There I was. A college student. My sophomore year.

 

At this point in my life, a mere 20 years old I decided I wanted to be a nurse, or maybe even a teacher. I wasn’t 100% sure. I wanted a job where I could help people. It’s what I enjoyed. I was taking some of the general classes I needed to be able to get into the nursing program, because that is where I was feeling more of a calling.

 

One of these classes changed my life. It was an infant development class. My professor really highlighted pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding in this course. She talked a lot about natural birth and I was intrigued. This is the first place where I heard the term doula. I learned that doulas provide physical and emotional support to women and their partners during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. I immediately saw the value in women having this kind of support.

 

I wasn’t planning on having kids anytime soon, but I knew I wanted to have a natural birth when the time came. I knew I wanted all those things my professor taught about.

 

A couple years later I was pregnant with my first child. I didn’t get this fabulous birth I envisioned. Two years later, I was pregnant again. Again, things didn’t go as I would have hoped.

 

But I still thought about birth often. I was still intrigued by it. Maybe I could go back to school and get that nursing degree, I thought. Ultimately, I decided the timing wasn’t good for me and my family with two little ones.

 

I became very involved in my local ICAN chapter. The leader was a doula and talked me into taking a training to becoming a doula. It didn’t take a lot of convincing. It is something I knew I would love, I just worried about the logistics. Would I be able to find someone to care for my kids while I was gone?

 

I got those logistics worked out and took a couple trainings. I built my private doula business. I realized being a doula wasn’t about promoting one particular way of birthing (natural birth only) or getting some sort of high from watching women give birth. I wasn’t living vicariously through clients who had births I wish I could have had.

 

I was providing a service of support to families. I was getting to know families and have a deep understanding for what they wanted their birth to look like. I was answering their questions. I wasn’t putting any stipulations on these families.

 

I wanted to help women achieve the birth they envisioned, whether that was completely natural, or with the use of pain medication, or even a cesarean section. I placed no judgment on any families. I was a supporter of women, families, and choices. I wanted them to succeed at meeting their own goals. I was watching families empower themselves.

 

I had finally found my calling.

 

Since becoming a doula two years ago, I have served multiple families. It is such an honor every time. Many of these families even choose to stay in contact with me and send me pictures of their little ones as they grow. I love that I was able to be a part of such an intimate time for these families and it is something I will always cherish. I look forward to continuing to do this work for years to come.

 

 

I would love to hear from you! Central Nebraska Doula provides professional doula services in the Tri-Cities, including Kearney, Grand Island, and Hastings, and the surrounding areas. If you are interested in receiving personalized care through doula services please feel free to contact Central Nebraska Doula.