Well my first client had her baby. This was my first birth as a doula and towards my certification. WHAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!! She had to be induced because her amniotic fluid was low. She was not dilated so we were starting at the beginning. They started on her around 5:30 on Monday afternoon. She said she would call me when the pain started. By 8:30 she hadn't called so I went there anyway. They put a bolis(?) of some sort in her to help her dilate. They had to come and pull on it every so often and they said it would fall out at 3 cent. Every time the nurse came in to pull on it-she was not gentle or nice and my client cried. The bolis also made her contractions worse. When it finally fell out after about 2 hours, they came and checked and she was only at 1 cent. She was so discouraged and then they talked about another one. She said NO WAY. They upped the pit. and she went through the contractions. She was planning on an epidural anyway so she asked for it at 1 cent. Wanting to be supportive, I told her the stats on the epidural and then continued being supportive in whatever choice she made. This could be a very long post so I will condense this to 20 hours to get to 5 cent. with the epidural and less than 2 hours to get to 10 cent. The epidural wasn't perfect and the last 4 hours before the pushing we were breathing through the pain that was left after the pain meds. Now I know why doulas are needed through an epidural. We sat her up more so gravity would help bring the baby down. In one hour of contractions the baby dropped from 0 station to +2. She started pushing at 6pm Tuesday night and the baby was born at 7:54. What a critical part I played. Again with an epidural , she felt so much and she needed me to help keep her focused with each push. When she would get discouraged, I was there to encourage and keep her focused.
I had some fears going in to this it being my first birth. I thought maybe I couldn't handle the blood and stuff. Once everything got started I was so interested and nothing made me queasy. I felt relaxed and not nervous.
The nurse she had in the last 8 hours was the best. I told what I was doing and she let me ask any question and really helped with my education. It was wonderful that she was so helpful and supportive in what I was doing. I got real fortunate with my first experience.
I left the hospital after being there for 26 hours straight and had only 2 hours of sleep during that time. I slept when the mother slept and was awake with her the rest of the time.
This has taught me that being a doula is definitely what I want to do and that I am good at it. Everyone was right-you get in there and you just know what to do. Your instincts just kick in.
Her birth was a bit similar to my own (although I really, really would have benefited from having a doula like you there!) and I don't know the term the hosp was using you mentioned (bolis?) but for me they just called it a foley "bulb" or foley catheter. By my understanding it's the same catheter they use for urine but they put it in the cervix obv., they told me it "wouldn't hurt" and that it would just be a little pressure, yeah right! My easy contractions went straight into the breathing/moaning through level of pain. I guess compared to what came later it wasn't much but it was not pleasant by any means. (Also only got me about 1cm, bah!)
congrats on your first birth. is not the coolest thing you have ever done
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My first client
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Healthy baby boy! 
My midwife said "no more than 8 lbs" and she was 8 lbs 10 oz!
for 17 years in US Air Force
Janna! That's awesome, Congratulations!!! 
