Those of us who want to make birth work our main source of income know how difficult it can be. Knowing that, especially in Spokane, people don't really know what a doula is or what Lamaze classes can do for them means we have to lower our prices. We get paid less than half of what women in Seattle get paid for the same services.
That's why doulas here have a wide range of skill sets. Some are also childbirth educators, some are lactation educators, some can do placenta encapsulation... I myself am working toward getting my Lamaze Childbirth Education Certification (LCCE), I have my Lactation Education Certification (CLE), I took a course in neonatal resuscitation, and I had my doula certification through Childbirth International (CLD (CBI)) which has since lapsed. I began working on a second doula certification through DONA but realized it would clash with my role, if I chose to use it, as a midwives' assistant.
Did I mention? I think I'm going to take midwives' assistant training. It's a good course with solid knowledge to have in case I'm at a home birth and the midwife needs an extra pair of hands in an emergency. I could also work with a local midwife as her assistant, backing up while her assistant/apprentice is out on maternity leave.
I'm also going to a really exciting certification class to learn how to use a TENS unit (for myself and for my clients!) and get a refresher in using a rebozo.
The hard thing is... all these classes and certifications cost money. Lots of money. But if you don't have a wide array of skills, you're less likely to be hired, and you'll make less money, and you won't be able to take the classes to get the skills.
What a cycle, huh?
There are exciting things in the works though. A handful of women who are as passionate as I am about the lower income section of our community are planning some very big things. We have spoken with lawyers, we have a grant writer, we had a gluten-free pot luck even! I think we are going to make great things happen but it takes time...
Hold on, women of Spokane! If you need a doula, or a child birth class, or prenatal massage, or information on breastfeeding, or any kind of pregnancy support... and you can't quite afford it... We're on our way!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Friday, July 29, 2011
HVBAC
The very first birth I ever witnessed was a home birth. At the time, I was not very far into my doula training, so I don't think I really appreciated what hard work that mom had to do to bring her baby into the world. The more I've learned and seen, the more in awe I am of our amazing bodies. Since that first birth six years ago, all the births I've attended have been very interventive hospital births. I didn't realize how much that had been weighing on my heart until this week.
I realize not every mom has the opportunities I've had to study pregnancy and child birth. I understand that not every woman sees birth as a rite of passage or the moment their lives are changed forever. Our society has cast birth in a scary light, that labor is a medical emergency, not a natural occurrence. Not everyone knows about the interplay of hormones released between moms and their babies, and how interrupting that process can sometimes cause more harm than good in a normal, healthy labor. I try not to force my opinions on the moms I serve – I just give them information and let them make informed decisions, supporting whatever they choose. That's my job...
...but.
I started feeling incredibly down on myself over these last few months, wondering why I was doing this. None of my moms were even remotely interested in natural child birth. Every time I showed up at the hospital, it felt more like a sleepover than a mom working to bring her baby into the world. We'd sit and chat, nap, watch TV and wait. For myself, it felt so disconnected. My bag of doula tricks sat largely unused. I got critical of myself – am I even a good doula, if all I do is sit there with a mom, watching old episodes of Roseanne? What good was I doing, just sitting there?
This week I had the opportunity to be present at a HVBAC (home vaginal birth after cesarean). I've been in touch with this mom off and on since December, helping her plan her perfect birth. She was diligent in doing her research, reading about other mom's experiences, practicing her comfort techniques and preparing herself – mind and body – for bringing her baby into this world in the most healthy way possible.
Without breaking my promise of privacy to her, I have to say how amazing this experience was. She worked her butt off and I used a lot of comfort techniques I'd never had a chance to try. As hard as she worked, I was there for her every step of the way. I followed her lead, getting her partner involved when she needed him. Soft words of encouragement, reminders to try moving, to keep hydrated... This mom didn't respond vocally but I watched her take in what I said and USE it! What I said and did made a difference! What an awesome feeling!
