Latest / Heartbeat of The Home / 04 - Having a Doula Isn't a Luxury, It's A Necessity - With the Village Doula MN

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04 - Having a Doula Isn't a Luxury, It's A Necessity - With the Village Doula MN · Heartbeat of The Home

0:01
SPEAKER_01: Cute doula office.
0:06
SPEAKER_01: I do love my office.
0:08
SPEAKER_01: It's my little home away from home.
0:09
SPEAKER_01: I wish I could live here part-time, but it would be illegal.
0:13
SPEAKER_00: That's fair.
0:15
SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you for being here.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna talk about you being a doula.
0:18
SPEAKER_00: So we met because you're my doula, but we were doing a birth together.
0:24
SPEAKER_00: You were the doula.
0:25
SPEAKER_00: I was the birth photographer, and we just stayed up chatting while we were kind of while she was resting and soulmates.
0:32
SPEAKER_00: And then when I got pregnant, I was like, I mean, we already spent so much time together.
0:37
SPEAKER_00: I want you to be my doula, and I just loved how you really supported her and just really included her husband as well.
0:43
SPEAKER_00: I think that was something that really stood out to me because that was something I was really praying over was like my experience, but also his experience.
0:50
SPEAKER_00: So just having another person there.
0:52
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I loved it.
0:54
SPEAKER_00: Dark was great.
0:54
SPEAKER_00: He did a good job.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: He did a good job.
0:56
SPEAKER_00: But yeah, tell me a little bit about yourself and just how you kind of your story, origin story, how you became the origin story.
1:04
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
1:05
SPEAKER_01: So do the work came to me really by chance.
1:08
SPEAKER_01: Well, really, the Lord.
1:09
SPEAKER_01: I shouldn't say it's by chance at all because it was very much divinely appointed, I feel.
1:14
SPEAKER_01: I am a mom.
1:14
SPEAKER_01: I've been a mom for 17 years this year.
1:17
SPEAKER_01: I like to say it like that because it makes it sound like I've been a mother for so long.
1:20
SPEAKER_01: And I have um almost 20 years, I get to say soon.
1:24
SPEAKER_01: So it's great.
1:24
SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, motherhood has been a huge part of my life.
1:27
SPEAKER_01: And um, I think it was very apparent to me that not all motherhood stories and journeys are as, you know, supported and educated.
1:40
SPEAKER_01: Like women are not given what they deserve.
1:43
SPEAKER_01: And my own stories have a lot of that, but it wasn't until I had an experience outside of myself that really amplified that for me.
1:54
SPEAKER_01: And um, when I was preparing for my third baby, I was really diving into my relationship with the Lord at that time.
2:01
SPEAKER_01: I was not having to work, you know, as vigorously as I was before as a single mom prior.
2:07
SPEAKER_01: And um, I had the time to sit and let the Lord nurture and and minister to me and, you know, speak through, you know, through to me in different ways.
2:17
SPEAKER_01: Discovering the doula world was an accident.
2:19
SPEAKER_01: I just Googled, you know, things.
2:21
SPEAKER_01: I was looking for um a place to have a baby at that time and was looking into St.
2:26
SPEAKER_01: John's, and you know how the internet works.
2:28
SPEAKER_01: You know, one thing comes and so does the next.
2:30
SPEAKER_01: And doula stuff came up.
2:32
SPEAKER_01: I don't even remember what doula popped up.
2:34
SPEAKER_01: Remember even looking on the website and being like, oh, what is that?
2:37
SPEAKER_01: I don't even know what that is.
2:38
SPEAKER_01: And my third baby, I know what I'm doing, you know, like it's not something I think I need for myself, but I thought, what a cool job, you know, like that's really interesting.
2:47
SPEAKER_01: And then I think within a week, it had to have been within a few days, I get a phone call from a very dear friend of mine that I had been friends with for quite some time.
2:55
SPEAKER_01: And she had watched me be a mom for super, super long time, many years, and we were pretty close, and she got pregnant and was not expecting it, and was, you know, I think 26 years old at that time, and um, you know, vegan, holistic, very, very natural-minded, and had no idea what to do, and called me because she just knew that I was all about it, you know, had many babies, was pregnant again, you know, things like that.
3:24
SPEAKER_01: And so she calls me, tells me she's pregnant, and basically is like, can you be my person?
3:29
SPEAKER_01: You know, can you be the person that helps me, you know, through this?
3:32
SPEAKER_01: You know, I don't remember exactly what she said, but it was definitely like help.
3:38
SPEAKER_01: And I and it was super ironic timing.
3:40
SPEAKER_01: And I just thought, huh, like, okay, like I was excited.
3:43
SPEAKER_01: I was like, cool, you know, of course I'll help you.
3:45
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, and I had never experienced anyone else's, you know, pregnancy and birth.
3:49
SPEAKER_01: It was just my stories, you know.
3:51
SPEAKER_01: I wasn't at my my niece's or nephew's births.
3:54
SPEAKER_01: I had never seen anyone else go through this.
3:56
SPEAKER_01: I had only gone through it myself.
3:57
SPEAKER_01: So it was really fun to be able to be honored in that way, to be asked to be a resource.
4:04
SPEAKER_01: And so, um, and it was someone I knew for such a long time.
4:07
SPEAKER_01: I mean, she and I worked together at Pandora Jewelry back in 2010.
4:11
SPEAKER_01: Like it was, you know, we got some fun stories, her and I.
4:14
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so watching her become a mom was fun.
4:17
SPEAKER_01: And so I, you know, we continue it on, and you know, she got through half of her pregnancy, and and I just was I was shocked by how she was experiencing care and not in a good way.
4:30
SPEAKER_01: Just unimpressed.
4:32
SPEAKER_01: I was very unimpressed with her care.
4:34
SPEAKER_01: And she would tell me that they basically demeaned her desires to be unmedicated.
4:40
SPEAKER_01: She was didn't want vaccines, she didn't want epidural, she didn't want anything.
4:44
SPEAKER_01: And they basically were like, Yeah, you're gonna do it.
4:47
SPEAKER_01: Like, you're not gonna do that.
4:48
SPEAKER_01: Talked down to her a lot and made her feel very diminished.
4:51
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, What the heck?
4:52
SPEAKER_01: That's crazy.
4:53
SPEAKER_01: And I told her, You need to switch to the midwives.
4:55
SPEAKER_01: Like, I was like, You need to go to M Highway.
4:57
SPEAKER_01: You need to go.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: Was she meeting with midwives?
4:59
SPEAKER_00: I don't even know.
5:00
SPEAKER_01: I I don't think so.
5:01
SPEAKER_01: I think it was definitely not based on what she was taught me.
5:04
SPEAKER_01: It was definitely an old, you know, yeah, but yeah, she uh she just you know, I was please go here, but insurance, right?
5:12
SPEAKER_01: Insurance does not cover everything, you know, not everything's the same.
5:16
SPEAKER_01: And so she didn't end up with the help the the same midwife group that I had suggested because her insurance didn't align or something.
5:22
SPEAKER_01: I don't remember, but she did try to switch and still wasn't happy, still was not being treated well.
5:29
SPEAKER_01: And at that point, what are you gonna do?
5:30
SPEAKER_01: You're halfway, well, over halfway your pregnancy, you're starting to get closer to the end, you know, you don't want to be bouncing around, like that's stressful, and so she stuck it out.
5:38
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I mean it was it was tough to watch her struggle to find her her bearings, you know.
5:45
SPEAKER_01: Like she didn't do classes, I don't think.
5:47
SPEAKER_01: I don't recall her doing much to prepare like mentally and emotionally for this birth.
5:51
SPEAKER_01: And I was about to have a baby, so like I also wasn't really able to do much with her, and I wasn't a doula yet, like I was just a mom, you know, and she was my friend.
6:00
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I had my baby, and I and I regret not inviting her to my birth.
6:05
SPEAKER_01: I actually didn't even think to do it, and then she came and saw me early on in postpartum.
6:09
SPEAKER_01: I do remember her visiting.
6:11
SPEAKER_01: Um, and she made a little cute comment like, I wish you would have called me, I would have come.
6:15
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, shoot.
6:17
SPEAKER_01: You're right.
6:18
SPEAKER_01: I should have invited you because you could have seen me have a baby, and that would have probably been helpful.
