The Call to Become a Doula
Of all the reasons I love being a doula, this may be my favorite. These gloves and what they represent.
They belong to a colleague of mine (Jenna Schroeder) who was a back-up doula at a birth I attended last winter. She left them at the hospital when she came to relieve me in the wee hours of the night and in her state of exhaustion, she must have forgotten to bring them home with her.
My other doula colleague, Eileen Ryan, also happened to be at the hospital that night attending. birth and saw these gloves on a chair in the waiting area. When she found out that they belonged to a sister-doula who had accidentally left them there, she brought them home, lovingly washed them, and held onto them until I saw her several weeks later at a CAPPA doula training I was teaching. She gave them to me so that I could return them to Jenna.
I love the heart of a doula. Who (other than a doula) would think to do these things?? Few have the heart, compassion, and fierce camaraderie and loving support than a doula.
These gloves are not special. They are not fancy. But they keep the hands of a dear doula warm in the wee hours of the night, when she’s driving home from the hospital, and Eileen knew that.
And she knew Jenna uses her hands to squeeze an aching laboring woman’s hips or rub her shoulders or gently lift wisps of hair off her face while a mom-to-be is working so hard to bring her baby into the world. Those are very important hands! And we all value what this means as doulas.
We value the work we do and we value the people who do the work right alongside us. We know how important this is. We know it in our bones.
I’m proud to be a part of this great profession and the people I work with and this calling as a doula. If you feel the call to become a doula, join me (and several other people just like you!) at our next CAPPA Labor Doula Training September 24-25 in Cincinnati. You can register on our website by going to the "Doula School" tab.
If you have any questions about what it's like to be a doula or to work in this growing field, send me a message! I love talking about my job and how to jumpstart your career as a birth worker. After you become a certified doula, there are so many opportunities for expansion and growth within this industry.
Do you feel the call to become a doula? What are you waiting for? Listen to your heart. Follow your gut. And sit back and watch all the amazing things that are about to unfold.