Found my path in life

I am so excited so I just had to share!!!!


I wanted to be a Midwife but the years of study is just too much for me and I am not sure I would want the responsability if something went wrong with mother or baby and I would have to live with me" What if's" wondering if I could have saved them.


But I have been reading about Doula's and they are just wonderful heaven sent angels for women!Soon as I rwlaised what they did I knew instantly that it was something I want to do! I am absolutley passionate bout doing this.

I will do this through Optimum Birth, have already enroleld, but will not start till around October or start of 2007. I just can't wait.


I have had five births and did not get any support whats so ever off the midwives, infact they left us most of the time by ourselves! My mother inlaw attended three of my births and was such a great support system for me during labour, as she has a degree in natural therapies, remedial massage and healing. So that came in handy!


I too have got my Reiki I and Reiki II and would like to learn some massage technices along the way as well. I have learn breathing technies but could learn more, and I have run meditation cicles so find meditation "Wonderful" for keeping the mind and body intune with each other.


OK since I have rambled on here, sorry, very imbarrest here, I wanted to find out is there any Doula's on here that I could pick there brains about being a doula?


I really tihnk that you are such a gift to women, and deserve wayyyyyyyyy more credidt than you get! JMO though!



Love and Light,
soul

Fletch he he he, thank you so much., I sure rambled now I look back and read it! Runs off with red face!

Awww ya gorgous!

Thanks sweetie!


Love and light,
soul

Hi Soul,

I also wanted to be a Midwife and actually studied 3/4 of my Masters of Midwifery before I left to have my own baby. It was a traumatic birth and immediate postnatal experience and the lack of care and support I recieved from the Midwives made me NEVER want to go back to Midwifery. Instead I contacted Optimum Birth and studied to become a Doula and I have never looked back. I absolutely love it! It would have be to be the most rewarding job of all and I can tell you now, it beats being a Midwife! You get to spend one on one time with the woman all the way through her pregnancy, birth and then watch the baby grow in its first weeks of life. Most midwives dont get to do that. And the paperwork for Midwives! Bugger that!. Where has the support gone?? :mad: I am sure you will love being a Doula. Feel free to email me if you want any info about it. And congrats on finding this path...I just wish more women knew about us!!

MummaBear79, oh wow you sure an a earth mother!


Thanmk you so very much for that story, I am honoured you chared it with me, and I am so sorry your birth was not a pleasent one, but I must say, I have had four births like that too.

I am so excited abut this now, but I just found out last week I am pregnant, so not sure if they will allow me to do the course now! The one though optimum birth. I would love to though!

I garee there is not enough awareness about Doula's, but I plan on changing that some day! I ask someone what they think about a doula and the response is, "Whats DOULA!


I am like , whattttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt.

They deserve way more appreciation and way more aknowledgement than they are given, so I will do my best to change that.


I would love to keep in touch with you to pick your brians about everything about doula's!


Love and light,
soul

Soul,

Congratulations on your pregnancy!! how exciting! Ofcourse you can still study while you are pregnant. You will be able to meet alot of potential clients :pray:

I have given in and re enrolled back into Midwifery!! I am starting slow and doing a couple of external subjects and will begin properly next year. Being a Midwife has been a calling for me since I was very little, so I thought I should just finish the course. It will be great!

Anyway I have a hungry and tired 7.5month old hanging off my leg here so I better go.

Take it easy

soul - congratulations on your pregnancy! :D I'm currently a student doula, studying through Optimum Birth. Are you doing the course by distance education? I am, and it works really well around family. This sunday I'm attending a tutorial for Optimum Birth at another students home in my suburb, as well as a Melbourne doula network meeting....it's been really good to find like-minded, passionate individuals in my area. I've just about completed the course, and I've loved every minute of it. It involves a lot of reading, which is time-consuming, but fun and, of course, exceptionally important. I'm also really excited, as I've just figured out my business name, and designed a logo for it, and put together a brochure, which I'm leaving all around town! (Proud of myself for figuring out how to scan my own graphics into the computer, etc. haha).

