Birth and Beyond

Last week I spent three days at the Birth and Beyond conference in London, Ontario.  
They were long days full of learning new things, being reminded of things I knew before and generally being encouraged in my birth work.  

There was a huge emphasis at the conference this year on trauma.  I came away feeling much more aware of the impact that past trauma (whether birth-related or otherwise) has on pregnant and birthing women.   

In the days following the conference, I have thought a lot about how all of us have stories. Sometimes our stories involve trauma. Many times, the people we interact with day to day have no idea what our stories are.  When we work together through your pregnancy and birth, there are many experiences you have had, stories you have lived, that I will have no idea about.  What I DO know, is that each experience in your past, both positive and negative, has shaped who you are, what choices you will make and how you will respond to labour and birth.  It has shaped how you will parent and what you will choose when faced with the many decisions of a new mother or father.  As your doula, I will be here to support you, whatever choices you make, trusting that you are making the best ones for who you are in this moment.  I may not know all of your story, but I know that it has led you to where you are right now and I know that you are doing the very best that you can!