The relationship between a doula and her client is sacrosanct.
It is one built on months of planning and preparation.
It is time spent researching
Educating oneself
Understanding interventions and the choices you can make
Knowing that at a moment’s notice
Anything can change.
It is excitement and a buildup of energy to the point of organized chaos
When it is
FINALLY TIME.
It is everything happening all at once at a birth, but
At the same moment
Time seems to stand still
For the mother focused on her breathing during a powerful surge.
The doula reminding the mother of her
STRENGTH.
The doula with arms held in a comforting
EMBRACE.
The doula wiping sweat from the mother’s brow.
The mother leaning on the doula for
SUPPORT.
The mother relying on the doula for
ENCOURAGMENT.
The mother relying on her birth team for
LOVING REASSURANCE.
All leading to the pivotal moment of
BIRTH.
Not just the birth of a baby, but
The birth of a mother.
The birth of a father.
The birth of a
FAMILY.
And the doula gets to be there:
To bear witness to this miraculous transformation and say,
“I was there. I saw YOUR birth.”
Written by Chelsey Hernandez Whitcomb
March 2, 2018