I can't recommend becoming a doula enough - and if your studying by distance, you can work at your own pace. Man, I could go on all day about doula stuff, but I have to go to Mothers Group with a big bottle of champagne, 'cause it's "ma burthdaay!!"

Good luck....I'll share more later :)

MummaBear79, Darlin if your hearts in it then I say keep with it. You8 know you are headed the right path when your heart skips a beat with the excitment from what you are doing.

Liana, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE! omg yes, yes, yes I will be doing exactlyw hat you are doing, smae Doula place, same correspondence too. You have got me even more excited now, I could burst! It sounds fantstic, I might pay as I go though, that way I can take my time with it as I have a feeling I am going to have severe morning sickness real soon. I love to read so that will be no problem for me, and especially if I am enjoying what I am reading. How long has it taken you so far to do the course? What if there isn't any one aorund my area to go too there place to do what you will be doing?

Sorry too many quesitons. I too could talk about this all day! I know I am going to become a DouLA.

Now heres a weird question for you all, how the heck do you actually pronounce doula, is it Do -la is that how you would say it.


I love asking questions hope you don't mind.


Love and Light,
soul

soul - I love answering questions...you've got a great vibe, too :)

Doula is pronounced "dool-a"....I hope that makes sense...I'm not too good at "pronouncing" things in writing.

I'm paying as I go, too. However, even if you pay up-front, you can still take your time.

I've got a nine-month old daughter, and I started my studies when she was probably two months old...so that's seven months so far, with 1 more module (the last, which is just about setting up your doula business), which will take me (I'm guesssing) another month....but I've been taking my time.

As far as people around your area doing the same course....I just found people in my area recently...it's not required, it's just a bonus for me......but you'll do great, regardless, as you have the passion. :)

Will explain more later - going out for dinner now - still my birthday....thank you for the birthday wishes!! I'm slightly intoxicated, which is a good way to be on ones birthday! :)

Hugs!

Hi again Soul

I also studied through optimum birth when my baby was about 9 months. I cruised through it pretty quickly because of my midwifery experience but I definitely recommend the course. Dr Chris Vose who runs the course is a fabulous woman!! She is a midwife and does homebirth etc. Wonderful wonderful lady.

Anyway all the best with your studies! So glad you are going to be a Doula.

Yes, Dr. Chris Vose - I praise her, also....very warm and giving person. If I write her a short email, she always writes back a lengthy one, really gives you her time...lovely woman.

The course is structured really well, too. Recently, I asked Chris about my wanting to become a childbirth educator...she basically told me that I have the knowledge, I just have to set up a structure for educating couples and get to it...that by doing the Optimum Birth course, I am perfectly capable of being a childbirth educator without having to complete a whole other course...which is so great! So I'm going to branch into that, too.

As I said to Chris, I have wanted to be a midwife for many, many years, and one day I may just have to do it, otherwise I'll always wonder "what if?"....but for the time-being, I think it's a wonderful thing to have completed a course in real childbirth, without focusing on the medical (although, the course goes into basic reproductive anatomy and physiology, as well as childbirth interventions)....will be wonderful to have had the doula experience before doing the midwifery.....which, you never know, I just may never do, if being a doula satisfies all my desires to help women and babies have wonderful birth experiences.

I have actually just enrolled into Midwifery. I also thought I would spend my life wondering 'what if'. I begun the course before I had my two boys and never went back. But I am putting my foot down and saying YES! I am going to do it!! I also spoke to Chris about becoming a Child Birth educator. I just dont know how to go about getting it all up and running. Do you have any ideas?

hi soul
you sound just like me - i want to be a midwife but live too far from any uni's that offer it & just stumbled onto the optimum birth site - so will be enrolling soon too & cant wait to help someone at a birth or before & after care