This one birth – one humbling, amazing, beautiful birth – has completely restored my faith in myself. I DO know what I'm doing. I AM good at what I do. Even if a mom doesn't respond out loud, I know that even being present, being a resource to them when they need me, is just as useful if the mom has a completely intervention-free home birth, or a planned cesarean. I don't ever want to doubt myself again.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Again, LIFE!
Oh the joys of life. Sometimes you want to stop and say, "All right, that's enough for now, let me catch my breath!" And sometimes, surprisingly, life obliges! One whole week to relax... Ahhh. Lovely.
Things are going swimmingly, on the birth front. Happy healthy clients, a Passion for Birth class in June, and a possible volunteer position at the women-with-children drug and alcohol treatment center. I emailed them on a whim and I am thrilled at their response - basically they know what doulas are, and love the work doulas do! The treatment director has a position all lined up for me, I just have to go in and meet them! This is what I wanted, exactly this, to help women who may not have the resources to have a doula or attend childbirth education classes, or any of those things. And as Phil said, it looks good on the resume. :)
Speaking of, I should probably mention I'm getting married. Such a bizarre feeling! Sometimes I feel shy about it, like if I say it out loud it will have turned into a dream... But there it is. My lovely man and I will be getting ourselves legally hitched on 9/10/11. Yes, nine-ten-eleven... We can't do anything normally. :D
I was thinking the other morning about the wedding and how stressful it is trying to plan one when you've never done it before! After a particularly stressful day, I said to myself, "This is exactly why people hire wedding planners!" Of course, I started tying that in to moms... There are people who help women plan weddings, plan parties, even plan how to decorate their homes! But first time moms (and second, and third or more!) typically don't have anyone to help them plan their perfect birth. I know birth is fairly unpredictable, but so are weddings. You don't know if cousin Bert is going to pick a fight during your reception, or if the flower girl gets shy and doesn't want to walk down the aisle... and you have a wedding planner to help you pull off the best wedding you can, given the circumstances. Having someone to laugh with when it's all over is also a plus. Well, doulas can offer the same service! We can help you plan what options you prefer for you birth experience and help you overcome obstacles, or process any unhappy circumstances should they occur.
So, in addition to being a friend, a well of information, and physical/emotional support, a doula is like a wedding planner for births. Birth planner. I like the idea.
Now, do I get a book of swatches with that? :)
Things are going swimmingly, on the birth front. Happy healthy clients, a Passion for Birth class in June, and a possible volunteer position at the women-with-children drug and alcohol treatment center. I emailed them on a whim and I am thrilled at their response - basically they know what doulas are, and love the work doulas do! The treatment director has a position all lined up for me, I just have to go in and meet them! This is what I wanted, exactly this, to help women who may not have the resources to have a doula or attend childbirth education classes, or any of those things. And as Phil said, it looks good on the resume. :)
Speaking of, I should probably mention I'm getting married. Such a bizarre feeling! Sometimes I feel shy about it, like if I say it out loud it will have turned into a dream... But there it is. My lovely man and I will be getting ourselves legally hitched on 9/10/11. Yes, nine-ten-eleven... We can't do anything normally. :D
I was thinking the other morning about the wedding and how stressful it is trying to plan one when you've never done it before! After a particularly stressful day, I said to myself, "This is exactly why people hire wedding planners!" Of course, I started tying that in to moms... There are people who help women plan weddings, plan parties, even plan how to decorate their homes! But first time moms (and second, and third or more!) typically don't have anyone to help them plan their perfect birth. I know birth is fairly unpredictable, but so are weddings. You don't know if cousin Bert is going to pick a fight during your reception, or if the flower girl gets shy and doesn't want to walk down the aisle... and you have a wedding planner to help you pull off the best wedding you can, given the circumstances. Having someone to laugh with when it's all over is also a plus. Well, doulas can offer the same service! We can help you plan what options you prefer for you birth experience and help you overcome obstacles, or process any unhappy circumstances should they occur.
So, in addition to being a friend, a well of information, and physical/emotional support, a doula is like a wedding planner for births. Birth planner. I like the idea.
Now, do I get a book of swatches with that? :)
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Shifting Gears.
