To put it plainly, having a Doula changed my life - as well as that of my daughter's, even before she arrived. Not exaggerating there. The experience of having a Doula changed my pregnancy, my birth experience, my perspective on advocating for my own medical care and that of my family, my views on work life balance, my perception of myself as a woman, and as a mother.
I grew up in the Midwest, and had pretty mainstream, conservative views when it came to pregnancy and childbirth. That may actually be an overstatement, because it implies I had some extensive viewpoint to begin with. I really didn't. I am NOT a woman who'd had lifelong visions of having babies, and hadn't put a whole lot of thought at ALL into what the process would be like. I was blown away at the prospect of it actually, once it was upon me. One of my dearest friends initially introduced me to the concept during her pregnancy with the ray of sunshine that would become my goddaughter (long before I myself became pregnant). Living in a pretty progressive area, I also wound up with several other close friends, as well as some vague acquaintances, who had used Doulas and had very high recommendations about the process. Curious what all the buzz was about, I investigated.
