Just before my first volunteer doula shift, I was praising God for opening this door and He put this on my heart. This was to be a ministry. This was for Him. He had specific things I needed to do to bring Him glory through this. What an honor.
First, I realized that I had the absolute privilege of most likely being the first, if not the only person praying over this baby the minute it was born. Isn't that awesome?! I get chills thinking about what a special privilege that is! I also am able to be praying over the birthing mother through her labor. Being able to do both has been a growing experience and has drawn me closer to the Lord. Being able to caress a newborn baby, within the first minutes of life, and pray that one day he or she come to know Jesus as their savior... that they live to serve and bring Him glory all the days of their lives... it is priceless. Absolutely priceless. Now isn't that a really cool ministry?
On top of praying for these babies just after birth, the Holy Spirit laid another aspect of this ministry out for me. I bought a nice leather journal so that I could journal each birth, and each time I journal about a birth, taking a moment to pray over each child, again. I am humbled to think God would give me this amazing role. To pray for these babies, whom I will most like never, ever see again, except for in Heaven, I hope and pray.
We are each given different roles in life. Different ministries. Different gifts. I am loving the ones that God has given to me. It is truly a blessed time in my life and I am enjoying my last year in my 30's very much.
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My very first birth was for my cousin, Jackie's, first son, Temito.
This birth was so special to me for more reasons than I can name. Thank you, Jackie, for giving me the honor of being there. It was inspiring and it was this birth that planted the doula seed on my heart.
My second birth was for my friend, Kimberly's, 3rd child, Tobias.
I thank Kimberly for giving me a chance to practice my doula novice skills on her the week before I started the doula program. That birth was also so special and gave me the adrenaline rush I needed just before jumping in. It gave me the courage to know that God had his hand over me.
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ARIANA
She was my first baby in the doula program. I shared a little about her birth story in Part 1. I had prayed that God would help me to learn as much as I possibly could my first birth with a mentor. He didn't disappoint! I realized that being a part of such an intimate moment in another persons life, would prove to be one of the most moving experiences. To be able to peek into how families interact with one another. How husband's love their wives. How Daddies are concerned for their daughters in labor. How Mothers have absolute pride over their daughters about to give birth. How families come together and bond. I actually don't have to wish to be a fly on the wall. I am invited into the room and given the gift of being able to see it all unfold before me!
ADITI
As beautiful as her name. What a glowing mother. My 2nd birth in the program with a mentor, and it was just 24 hours after the last. I was still on a high from that birth! This mother was so determined. So beautiful. Her husband was her number one fan. Even as I encouraged her as she pushed (her first baby), and my mentor did as well, it wasn't until we asked Daddy to coach her and encourage her, that she really excelled. You could feel the love between them in the air, it was that thick. I did get to have a little taste of medical reality through this birth. I am not squeamish and actually find it all so interesting and here I was with a front row seat! When the room was quiet and Aditi was in the warmer, I had a moment alone with her, to pray. I placed my hand over her belly and started to ask God to protect her, keep her... when, a seed of doubt rolled in. "You are violating these parents, Veronica." The nasty thought crept. "You know they are Hindu. Your God is not their God." I quickly lifted my hand feeling as if, I had done something horrible and unjust to this beautiful family. Then, God intervened. Aditi is HIS child. She is on loan to this couple. God had me there for a sole purpose of making sure I did not leave without praying for this child, her salvation, and that of her parents. I found that what satan intended for evil, God truly used for good, because I spent a good chunk of time praying over Aditi after that. I know God has an amazing plan over her life.
DYLAN
My first solo birth. Showtime! When I arrived the birthing mother was already at 10 cm, but for some odd and still unknown reason to me, they gave her an epidural right then, and had her rest for an hour. You could tell Daddy was nervous and he was so quiet, I wasn't sure he really wanted me there. I realized later, he was just scared. But, once I assured him everything was alright and he saw me tending to mama, giving her foot massages and hand massages, he warmed up to me. To this day, he is still my favorite daddy. This couple loved Bob Dylan, so they had his music playing in the room, even through pushing and after the birth. When the mama would take rests between pushing, the daddy would sing whatever Dylan song was playing to her, and she would smile from ear to ear. They were so cute, I could hardly keep myself from squeezing their cheeks! Once, sweet Dylan, a beautiful baby girl, named after Bob Dylan-duh, this Dad became what had to have been one of the proudest Daddies this hospital had ever seen. He was sobbing with such joy and couldn't stop kissing the new mommy. He was so overwhelmed with that feeling of what, I am sure, I have experienced with each baby...joy, elation, emotions that you have never met until you meet your first child. I felt almost like an intruder watching something so intimate, but believe me, a 3 legged alien could have walked into the room, and they wouldn't have noticed. What a pleasure it was to pray for this baby, this family.
