What brought you to birth work?

This question is something that I like to ask every birth worker at some point or another. Here is a bit about why I got started:

I was 9 months pregnant and knew I wanted a unmedicated birth. I was a director of a child care center at the time and got to hear 50 different opinions from 50 different moms. I stopped telling them that I didn't want an epidural. I took an out of hospital childbirth prep class because I had read in some birth book that those classes are better. My childbirth teacher was a doula and I loved the idea of having one, but we thought we could do it on our own, and didn't think we could afford it.

Baby #1: I went in to labor 8 days past my due date and labored at home all day. I went to the hospital around 11pm and was 3 cm. I took a shower for about 3 hours (love the hot water at the hospital!) when I got out I threw up and the nurse checked me and I was at 7cm. It was about 2 or 3am and I went through transition very fast and was complete about 4 am. Now, we knew it was early in the morning but felt the need to call everyone to the hospital. First grandchild for both sides. After 3 hours of pushing in every position I could (cervix now starting to swell) the nurse suggested a small dose of IV narcotics to take the edge off, start a bit of pitocin and for me to rest. I rested for about 30 min, then started pushing again. Finally after another hour my daughter was finally born around 8:15 am. 7 pounds 3 ounces, no tearing everything was great!

Baby #2: (19 months later) This time I had considered a homebirth, hired a midwife that practiced at home and in the hospital. She risked me out for a homebirth because my daughter contracted group B strep meningitis at 5 weeks old. (I can tell that story another time). I went into labor 8 days past my due date. Water broke, no contractions. I opted to try some nipple stimulation and see if things would kick in. Nothing happened right away and my midwife suggested that I should come in later that afternoon to start the antibiotics and then pit to get things going. So thats what I did. I checked in around 2 pm or so, they started the IV, pit started around 4pm. My nurse knew I didn't want any drugs and helped with the pit so the contractions were very manageable. I didn't feel anything until about 6pm. I started transition about 10:30 pm and my son was born at 11:58 pm after 25 min of pushing!

I went away from both of my births fulfilled, happy and empowered! But part of me knew that something was missing. I devoured anything I could about birth, babies and breastfeeding. I started my journey to become a doula and because I was home with two little ones I jumped into the local birth group in the San Jose area (now known as Bay Area Birth Information).

So for those of you who are birthy people probably see some of the things that could have been suggested as alternatives to the protocol that was followed. That is why I became a doula, and childbirth educator. I didn't know what I didn't know. I always tell people that if I knew what I know now I would have had them at home!

First Post

Someone recently suggested that I should start a blog...so here it is! I'm not exactly sure yet what I'm going to write about, but I know its gonna be about mothers, birth and babies! I'm sure it's mostly going to be about rants and raves from my work as a doula, childbirth educator, and a case manager for young moms.

This is my first test post!

~Allana