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Amanda on being a Labour Doula |
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My favourite part of being a doula is the postpartum visit when this woman and I, who were strangers only a few months before, look at each other with complete, open understanding. Whether it is the sisterhood of being mothers, or the simple fact of my presence at her birth, we now trust and understand one another more deeply than we could have after years of intimate friendship.
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As for the Dads, their reactions at the postpartum visit never cease to entertain me: They are always stunned at how useful I really was!
People often ask me why they should hire a doula when they plan to have their husband or their mother or their best friend present during their labour. I have two answers to that: First, at some point during your labour, your husband or your mother or your best friend becomes ‘almost a dad’, ‘almost a grandma’, or ‘almost an auntie’ and they have new concerns they didn’t have before. I don’t become anything but your doula. Secondly, if you invited your husband to be present while your best friend laboured to give birth, what would he say? Because I would love to be there! |
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I love working with labouring women. Every woman has the opportunity to discover so much about herself during labour and I feel incredibly blessed each and every time I get to be present for that. |
