My Journey: Attending my first birth

I was lucky with my first birth - about the time I decided that I wanted to look into becoming a doula, my baby sister announced that she was expecting! I have never been so excited - baby sister is young, yes, but we've always been close and I knew that she was going to be a great mom! I told her, if she wanted, I would be willing to offer my services and help her as much as I could through her pregnancy, birth and afterwards. I let her know she could ask me anything and that I would support whatever decisions she made. We talked a lot during the pregnancy - she took it like a champ, and did more research on natural childbirth than I did. (Isn't it amazing how we just assume things will work out?) She knew that she did not necessarily want an epidural, as we had an aunt who suffered from paralysis after an epidural many years ago. She knew that she wanted to try to nurse her baby. She was as prepared as any other nineteen year old I know. I was very proud of her. She called me one afternoon to let me know that she had just left the doctor's office and that they were going to induce her the next evening if she didn't go into labor. This was not necessarily what she wanted, but her fluid was getting low again - it had been low earlier and she had spent some days in the hospital with that and preterm labor - and she was a few days past her due date. She asked me to come as soon as I could, which would be the following day because my partner had to work that evening and at the time we were functioning as a one car family. She told me that was fine, because they weren't going to start pitocin until that morning anyway and we assumed labor would take quite a long time, as she was a first time mom. We got a late start, but I spent most of the drive on the phone with my mom, who was helping until I could get there, as well as talking to baby sister when she needed extra help. When I arrived she was at a 7 and had consented to the epidural. The next three hours were a lot of reassuring her, ice chips, and holding a washrag on her head. I really wish I had been able to be there for her earlier. A belief I hold very dear is that positive thinking can accomplish a lot. Around the time baby sister was at a nine, everyone else in the room began to get discouraged. The hospital that she was birthing at is not well known for allowing natural birth to happen - as evidence by my own birth. The doctor, even, began to mention that we might want to start considering a csection as a possability. After the doctor left, I hushed everyone, and began to work with baby sister to think positive. We talked about the baby, and how she was right there. We pictured her head pushing down and getting the last of her cervix out of the way in order to make pushing easier. The nurses shifts changed and a new nurse came in. After about an hour of visualization and baby sister willing her body to cooperate with her, it was time to push! I can't take any credit for that - baby sister did such an amazing job! She pushed like a champ from the get go, not needing anyone to count for her or hold her legs, or anything. The baby was born within an hour from the time she started pushing. She was definitely a champ. She did everything exactly how she needed to, and she really listened to her body. I am beyond proud of her! And watching my niece coming into this world, watching my sister's transition into motherhood, was the most beautiful thing I have ever had the pleasure to witness. Honestly, it was a healing experience for me just to be able to have a tiny, tiny part in helping my sister have the birth she wanted. I am beyond glad that she is able to recount her birth story as a joyful experience, as a wonderful time in her life. I am very glad I can be part of that conversation. And being with her really cemented that this is something I need to do. I want to be able to help women have the births they want - and even if they can't have the birth they want, help them have the best birth they can, no matter the situation. In particular, I would love to help women who want to VBAC - as I want to do in the future - as well as help women who wish to have repeat c-sections, have the most mother-baby friendly csection they can. I also would love to work as a post-partum doula, helping with breastfeeding in particular. I am so excited about this new chapter in my life! I really feel like birthwork is a calling, and I feel so passionate about it.