THE TWINS
As a doula for this program, we are on call for a scheduled shift. But, sometimes, they may call you before your shift begins, to see if you can come assist a mom in need. I LOVE when that happens. I love the element of surprise and the rush it gives me to get a call at 2am, have to suit up, grab a quick glass of orange juice, and rush out of the door as if I am about to go perform emergency heart surgery. In some ways, it is. Praying for mommy's heart, Daddy's heart, baby's heart, the staffs hearts...it is a surgery of sorts. Don't try to tell me otherwise, either. I totally feel like a very important of the medical world when I put those scrubs on. ;0)
1am.
"I know your shift doesn't start until 9, but could you come in? We have a first time mom of twins, 26 weeks gestation." OF COURSE! I would have gone in for any birth, but I knew that this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Wait, of course it was a once in a lifetime opportunity! God made the twins to be one of a kind, there would never be another pair like them. My heart surged with many different emotions. Excitement. Nerves. Fear. Seeking God the entire ride there. Lord, would I be prepared to see babies born that early? And, Lord, what if... you, know, what if, they didn't make it? Lord, USE ME. I loved this couple and their how open they were to share of themselves. I loved that the Dad shared how baby A was more quiet and subdued. She would be the long distance swimmer, he said (He loved swimming). Baby B would be the sprint swimmer because she couldn't sit still and was always moving around and kicking, he shared. How cute.
I had been with this couple for 14 hours. Progress was slow, but happening. I asked if they had a camera. They didn't. They had never expected to have been at the hospital at that point. She said her phone had a camera. But, the battery was dying. We had the same phone, so I offered to go get the charger from my car. She was grateful. I figured it was safe. She was at 6cm, water still intact.
Getting to my car from the labor and delivery floor is no quick thing. First, you need to the birth center floor to get the keys to the office. Then, I get my car keys from the office. Go put the office keys back. Back on the elevator to the first floor. Walk about .20 of a mile to the parking garage. Grab the charger. Call my husband on the way back, as I stuff 1/2 a turkey sandwich in my mouth, to let him know I will still be awhile. Head back to get the office keys, leave my keys in the office. Take the office keys back. Then, finally head back to the 2nd floor to my patient. This took about 12 minutes. When, I got back to the room it was empty. EMPTY. No bed. No patient. No husband. No nurses. Just Dad's sandals in the corner. Huh? Weird. I ran to the nurses station. "Where is my mommy?" Must have sounded funny, but they knew what I meant. "Sorry, she is in the OR. Her water broke and the babies are coming now." WHAAAAAAAA???!! But, I was only gone 12 minutes! Now, as doulas, we are allowed in the OR if the mother requests us, however, the doctor gets the last word. "Can I please go back with her?" Nurse 1, gives me a sad look, then looks at nurse 2. Nurse 2 starts to shake her head. Puppy dog face in action, "PUHLEEEEASE?" She said she would check. Yes! I still got it! She came back and said, ok, they will let you in but you have 60 seconds to suit up. YES!
Trying to suit up for the OR in under a minute proved to be quite the feat. I am thankful for the nurse that found me a little lost in the hallway that escorted me back. When, I got close to the OR I could hear my patient ask, "Where is Veronica?" Bless my heart.
OK. That room was packed. Like sardines. Not only were all the doctors and nurses there for her, there was also 2 NICU teams in the room for each baby. Not to mention all the students. They weren't going to let me in at first, but Mom insisted, and I got to hold her hand and wipe her brow and encourage her, and Dad, and watch the miracle of birth....twice!
Dad was right. Baby A was born quietly. I wondered if she was ok, she was so quiet. Then, baby B was born. She catapulted out. Honest! Like if she had been shot out of a canon. I am thinking many of the people in the room hadn't seen something like it before, because everyone kept talking about it for the next 10 minutes. She was too cute and came out crying! Crying, I tell you, at 26 weeks gestation, just over 1 pound! And, what beauties. I had never seen a baby born so early, so was concerned about what I might see, but what I saw was 2 of the most beautifully formed, pink little cherubs, I have ever seen.
