Why I Became A Doula

I wrote this essay for my DONA birth doula certification, and I thought I would share it with you!

My personal journey to become a doula began 13 years before I ever looked into training, or even knew what DONA was. I was very young – three weeks short of my 19th birthday – expecting a baby, and alone. I knew I wanted what was best for my child, and I saw that as a natural birth with few (if any) interventions. When I shared those hopes with my obstetrician (look back, he was amazingly supportive – if only we could all be so lucky), he connected me with an amazing birth doula.

That was the best thing he could have done for me. While the day didn’t go as I hoped – my imagined natural birth turned into an emergency cesarean when my baby boy went into distress – she was like the glue that held everything together. There are a lot of things she didn’t do “right,” but that’s OK! What she did for me is eternally imprinted on my mind, and I can’t imagine the experience without her.

A cross-country move and a slew of life changes meant I did not have access to doula care when my second and third children, two beautiful little girls, were born. Without even realizing it might be up for debate, I had a hospital VBAC, fulfilling my need for a mostly natural birth. Even so, I longed for the support I had in my first birth, and I wished for a way to make that care accessible to women in rural areas like the one I now lived in. My life situation did not lend itself to supporting other women, though, so those thoughts were pushed aside, waiting for the right time.

A decade passed, and I was blessed with the arrival of my fourth child, another perfect baby girl. This time, I was in my seventh month when I found out it was hospital policy to not allow VBACs. I was devastated. While my husband was incredible and I had a great support system in place, I felt lost and alone. There didn’t seem to be any alternatives. I followed the procedure and did as I was told, but I knew I had to be part of a change.

It was then that my thoughts went back to my first birth, and to the concept of doula care. My research led me to DONA, and I am so glad it did. Through DONA and my training with JM Birth, my eyes were opened. I learned that there really are options for women in birth. I quickly found that I was making an impact in a world with a lot to change. Becoming a doula was an opportunity to apply a lifetime of practical knowledge, and share it with women as they transition into motherhood. What could be better than that?

Helping mothers to have the birth that is right for them is not only great for them, it is empowering for me. I find great energy in the tiny role I play in bringing each new life into this world, and it is changing my life. I will never forget the feeling after my first client’s birth, when I realized – I have found what I want to do with the rest of my life.