After 3 very long days, my Childbirth Educator and Labor Doula training is complete. I feel much more confident in my abilities and am so excited about what the future will bring. I am hoping to find a few doula clients over the next few months and will be advertising on Facebook and elsewhere. Wish me luck there!
I learned a few things over the past three days. I learned that my birth story truly is a tragic one. I learned though that I did everything that I could have, and if I had more information and someone with a better knowledge with me, I would have had a better outcome. I still may have ended in a cesarean, but who knows. I now know that Joley was likely facing up and that was the reason for the intense back pain, strange contractions on the monitors, and for my water breaking and nothing happening for awhile. Those are all signs that the baby is presenting in the wrong way. Had I know that, I may have been able to get her to move and still been able to have my vbac.
It saddens me but I am finding the positive in this, as I so often have to do. I learned throughout all this that I am truly doing something that will make me happy and something I will feel good about doing. I also know how to help other moms deal with the emotions of a failed vbac (cbac) because I have gone through them myself. I can rejoice with a mom that is able to have a vbac. I can offer support, encouragement, and information to any mom wanting to labor and have her baby.
I know that I am going to do well in this job. I am confident in my abilities both as a nurse and as a Labor Doula. I am confident that I can help moms to have the birth they desire. My goal is this… I want any mom I come in contact with through my work to be informed. When a mom is informed, she can make the best decisions. I want to empower women to make the best decisions for them and their baby, not their doctor, midwife, or anyone else. Any decision that mom is informed about and is good for baby and good for mom, I will be able to support.
One bonus of this training is that I met some fantastic ladies. I even met a great RN that lives very close to me with children of similar age. My teenage daughter says that I make friends wherever I go and this time, she was right. It was so great being around like-minded people. Training was fun and I am so glad I went!
Amanda (Garibay Soup) says
Awesome news, Stef!! I’m not totally sure what exactly a Doula is, but I have a friend who asked to attend my birth of this baby, because she wants to be a Doula. I told her, well….. my labors are usually uneventful and boring, because I immediately get an epidural, then I go to sleep, then I push a few times and there’s a baby lol.
So, Stef, I’d love to learn exactly what a Doula is!
Debby Pucci says
Hooray for you 🙂