6:23
SPEAKER_01: Sorry.
6:24
SPEAKER_01: But she she was very sweet and um yeah, it was it was a fun, but very sad journey to watch because it was like, this is weird, you know.
6:33
SPEAKER_01: Like my experiences were different because of my approach.
6:36
SPEAKER_01: I really believe that.
6:37
SPEAKER_01: Like, not everyone has the confidence to seek out a water birth or seek out, you know.
6:43
SPEAKER_00: Also, I feel like you're just determination.
6:45
SPEAKER_00: I feel like that's something that drew me to you too.
6:47
SPEAKER_00: Was I was like, I am scared to speak up, and she will not be.
6:52
SPEAKER_00: And I need that.
6:53
SPEAKER_00: I can just see that though, of like how your approach is like you were like, No, I'm not gonna settle.
6:58
SPEAKER_00: I'm finding what I want.
6:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
6:59
SPEAKER_00: And like you, you need someone in your corner like that.
7:02
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
7:03
SPEAKER_01: And she definitely was not that way.
7:05
SPEAKER_01: She was, you know, timid, very sweet, very kind woman.
7:09
SPEAKER_01: I mean, she still to this day is one of the most gentle souls I know.
7:12
SPEAKER_01: And so it's like she shouldn't have had to.
7:15
SPEAKER_01: She should have had a team that was advocating for her.
7:18
SPEAKER_01: And um, and so fast forward to December, she had her baby in December, and she had let me know that she had gone to the hospital.
7:26
SPEAKER_01: They sent her home several times in early labor because they didn't believe that she was in con she was in labor and her waters had broke at one point.
7:33
SPEAKER_01: I don't remember it, it's very weird.
7:35
SPEAKER_01: I remember being like, they sent you home twice.
7:37
SPEAKER_01: Like it was weird.
7:38
SPEAKER_01: It was like she didn't really know what was going on or what to do.
7:41
SPEAKER_01: And then she finally was in enough labor that she stayed.
7:44
SPEAKER_01: Um, and she invited me.
7:46
SPEAKER_01: She invited me to join her.
7:47
SPEAKER_01: And at that point, so like kind of coming back to my journey along this, is I was doing more research about doula work throughout her pregnancy because I felt a nudge.
7:56
SPEAKER_01: It was like, what is going on?
7:58
SPEAKER_01: Like I could feel the Lord doing something, and I was trying to figure it out because that's my brain.
8:03
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, I'm gonna try and figure out what you're doing as you're doing it.
8:06
SPEAKER_01: And he's like, good luck.
8:07
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna do this anyway.
8:08
SPEAKER_01: Um, because I could feel something changing in the atmosphere.
8:12
SPEAKER_01: I don't really know what moment it was, but I was like, what is this all about?
8:16
SPEAKER_01: And so she invited me to her birth, and I just remember walking into the room, and her mom and her sister were there, and they were just kind of doing their best to be there for her.
8:23
SPEAKER_01: And she was in labor and struggling, and I think she was at like four centimeters.
8:27
SPEAKER_01: It was very early on.
8:30
SPEAKER_01: And I will never forget the attitude of her nurse.
8:34
SPEAKER_01: It was the first thing I noticed.
8:35
SPEAKER_01: It was like a slap in my face.
8:37
SPEAKER_01: I was like shocked because I come in and I'm just getting settled and just kind of observing because I don't know what to do.
8:43
SPEAKER_01: You know, I'm just like invited to this space that I've never been in, you know, outside of my own experiences.
8:48
SPEAKER_01: And this nurse was, you could tell she was visibly irritated.
8:54
SPEAKER_01: And uh my friend was unmedicated at that time and struggling, and you know, clearly in labor.
9:01
SPEAKER_01: And her nurse exasperatedly asks, Are you ready for your epidural yet?
9:08
SPEAKER_01: And I just remember being like, What?
9:13
SPEAKER_01: Like that's all you have to say?
9:15
SPEAKER_01: No offering of, you know, would you like a ball?
9:18
SPEAKER_01: Would you like something to eat?
9:20
SPEAKER_01: Like it was just I'm annoyed because you're more work for me than I'd like you to be.
9:28
SPEAKER_01: And it was just crazy.
9:29
SPEAKER_01: And you know, I did my best, you know, I I took on, you know, the as supportive of a role as I could.
9:34
SPEAKER_01: I remember walking halls with her.
9:35
SPEAKER_01: I remember trying to coach her how to breathe.
9:38
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, like I really leaned into trying to help her.
9:40
SPEAKER_01: It was really interesting and and she did great.
9:43
SPEAKER_01: Um, and we we labored, and then she did decide to get an epidural.
9:48
SPEAKER_01: She just that was a choice she made.
9:49
SPEAKER_01: And I had never seen that before.
9:51
SPEAKER_01: So it was like really cool for me to be like, I got to stay in the room for that.
9:54
SPEAKER_01: I got to see her have her epidural placed, um, which was a whole new world for me because I had never done it.
10:00
SPEAKER_01: So it was really cool to see that.
10:02
SPEAKER_01: And um, and then we all just kind of took a nap together.
10:06
SPEAKER_01: And then all of a sudden she was ready to have a baby, and um it was the morning, and I got to hold her leg as she pushed out her son and watching his gang leg, he was very long and lengthy, and it was just like it was incredible.
10:21
SPEAKER_01: Like I just I mean, being able to, it was such I felt so honored, like it feels like an honor every time.
10:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, because it's like so intimate and it's so sacred and it is so spiritual.
10:31
SPEAKER_01: It is, and I just remember wow, I watched this baby crown, I watched this baby be born, I watched the whole thing, I watched the hymn go to her, I watched that first moment.
10:40
SPEAKER_01: Like you just are witnessing life, life, and it's like wow, and it just like it exploded.
10:48
SPEAKER_01: It exploded.
10:49
SPEAKER_01: The vision of the village doula exploded into my heart, and I could feel the Lord smile down on me, and it was like see, you know, like okay, and so it was like a mixture of like frustration and like this doesn't feel fair, and women deserve better care and education and preparing them properly, and then like, of course, birth itself is just immaculate, it is incredible, it's like a miracle.
11:13
SPEAKER_01: Um, and she was, you know, just such a joy to be there with, and um, and I yeah, I he she let me hold him and it was snowing, it started to snow.
11:22
SPEAKER_01: It was December 23rd, so it's the day before Christmas Eve, so it was almost a Christmas baby, but I remember I walked over to the window.
11:28
SPEAKER_01: And have you ever seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun?
11:32
SPEAKER_01: No, it's a very old movie.
11:33
SPEAKER_01: I'm probably ahead of myself here, but I loved that movie.
11:38
SPEAKER_01: And there's a moment where her friend has a baby and they're in Italy, and she is narrating the movie, and she opens the window and lets the light in, and there's like a phrase in Italian, like, oh, give the baby to the light, you know?
11:49
SPEAKER_01: And I've always loved that.
11:50
SPEAKER_01: And so like I did that kind of.
11:51
SPEAKER_01: I like walked over to the window and I showed him the sun and the and the snow, and it was just like this cute little mini moment I had with his name was Onyx.
11:58
SPEAKER_01: His name is Onyx, I should say.
12:00
SPEAKER_01: He's the same age as Aurora, and uh, and I just I just could I it was like I it was all of a sudden I knew what my life was meant for.
12:09
SPEAKER_01: It was like, okay, like it's not just a job.
12:12
SPEAKER_01: It was like this is your purpose, like you are going to do this.
12:16
SPEAKER_01: And I walked out of that hospital on a mission.
12:22
SPEAKER_01: Because I knew I was like, yep, this is it.
12:25
SPEAKER_01: I don't want to do anything else for the rest of my life.
12:27
SPEAKER_01: And got certified.
12:28
SPEAKER_01: Took me a little while to finish my certification.
12:30
SPEAKER_01: I did it online, mostly I did some in person.
12:32
SPEAKER_00: And you had a newborn.
12:33
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, newborn.
12:34
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's true.
12:34
SPEAKER_00: I did have a newborn.
12:36
SPEAKER_01: Um, so yeah, it was it was a really fun first, you know, year of exposing myself to the birth world.
12:42
SPEAKER_01: And then the village doo was born in January of 2019, so just about a year later or so, or just about.
