S P O T L I G H T
W I T H S H A N A A F U
A Word from a Doula .
Imagine having a birth where you feel in control . A birth that gives you energy . A pain-less birth . A positive birth . A birth where you receive genuine support . A spiritual birth . A birth without unnecessary intervention . Most importantly a birth that YOU want . I am a birth doula . I am someone who can help you feel like you ' re in control . I will help educate you , inform you of researched decisions . Help you receive that spiritual experience & help support you .
The term ' doula ' hardly gets thrown around for decades . The terms - birth attendant , birth assistant , birth caregiver , and birthing coach are terms used to explain what a doula is in our modern day . I seem to always receive the question , ‘ what in the world is a doula ?’ When asked what I do . I actually love when I am asked this question , it gives me a chance to explain what being a doula is all about ! Here , let me share how this all came about for me and shed a bit of light on what a doula is ...
Doula + Education = Passionate Advocate Before becoming a doula , I became so intrigued , curious and wanting to be qualified as someone who can advocate natural birth to women .
Since having my 2nd baby , I couldn ' t help myself but share all the good things I had learnt during my own journey of pregnancy and birth . I wanted to influence other women in having a beautiful natural birth .
I found myself sharing so much advice to family , friends and strangers ! I had more than a handful of mothers come to me after their own birth after taking my advice , and sharing how great their experience was & thanking me for my little piece of advice that I had offered . This gave me much joy & made me feel determined to gain the certification and become a certified & credentialed doula . My job as a doula is to show love , compassion & support families in making informed decisions . My job is also to be an advocate for these families . Be the voice when they ' re not able to speak up .
What about the father ’ s role ? Doula ' s never replace dads . We are simply there to guide them . When we guide fathers to be close and intimate with their partner during labour , it helps magnify the importance of love between the couple and helps the release of oxytocin ( love hormone ) flow through the pair