The Miracle of Life

am so in love with my job!

I came home today utterly exhausted, but filled with such an appreciation for the miracle of life.

I can't imagine what I witnessed today ever getting old- the looks of pure, uncensored love and amazement written all over the faces of brand new parents the moment their son entered the world.

Tears glistening in a brand new Daddy's eyes as he looks on as his little boy is checked and swaddled.

The quiet whispers of a new Mommy to her son, the affirmations of love and expressions of excitement over seeing his face for the very first time.

Gentle, intimate embraces and kisses between a couple that up until a few moments ago had only each other. They suddenly became a family of 3.

Praise, wonder and awe of an adoring husband to his wife over the long, hard labour that she managed so well to bring their son into the world.

It didn't matter to either of them that they had endured hours upon hours of hard labour, with him right by her side the entire time telling her how proud he was of her and how strong she was, all that mattered was that moment. The instant that their world shifted and the centre became that pink, wriggling little boy, yet to be given a name, but loved with every fibre within them.

Its moments like these that make my own eyes fill with tears as I stand there, a witness to another couple experiencing the miracle that is the birth of their baby.

I can't help but be whisked back in my own memory to the day that I became a Mommy for the first time and the pure joy that I felt that day, meeting my son and watching the man I love become a Daddy. And of course the day that our second son made his appearance, no less amazing and exciting than the first. Days forever etched into my memory.

I'm so honored to be a part of one of the most important days in the lives of those 2 wonderful people.

With each birth that I am able to be a part of, my smile widens a little bit more and my heart fills with the knowledge that I just might have found what I was meant to do.

I come home after a long day and night, exhausted but joyful and I can't wait to hug and kiss the boys that shifted the centre of my world and get ready to do it all again when the next phone call comes.

This is What a Doula Looks Like

I came across this article via a friend's facebook post linking to it. Its a really interesting article on the misconceptions that doulas are all hippy-dippy weirdos.

Check out the article here and then head over to her other site This Is What A Doula Looks Like to take a look at my profile as well as others from all over the world. Very cool! (the gorgeous black and white photo of a beautiful woman and her newborn is my friend and fellow doula, Melanie with her sweet daughter.)

Testimonial

I was given Janice's name when I was having extreme anxiety about the birth of our 3rd baby.When I contacted her she was exactly as described, an amazingly caring mom, fueled by her own personal experiences that made her want to help other new parents,or new again parents.She was very easy to talk to and let us know that she was there for ME!

The weeks prior to the delivery she answered questions for us and made suggestions that were helpful in coping, it was very comforting.When the big day arrived she was ready for me to say it was time to her to come in for support.She made sure that I was comfortable, made suggestions as to positions and pressure point therapy to assist with the pain and constantly making sure that everyone was doing as much as they could for ME.Our baby was posterior and she made suggestions to help turn him to get him moving and that he did, very quickly. In all the hustle she was by MY side helping me out the whole way.My husband said that for the first time in all the births of our babies he felt like he was helping out and doing good because she was there was letting him know that he was doing an amazing job and helping him when he felt at a loss and having an experienced woman there to help made all the difference.One of the most valued things that day is one of the smallest details but made a huge difference in my comfort was whenever Janice was giving me support or making suggestions was simply the way she spoke in a soft comforting gentle voice.

Our post baby visit was great also she gave us a cd of pictures she had taken at his birth as well as a story detailing the day, which are both extremely wonderful items for us to remember the event.

I can't say enough about the things she did for us. She puts her whole heart into what she does to help people. She is passionate about her work and truly cares about people and it shows every minute that you spend with her!

-Terri and Ryan, April 2010