12:50
SPEAKER_01: And I hit the ground running from there.
12:51
SPEAKER_01: And here I am now, seven and a half.
12:54
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I don't even know what year is it.
12:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, 2026.
12:58
SPEAKER_01: Seven years later.
12:59
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
12:59
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
13:00
SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
13:00
SPEAKER_01: And I have an office, so that's fun.
13:02
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's so fun.
13:03
SPEAKER_00: So that's kind of how you got started.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: What is your favorite?
13:06
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, I'm sure it might be hard, but what's your favorite thing about being a doula?
13:10
SPEAKER_01: Oh, that is hard.
13:11
SPEAKER_01: It is hard because it's evolved so much.
13:14
SPEAKER_01: I think just being able, honestly, selfishly, the encounters with the Lord, feeling the Holy Spirit fall on a regular basis.
13:23
SPEAKER_01: Let me tell you, that slaps.
13:25
SPEAKER_01: You know, like you're like, this is great.
13:27
SPEAKER_01: Because you don't always, you know, like, yes, we can experience that all the time if we want to, but you know, life takes us away.
13:34
SPEAKER_01: So I just I get the privilege of really glorifying him in what I do and watching mothers come alive in real time.
13:42
SPEAKER_01: Like you go from a not mother to a mother, and it's and a father gets born as well.
13:48
SPEAKER_01: And so it's I get this beautiful window, this view of the transition time where you are shedding your old self and becoming a new creature.
13:58
SPEAKER_01: And um, it's such a blessing to just constantly be reminded of like God's presence in these stories.
14:07
SPEAKER_01: Um, and of course, just the miracle of birth.
14:09
SPEAKER_01: It's it's truly a miracle every time I love babies, but I love moms.
14:13
SPEAKER_01: Like I love telling people like I really am here for moms, you know, babies are great, they're definitely the cherry on top of this Sunday.
14:19
SPEAKER_01: But I love women, I love motherhood, and so being able to guide mothers into being a mother, you know.
14:26
SPEAKER_01: And even though I'm a younger-ish woman, you know, it doesn't feel that way.
14:29
SPEAKER_01: I feel very old, even though I'm only gonna be 35.
14:32
SPEAKER_01: But I'm like, I've always been like the mom of the group, you know, like even my best friend of 20 years would say that.
14:38
SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, Stephanie's taken care of, she takes care of everybody, and so it fits my my persona a lot of just being that nurturer and being, you know, that mother figure a little bit of just like, all right, come on, come on, you can do it, you know.
14:51
SPEAKER_01: So that's my favorite part is just um I don't have to decide between, you know, like I get to incorporate all of the things that I love and I'm passionate about, especially my relationship with God, into something I get to do for a job.
15:04
SPEAKER_01: It feels very un and it almost feels unfair.
15:08
SPEAKER_01: Like I joke, I'm a spoiled daughter.
15:10
SPEAKER_01: I get to do my calling and my purpose and my job all in the one role.
15:14
SPEAKER_00: Do you feel like you really embrace your faith from the very beginning?
15:17
SPEAKER_00: Or do you think that that do you feel like that took a while to really be confident in to incorporate that with your clients?
15:23
SPEAKER_00: And how has that made a difference?
15:25
SPEAKER_00: Because that was something that really stood out with me that I was like, I truly believe and I know that birth is very spiritual, and like did something like the atmosphere shifts, and you are literally bringing life into the world, which is so cool.
15:39
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, oh getting chills.
15:41
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I mean it's it's it's kind of another beautiful part of the story.
15:45
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I was a believer from the start, but it was a new industry for me.
15:49
SPEAKER_01: So no, I was not very outwardly about it, you know, in 2019, 2020, you know, this is the start of COVID, everything's on fire, yeah, you know, and I think, you know, coming into the birth world professionally, right off the bat, I came into it from a business standpoint of like, how can I make this make sense and like provide for me?
16:10
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I was still married at the time, so I wasn't super concerned about, you know, the professional business side, but it was I came from a business mindset, a sales mindset of, you know, like I had always been in the workforce.
16:21
SPEAKER_01: So like I wanted to do it right from the beginning, but I also wanted to um find myself in it.
16:29
SPEAKER_01: And so that's why I started.
16:30
SPEAKER_01: So I started out, even though I had started the Village Doula in 2019 in you know, February, January, February, I actually took on an internship at the Minnesota Birth Center that same year.
16:41
SPEAKER_01: And it started in March.
16:42
SPEAKER_01: And then I also interviewed with a couple experienced doulas that had reached out and was like, can I just have coffee with you and just talk to you about this?
16:49
SPEAKER_01: Cause like, I don't know.
16:51
SPEAKER_01: I've never done this.
16:51
SPEAKER_01: I just I'm certified.
16:53
SPEAKER_01: I've done all these trainings and I've read a lot and I've done a lot, but I'm like, I don't know how to run this thing, you know, like what do I do?
16:59
SPEAKER_01: And so I met with a couple doulas.
17:01
SPEAKER_01: Jennifer was one of them, um, Jennifer Koenig, and she's Sacred Space Birth Services.
17:06
SPEAKER_01: She's a midwife now, which I'm very proud of her.
17:08
SPEAKER_01: Um, but she was a doula for many, many years and kind of met with me and was, you know, very, very encouraging.
17:15
SPEAKER_01: And she brought me on as an independent contractor to just help her work like she was pregnant with her third baby and was just not able to take on the birth she was getting, and you know, was like, well, this is perfect timing because I need help and you're fresh and got all that energy that, you know, fresh duas have.
17:31
SPEAKER_01: And um, and so she put me to work and I learned a lot from her.
17:35
SPEAKER_01: And um, she was not a believer, she was um actually the opposite.
17:40
SPEAKER_01: She was very, very into new agey things and she was very respectful of my faith, but she was like, But I don't want nothing to do with it.
17:46
SPEAKER_01: That was, you know, a previous time.
17:48
SPEAKER_01: She's a different woman now.
17:49
SPEAKER_01: Thank the Lord she's safe now.
17:50
SPEAKER_01: But um, kind of a funny, funny journey there.
17:54
SPEAKER_01: And then really, when I entered into the doula community, even on social media, like it was the temperature was very challenging because doulas are from all walks of life, you know, all political views, all social movements.
18:09
SPEAKER_01: Like you're seeing birth work in every capacity.
18:12
SPEAKER_01: And so I also, you know, and there are two different community groups for doulas.
18:17
SPEAKER_01: There's a Christian one and there's, you know, a kind of a base one for twin cities, but they're very different and even like still controversial no matter where you go.
18:24
SPEAKER_01: So you have to be very careful, like how outspoken you are.
18:28
SPEAKER_01: Because I watched doulas get crucified on these groups um just by speaking out about their beliefs or anything.
18:36
SPEAKER_01: And it was just sad.
18:37
SPEAKER_01: It was really hard.
18:38
SPEAKER_01: And like when it's a new business that you want to go well, you're careful.
18:41
SPEAKER_01: You know, you're not gonna post your personal views on the world, especially during a very tumultuous time.
18:47
SPEAKER_01: It was a very like, it was a terrible time to be a business owner, honestly, because you're just like, yeah.
18:51
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I started my birthday.
18:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
18:53
SPEAKER_01: Like, how do I survive love?
18:55
SPEAKER_01: Um, and doulas weren't allowed in hospital during COVID for a little while.
18:58
SPEAKER_01: And like there was a whole bunch of times.
18:59
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but I think what happened, I remember I was having a conversation with a doula colleague of mine, and she had been a doula for like 10, 11 years.
19:08
SPEAKER_01: And she was the first doula that ever backed up for me.
19:10
SPEAKER_01: And her name was Kara Joe.
19:12
SPEAKER_01: She's actually a postpartum counselor now, but she was so gentle and sweet and like so grateful I met her early in my career because she just was a really beautiful person and loved the work, but also a Christian, very fervent lover of the Lord.
19:27
SPEAKER_01: And so her and I were getting into a conversation one day, and I remember standing in my living room in Lindstrom and getting fired up because um, you know, there was controversy about Christian, there was a there was a topic that came up in one of the groups, and I started to get angry about it.
19:42
SPEAKER_01: Like we should, like, there are Christian families that need Christian support, right?
