Hello everyone my name is Rachel, I just heard about this site last week. I have 2 children a girl who is 6 and a boy who is 2. I took the doula training a year ago, but a lot has happened so I am just now focusing on it. After meeting some amazing women, I am starting to get clients. I have 5 previous birth experiences with friends plus my two and hopefully that will help me this week as my first client is due in a week. :omy

Welcome, Rachel! :balloon

I'm Cathy and live in St. Augustine, FL.
Married, no kids.
DONA trained birth doula.

This is a GREAT group here! :wiggle

:welcome Rachel!

I'm Lori, and I'm a CAPPA Certified Labor Doula. I live in Ohio with my dh of 19 years and our two teenaged sons.

I'm sure that you will :heartbeat alldoulas as much as I do! This is a wonderful gathering of doula-sisters, and I'm so glad that you've found us! :ghug Welcome to the group, and feel free to jump right in on any of the threads or to even start a new one. We love to gab around here! :lol

Welcome to the group!!

Welcome Rachel! I hope your birth goes well. And I hope you share the story. They always keep me motivated to keep going.

Cheers,
K. :wiggle

Welcome, Rachel! I'm a DONA certified birth doula and the mother of 2 boys...2 & 3&1/2 yrs in Moncton, NB, Canada. I am married to my highschool sweatheart for the past 7 years and I also have a client due this week! Let's see who delivers when!!

Hello Rachel & welcome!

My name is Tashina ,I am trained through ALACE & working towards certification.I am 19 almost 20 yrs old & have no children of my own ,yet.I have attended 2 births as a doula so far & have witnessed 3 homebirths,but not as a doula.I will have another homebirth behind me in Oct,but after much thought it will not be going towards my certification,it is my mother's birth & she really likes to be just left alone to cope with labor :) ,& sense I am biased anyways it really woulnd't be approtiate,but it's still experience!

Anyhow enjoy the group!

Welcome Rachel! It's nice to have you here.

Welcome!!!

Hello wonderful doulas!

I just joined this a couple days ago and added my listing! This is a great site from what I have seen so far. I am very glad to be among so many great people here!

I have been a doula since 6/02 and have had several clients but it has definately been very slow.

I am a midwifery student as well, through AAMI- very nice program. In addition, I am Reiki I certified, Therapeutic Touch, Interfaith Minister, and a Trust Birth Facilitator. I also do Hospice and officiate ceremonies. I hope to get a public speaking engagement (small scale) in my local library in the coming months- anyone have experience with this and would like to share please email me.

The basis of my doula practice is in facilitating intuitive birthing through guided imagery, meditation, spiritual direction, and self reliance for the pregnant mother and her partner. I have had great success in these efforts with the clients who were open to it- I also try to instill my personal philosophy of birth is a natural physiological process that needs to be let happen - etc, however not every woman appreciates this point of veiw and I find I need to be more flexible in supporting a woman in her own journey into motherhood on her own terms- it can be challenging considering I know the great ecstasy of going with the flow of birth vs managment.

Ok, enough from me. I would sure love to chat with others who are encouraging women to establish a more trusting approach to birth and what you all do to affirm that. Don't get me wrong I fully understand that being a doula is being of the mother and her partner's desires for her birth.

Lightly,
Deborah White
Intuit Birth, CT

Welcome to the newbies. :) Glad to have you around.

I'm an AAMI student as well.

Welcome to Rachel and Deborah! :welcome

:welcome