Day 277

As some of you may know and some of you may not know: I am a doula.
WTF is a doula?
A doula is a woman who assists other women during labor and childbirth. In my role as such, I work with women during pregnancy to understand their wishes and thoughts about their experience (or at least their desired experience) for pregnancy and actual labor and delivery as well as neonatal care (newborn care).
In studying to become a doula I learned that there is no certification required, and no certification in my state (New York) available. However; I do want to have some kind of official piece of paper that lets prospective clients know I'm not just some crazy lady who wants to help them have their baby. Even though that's kind of what I am, I think an official piece of paper might add to my legitimacy in some peoples eyes.
Getting certified (not certifiable) requires an academic course then a required number of attended births followed by so many hours of continued education academia. The specifics on these three things are different depending on what source you seek to get your certificate from. The source I chose required a 6 week (and fairly intensive) academic course, 3 births attended and 15 hours of continued education hours each subsequent year. So far, I've finished the academic piece, and have attended 1 birth.
And holy woah, how amazing that experience was. I absolutely loved being there offering support in any way I could. We tried some positioning maneuvers, some essential oils, some breathing (which was her amazing mother's prompting), some visualization, some talk therapy and rationalization speak (which is not easy during labor). Then the baby came and everyone cried and she is a beautiful healthy human being. I felt so inspired to go forth on this journey. I felt a renewed sense of amazement and importance wash over me. I felt a love so strong for the family I was there for and for life in general.
It was so beautiful.
And I had my follow up interview today.
And I got positive feedback from the mother.
And I feel wonderfully confident that I can do this, that I am good at this, that I can get better at this, that I can grow from this, that my community can be positively influenced by what I do.


And now:
Link of the Day:
I make no claims to know everything, and I do not contend that the links I post do either. I simply post them to enrich your mind or to offer the opportunity of such an act.

http://newlifeonahomestead.com/2011/01/garden-planting-zones-frost-dates/