My first important lesson about being a doula.

Our First Workshop...

With deposits paid, kids taken care of, and much anticipation, myself and and a friend made our way to Hillcrest Private Hospital for the first workshop of our doula course. There were only 6 places on the course, so we were really able to get to know each other, which I appreciate because it is encouraging to be around like-minded people!

http://www.wombs.org.za/

To start with we all shared a bit about ourselves. Actually, I lie, we all shared a lot about ourselves. Ask a woman to tell you about her self, her child, her births and her passions and you'll get the idea. It was lovely to listen to all the stories and through the sharing someone remarked that most of us had pretty strong personalities.

So I had my first little revelation. It seems that doula needs to have a sense of strength and independence about her to want to be a doula in the first place. The important thing is that it should not be a strength that dominates, but rather a strength that empowers. A doula is not there to rescue the mom and be the star of the show, but to reveal to the mother, and her partner, the strength they already have. So I realized I really need to work on my watching and listening skills, but to do that I just need to learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes. So just as all the facts and figures are an important part of our training, I think these little self-revelations are pretty important too...

Welcome to this Durban Doula's Diary!

First things first, if you don't know what a doula is, she is a lady who supports women and their partners before, during and after childbirth. You can check my website here for more info. (Will open a new window.)

Secondly, if you're wondering where Durban is, it's on the eastern coast of South Africa. That's the country on the southern tip of Africa, in case you missed it.

To clarify from the start, I was never a 'baby person'. At one stage I didn't even want children, ever. If you had told me 5 years ago I wanted to spend my time and energy helping moms and babies, I would have thought you were smoking your socks.

The births of my two daughters, one natural drug-free birth in a hospital and one water birth at home, were the best experiences of my life. I have become passionate about helping other families have positive and affirming birth experiences. For more info on that, check my page on Why I want to be a midwife. (Will open a new window.)

So yeah, I will be studying to be a doula through WOMBS (Women Offering Mothers Birth Support), an organization based in Cape Town (bottomest, leftest tip of Africa). It is a six month course, running until December 2012. I am so excited about the possibilities this opens up to me! To be honest, I was thinking of only starting my studies when my kids were a little older (they are now 13m & 43m) but my hubby could see how crazy I am about all this stuff, and he encouraged me to just go for it. He knows this is what makes me come alive! 

So my intention is that this diary will show you a little of what it takes to be / become a doula, including the lessons learned and wisdom gained, and possibly inspire you in your journey towards what makes you come alive!