Wish me luck!**UPDATE**

[essnce629]

I'm about to leave for my first doula training session! Tonight is just an intro and is only 3 hours long, but Saturday and Sunday the workshop is from 8am to 5pm. I'm so excited and will let you all know how it goes.

***Latia
Conner, my homebirthed water baby, 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif Self-weaned at 24 months! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[brittone2]

awesome! Wishing you *much* much luck and enjoyment. Let us know how it went :) I'm living vicariously!

[KrisM]

That's great. Let us know how the class goes tonight!

[Saartje]

Congratulations and good luck!

[kelly ann]

It sounds like a great opportunity for you - enjoy the training :)

[ribbit1019]

I had a friend that just went through training and was certified in Nov. She was very excited to go through the whole process and loves being a doula. I wish you nothing but the best! :)

Christy
Maddy born 6/09/04
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040609/3/4/0/-5/.png

Little Man due 3/02/06
http://bd.lilypie.com/cKLom4/.png
Co-Owner Ribbit Baby

"I did then what I knew how to do. When you know better, you do better." ~ Maya Angelou

[essnce629]

Wow, where do I even start! This was one of the best weekends I've ever had in my life. My head is just exploding with everything I learned and I can't believe I didn't take the training YEARS ago. I'm so ready to move on and start a new chapter in my life that I honestly want to put Conner in daycare tomorrow and tell Sofia's parents I can't watch her any more so I can go on to start working as a doula! I thought I knew a lot before (and I did), BUT WOW, do I know SO much more now. The women in charge were absolutely amazing and the 12 women in the workshop were all so different with such diverse backgrounds. I have so much to share, but will have to wait until the kids go down for their nap. I can honestly say that my life is changed forever!

***Latia (DONA-trained doula-- Yay!)
Conner, my homebirthed water baby, 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif Self-weaned at 24 months! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[essnce629]

Ok, I'm back! Conner never took a nap, but it's "quiet time" since Sofia is napping.

First off, the women in the workshop with me were all so diverse-- all different ethnicities and ages. Many of us were in our twenties, but several were in their 30's as well as one woman in her 40's and one in her 50's. All but 3 of the women in our class had children, and I was quite surprised at how many actually had infants under a year old. There were moms of a 7 month old, 6 month old, and 3 month old. Several of the women had their babies brought in at lunchtime so they could nurse, and the mom of the 3 month old had her baby with her the whole time since he needed to nurse so frequently. One women in the group had 8 children (ranging in age from 19 months to 20 years old) who all lived with her and she also ran an in-home daycare AND was an apprentice midwife...WOW! All of us said our ideal birth would occur at home with a midwife, but several of the women had had hospital births, some had had hospital and homebirths, and some (like me) had only had homebirths. Some of the women had never been at a birth ever and some of us had been at several. Everyone was a little on the "natural" side and there were three pregnancy massage therapists in the group as well as some yoga instructors and childbirth educators.

The main woman in charge of the workshop had been a doula for over 20 years and had been to over 400 births! AND she just received her license as a homebirth midwife 2 1/2 years ago as well. The other woman has also been a doula for several years and is a childbirth educator as well. These women have so much experience and it was an honor to work with them.

I learned so much-- from different massage techniques to positions to use to turn a posterior baby. We watched several videos as well and practiced role playing to show that we knew what techniques to use during different parts of the labor. We covered so many different topics including attending complicated births, postpartum depression, breastfeeding, and how to get started once we finished the workshop. A woman came in who took the same training workshop 2 1/2 years ago to tell us how she got started and how she now has so many potential clients that she has to turn many away. Everyone was so nice and we all exchanged our information to keep in touch and use each other as backup doulas.

I found out about an awesome volunteer doula program that is here in San Diego. One of the local hospitals has a midwife-run birthing center inside and everyone who delivers there is offered the opportunity to have a voluteer doula at her side through her entire labor and delivery. It's an excellent opportunity to get more experience and get the 3 births that we need for certification. I had known about the program before, but didn't think I could do it since you have to be on-call. Well, I found out that you tell them when you are available, and then you are only on-call during those times. So I've decided to sign up for that and be on call for births that start on Friday nights and Saturdays. And since I just went through the DONA doula training, I don't have to go through their program's training. Here's some info on the program:

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=euLTJbMUKvH&b=359887&ct=1468161

We also learned the many benefits of having a doula at your birth, all which are based on research studies. They are:

Fewer requests for epidurals (60%), narcotics (30%)
Reduced use of pitocin
Reduced duration of labor (25%)
Fewer forceps deliveries
Reduced use of vacuum extraction
Reduced cesarean section rates (50%)
Neonate hospitalization and rate of complications reduced
Reduced chances of maternal fever and infection
Reduced maternal bleeding following birth
Increased chance of spontaneous vaginal birth

There are also several psychological benefits to having a doula as well:

Mothers report more positive reviews of their birth experience
Reduced levels of anxiety
Mothers have higher regard and increased sensitivity towards babies
Mothers feel more secure and have more confidence
Reduced incidence of post-partum depression

We learned how to make sure the dads have an active part in the birth and that having a doula present relieves a lot of dad's stress and anxiety. Men like to "fix" things and when they can't "fix" or take away their partner's pain in labor they often get very stressed out and tend to take a step back from the situation. Having a doula there allows them to take part in the birth as much as they feel comfortable (even if that means taking a step back when they feel scared or overwelmed) while still having someone attend to the mother 100% of the time -- someone who has a lot of birth experience, isn't connected emotionally to the mother and won't get upset seeing her in pain, and someone who knows what is normal in labor.

