spending my summers as an intern for a local hospital. I faced numerous barriers along the way, becoming a teen mom in high school. By the time I graduated with my BS in Molecular Biology & Business Administration, I was a 23 year old mother to two of the most amazing 4 and 3 year olds on the planet. By that time, I found myself conflicted with whether I should study for the MCAT or attend my sons' football games. I chose the latter. I chose the latter everytime, and I don't regret it. Don't get me wrong. I went through a time period where I felt like a complete and utter failure. I was angry with myself for not "following my dreams."

Little did I know, I was living #mybestlife and my dreams had only been deferred. We were blessed with two additions to our family, after a nine year gap. And while there were times when I thougt that we must have been crazy people for starting over, when the first two were already halfway to college, my last two birth experiences gave me the insight that I needed to fulfill those dreams and goals that I held so dear for so many years. What was so different about the last two births you ask? The answer is very simple: my provider was an obstetrician gynecologist. Everything that I had imagined about the care that I would provide as an ob/gyn was completely inaccurate. Unlike the hands-on comfort measures and frequent visitations that I received from my midwife during my first two labors, I saw my ob/gyn twice before she was catching my baby at labors three and four. In no way do I mean to bash doctors in this post, as the care and expertise that they provide is invaluable. However, solely providing "clinical care" is not the way that I wanted to support mothers and babies during pregnancy, labor, and birth. So there you have it folks, a #doula was born. The word doula is Greek for a "servant-woman," and that I am. It is what I was born to do. It is my purpose. So how may I serve you?