My desire to become a midwife stemmed from my desire to educate and assist women in their pregnancy, labor and birth. I still desire those things, but life has been throwing out massive roadblocks in the path to midwifery.
First, my college lost their nursing accreditation. The only other path to nursing was to spend a year at an extremely expensive college taking classes I really didn't need in order to qualify to get into the downtown Spokane nursing school I wasn't guaranteed to get into at all. I thought, "Well, get thee into a direct midwifery course!" But Seattle School of Midwifery merged with Bastyr University (good!) and dropped their distance learning course (BAD.) and there's no way I'm going to be able to move to Seattle since we bought our house.
So I did what I rarely do. I asked for a sign, dammit.
I went to Seattle in August to A) check out Bastyr (just in case), and B) attend a DONA certified doula course (required to get into Bastyr's midwifery program). I was floored by the love and sense of community of the women on the West Side. As they put it, there are more doulas than Starbucks in Seattle! There are groups and support and community and classes for just about anything you can imagine - cesarean awareness, labor coaches, midwives, childbirth educators, even placenta encapsulation, if you can believe it. It was awe-inspiring.
And then I came back to Spokane.
I looked around - there's not a lot of support, and the support that's out there is hard to find. I went to a BBQ with a friend's family and there were at least three pregnant women, two of whom were chain smoking. It killed me to see that, and I thought, "Do they know what they're doing to their unborn children? Do they care? Have they tried to stop smoking and just couldn't do it? Do they not have the support they need?"
There was my answer.
I want to get involved with my community. I want Spokane to know there is someone (or more than someone, if other people get involved) that cares about them and their well-being. Someone who can provide them with education, point them in the direction of help they may need, and do it so no matter what their financial or educational or social situation, they will get the help they need.
So I'm shifting gears. Instead of getting my direct transfer associate's degree, I will get my Business Associate's degree. I will learn all I can about running a not-for-profit type business. I will get my DONA doula certification, my childbirth educator certification, my lactation consultant certification, and I will provide all my services on a sliding scale. I will find others like me - people who care about the women of Spokane. We'll form our own damn community, thank you very much. We will provide doulas for moms who need someone but don't have anyone - single mothers, military wives, whomever asks for our assistance will receive it. I will conduct childbirth education classes in places they can reach even if they don't have a car, or a partner, or a babysitter. I will let people know what I do and meet them where they are at to provide them with the best options, no matter who they are.
I'll twist some arms and get the paper, or even the local news station!, to do a story about our humble group. I'll throw Get To Know Your Doulas nights at the library. I'll get out into our community and open eyes and hearts.
It's time, Spokane. Watch out! I'm comin' for ya! :)
First, my college lost their nursing accreditation. The only other path to nursing was to spend a year at an extremely expensive college taking classes I really didn't need in order to qualify to get into the downtown Spokane nursing school I wasn't guaranteed to get into at all. I thought, "Well, get thee into a direct midwifery course!" But Seattle School of Midwifery merged with Bastyr University (good!) and dropped their distance learning course (BAD.) and there's no way I'm going to be able to move to Seattle since we bought our house.
So I did what I rarely do. I asked for a sign, dammit.
I went to Seattle in August to A) check out Bastyr (just in case), and B) attend a DONA certified doula course (required to get into Bastyr's midwifery program). I was floored by the love and sense of community of the women on the West Side. As they put it, there are more doulas than Starbucks in Seattle! There are groups and support and community and classes for just about anything you can imagine - cesarean awareness, labor coaches, midwives, childbirth educators, even placenta encapsulation, if you can believe it. It was awe-inspiring.
And then I came back to Spokane.
I looked around - there's not a lot of support, and the support that's out there is hard to find. I went to a BBQ with a friend's family and there were at least three pregnant women, two of whom were chain smoking. It killed me to see that, and I thought, "Do they know what they're doing to their unborn children? Do they care? Have they tried to stop smoking and just couldn't do it? Do they not have the support they need?"
There was my answer.