I also thought it was very interesting when I heard about a study that had been done a while back. There was a study done about birthing women and to collect the data a woman had to be present in the room observing and taking notes, etc. Oftentimes she was behind the curtain in the woman's room and never even interacted with the birthing mom. Well, what they later found out was that the birthing women who had this female researcher present in the room, even if they never even interacted, had shorter and easier labors and births than the women who didn't have her present. The end conclusion was that just the continuous presence of another woman in the room during labor and delivery led to better birth outcomes. I thought this was amazing.

So I plan on starting out with the voluneer doula stuff on the weekends and then will hopefully be able to ease into it even more, so by the time I move in with my bf, I can work as a doula full time and by then Conner will be three and in preschool/daycare. I also plan on becoming a postpartum doula as well since as a labor doula you can only plan to attend 3 births a month, but as a postpartum doula you can work hourly to fill in the time around attending births and prenatal/postpartum visits.

So, if anyone is interested in being a doula, I highly recommend attending a DONA training workshop-- even if you have little ones at home. You have 2 years to complete your certification (attend 3 births, etc) after you attend the workshop and get your certification packet.

***Latia (DONA-trained doula-- Yay!)
Conner, my homebirthed water baby, 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif Self-weaned at 24 months! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[VClute]

Thanks so much for the recap of your weekend. I had a doula for my hospital birth and I LOVE her! She stayed awake for more than 24 hours with me and was just perfect. She knew when to talk and when to shut up and when to tell my father and husband what to do. It was great. The hospital where I delivered (a military hospital) has a doula volunteer program, too, but only women whose husbands are deployed are eligible.

I always thought I'd want to be an L&D nurse, but in nursing school I found out it wasn't for me. Then I thought I could be a doula, and I know now that THAT isn't for me, either! My doula stayed focused on my needs 99.9% of the time she was there (she did pee a couple of times and I think she ate a powerbar at one point) and I know I couldn't do that for someone else. It takes a very special person to be a doula - thank you for being one of them! Best of luck to you as you complete your certification!

Amy in NC
mom to Dixon, born 2/14/05

[KrisM]

Wow. It sounds like a great weekend!

I have to start looking for a doula to improve my odds of a VBAC!

[brittone2]

Thanks for the awesome and inspiring recap of your weekend!

I wish you much happiness in this new endeavor. I'm sure you will be an amazing doula. I still feel very very connected to my doula (and midwives ) even though we really only "met" 3-4 times. She was an amazing woman :)

[Wife_and_mommy]

Wow! Your weekend sounds amazing. I'm sure you're going to be one awesome doula. :)

[essnce629]

Thanks everyone so much for your kind words!

I just wanted to add that it is possible for every woman to be able to find a doula even if she thinks she can't afford it. Here in San Diego, I was told that the average experienced doula charges anywhere from $450-$700 and in Los Angeles it can go up to $1000! That is paying for 2 prenatal visits (that usually last 1 1/2 to 2 hours each), the entire birth (from early labor to 1-2 hours after the birth), and one postpartum visit (usually 1-2 weeks after the birth). BUT, even the doulas in charge of the program I attended this weekend (who've had 20+ years experience) said they still attend a few births a year completely free or in exchange of services instead of payment (one doula said she received house cleaning services for 3 months!). Even if a woman can't pay, they will try to find a way for her to be able to have a doula and many of them offer payment plans as well. Also, if money is a problem, look in your area for doulas who are in the process of completing their certification. These are the doulas who have gone through the training, but need to attend their first 3 births to count towards their certification. Often times these doulas will provide their services free or for a very small amount. Try posting an ad on Craigslist looking for a doula who's trying to complete her certification. I did a search on craigslist a few weeks ago and found 2 moms who had posted ads looking for a doula in training since they couldn't afford to pay-- and I emailed both of them. Women who are doulas love attending births and want to be there to help a birthing women have the birth experience she wants, and if that means doing it for free, so be it. I know if I woman approached me on the street corner tomorrow and asked me to attend her birth, I'd do it in a heartbeat! I was a doula for two of my mom's friends back when I was still in nursing school and before Conner was even born, and I never once expected them to pay me. It was such an honor just to be present at such a miraculous time in their lives and I was quite in shock when they both paid me $100. So remember, doulas don't do what they do for the money, they do it because they believe every woman deserves the best birth experience possible and she will want to help you achieve that as best she can.

***Latia (DONA-trained doula-- Yay!)
Conner, my homebirthed water baby, 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif Self-weaned at 24 months! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif