I love being a doula!

There is so much satisfaction in knowing that you are helping to promote women to make their own educated choices about their care when they are pregnant and giving birth. I love the feeling of knowing you are promoting thinking for themselves and not just following what they are told to do. Women have come far in many ways, but one of the ways that women struggle is to be able to choose the way they give birth. In many cases when women give birth, they are told how to dress, when they can use the restroom, bathing or not bathing, eating or not eating, even what position they are lying in. In some cases, this direction is needed, other times it is not. Education can help a women to be empowered to ask questions about the why behind the demands. It can give them the choice to realize if they believe it is important to follow the request they are being given, or to ask if there is another option they could possibly choose. Our bodies and our babies, do not always care about lawsuits, but we do care about the safety of ourselves and our babies. The decisions you make as a mother, choosing a care provider, a facility to give birth in or whether you choose to give birth outside a facility can not only effect the here and now, but also your future. Give yourself a pat on the back if you are educating yourself as far as what is the best option for you and your family. Research your options and make wise choices about giving birth. The wrong care provider for you may not be the wrong one for a friend, evaluate for yourself personally. Listen to advice from friends and family, but ultimately remember that it is you that is going to be going through this experience. It is very important that you, as the laboring mom, feel safe and secure where you are giving birth, trust your care providers and have a good support team. I know many families who feel that money ends up deciding whom they choose as a care provider or support person, and I would love to encourage to work hard to get a provider that you are very comfortable with and the support you need, even if it means you work extra hard to trade that extra work or find other means of paying them. It can make a difference in the mental well being of your family.