19:46
SPEAKER_01: And I was starting to get to a point where I was sick of the controversy.
19:50
SPEAKER_01: You know, we were hearing a lot about chest feeding and that, you know, anybody can be a woman.
19:56
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, we were just seeing a lot of that come up.
19:58
SPEAKER_01: It was starting to surface a lot more.
20:01
SPEAKER_01: Um, and we were just starting to have more conversations about this, especially from a faith standpoint.
20:07
SPEAKER_01: And I started to really see, like, okay, this is getting too hairy, and I can't, and I've served a lot of different people.
20:14
SPEAKER_01: I've served um people from the LGBTQ community, I've served lotless single mothers, I've served all kinds of different people from different cultures, from different belief systems.
20:22
SPEAKER_01: I have no problem with that.
20:23
SPEAKER_01: There's no reason to not, but it's like you should be aligned with who you're working with, just like you said, you wanted someone that was um, you know, able to intercede for you in that way.
20:34
SPEAKER_01: And so I had to draw a line in the sand at some point.
20:38
SPEAKER_01: Um, and during COVID, so I was also going through a divorce and a separation right at the beginning of 2020 or end of 2019 or into 2020.
20:47
SPEAKER_01: And so that summer I took off from doula work because I had to move.
20:50
SPEAKER_01: I was, you know, now a single mother again with three children, and I needed to figure out what I was gonna do.
20:57
SPEAKER_01: And doula work was already questionable because COVID shut a lot of things down and no doulas were entering any hospitals at that time.
21:04
SPEAKER_01: I had to virtually support a couple doula clients of mine because they just couldn't have me there.
21:09
SPEAKER_01: And it was sad because you're like, I don't, you know, and it really was not the same.
21:13
SPEAKER_01: Like no one can really do it properly that way.
21:16
SPEAKER_01: So I took a break.
21:17
SPEAKER_01: Um I was doing personal care attending during COVID and started PCA work earlier that year before I had moved and then took on more clients just because I needed to make money to survive.
21:28
SPEAKER_01: So do the work really stopped for like three, four months, and then September came and I was taking on like maybe a couple clients here and there, you know, when I could, when it was possible.
21:37
SPEAKER_01: Because we were starting, because like when COVID hit in that March, we were out of hospitals until about September.
21:44
SPEAKER_01: And then hospitals were allowing us on a very limited basis to be in the hospital, so it was a very short but challenging time.
21:52
SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, this all was happening, crazy stuff was happening, and that those few years were so wild and like.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: Like it was so hard to build a business in that time, but I still trusted the Lord and I was like, if it's gonna live, it's gonna live.
22:08
SPEAKER_01: And I was getting to a point where do it work was picking back up.
22:11
SPEAKER_01: This was at the end of 2020, and I got to a point where I was like starting to struggle with maintaining my PCA business and doing do-work because you know, birth work, you get called to work, and like your old lady that needs a shower can't wait, you know.
22:27
SPEAKER_01: Like you're like, how do I and so it was one of those like you have to choose and you have to trust the Lord truly, or you're gonna do this in-between dance for a while.
22:38
SPEAKER_01: And um, and so I chose to let go of my PCA work, and you know, I think it took me a few months to like phase out of it, but like it was close to the end of the school year for my kids where I said, Okay, I gotta, you know, I'm gonna trust you, Lord.
22:54
SPEAKER_01: I'm handing this to you.
22:55
SPEAKER_01: If this is gonna be like my successful, you know, if this is gonna be it, show me pretty pretty quick, please.
23:02
SPEAKER_01: Cause I can't make no money and you know, times are tough.
23:05
SPEAKER_01: Within 48 hours of making that choice and fully handing it to him, I booked four clients.
23:10
SPEAKER_01: Well, yeah.
23:11
SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
23:12
SPEAKER_01: And it and it got to a point where I was so free falling into him and his hands and just letting him guide me that I knew that I couldn't do it anymore without glorifying him fully.
23:23
SPEAKER_01: And so that summer is when I fully like broke out and was like, I'm a Christian doula.
23:30
SPEAKER_01: And like it's all over my website.
23:31
SPEAKER_01: I was putting scripture everywhere, I was talking about it, I was like, this is who I am, and I can't not do this anymore.
23:38
SPEAKER_01: And like people knew I was a Christian, but it's like, but like you said, like getting closer with him and finding confidence was part of that too.
23:45
SPEAKER_01: Because I had fallen away from the Lord a little bit.
23:47
SPEAKER_01: I was dabbling in some new agey things and I was exploring things and I had done Reiki and I had done, you know, I'd done all the crap that they were talking a lot about during that time, and it just led me right back to the king because it was like, oh, this is all a lie.
24:00
SPEAKER_01: Okay, I gotta go back to what's real.
24:03
SPEAKER_01: And um, and you know, I got pregnant with Abigail later that same year, and you know, that propelled me into just really um getting closer with the Lord and Jennifer and I reconnected, and she had found the Lord during that same f time frame, and it was just a really beautiful like wrapping up of this beautiful gift.
24:20
SPEAKER_01: And I just knew, like, okay, the Lord gave me this, he named the village Sula, he showed it to me, he led me to it.
24:29
SPEAKER_01: How can I not give him full credit, you know?
24:32
SPEAKER_01: And I did.
24:33
SPEAKER_01: And he's blessed it so much since then.
24:36
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, of course, like I still, you know, have clients that aren't Christians, and that's fine, and that's not an issue.
24:42
SPEAKER_01: I've I'm perfectly happy serving people, and I think people who work with me know that it's yeah, like I'm I mean, I'm an unbiased support person, right?
24:51
SPEAKER_01: Like that's you know, it doesn't really matter to me if you have faith.
24:53
SPEAKER_01: It's just really exciting when you do because we get to share that.
24:56
SPEAKER_01: And and even clients that worked with me, like I have a client who has been a client with me since the very beginning.
25:02
SPEAKER_01: Um, I just had our third baby with her, and we've had all three babies together.
25:06
SPEAKER_01: And she even commented, like, I didn't, I mean, she knew I was a believer, but she was like, it's been so fun and beautiful to watch you like really grow in your faith and in your business at the same time.
25:17
SPEAKER_01: And so I'm very proud of that because like it has been a journey for me too.
25:20
SPEAKER_01: Like I wasn't this fervent Christian.
25:23
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I was fervent Christian, but I wasn't as confident in my knowledge, and like I've really in the last five years dove into my study, you know, and really dove into the word and really explored deeper and you know, and that's just the phase you go into.
25:37
SPEAKER_01: Like you you kind of start off in this baby Christian sense, and it takes you a little while to get into intimacy with the Lord, and then you start to draw closer and you dive deeper, and then you start to see things in real fruition.
25:51
SPEAKER_01: And my job is such a huge example of his divine just design of us and what he promises us, and um, and I see it all the time.
26:02
SPEAKER_01: So it's like you can't ignore that, and so it just propelled my faith even more.
26:06
SPEAKER_01: Um, because I've been a believer since I was a kid.
26:08
SPEAKER_01: My dad was a pastor, so I'm I'm a PK, I grew up in the church, and so um I always knew the Lord, but you know, you have life.
26:16
SPEAKER_01: Life happens as a teen mom.
26:18
SPEAKER_01: Obviously, I went through a phase or two, so it's like, you know, I think his faithfulness and um his dedication to me, even if I wasn't always dedicated to him, you know, it's just he's shown up for me in such a way that like I didn't deserve it at all.
26:32
SPEAKER_01: I was not a great daughter for a long time and I'm still not perfect, right?
26:35
SPEAKER_01: That's why Grace is so beautiful.
26:37
SPEAKER_01: But um, but yeah, I feel very excited that I get to do this still.
26:42
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, it really is just him.
26:44
SPEAKER_01: And I I tell people, I'm just the worker be, he's in charge.
26:48
SPEAKER_01: Everything I do is usually from him, you know, and I've just put my twist on it, you know, because he knows that that's what my job is.
26:56
SPEAKER_01: So it's fun.
26:57
SPEAKER_01: It's fun to have partnership with the Lord in that way.
27:00
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it was it was a big shift.
27:02
SPEAKER_01: Um, and now, you know, I would say 95% of my clients are Christians, so it's it's really fun to be able to freely talk about it.