Mom had a hard time after, and I will never forget that experience. It made me more aware of how delicate our bodies are and how fragile life is.
Each birth brings me closer to the Lord in prayer, but also in AWE of Him.
By the way. The twins are both doing great and growing and will be ready to go home soon! Mom says that Daddy got their personalities spot on.
Now do you see why I love this so much?
Friday, November 11, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Becoming A Doula: Part 1
I have been meaning to blog about the newest adventure in my life for months! Better late than never, I suppose.
Just before my 39th birthday this past May, just 5 days before to be exact, I was up in the middle of the night, just thinking about how close I was to turning 40. I didn't see it as a negative. The opposite, actually. It encouraged me to want to accomplish more. I started to talk to God and tell Him I was ready to take on something new. Especially since I wasn't pregnant or nursing(except at night or the occasional nap) at the time, which is usually not the case for me. That's when the word doula popped into my head. Thank you, Holy Spirit.
I googled doula, in hopes of being able to find a class that I could take so that if friends or family wanted/needed a doula, I could say I had taken a class, and I was ready, willing, and able to help. God always gives me more than I could ever imagine. The thing that popped out at me was this link: Hearts and Hands Volunteer Doula Program. Interesting. I started to get excited and I hadn't even clicked on the link yet! Once I did, I became even more excited and was wishing I had found the site at a more appropriate hour so I could call and find out more information. What I did find out from the website is that this program only charged $75 for training, as opposed to the hundreds of dollars for other programs. And, this one would put me to work as a volunteer! I knew that I couldn't become a doula as a business with my 6 children still at home, and while they are all in school, so this seemed perfect! God's timing is perfect and finding it at 2am gave me a chance to ponder, pray, and then sleep on it. The next morning I talked to Tim about what was on my heart and he was so supportive. He said he knew that I would be such a blessing to other women and that gave me wings.
I called the number on the link and spoke to the director, Ann. I could tell that this program is her passion and that she does not take it lightly. She asked me a lot of questions (I suppose she must need to do that a lot, with it being a volunteer program and wanting to make sure you don't take on people that aren't going to take it seriously) and told me I was in luck(I don't believe in luck, so I knew that all the glory went to God!). They had a training class that weekend, and only 1 spot left. Did I want it, or did I want to wait until July? Wouldn't you know that God would make this so clear for me to know it was Him? He knows I am a simple girl and need it spelled out for me! The class was on my birthday! I signed up and asked Tim if this could be my 39th birthday gift. How cool to get a gift like that?
I learned SO much during the training session. I met amazing women that had the same passion that I did for birth and breastfeeding and babies. I couldn't wait to start! But, remember, Ann takes this program seriously, and after the training class, we had to call in the following week and let her know if we were serious about becoming volunteers. There were a few hoops to jump through, but within a few weeks I was set up to begin.
God is in every detail. EVERY DETAIL. Wouldn't you know that he constantly was showing me that this is exactly where He wanted me at this time? I knew I had to sign up with a mentor, but had no clue who to ask when I looked at the list of them. They all just looked like names, and I didn't want to just do an eenie-meenie-mynie-moe...you know? Well, God made it super simple. I was at a hospital tour and our trainer was going on and on about a certain doula and how she had been the doula of the year. Then, as we are walking down the hall, she happens to be coming off of a birth and we get to meet her. She had the warmest smile. The sweetest face. I knew she HAD to be my mentor.
Bobbie, my mentor, is a super doula. I truly know that God made it all work out for her to be the one that trained me. She did not miss a beat, and she was a WEALTH of knowledge. My first doula birth with this program was 21.5 hours and it gave me a little taste of most aspects I would have to deal with. All in one birth! This mama started off in the birth center, but was in so much pain, they had to move her to labor and delivery. Then, after many, many hours of no progression, ended up in going in for a c-section. I had the privilege of being with her through each step and it was a blessing to be able to hold her hand after the c-section, after the baby was born, and Daddy goes off to be with baby. What a stark and cold place the operating room is! I don't know how women do it! What strong and courageous creatures we are!
I have had the pleasure of volunteering as a doula, in this program, 7 times now. However, I did have 2 births under my belt prior to the program. If you assist a women during birth; if you comfort her, encourage her; if you tend to her needs and love on her during birth you are a doula! 9 births so far! I am blessed! I honestly feel like each time I have gotten to watch a baby be born, it is a VERY special gift being given to me! By strangers, none the less! Isn't our God amazing that way? It truly is so much more blessed to give than to receive, because in the end you realize that all the giving turned into receiving an abundance of blessings in return!
