Next Steps - Part 2

Silly friends!
NO I'M NOT PREGNANT. If THAT was how I set up a pregnancy announcement I would be:
A) Not good at surprises.
B) Not good at hints.
C) Just a plain 'ole silly pants.

Now, when I said that babies are in my future, I wasn't kidding.  The thing is, they just won't necessarily be MY babies.  Sooo. There ya go.

Friends, you may, when you read the words below, think that I am entering into the unique world of Birkenstocks, long broom skirts, incense braided hair and tevas with socks. But I'm not (well who am I kidding I do love incense). I'm just going to be a doula.  This is the question I most frequently get asked after making the previous statement:

"A doo-lah?!? What in dee sam heyul is a doo-lah?"

Well, kinds sirs and ma'ams, I'll tell ya.  Read this from the DONA website - I think it words it pretty well.

"The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily." (emphasis mine)


Basically in short - a doula is a labor coach.  After coming up for air after my birth experience (you can re-live it here and here), I really continued to stay interested/passionate/excited about the whole labor and delivery experience.  I have battled those feelings that inevitably come when you feel a calling to do something 'out of the ordinarily accepted path.'  People literally look at me like a crazy goob when I even mention natural childbirth.  The reality people is that people don't choose natural childbirth because they WANT to experience an inordinate amount of pain. C'mon. We are daughters of Eve after all; completely averse in our nature to doing anything contrary to what we WANT to do. No, people choose natural childbirth becuase they want to have some say in what they want their birth to look like. They choose to because they consider birth to be natural and safe until proven otherwise, not the other way around (as most of our many people [but NOT all] in the medical profession would have you know).


Didn't mean for that to become a soapbox. :)


So, to prepare for certification, right now I'm reading or re-reading up on the following books:

• Husband-Coached Childbirth
• Natural Childbirth the Bradley^® Way 
• Children at Birth 
• Assistant Coach's Manual 
• Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

 Are you jealous yet? I know, you can totes borrow my bfeeding book later (to see how I feel about bfeeding, watch the video from this entry).


Anyhoo, I just wanted to share how excited I am about where life finds me right now, and the direction I feel God moving me in.  So, in light of that, along with allowing friends to keep up to date on the life of the mac-freakin' cutest babby EVER, i'll also share tidbits from time to time on clients and resources and good thoughts about natural childbirth.  So that you won't block me out forever, I'll make sure to be more concentrated on the cute baby side. :)


Go Go NCB. Over n' out.