So as I've travel down this path of "stay-at-home mom-dom", I've had a lot...and I mean A LOT of time to ponder over what direction I'd like my "professional" life to take. I put that into quotations because let's be honest, I am not a person, nor do I ever see myself becoming a person, who could be any kind of serious professional.
Now, I'm not saying I'm making any life-long or life-changing decisions, I think thru the course of becoming a mom I've been able to really draw out a part of me that excites me more than anything (career-wise) has in a very long time. And not surprisingly, it's labor and delivery! haha.
While I don't have any desire at the moment to go back to school and hit the books hard enough to get certified as an RN, I do have a desire to help women achieve the birth they want and to help them and their babies have a healthier delivery with less unnecessary interventions. So I'm currently doing the reading and will subsequently be attending the seminar to become a certified Birth Doula.
To find out more about what a Doula is and what training I'll need check out the DONA International's website http://www.dona.org/
But to summarize, I will NOT be able to give any sort of medical advice or to do any medical checks such as blood pressure or how dilated a woman may be. I WILL be able to give constant emotional, physical and verbal support to both the woman laboring and her partner. After going through my own birth experiences, I realize that Broghan and I have really been able to get through it together with the help of the people who have 1) prepared us for what to expect and 2) who have actually been there during the labors and given suggestions. The biggest difference between what I have already experienced and what I hope to provide to other women is a CONSTANT support. As a doula, I would not leave the laboring woman except for absolutely necessary (bathroom/food break) and I would return a.s.a.p. My role could vary from being extremely involved (helping press on pressure points on the back, holding her hand, rubbing her back, wiping her forehead) to being not all that involved at all and just being there for a sounding board or to offer up factual information about options and/or what the doctors are talking about when they start speaking in medical jargon.
Now, I'm not saying I'm making any life-long or life-changing decisions, I think thru the course of becoming a mom I've been able to really draw out a part of me that excites me more than anything (career-wise) has in a very long time. And not surprisingly, it's labor and delivery! haha.
While I don't have any desire at the moment to go back to school and hit the books hard enough to get certified as an RN, I do have a desire to help women achieve the birth they want and to help them and their babies have a healthier delivery with less unnecessary interventions. So I'm currently doing the reading and will subsequently be attending the seminar to become a certified Birth Doula.
To find out more about what a Doula is and what training I'll need check out the DONA International's website http://www.dona.org/
But to summarize, I will NOT be able to give any sort of medical advice or to do any medical checks such as blood pressure or how dilated a woman may be. I WILL be able to give constant emotional, physical and verbal support to both the woman laboring and her partner. After going through my own birth experiences, I realize that Broghan and I have really been able to get through it together with the help of the people who have 1) prepared us for what to expect and 2) who have actually been there during the labors and given suggestions. The biggest difference between what I have already experienced and what I hope to provide to other women is a CONSTANT support. As a doula, I would not leave the laboring woman except for absolutely necessary (bathroom/food break) and I would return a.s.a.p. My role could vary from being extremely involved (helping press on pressure points on the back, holding her hand, rubbing her back, wiping her forehead) to being not all that involved at all and just being there for a sounding board or to offer up factual information about options and/or what the doctors are talking about when they start speaking in medical jargon.
The term "doula' can be expanded beyond just a certified doula. It can be used to describe any person who supports a woman through the labor process. For me, my "doula" was my husband Broghan. He drove 8+ hours to be with me during labor and did a great job coaching me, being my sounding board and a barrier system to keep distractions at bay. He spoke encouraging and positive words to me through the labor and delivery and here we are just minutes after a natural, drug-free delivery.
Here are some statistics to ponder. A pregnant woman has more than a 1 in 3 chance of "ending up" having a cesarean delivery; a study out of Cleveland, OH showed of those who have an induced labor 63%!! require a cesarean if they weren't attended to by a doula, where only 20% with a doula ended up delivering that way; women who had a doula support are 40% less likely to require a forceps delivery; 60% less likely to even request an epidural and 40% less likely to require Pitocin to keep labor moving; having a doula may reduce the length of labor up to 25%.
Anyways, the more I read about this "profession" the more I grow passionate about the idea that YES! ALL women have this magnificent body that is able to and meant to deliver a baby and that YES! a woman should be allowed to plan for and subsequently get the opportunity to labor and deliver the way SHE WANTS and YES! she should be allowed to have an advocate available to support her in every and any way necessary to achieve the kind of birth she hopes for (pending no other medical complications arise that would cause it to be different...obviously the baby's and mother's well-being trumps all wants/desires)!!
I'll be sure to keep all updated on my progress but I'm hoping to be able to support women in their labors/deliveries by sometime towards the end of this year (2010). That's the goal anyways!
I so agree with you Abby. I had a waterbirth with Ainsley assisted by a midwife and while I realize not all births are the same I think if you go into it believing that you are capable, rather than seeing it as a medical "procedure" the outcome is much more favorable for everyone. And how empowering to give birth without being numb, feeling everything and being able to get up out of the tub 2 minutes after giving birth, walk to the bed and hold your baby for the first time being completely alert and aware. Good for you for pursuing a career while being a stay at home mom. I can only imagine! Good luck!
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