**Stay tuned for part 2 where I will share some birth stories.
Just before my 39th birthday this past May, just 5 days before to be exact, I was up in the middle of the night, just thinking about how close I was to turning 40. I didn't see it as a negative. The opposite, actually. It encouraged me to want to accomplish more. I started to talk to God and tell Him I was ready to take on something new. Especially since I wasn't pregnant or nursing(except at night or the occasional nap) at the time, which is usually not the case for me. That's when the word doula popped into my head. Thank you, Holy Spirit.
I googled doula, in hopes of being able to find a class that I could take so that if friends or family wanted/needed a doula, I could say I had taken a class, and I was ready, willing, and able to help. God always gives me more than I could ever imagine. The thing that popped out at me was this link: Hearts and Hands Volunteer Doula Program. Interesting. I started to get excited and I hadn't even clicked on the link yet! Once I did, I became even more excited and was wishing I had found the site at a more appropriate hour so I could call and find out more information. What I did find out from the website is that this program only charged $75 for training, as opposed to the hundreds of dollars for other programs. And, this one would put me to work as a volunteer! I knew that I couldn't become a doula as a business with my 6 children still at home, and while they are all in school, so this seemed perfect! God's timing is perfect and finding it at 2am gave me a chance to ponder, pray, and then sleep on it. The next morning I talked to Tim about what was on my heart and he was so supportive. He said he knew that I would be such a blessing to other women and that gave me wings.
I called the number on the link and spoke to the director, Ann. I could tell that this program is her passion and that she does not take it lightly. She asked me a lot of questions (I suppose she must need to do that a lot, with it being a volunteer program and wanting to make sure you don't take on people that aren't going to take it seriously) and told me I was in luck(I don't believe in luck, so I knew that all the glory went to God!). They had a training class that weekend, and only 1 spot left. Did I want it, or did I want to wait until July? Wouldn't you know that God would make this so clear for me to know it was Him? He knows I am a simple girl and need it spelled out for me! The class was on my birthday! I signed up and asked Tim if this could be my 39th birthday gift. How cool to get a gift like that?
I learned SO much during the training session. I met amazing women that had the same passion that I did for birth and breastfeeding and babies. I couldn't wait to start! But, remember, Ann takes this program seriously, and after the training class, we had to call in the following week and let her know if we were serious about becoming volunteers. There were a few hoops to jump through, but within a few weeks I was set up to begin.
God is in every detail. EVERY DETAIL. Wouldn't you know that he constantly was showing me that this is exactly where He wanted me at this time? I knew I had to sign up with a mentor, but had no clue who to ask when I looked at the list of them. They all just looked like names, and I didn't want to just do an eenie-meenie-mynie-moe...you know? Well, God made it super simple. I was at a hospital tour and our trainer was going on and on about a certain doula and how she had been the doula of the year. Then, as we are walking down the hall, she happens to be coming off of a birth and we get to meet her. She had the warmest smile. The sweetest face. I knew she HAD to be my mentor.
Bobbie, my mentor, is a super doula. I truly know that God made it all work out for her to be the one that trained me. She did not miss a beat, and she was a WEALTH of knowledge. My first doula birth with this program was 21.5 hours and it gave me a little taste of most aspects I would have to deal with. All in one birth! This mama started off in the birth center, but was in so much pain, they had to move her to labor and delivery. Then, after many, many hours of no progression, ended up in going in for a c-section. I had the privilege of being with her through each step and it was a blessing to be able to hold her hand after the c-section, after the baby was born, and Daddy goes off to be with baby. What a stark and cold place the operating room is! I don't know how women do it! What strong and courageous creatures we are!
I have had the pleasure of volunteering as a doula, in this program, 7 times now. However, I did have 2 births under my belt prior to the program. If you assist a women during birth; if you comfort her, encourage her; if you tend to her needs and love on her during birth you are a doula! 9 births so far! I am blessed! I honestly feel like each time I have gotten to watch a baby be born, it is a VERY special gift being given to me! By strangers, none the less! Isn't our God amazing that way? It truly is so much more blessed to give than to receive, because in the end you realize that all the giving turned into receiving an abundance of blessings in return!
**Stay tuned for part 2 where I will share some birth stories.
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