Touched

What does it mean to be a doula? It means being up all night...rubbing backs until you can't rub anymore...feeling hungry....taking photos of special moments...processing through grief with parents...getting whatever mom and dad need...supporting huge decisions...celebrating life...missing kids and husbands...

Being a doula is hard work, but it is one of the most meaningful and inspiring things I have ever done. More often than not, I leave a birth feeling more blessed than when I came.

On top of the birth experience, families continue to make me feel loved far after their baby is born. The thoughtful notes, words of encouragement and touching gifts that people send me, blow me away.

For example, one of my clients made a birth plan and made sacrifices financially to hire me as her birth doula. As time went on, it was pretty evident that her baby would be breach and require a C-section. She still continued to hire me and actually advocated for me to be in the OR when she delivered. That experience alone was so touching. A couple weeks after her birth, I received the most beautiful gift in the mail from her and her husband. It is a necklace that completely represented me as the "Baby Byrd Doula".  She thought of me and my journey. Words cannot express how thankful I am!