27:09
SPEAKER_01: Like there's no divide.
27:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
27:10
SPEAKER_01: There's no, I'm going into my corporate job and I can't talk about my faith as openly because you're in a general environment that has everybody, right?
27:19
SPEAKER_01: And I'm not to say that people who aren't believers shouldn't be supported and they they come to me too, but it's but you have a niche, yeah.
27:26
SPEAKER_00: And that's kind of what you're known for.
27:28
SPEAKER_01: It's hard to find Christian providers also.
27:30
SPEAKER_01: So, like midwives, obies, like you don't get to choose that very well.
27:34
SPEAKER_01: So I think that's a huge part of why people want a Christian doula for sure.
27:38
SPEAKER_00: So then what is I mean, obviously there's gonna be so many, but what is like the biggest benefit that you think are the biggest few benefits that there are to having a doula at your birth?
27:50
SPEAKER_00: And why would you recommend it too?
27:53
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
27:54
SPEAKER_01: To to anyone and everyone, scream it from the rooftops.
27:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think the doula role represents so many things that we've lost.
28:02
SPEAKER_01: Um, I I explain it in the sense that like the doula role was really supposed to be an entire community of people.
28:10
SPEAKER_01: We had aunts and mothers and grandmothers and women in our communities that taught us and surrounded us with support and love and wisdom and kindness and care and connection that we just don't have in our modern society.
28:25
SPEAKER_01: We we move too fast, we move away from each other.
28:28
SPEAKER_01: Technology is more advanced as it gets, the more detached we become.
28:31
SPEAKER_01: And we're being educated by computers more than people.
28:35
SPEAKER_01: And that's dangerous, in my opinion.
28:36
SPEAKER_01: And the joke I like to tell new clients is like, I'm your new Google.
28:40
SPEAKER_01: Don't Google anything.
28:41
SPEAKER_01: You just text me because human connection is super important.
28:45
SPEAKER_01: And the way I explain something to you is gonna be more human, literally and figuratively, than Google, right?
28:51
SPEAKER_01: Where that's just like a random compiled amount of information from no real rhyme or reason, it's just you know, confusing answers, or even just like social media.
29:00
SPEAKER_01: Like there's so much information that's not.
29:02
SPEAKER_00: And it actually it just throws whatever algorithm and it's like I do not need to be, I should not be seeing this.
29:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
29:10
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, the other way I explain it is, you know, it's like a personal trainer for birth.
29:14
SPEAKER_01: You know, if you're gonna go to an Olympic event, you're not gonna train by yourself.
29:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you're gonna need somebody that's gonna push you and challenge you and encourage you and protect you.
29:24
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so doulas do that, and you know, every doula has their own style, every doula has their own, you know, approach and mindset.
29:31
SPEAKER_01: And that's the beautiful part about it, is it's like there's, you know, not not all doulas are the same.
29:36
SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, I think it's valuable because it's there's so many moving parts and there's so many decisions to make.
29:43
SPEAKER_01: Um, there's a lot of fear, a lot, a lot of fear around birth.
29:47
SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, having someone that has experience, wisdom, knowledge, exposure, experience telling you things are normal or what's not normal, or what you're allowed to ask, or what you can say no to, what you can ask for, you know, and husbands not knowing it, you know, like you just get to really boost confidence and um and help people decide like how they really want to do this.
30:09
SPEAKER_01: And and we build relationship, we get to spend time together.
30:11
SPEAKER_01: And you know, yes, you see your OBs, midwives, and nurses and stuff, but it's very short and you don't really get connecting on a personal level, and it's just not the same, you know.
30:22
SPEAKER_00: Even I feel like for births themselves, I think there's a lot of misconception too of even if you have a midwife or an OB or whatever that they're gonna be with you for a long time, but they're not, they're they're just right at the end at the end, yeah.
30:37
SPEAKER_00: And so kind of what is something with that that you wish more people knew, or like how do you show up for your clients and like for your mothers in that time?
30:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I think a misconception that I hear a lot is what's the point of a doula?
30:52
SPEAKER_01: I have a nurse.
30:53
SPEAKER_01: What's the point I have a midwife, right?
30:55
SPEAKER_01: And and like you said, it's like your midwife at a hospital, they're not like traditional midwives at home that are there with you the whole time.
31:02
SPEAKER_01: It's it's really truly their hands off until you're literally pushing out your baby for the most part.
31:08
SPEAKER_01: I mean, they come in and you know, I've seen there's different locations and different midwives that do different things, and you know, some midwives do spend a little bit more time, but most of them most of the time leave and come back when things are more progressed.
31:20
SPEAKER_01: Um, and you are spending more time with your nurse than you are your midwife or OB, but your nurse is there to do their tasks.
31:28
SPEAKER_01: You know, they got to monitor your baby and they've got to make sure, you know, they're following protocols and um they're really not there to represent you, they represent the hospital and they're caring for you based on the hospital standards, but they're not, you know, they're not changing how they care for you based on you.
31:48
SPEAKER_01: Whereas like Adula, I meet with you outside of this space.
31:52
SPEAKER_01: We come together, and I'm spending time getting to know you and your husband, your love languages, the things that matter to you, your fears, your traumas, the things that go go along with what labor could look like or what that could mean, and you know, help you decide what approach you want to take, whether it's unmedicated and, you know, laboring at home as long as possible, or, you know, going in early and having, you know, like there's lots of different ways that can happen.
32:21
SPEAKER_01: So it's I think it's important to have those conversations and be praying for you and to be able to nurture and counsel with you.
32:29
SPEAKER_01: Like I do a lot of counsel, like I really am low-key a little bit of a counselor as well.
32:33
SPEAKER_01: You are an unlicensed, not medical professional counselor.
32:39
SPEAKER_01: But I think because of my experience and my relationship with God and you know my my faith and my trust in the Lord, like I do feel confident and telling people the truth.
32:51
SPEAKER_01: And um, and I'm a doula that challenges people's thinking, you know.
32:56
SPEAKER_01: Like I like to ask why, and I like to kind of scratch at more of the surface when you tell me you're scared.
33:04
SPEAKER_01: Tell me why.
33:05
SPEAKER_01: Tell me where that comes from and what that belief, you know.
33:08
SPEAKER_01: Like I want to understand you so that I can support you the best and challenge you and help you grow past it because you're gonna need to.
33:15
SPEAKER_01: And a nurse isn't gonna do that.
33:17
SPEAKER_01: They're gonna give you whatever you ask for, and they're gonna, you know, maybe they'll do some nice things here and there, but like they're not really there for that.
33:24
SPEAKER_01: They really can't.
33:25
SPEAKER_01: Some of I've seen nurses do amazing things, but like they leave, they switch out, and you get one nurse that's super hands-on and lovely, and we'll do anything.
33:36
SPEAKER_01: And then you get a nurse that's like, let me know if you need anything, I'll see you.
33:38
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna be in the hall.
33:39
SPEAKER_01: You know, like it's just there's not a consistent level of support.
33:43
SPEAKER_01: And so your doula stays the same, unless, of course, there's a reason we need to swap out, or you know, sometimes those longer labors, you know, you could have a doula, but that's somebody that you also got to know, hopefully, or you knew of, and that is still approaching it the same.
33:56
SPEAKER_01: So it's a different, it's just a different approach of care, and um, it's a much deeper, more meaningful, more intimate approach to care.
34:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
34:04
SPEAKER_00: And so then what services do you offer as a doula?
34:07
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
34:08
SPEAKER_01: So I am kind of a broad spectrum.
34:11
SPEAKER_01: So I specialize in birth, that's my main service.
34:15
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so within that, I meet with clients two to three times in their pregnancy.
34:20
SPEAKER_01: I offer a class included in my uh services, which is the class I've written and taught.
34:24
SPEAKER_01: It's called Empowered Birth.
34:25
SPEAKER_01: It's super fun, and it's a small class.
34:27
SPEAKER_01: My office is not very big.
34:28
SPEAKER_01: And so we do two to three couples, and it's just a fun way of me training up families.
34:34
SPEAKER_01: Like, okay, here are some real information.
34:36
SPEAKER_01: Here's the real conversation.
34:38
SPEAKER_01: What does labor at birth really look like?
34:40
SPEAKER_01: Um, and they get to practice things, it's very hands-on.
34:43
SPEAKER_01: So the husbands get a lot of instruction, and you know, I really it's like a three-hour-long pep talk of like, all right, this is what you're gonna do, right?
34:51
SPEAKER_01: And this is how we're gonna do it.
34:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, and these are the things you're gonna watch for.
34:54
SPEAKER_01: It's just, it's just a little bit more real.
34:56
SPEAKER_01: It's a little bit more real life.
34:58
SPEAKER_01: It's you know, it's the reality TV version of education, right?
35:01
SPEAKER_01: And it is more engaging.
35:03
SPEAKER_01: People enjoy it and um and feel really excited about the birds when they leave here.
35:07
SPEAKER_01: So I'm very proud of that.
35:08
SPEAKER_01: And then um in in birth, I'm I'm available in person, of course, at active labor on, and I do lots of hands-on things.
35:16
SPEAKER_01: I'm trained in spinning babies and massage therapy, aromatherapy, lots of different fetal positioning and coaching and just all hands-on things you can think of, all the holistic options.
35:26
SPEAKER_01: Um and then then the postpartum, I do offer traditional postpartum support.
35:30
SPEAKER_01: So postpartum doula.
35:31
SPEAKER_01: That's also a very important service that I really only offer to people typically if I've worked with them in their births, just because that continuance of care is really important.
35:40
SPEAKER_01: And because I was at your birth, I understand you and I've spent all this time with you, and so I know how to care for you.
35:46
SPEAKER_01: Um, I do still offer postpartum services to people that I don't do birth with.
35:50
SPEAKER_01: It just depends on my availability, but it is a beautiful service I love to offer.
35:54
SPEAKER_01: Um, I also do a placenta encapsulation, which is um, I've been doing that for a few years.
35:58
SPEAKER_01: It's really fun.
36:00
SPEAKER_01: Placenta's in the fridge.
36:01
SPEAKER_01: My kids love that.
36:02
SPEAKER_01: Um, I also do placenta art with it.
36:04
SPEAKER_01: If people don't want to eat it, they can represent it.
36:06
SPEAKER_01: That's what I did.
36:07
SPEAKER_00: That's the placenta prints for me.
36:09
SPEAKER_01: I did.
36:09
SPEAKER_01: Uh they're probably hopefully they're cute still.
36:12
SPEAKER_01: Well, but yeah, they're a little bit, I'm getting better at that.
36:15
SPEAKER_03: I'm doing a lot more.
36:16
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, so those are the main things.
36:18
SPEAKER_01: Um, I I do try to offer, you know, massage therapy when I can, but it's it's not my main thing, you know, it's really kind of an add-on.
36:25
SPEAKER_01: So, so really it's from pregnancy on, whatever, and breastfeeding counseling.
36:30
SPEAKER_01: Sorry, I meant to add that.
36:31
SPEAKER_01: So I do breastfeeding counsel a lot.
36:33
SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's mostly in the early, early days, you know.
36:37
SPEAKER_01: I don't um, I'm not an IBCLC, but I do a lot of educating and I do a lot of um support in the way that's like how do you breastfeed for longevity?
36:47
SPEAKER_01: How do you set up yourself for success?
36:50
SPEAKER_01: And I am proud to say that my last baby, I got to breastfeed for 15 months.
36:55
SPEAKER_01: And if you listen to the previous episode, you know that I didn't breastfeed my first three children for very long.
36:59
SPEAKER_01: So it was a very triumphant experience.
37:02
SPEAKER_01: And Jennifer, my good friend, is is extremely experienced in breastfeeding.
37:06
SPEAKER_01: And so I've learned a lot from her and and her classes, and and so I get to use that knowledge to really counsel with my clients and prepare them for success and refer them to people if they need more clinical help.
37:17
SPEAKER_01: But breastfeeding isn't a whole nother thing.
37:19
SPEAKER_01: So I do offer help in that way, and I usually see my clients after they have their babies at least once in the postpartum just to check in and offer additional things that needed.
37:28
SPEAKER_01: So that's that's the baseline of all the things I do.
37:32
SPEAKER_01: Like what something you wish everyone knew about hiring a doula?
37:36
SPEAKER_01: Oh, but it's not a luxury.
37:39
SPEAKER_01: It's not a luxury, it's a necessity.
37:43
SPEAKER_01: I think money scares people.
37:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
37:45
SPEAKER_01: And yes, it's not free, and yes, it's gonna cost you something.
37:50
SPEAKER_01: But I'm willing, you know, me and a lot of doulas I know are willing to work with families that have limitations.
37:56
SPEAKER_01: And I actually restructured my pricing to accommodate more of that because of our economy.
38:00
SPEAKER_01: And I do believe everyone deserves a doula, and everyone should have one in some capacity.
38:06
SPEAKER_01: Um, you do need one.
38:07
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
38:08
SPEAKER_01: It is true, you know, even if you think everything's gonna go perfect because you just don't know.
38:13
SPEAKER_00: You know, and even if it does, and even if it does, then you have someone else in the room that is cheering you on.
38:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and just documenting things.
38:19
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I take a lot of pictures and video for people, you know, that's something that I personally have taken a real stand on because of my own experiences and not having that and for processing later.
38:30
SPEAKER_00: And and so I think and having a witness to I was just about to say that because I feel like even when you came over, even having someone else in the room that if I had a question about, you you were there and you knew what was going on.
38:45
SPEAKER_01: And like John and I could process, I could process on my own of like what happened, but just having like well and laboring at home too, like having guidance, laboring at home, because we know statistically with science shows laboring at home not only shortens your labor, there's less complications, your labors are shorter in general.
39:01
SPEAKER_01: Like it's just it's just a great way to do that.
39:04
SPEAKER_01: But how do you know when to leave?
39:05
SPEAKER_01: How do you know if things are normal?
39:07
SPEAKER_01: And so it's I think it's important that people realize like doula care is is supposed to be normal.
39:13
SPEAKER_01: Like this, we lost that in our culture in America.
39:16
SPEAKER_01: Like other places do this, it's just expected.
39:20
SPEAKER_01: And so, yeah, I would say it's not a luxury.
39:23
SPEAKER_01: If you are struggling to figure out how to pay for it, ask for a sliding scale, ask for something, trade, offer different types of payment structures.
39:32
SPEAKER_01: More insurance is covering it, which is a good thing.
39:34
SPEAKER_00: Yes, I've been the more people I've been talking to that they cover a stipend of doula care and postpartum dual care.
39:40
SPEAKER_01: It depends on the company.
39:41
SPEAKER_01: There's obviously a lot of uh broad.
39:44
SPEAKER_01: I mean, insurance is totally a scam.
39:45
SPEAKER_01: I'm yeah, I'm gonna be very honest with you.
39:47
SPEAKER_01: Insurance is it's kind of a joke, but I I am happy to see that that's an option.
39:53
SPEAKER_01: And you know, as a doula, it's challenging as you have to jump through a lot of hoops to take insurance, but most of the time you can get reimbursed.
39:58
SPEAKER_01: So that's how it can work.
39:59
SPEAKER_01: Or HSA, FSA, those pay for doula services as well.
40:03
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I think it's just, you know, don't let the price tag scare you away.
40:07
SPEAKER_01: Um, it is not a luxury, it is a right, in my opinion.
40:10
SPEAKER_01: You should and deserve to have that kind of support.
40:14
SPEAKER_01: That's so good.
40:14
SPEAKER_00: Because yeah, I was gonna ask you, I was like, what would you say to people who say that, like, oh, I would love to have a doula, but I can't afford it.
40:20
SPEAKER_00: Right.
40:20
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
40:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I just think ask, you know.
40:23
SPEAKER_01: I mean, obviously, this is how I support my family.
40:26
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, at least, you know, from my perspective, my story as a doula, this is ministry.
40:32
SPEAKER_01: This is something God asked me to do.
40:34
SPEAKER_01: And I've served women for very little amounts of money.
40:38
SPEAKER_01: Um, and I tell them the same thing.
40:41
SPEAKER_01: The Lord will bless me, the Lord will bless me plenty.
40:44
SPEAKER_01: I'm here to serve you because he's asking me to, and I want to, and it's an honor to, regardless of how much money you pay me.
40:51
SPEAKER_01: It's still beautiful and it's still very divine and important.