I want to get involved with my community. I want Spokane to know there is someone (or more than someone, if other people get involved) that cares about them and their well-being. Someone who can provide them with education, point them in the direction of help they may need, and do it so no matter what their financial or educational or social situation, they will get the help they need.
So I'm shifting gears. Instead of getting my direct transfer associate's degree, I will get my Business Associate's degree. I will learn all I can about running a not-for-profit type business. I will get my DONA doula certification, my childbirth educator certification, my lactation consultant certification, and I will provide all my services on a sliding scale. I will find others like me - people who care about the women of Spokane. We'll form our own damn community, thank you very much. We will provide doulas for moms who need someone but don't have anyone - single mothers, military wives, whomever asks for our assistance will receive it. I will conduct childbirth education classes in places they can reach even if they don't have a car, or a partner, or a babysitter. I will let people know what I do and meet them where they are at to provide them with the best options, no matter who they are.
I'll twist some arms and get the paper, or even the local news station!, to do a story about our humble group. I'll throw Get To Know Your Doulas nights at the library. I'll get out into our community and open eyes and hearts.
It's time, Spokane. Watch out! I'm comin' for ya! :)
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Decisions, decisions...
When I first started my midwifery journey, I had no idea what I was doing. I figured I'd get into school, get my pre-reqs done and things would just fall into place. My tentative plan was to get my Associates Degree in Nursing from Spokane Community College, get a Bachelor's degree in *whatever* at one of the four-year colleges (while working as a nurse), and then go on to get my Master's in Midwifery from the University of Pennsylvania.
That plan has totally fallen apart.
Spokane Community College lost their accreditation for their nursing program. "No prob," I thought. "I will just get my direct transfer associates degree and then get my Bachelor's in nursing at the downtown WSU campus."
Turns out, though, that it's a hard school to get into. They only accept 60 students twice a year, and you have to have a year of schooling at one of the four years to be competitive. (WSU, Eastern, or Whitworth.) That's pretty inconvenient because they're either A) far, far away, or B) hellabombastic expensive. And I only have a little over a year before I get my direct transfer A.A. anyway so I'd have to apply and get accepted and get my financial aid all figured out, like, yesterday.
Going through school and listening to the people who work in the medical field already made me realize - I don't want to be a nurse! I want to be a midwife, dammit! My passion is women, helping them create a loving and joyful birth experience!
I have been tearing myself to pieces trying to figure out what to do when suddenly I got an email from Bastyr University. They were one of the midwifery schools I had gotten info from ages ago. They're just north of Seattle and specialize in a more holistic approach to medicine. I rejected them, though, because at the time they didn't have a Master's program in Midwifery. Well, guess what? They now have a combined Bachelor's/Master's program!
It's not a certified nurse midwife degree. It's a direct entry midwife degree, but I could always go back later for an A.A. in Nursing. It would cut a couple of years off my schooling. I'd have to travel back and forth to Seattle quite often but that's not too big of a problem. And I'd be doing something I love instead of getting through years of nursing school just to get to my Midwifery classes...
My biggest worry is that I have to go back and get my doula certification again, and a child birth educator cert from DONA. (My doula certification is from Childbirth International, not recognized by Bastyr, unfortunately.) That's going to cost a pretty penny, and hat with full-time work and full-time school already, I don't know when I'm going to be able to fit doula/CBE training in to my schedule.
My heart is saying Bastyr... My logical Virgo brain is saying I should probably get my nursing degree first. I'm not sure which way to go... Any thoughts?
That plan has totally fallen apart.
Spokane Community College lost their accreditation for their nursing program. "No prob," I thought. "I will just get my direct transfer associates degree and then get my Bachelor's in nursing at the downtown WSU campus."
Turns out, though, that it's a hard school to get into. They only accept 60 students twice a year, and you have to have a year of schooling at one of the four years to be competitive. (WSU, Eastern, or Whitworth.) That's pretty inconvenient because they're either A) far, far away, or B) hellabombastic expensive. And I only have a little over a year before I get my direct transfer A.A. anyway so I'd have to apply and get accepted and get my financial aid all figured out, like, yesterday.
