Why I’m Becoming a Doula

In 2020, my husband and I were pregnant with our first daughter. I wasn’t sure what I would want for the birth — epidural or no epidural, midwife or OBGYN. I had so many questions, and I brought them to a good friend who was a doula. She gave me information about my options, which helped me decide what I wanted and didn’t want. From there, we asked her to attend our birth. We met to discuss the birth plan, and she walked us through what we could expect. It was so helpful having someone who had been to so many different births before and had studied the ins and outs of labor! She never pushed us to do something we were uncomfortable with. She gave us unbiased information and fully supported the birth plan we chose. 

Fast forward to March of 2021. I thought I was going into labor, but wasn’t sure. Joy (our doula) was the first person I called. She met us at the hospital and stayed by our side the entire time. I would like to add here that she also never left my husband’s side. We both needed that support from her. 

With each contraction, Joy would say, “You’re doing so well” or “With this contraction, your baby is getting closer to meeting you”. She would rub my back or shoulders. She would remind me to breathe and breathe with me. She would encourage Grant to step in or give him a break if he needed it. When contractions would slow down, she recommended different positions to help progress labor. When I was at the end and said, “I can’t do this” she told me that I could. It was amazing to have her and my husband’s emotional and physical support. 

Joy was there for the birth of my second daughter just 15 months later. After my second was born, I started looking into becoming a doula. I wanted to give that same support to other moms and their partners. I wanted to tell people about how amazing it is to have that support in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. 

Thank you, Joy, for being my doula and inspiring me to become one!