40:55
SPEAKER_01: And so I think um it's sad that women have to choose less support because of money.
41:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
41:02
SPEAKER_01: And so I tell people, I'm like, I I don't want you to not hire me because of money.
41:07
SPEAKER_01: Like, I that if that's the only reason you're saying no, then let's have a conversation and figure it out.
41:12
SPEAKER_00: Is there anything like that you would want to share with someone who's either considering hiring a doula or just has heard about it but is like that I just don't feel like I need one?
41:23
SPEAKER_01: Well, I think birth is there's a lot of unknowns and no one can promise to know anything.
41:29
SPEAKER_01: You know, it's it's really truly um a mystery until you're there.
41:33
SPEAKER_01: But I think it's a lot less scary when you have someone there to hold your hand um and lead you through that dark place of unknown.
41:41
SPEAKER_01: And from my experience, having had no doula for the first three births and then having two doulas at my fourth birth, like I just think we have forgotten what true connection with human beings really is and how valuable it is to have people.
42:02
SPEAKER_01: You know, we're too isolated, you know.
42:04
SPEAKER_01: Women are supposed to be, we're supposed we're we're pack animals, okay?
42:07
SPEAKER_01: We're meant to be with other people and help each other raise babies, and so it's not even just about doas at birth, it's also like who is your kingdom family?
42:18
SPEAKER_01: Like who's where's your village?
42:19
SPEAKER_01: You know, this is why the village dua exists and why it's based off that belief of like I'm not just one person, I should represent an entire village of people, and that's the goal, right?
42:33
SPEAKER_01: And so um I think women need to consider this a lifestyle choice rather than a niche that happens only in occasional settings.
42:46
SPEAKER_01: Like I think I think we have to come back to what we lost, and you know, in other countries, you know, other cultures, it's incredibly different.
42:54
SPEAKER_01: And I've seen it here in America.
42:56
SPEAKER_01: I've seen incredible amounts of care that are given to families and mothers and and and babies, and it's just it's eye-opening to be like, wow, okay, we really expect a mom and one person and her husband to do this by themselves.
43:15
SPEAKER_00: I yeah, yeah, we were never meant to do this alone.
43:19
SPEAKER_01: No, we're never meant to be moms alone, never meant to do this alone, and so you know, it's and it's and it feels like, oh my gosh, what do I do?
43:27
SPEAKER_01: And it's it's free to talk to me.
43:29
SPEAKER_01: It's free to set up a time with a doula, like it's not gonna cost you, you're not obligated to hire anybody.
43:34
SPEAKER_01: I never am like make a choice on the spot when you meet with me.
43:37
SPEAKER_01: It is very much like here's what I have to offer you, here's what I can give, you know, how I can help you, you know, and it's really I joke, it's like doula dating.
43:47
SPEAKER_01: It's like, who do you connect with?
43:48
SPEAKER_01: Who do you feel close to?
43:50
SPEAKER_01: Um, who do you align with?
43:53
SPEAKER_01: Because your personalities have to match.
43:54
SPEAKER_01: Like they're gonna be in there supporting you.
43:56
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
43:57
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna see your body, I'm gonna see your baby be born, I'm gonna see.
44:00
SPEAKER_01: Your breasts, I'm gonna see your breasts feeding.
44:01
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna see a lot of vulnerable moments.
44:03
SPEAKER_01: So it's like, you better like the sound of my voice and feel okay with my physical being in your space because it's a big deal.
44:11
SPEAKER_01: But you know, and some people are like, I don't want to be touched, I don't want all these extra things.
44:16
SPEAKER_01: And I've actually had clients that didn't hire me say, yeah, like I don't really actually want a hands-on doula.
44:20
SPEAKER_01: I want a doula that's more just to advocate and just be an overseer.
44:24
SPEAKER_01: And like I can do any of those things.
44:26
SPEAKER_01: It's just what is my typical approach, you know.
44:30
SPEAKER_01: And you know, there are hard clients I've worked with that are like, I don't need you to touch me a single time.
44:34
SPEAKER_01: I just need you to guide me and my husband.
44:36
SPEAKER_01: And we talk about that in our meetings, you know, it's like, what do you want?
44:40
SPEAKER_01: I let you decide, you know, how much support in some areas and how little or whatever.
44:44
SPEAKER_01: You're like, it's like you get to decide what you want from me.
44:47
SPEAKER_01: And obviously, my personality is gonna shine through.
44:50
SPEAKER_01: And so I think it's important to align.
44:52
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I get hired by a lot of shy people, a lot of introverted people, a lot of people that are very timid and sweet and meek.
45:00
SPEAKER_01: And I think it's because I'm very loud and I'm very confident and it's and it's fun.
45:04
SPEAKER_01: And I and I have a lot of friends that are like that because I think they just enjoy.
45:07
SPEAKER_01: So it's like sometimes you do need that person that's like willing to speak a little bit more for you.
45:13
SPEAKER_01: And um, and obviously does don't speak on your behalf at hospitals usually, but it's like, you know, to be able to ask questions and you know, initiate conversations and choices and um privacy and all these things.
45:25
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's it's definitely important, um, especially now, you know, we're seeing a rise in postpartum mood disorders, we're seeing a rise in mental health issues in general, we're seeing a lot more birth trauma, we're seeing crazy archaic things in the birth community.
45:40
SPEAKER_01: Our c-section rates are far too high.
45:42
SPEAKER_01: They have been for a long time.
45:44
SPEAKER_01: I mean, a third of one in three women will have a c-section.
45:48
SPEAKER_01: Well, one in three.
45:51
SPEAKER_01: That's an astronomical number.
45:52
SPEAKER_01: And that's hospitals, birth centers, it's much lower.
45:55
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
45:56
SPEAKER_01: And home births, it's like five percent.
45:58
SPEAKER_01: It's like something crazy small.
46:00
SPEAKER_01: And so I think like why is that happening?
46:03
SPEAKER_01: And it's mostly because these people don't have guidance or support, and it's it's more likely you will run into a cascade of interventions when you don't understand your choices and you don't have someone slowing things down and saying, hold on, let's let's address the physiological, let's address the natural, let's take a minute.
46:20
SPEAKER_01: You know, we're not hurry, we're not in a time clock, we're not in a rush.
46:23
SPEAKER_01: And so it's you know, the medical care system is not built to care for people, it just isn't.
46:28
SPEAKER_01: Hospital systems run as a business, it truly does.
46:32
SPEAKER_01: And you know, they care about you, they're not our enemy, but watch the business of being bored.
46:37
SPEAKER_01: Yes, watch the business of being bored.
46:39
SPEAKER_01: It's all if they need to do a new one.
46:41
SPEAKER_01: They really need to do a new one.
46:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but pushed by Jennifer Black is a phenomenal book to read as well.
46:46
SPEAKER_01: It's very, very numbers like statistics, and I had to read it for my.
46:50
SPEAKER_01: I feel like some people would like love that.
46:52
SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, some people love the numbers, but she she and it's a little bit of an older book, but it's a great book that amplifies how the insurance industry changed medical care.
47:02
SPEAKER_01: And you know, the rules at a hospital are so vastly different than birth centers for lots of different reasons and insurance.
47:07
SPEAKER_01: I mean, birth centers are kind of going down the tubes, uh, insurance stuff.
47:11
SPEAKER_00: But unfortunately, yeah, so it's just the more you deep dive, the more you realize, okay, there's something to this doula thing.
47:17
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so then a question then what would you say to someone that is like, I don't want to do a lot of research because it's freaking me out?
47:25
SPEAKER_00: Like, what would you perfect reason to have a doula?
47:28
SPEAKER_01: Because we do a lot of research in general, you know.
47:31
SPEAKER_01: I it is part of my role to be up to date with certain recommendations and statistics.
47:38
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, every year I'm like, okay, what is this new study that came out?
47:42
SPEAKER_01: And you know what, and and obviously my experience is true.
47:46
SPEAKER_01: Every year I'm doing anywhere from 40 to 50 burrs, and so every year I'm gaining I'm gaining more and more experience.
47:53
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I'm at 400 plus burrows at this point, and so like just that alone, of course, is huge.
47:59
SPEAKER_01: But then yeah, I'm doing that for you.
48:01
SPEAKER_01: And that's why I joke.
48:02
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm your new Google.
