My Doula ~ Part Two: The Home Visit

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My doula was available through text or email any time in my pregnancy or after his birth, but we didn't meet up again until he was about 3 weeks old. She offered to come to my home, to make it easier on me in those early postpartum days.

She came in the evening, and she immediately fawned over how sweet he was, commending me for doing so well at nursing so far (he of course needed to eat immediately after her arrival). Then, she pulled a few small things from her bag...

Gifts! I hadn't been expecting anything, but her thoughtfulness touched me deeply. She also then gave me the photos and videos she'd taken, letting me save them to my computer from her USB, and again told me how memorable she had found my birth experience.

She told me that I could look at the photos at any time, but she greatly encouraged moms to wait 6 months to a year before watching videos, so that your memories formed from the things you remembered, not just what was recorded.

The most precious thing (besides the video) she gave me was a beautifully personalized, heartfelt birth story she'd written from her perspective of my son's birth. She decorated it with swirls and stars and a blue moon, for he as been born on a Blue Moon (either the second full moon of a month or the 4th full moon in a season), which I thought was a meaningful touch.

She also gave "Roo" a personalized onesie she'd stenciled herself, with stars and a dancing elf - also a sweet touch, as I thought it was so cute at birth that he had pointed "elves ears" due to being so squished. Here he is wearing it a week or two later.

Both of these things are so special to me, and will be kept in his keepsake box forever. It made my birth experience even more meaningful and memorable to know someone else felt the powerful emotions I had, on the most important day of my life. His birth story revealed small details I hadn't thought to ask or pay attention to, and her words of encouragement touched my heart (I cried as I read it a few days later). 

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The things I will take away from my birth doula experience are that the important things are the mother's wishes, comfort, and empowerment, to have the birth experience she envisions, and my role as a doula will be to facilitate that in a peaceful, respectful, and encouraging way. I think the skills I will want to work on most will be comfort measures (learning how to put back pressure on, knowing what stages of labour are best helped by each aid, etc), and learning to interrupt what a mother needs & when. 

I hope to encourage mothers to take charge of their labour experience by researching the different options and the mechanics (both physical and emotional) of birth, writing a birth "plan" that allows their birthing team to know their philosophies and hopes for the birth so they can be respected, keep a journal or other way to remember this experience for years to come, and be confident in their abilities as birthing mothers to handle whatever their crazy day will entail. 

Thank you so much for coming on my journey of self-discovery while I become a doula,

I wish you love and empowerment,

~The Novice Doula