Going through school and listening to the people who work in the medical field already made me realize - I don't want to be a nurse! I want to be a midwife, dammit! My passion is women, helping them create a loving and joyful birth experience!
I have been tearing myself to pieces trying to figure out what to do when suddenly I got an email from Bastyr University. They were one of the midwifery schools I had gotten info from ages ago. They're just north of Seattle and specialize in a more holistic approach to medicine. I rejected them, though, because at the time they didn't have a Master's program in Midwifery. Well, guess what? They now have a combined Bachelor's/Master's program!
It's not a certified nurse midwife degree. It's a direct entry midwife degree, but I could always go back later for an A.A. in Nursing. It would cut a couple of years off my schooling. I'd have to travel back and forth to Seattle quite often but that's not too big of a problem. And I'd be doing something I love instead of getting through years of nursing school just to get to my Midwifery classes...
My biggest worry is that I have to go back and get my doula certification again, and a child birth educator cert from DONA. (My doula certification is from Childbirth International, not recognized by Bastyr, unfortunately.) That's going to cost a pretty penny, and hat with full-time work and full-time school already, I don't know when I'm going to be able to fit doula/CBE training in to my schedule.
My heart is saying Bastyr... My logical Virgo brain is saying I should probably get my nursing degree first. I'm not sure which way to go... Any thoughts?
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Acupuncture!
Had my first acupuncture treatment today. All of my preconceived notions went totally out the window, in a good way!
The room was lovely and warm and there were ocean sounds playing softly. Instead of solemn silence (what I expected) she was chatty and we had what amounted to girl time. We talked about school and boys and The Future. That was very cool. Then she put seeds in my ears. Really! They're taped there now! That makes me chuckle.
I lay face-up on the bed and she made me comfy and then STABBY! NEEDLES! Honestly, though, the needles didn't hurt at all. It felt like a little pixie punch - not sharp, nothing to worry about. She combined the acupuncture and seeds with moxibustion (sort of like smudging but less smoke).
The entire process was relaxing and lovely. I was worried about it being painful or stresful. I wasn't expecting to get any sort of result my first time in but... Wow. I feel so relaxed. The tightness in my shoulder is gone. I feel so refreshed, honestly, like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. My "bad" endo spots feel not as bad - I went up the stairs without wincing! Seriously!
Okay, must go back to A&P studying. I have a test tomorrow over the digestive system.
Joy.
The room was lovely and warm and there were ocean sounds playing softly. Instead of solemn silence (what I expected) she was chatty and we had what amounted to girl time. We talked about school and boys and The Future. That was very cool. Then she put seeds in my ears. Really! They're taped there now! That makes me chuckle.
I lay face-up on the bed and she made me comfy and then STABBY! NEEDLES! Honestly, though, the needles didn't hurt at all. It felt like a little pixie punch - not sharp, nothing to worry about. She combined the acupuncture and seeds with moxibustion (sort of like smudging but less smoke).
The entire process was relaxing and lovely. I was worried about it being painful or stresful. I wasn't expecting to get any sort of result my first time in but... Wow. I feel so relaxed. The tightness in my shoulder is gone. I feel so refreshed, honestly, like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. My "bad" endo spots feel not as bad - I went up the stairs without wincing! Seriously!
Okay, must go back to A&P studying. I have a test tomorrow over the digestive system.
Joy.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Still here... Mostly.
School, work, buying our first house, maintaining a loving and healthy relationship, having a chronic and painful disease...
Man, it is wearing me down.
School is going well. I am not happy with my grades but as people keep pointing out a 3.5 is GOOD. I'm so hard on myself - I know I could be doing much better if it weren't for the extraneous BS.
I guess I should touch on the disease thingie.
I have endometriosis. For those not familiar, it means cells from the inside of my uterus have made a break for it. They've set up shop in my abdomen and do what uterine cells do: bleed. Since the blood has nowhere to go, it pools up into cysts. Somehow these rogue cells also manage to build up scar tissue, binding organs together unnaturally. For a good portion of women affected by the disease, the symptoms are insane bleeding and pain during their menstrual cycle, and infertility.
