Labor Support

I love being a doula.

Back in 2001, I took the Labor Support Course for Birth Doulas at Seattle Midwifery with none other than the amazing Penny Simkin (author of the Birth Partner, among other things). At the time, I was 9 weeks pregnant with my second child; the tools I learned were invaluable as I birthed my son unmedicated with a midwife at a birth center. Two years later, I attended my first birth as a doula for a dear friend and have been hooked ever since.

Don't get me wrong... the work is hard and labor intensive. I have walked away from births and found myself sore for days later. On top of lack of sleep, time away from family, the challenges of being on call.. there are definite challenges present. What makes up for it is when you have a Mom look into your eyes for reassurance that everything is going Ok.. when you can do something to ease the intense sensations that result from labor and birth... when you watch that tiny, new baby slip into this world and see the look of pure exaltation and joy on a mother's face as her newborn is layed on her chest. It is almost as if you can see the veils lift between heaven and earth to let that new little life through. It is amazing.

Up until now, I have done just a few births here and there each year. This year so far will be my busiest yet, with four births. I have made the decision to start regularly offering both birth and postpartum doula services. Helping moms, babies and new families has been my passion (as anyone could likely see from reading this blog) and it's about time I started doing something I love more often.

My business, Babymoon Birth Services, has been created to support families in the Whatcom County area. Offering birth doula services... as well as offering postpartum services such as care for other children, running errands, housework, helping with new baby... I am excited for this new venture!