Birth, babies and a doula

My daughter was born following an emergency c-section. I was really disappointed that I was unable to give birth naturally and in water as I wanted to.
You might ask why? Well it was because my labour didn’t go as I was expecting and I didn’t dilate fast enough or “failed to progress” to enable a natural birth.
I will not go into details because the whole experience brings back bad feelings and I don’t want to talk about negativeness in this post.
All I will say though is that all I can remember regarding the actual birth of my daughter is the cold and bright room – the theatre – and being surrounded of people I didn’t know who invaded my world and body.
This is why after the birth of my daughter and having developed postnatal depression I looked into learning more about birth and babies.
This is how I discovered the “doula” concept. Very new for me a foreigner in UK. In my home country I never heard of such a concept. I mean over there pregnant woman have elective c-sections most of the time and know the exact day and time when they will give birth.
The thought that someone is specialised to care for the mother during birth and post birth made me think that I really wanted to experience the same thing too. And at the same time I wanted to help other mums like me to have the birth they want and be in control of their own life.
Because of work and money concerns I never managed to do it all this time. Thinking about it is probably because I was/am afraid on reflecting on my own experience.
But all changed when I got pregnant the second time.
I looked into it and found a class that I subscribed to and that I will attend next month.
Why do I do it now?
Is because I want my second baby to be born in a different situation. I would like if possible to have a vaginal birth and for it to be as natural as possible.
I want to learn more about my options and my body before I give birth. I am hoping that the course will help me have a better birth.
I feel that it is necessary for me to feel in control this time sound in order to help other women feel in controls of their own birth experience.
The “doula” course will not be the only course I want to follow though. I would like to follow it up with a breastfeeding course and baby massage course too.
I feel that being able to hear mums through their best moments in heir life is something that I could be good at and that will make me happy at the same time.
I don’t know if I will necessary choose to be a “doula” after I finish the course but without pursuing my desire of learning more I will never know.
A couple of weeks ago I received the pre-module course and in it they were a few suggestions on what books to read to learn more about birth and natural birth experiences .
At the moment I’m reading a book by Emma Mahony – “Stand and deliver”. I totally recommend it already even though I didn’t finish the book just yet.
Reading the book already made me feel different about birth and what I thought it is normal. The way Emma writes is funny and witty. She makes me think that I CAN have the birth I want.
I am going to end my post now hoping that i will get what I hope from following the “doula” course and that In a way it will change my life a little bit.
Don’t worry you will definitely hear more about this in future posts.

Image credit – http://www.babyclipart.net/