Member Spotlight - CeciRacine/Cecilia

[tlcdoula]

This week's Member Spotlight focuses on Ceciracine.

Cecilia please feel free to give us a brief intro on yourself and then the rest of you ladies feel free to ask her two doula related questions to start off with.

[tlcdoula]

1. What is your favorite thing about being a doula?
2. What has been the hardest thing for you to deal with as a doula?

[Ceci]

I live w/ my DH and 3 yo DD. I have been a doula for almost 3 years and prior to that I was working as a social worker in the field of maternal mental health.

[Ceci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlcdoula 1. What is your favorite thing about being a doula? 2. What has been the hardest thing for you to deal with as a doula?

1. I love watching babies be born and a new family created or expanded
2. Being away from my family, especially not being able to tell DD how long I will be gone.

[DoulaYvonne]

Cecelia,

What is the birth climate like in Washington, D.C.?

and

How many births have you attended?

[Ceci]

Birth climate here is VERY conservative, the hospitals have a 40% c-section rate and most moms want an epidural in the parking lot.....it can be very frustrating. But we are blessed w/ 3 great birth centers in the area and there is a small but growing number of of people interested in natural childbirth.

As for births attended, uhm, I have lost count but somewhere around 20....

[douladot]

Cecilia ~ what has been your best experience as a doula and what has been your worst?

[earthgirl]

Cecilia,
Do you think having been a social worker helps you as a doula?
What made you decide on becoming a doula?

[anointeddoula]

Can you share you most memorable birth with us?

Thanks
Anointeddoula

[ctowndoula]

What is your doula "hotspot" or soapbox? You don't have to go into just tell us what it is.
Are you planning on adding any new creditials to your list?

[Ceci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by douladot Cecilia ~ what has been your best experience as a doula and what has been your worst?

Uhm...best experience, ddon't know that I can single out any one, most have been pretty good and positive I did a birth early on where molm and dad spoke not a wrod of English and I met them at the hospital. It worked out really well, the nurse spoke Spanish and was a midwife in her country and the doctor was from Spain and eventhough mom had been ruptured for 3 days and starting a temp no one was freaking out, they all were pretty cool about it and of course mom and babe did great.

Worst has to be my 2nd or third birth, mom was a teen and had a hx of sexual abuse (I didn't know it at the time) and her mom had recently died, partner was non-existent and she was mad at everyone and life in general. She started to dissasociate during the pushing and became violent and then ended up w/ a c-section (her insistence) under general anethessia b/c she refused an epidural. It was awful

[Ceci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earthgirl Cecilia, Do you think having been a social worker helps you as a doula? What made you decide on becoming a doula?

Being a social worker has been a huge help, especialy with moms that have anxiety issues or postpartum depression.

I was a social worker at a hospital that had a doula program and I worked closely w/ the dierctor to choose inidgent patients that needed doulas. I really fell in love with the idea just as I was burning out from social work.

[Ceci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by anointeddoula Can you share you most memorable birth with us? Thanks Anointeddoula

Hmmm, there was a couple early on that were very sweet, very in love with each other and prepared so well. It was a joy to work with them and the hospital was great (had telemetry monitors and midwives ran the show) and the best part was that dad got to catch the baby, it was so sweet and exciting.

[Ceci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctowndoula What is your doula "hotspot" or soapbox? You don't have to go into just tell us what it is. Are you planning on adding any new creditials to your list?

I don't think I have a big hotspot that I share w/ my clients but something that drives me absolutely crazy is when babies are born and they are perfectly healthy and they are put on mom's belly and then whisked away for 20-30 minutes to be checked over and measured, etc. UGH! That drives me nuts!

New credntials, uhm, no I toy with the idea of massage therapist but not right now. Although I just love to learn thing and education is a passion for me so I am sure that at some point I will expand my education.

[AbornDoula]

What do you carry in your doula bag?
Are there any clients that you would refuse to accept? If so, who and why?