Mother/Doula Relationships - Part 1

Starting Out

Preface: I'm excited to begin the next phase of my work by taking a DONA-approved birth doula training course in mid-August. I've already begun working with a local support centre as a volunteer doula.

Lately, I've been thinking about the mother/doula relationship. It's not something that is immediate, but rather is cultivated over the months a doula is involved with a client. One may wonder what is necessary to develop this all-important connection. So far, I have discovered the following characteristics on the part of the doula are a must:

1. Patience - Don't expect to know all of a woman's history at the outset. It takes time to develop trust.
2. Understanding - Women come from different backgrounds; have different histories. We as support professionals need to remember our first priority is just that - support. Regardless of our personal feelings on pain medication or spirituality, for example, we are there to support the mother's choices and offer insight and knowledge, not push our own agenda.

For further insight please read the DONA International Standards of Practice for Birth Doulas and Code of Ethics for birth doulas.

New Beginnings

Women's Options in Maternity Care & Birth (WOMB) has been operating for 3 years this month. Wow! However, it seems that finally we are becoming more than just a fledgling one-woman operation. So, I've decided to begin a blog to document our journey to open up more prenatal and birthing options for women in Medicine Hat, AB and all over Canada and the US.

First of all, I'd like to start by thanking my amazing support team - My husband, Mike, who has believed in me and encouraged my work although he has seen no monetary benefits as of yet. :-) My mother, who continues to send questions my way and promote my work to family and friends; you are an inspiration to me and a constant upliftment. I am also thankful for my friends Nadine, Ashley, Jaclyn and Monica for showing such interest and keeping the dream alive! Finally, thank you to the folks at ASAC in Edmonton for supplying us with Birth Issues every quarter to distribute throughout the city. You were my first window into the world of birth and I hope someday WOMB will be able to be even half as sucessful as ASAC.

Read on... more to come!