Proof that the presence of a doula does wonders for babies!

During a recent visit to a client's home I spent time with the very first baby (who is now a big girl) that I helped into the world. They're expecting their second at the end of July and she will be an incredible big sister.

Cinco de Mayo and the Benjamin Blessing

This little one was very comfortable in the womb. He was supposed to be born on his dad's birthday in April, but waited until Cinco de Mayo.

I was honored to be at this birth. Mom and Dad worked very hard, using breathing techniques, music, chanting and movement to achieve the birth they envisioned and it paid off. A natural birth, in hospital, with no medical interventions. A great triumph!

The Newest Endeavor: Nursing School

When I realized that my passion for birth was driving me toward midwifery I had no idea how to achieve this goal. To be fair, I'm still not certain. At the time it was something that felt like it had to happen to me.

I left a job working for a non-profit company in New York organizing women's health trainings at Family Planning facilities that was rewarding in that I was doing "good work," but exhausting and I was burning out. I took a slower-paced, desk job that I thought might provide me with some time to get my ducks in a row, but more than anything it made me restless. I knew I could not go on working in this reliable, but less interesting environment if I didn't have a passionate component to balance me out.

I started going through the thought process one might when thinking about re-entering the academic world. Could I get into a midwifery program here in New York? Columbia, NYU, and SUNY Downstate all had them. The first two had accelerated programs, but that would take me out of my job that was willing to pay for part-time school. The last option was a direct-entry midwifery degree where you would earn a degree as a CM (Certified Midwife), but that degree and title might not translate or safeguard you as well in New York State as say, a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife). I thought, "It couldn't hurt to go through nurse's training," I would not only be happy helping women as a nurse, but I would gain valuable experience for midwifery school. So after much consideration, I decided to delay my gratification of working with many clients as a doula during the year and I decided to apply to nursing school.

On December 18th, 2007, I got my letter of acceptance and enrolled as a part-time nursing transfer student and started classes in the Spring of 2008. I'm slowly chipping away at pre-requisites and am working towards going full tilt at the nursing core curriculum courses.

It seemed counter-intuitive to take less births as a doula, in order to one day be able to help women deliver their babies, but I feel good about my course of action. I am confident that I can still be an incredible birth advocate who occasionally takes a birth as a doula, a great nursing student and aspiring midwife all in one. No matter how long the process, in whatever capacity I'm able, I will continue to welcome the children of a new generation into this world.

What is a Doula?

A Doula is a non-medical assistant in childbirth. The role of the doula is to provide the mother with physical and emotional assistance before, during, or after childbirth. A Doula is also commonly refered to as a birth assistant, birth companion, childbirth assistant, or labor support professional. The Doula does not replace the mother's partner, but rather works with mother and her partner to have a safe and healthy birth process.

The origin of the word Doula is greek. The original word, doule, means female slave or servant. In the same respect, Doulas still serve their female clients in much the same selfless and tireless way women have always been providing support throughout the ages.