Two years ago I had surgery to diagnose my chronic abdominal pain. It hurt, but not all the time. During the surgery, they cauterized some spots of endo they found and broke up some scar tissue that had built up, fusing my right ovary to my uterus. It took me a couple of months to feel 100% again and I thought that would be the end of it.
Sigh.
It started like it had before - weird tweaks and twinges in my rightside lower abdomen. Sometimes it would ITCH unbearably, deep in my belly. Soon the tweaks turned into pinches which turned into stabs. Still, it wasn't daily, and for that I was glad.
The pain has been getting worse, especially over the last two months. It's daily now and my regimen of 1/2 of a narcotic pain pill in the morning just doesn't cut it now. I can't remember the last time I had a pain-free day. Fighting with my doctor is a nightmare - even though I haven't upped my pain prescription in TWO YEARS, he "doesn't feel comfortable" prescribing any more. I get exactly five pain pills per week. Yeah, I'm a total junkie. (/sarcasm) My last visit to my doctor was humiliating. He had a student with him, and the first thing he said when I came in was, "So when are you going to kick the pain pills?" I laughed uncomfortably, thinking, "When are you going to cure my disease?" He then said, "You know you're not going to be able to pop a hydro and go deliver a baby at a hospital right?"
Okay, first of all, I do not "pop" hydros. I take my prescribed medication for a painful disease. Secondly, the other treatment for endometriosis (putting myself in a chemically induced menopause for half a year) is something that's in the works. I can't imagine putting myself through that while working, in school, buying a house, etc. The plan is December. We'll be in our house by then and I'll have a month off of school to get accustomed to the fun side effects of menopause. Until then though...
Good grief, but it hurts.
Man, it is wearing me down.
School is going well. I am not happy with my grades but as people keep pointing out a 3.5 is GOOD. I'm so hard on myself - I know I could be doing much better if it weren't for the extraneous BS.
I guess I should touch on the disease thingie.
I have endometriosis. For those not familiar, it means cells from the inside of my uterus have made a break for it. They've set up shop in my abdomen and do what uterine cells do: bleed. Since the blood has nowhere to go, it pools up into cysts. Somehow these rogue cells also manage to build up scar tissue, binding organs together unnaturally. For a good portion of women affected by the disease, the symptoms are insane bleeding and pain during their menstrual cycle, and infertility.
Two years ago I had surgery to diagnose my chronic abdominal pain. It hurt, but not all the time. During the surgery, they cauterized some spots of endo they found and broke up some scar tissue that had built up, fusing my right ovary to my uterus. It took me a couple of months to feel 100% again and I thought that would be the end of it.
Sigh.
It started like it had before - weird tweaks and twinges in my rightside lower abdomen. Sometimes it would ITCH unbearably, deep in my belly. Soon the tweaks turned into pinches which turned into stabs. Still, it wasn't daily, and for that I was glad.
The pain has been getting worse, especially over the last two months. It's daily now and my regimen of 1/2 of a narcotic pain pill in the morning just doesn't cut it now. I can't remember the last time I had a pain-free day. Fighting with my doctor is a nightmare - even though I haven't upped my pain prescription in TWO YEARS, he "doesn't feel comfortable" prescribing any more. I get exactly five pain pills per week. Yeah, I'm a total junkie. (/sarcasm) My last visit to my doctor was humiliating. He had a student with him, and the first thing he said when I came in was, "So when are you going to kick the pain pills?" I laughed uncomfortably, thinking, "When are you going to cure my disease?" He then said, "You know you're not going to be able to pop a hydro and go deliver a baby at a hospital right?"
Okay, first of all, I do not "pop" hydros. I take my prescribed medication for a painful disease. Secondly, the other treatment for endometriosis (putting myself in a chemically induced menopause for half a year) is something that's in the works. I can't imagine putting myself through that while working, in school, buying a house, etc. The plan is December. We'll be in our house by then and I'll have a month off of school to get accustomed to the fun side effects of menopause. Until then though...
Good grief, but it hurts.
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