by Ina May Gaskin
First, NO, I'm not pregnant.
I am, however, really trying to think through some things and where my path is leading and one of the options I have before me is to become a certified doula through DONA. It is something I've wanted to do since college but I've never taken the time, or budgeted for that matter, to make it happen. You don't have to be certified to be a doula but I love to have the appropriate credentials behind anything I do so it just makes sense to me.
Since I feel like I want to sit and think on following through on this path, I decided to go ahead and read some of the required reading for the certification. I am passionate and interested in natural labor and childbirth anyways so I was hoping to learn more about the process and techniques for coping for my future labor(s).
The first half of the book is a compilation of natural birth stories. Ina May is a midwife and she lives on a kind of hippie compound in Tennessee called The Farm. These people are, um, different. I have to admit, I didn't really enjoy the first half of the book. Although I am more natural minded than most in my area, some of these stories had components that totally made me think these people are part of a cult. Seriously. I am still wondering.
The second half of the book, I really enjoyed. It was about the mechanics of birth and how and why things happen when birth is left in a natural, organic state. I won't step onto my soapbox about medically managed pregnancies, births & labors, but I would encourage every woman to read, research and decide on her own and to never have blind faith in the medical community. Doing so is irresponsible, regardless of condition or disease (pregnancy is not a disease, by the way, and shouldn't be treated as such). Doctors are not gods and they do not know all.
After reading the book, I was no closer to making a decision on becoming a certified doula so I'm going to let the thought marinate a bit longer. I have another idea I am considering too that I will post about soon!
Very cool! A friend recommended that book to me last time I asked for suggestions. I laso have a great friend in Andover who is a practicing certified doula- I'm sure she'd be happy to chat if you every wnated to talk through what her job is like. (She is also a labor & delivery RN)... she's all about the minimally medically managed labors. :)
ReplyDeleteHeather, does she have a website? I had THE hardest time finding my doula for Chloe's birth but I was mostly doing online searches. I literally met my doula weeks before labor began. I would love to talk with her sometime!
ReplyDeleteTeehee...I definitely thought The Farm was a cult too.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you could get here in time, I'd totally hire you as my doula-- certified or not! :)
She does not have a website that I know of. I will get you her contact info, though. :)
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