48:03
SPEAKER_01: I want you to come to me because I have the experience and I I have a lot of perspective.
48:09
SPEAKER_01: Um, and if I don't know the answer, I know where to look and not get freaked out and be like, here's the real information.
48:16
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, please don't go on TikTok, you know, and watch a video about this.
48:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, seriously.
48:22
SPEAKER_01: So that's a huge, a huge reason for that.
48:24
SPEAKER_01: So fun.
48:25
SPEAKER_01: But it's a beautiful way to explore your faith too, as a woman, is it's like it is if you really let it happen, if you really open up that intimacy, it's like, yeah, no, the Lord wants to cater to you and He wants you to trust Him.
48:37
SPEAKER_01: And and it doesn't, there's no promise, you know.
48:40
SPEAKER_01: Birth stories are so they're already predestined.
48:42
SPEAKER_01: He knows what what's gonna happen, and there's some comfort in that because he's got you, you know, you're not gonna, you know, go down a road that he didn't lay out for you.
48:51
SPEAKER_01: And sometimes that's harsh.
48:53
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, you have an unplanned cesarean, or you know, something traumatic happens.
48:58
SPEAKER_01: There's you know, hate oh, everything happens for a reason.
49:01
SPEAKER_01: Like we don't love that, but it's like your your destiny is you know planned out.
49:07
SPEAKER_01: He knows you, he knows your story, and you know, yes, we make choices.
49:11
SPEAKER_01: I like to describe God as a GPS.
49:14
SPEAKER_01: You can the destination is the same, but you take a left when you're not supposed to.
49:18
SPEAKER_01: Guess what he's gonna do?
49:19
SPEAKER_01: He's just gonna reroute you.
49:21
SPEAKER_01: Still the same destination.
49:23
SPEAKER_01: And so I think that's the fun part of free will and just our relationship with God is like, He's like, All right, you want to go over here, that's fine.
49:31
SPEAKER_01: Detour, we're gonna go the scenic route, and you're gonna learn something.
49:34
SPEAKER_01: You know, you get to choose.
49:36
SPEAKER_01: It's like those goosebumps books.
49:37
SPEAKER_01: Like, what result, what choice are you gonna make?
49:40
SPEAKER_01: Ambulance.
49:41
SPEAKER_01: It's gone.
49:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's and I think birth is a beautiful like example of that because we are meant to take on our authority, and like the Lord gave us authority, and like that's something that's so cool to see is you know, we we forget that we're like the enemy wants us to forget.
49:59
SPEAKER_01: So we are in charge in the room, yes, yeah.
50:02
SPEAKER_01: Like you have authority, prayer matters, your relationship.
50:04
SPEAKER_01: You know, I tell people when we're talking about birth stories, or not birth stories, but like birth preferences, and like I ask people, what's your birth vision?
50:11
SPEAKER_01: That's a huge core of how I get people to like really explore what they want, you know.
50:16
SPEAKER_01: And one of my favorite questions or ways to ask is if you had no fears or obstacles, how would you want your birth to go?
50:22
SPEAKER_01: Like, how would it look?
50:24
SPEAKER_01: And they start to just dream.
50:26
SPEAKER_01: And then I said, There's your prayer.
50:28
SPEAKER_01: There it is, that's your plan because that's what we should be aiming for.
50:31
SPEAKER_01: It's like we shouldn't be making decisions based on fear.
50:34
SPEAKER_01: We should be making decisions based on a trust that we have that this is how it's supposed to go.
50:41
SPEAKER_01: And if it doesn't, that's okay.
50:43
SPEAKER_01: But it's still coming from a place of surrender, not a place of I'm trying to control because I'm scared.
50:48
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, right.
50:48
SPEAKER_00: And like that's way more dangerous than just yeah, it's like the verse that comes to mind is like, God didn't give me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.
50:56
SPEAKER_00: It's like, yeah, not to make decisions of fear, but but of power.
50:59
SPEAKER_00: Like he has given us power and authority, and so like how can we use that to pray for and like intercede for our birth?
51:07
SPEAKER_03: So yeah.
51:09
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I I have a little bit of a story.
51:11
SPEAKER_01: It's it's a birth story.
51:12
SPEAKER_01: She's a social media guru, so she's already shared it.
51:15
SPEAKER_01: But I I love the story because it was a V back story, but it was a home birth V back, so HVAC is what we call it.
51:22
SPEAKER_01: She's a very traumatic first birth, younger mom.
51:25
SPEAKER_01: Um, and you know, went through the rough system as a first-time mom, you know, had a lot of experiences that were really, really hard for her, and we had to unpack that a lot in our meetings and in preparation for her home birth.
51:38
SPEAKER_01: And and people can choose a home birth based out of a fear trauma, right?
51:43
SPEAKER_01: And like, yes, home birth is amazing, but like you still have to heal, right?
51:48
SPEAKER_01: You still have to face some things, and so she had to challenge herself in that too.
51:52
SPEAKER_01: But her birth was wildly spiritual because it was her second baby, it's a V back.
51:59
SPEAKER_01: We expected her labor to be longer because she hadn't had a vaginal birth, right?
52:03
SPEAKER_01: And it was, you know, kind of this.
52:06
SPEAKER_01: We were like, is this spiraling?
52:07
SPEAKER_01: Because she's spiraling, or is she just having a fast baby?
52:10
SPEAKER_01: And um, and she was experiencing similar symptoms in her labor, like back labor and things that freaked her out.
52:17
SPEAKER_01: And she thought this is gonna be 50 hours like last time.
52:21
SPEAKER_01: And when I showed up, and as a doula, that's the other thing about my experience, is I can see a woman and say there's a baby coming out of her very soon.
52:30
SPEAKER_01: And that's exactly what I thought when I saw her.
52:33
SPEAKER_01: I said, interesting, it's been two hours, and you're gonna have a baby real soon.
52:37
SPEAKER_01: And Jennifer was the home birth midwife for her, and I told Jennifer, I said, You need to get over here as soon as possible.
52:44
SPEAKER_01: And she did, and it was, you know, and and I could tell this was a huge unraveling, but she was panicking, she was freaking out.
52:51
SPEAKER_01: She was like, Bring me to the hospital.
52:53
SPEAKER_01: I can't do this.
52:54
SPEAKER_01: Like she was refusing, she was like trying to refuse.
52:56
SPEAKER_01: It's very cute because it's like you can't stop it, right?
52:59
SPEAKER_01: It's just gonna happen.
53:00
SPEAKER_01: But she in her mind was totally terrified and unraveling and just it was like she was at war and it was very heavy in the spirit.
53:10
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, there was a point where you know, her husband was like relieved I was there because I came in with my energy, like, all right, all right, enemy, like, yeah, we're going to, we're gonna deck this out, you know, and and I'm just you know, encouraging her and in, you know, using my my skills to keep her in a place where we can keep moving.
53:29
SPEAKER_01: And her body was moving, you know, her water is ruptured, mucus was coming, like baby was coming very soon.
53:36
SPEAKER_01: And I told her, look down at your, you know, because she had a checks pad and like we could see progress.
53:40
SPEAKER_01: She could tell there was progress also, but she was so she was so like, I can't do this, right?
53:47
SPEAKER_01: Like, this isn't gonna work.
53:48
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna fail again.
53:49
SPEAKER_01: They're gonna have to cut me open, cut me open.
53:51
SPEAKER_01: She even told us to tell her, she even told us to get cut open.
53:54
SPEAKER_01: She was like, Take me to the hospital, I have to have C-Sign.
53:57
SPEAKER_01: Like, it was it was wild.
53:59
SPEAKER_01: And before Jennifer even got there, I just started praying over her in the spirit and not loud.
54:04
SPEAKER_01: And and the husband was like, I remember him saying, Come, Jesus, come over and over again.
54:08
SPEAKER_01: Come, Jesus, come, come, Jesus, come.
54:10
SPEAKER_01: And we're just praying, and she's starting to, you know, get real deep in it.
54:14
SPEAKER_01: And she's and then Jennifer arrives, and she and I are very similar in our energies and our attitudes and our away.
54:20
SPEAKER_01: And so she's also just bringing that same.
54:23
SPEAKER_01: She she's like, I need to go to the hospital.
54:25
SPEAKER_01: And Jennifer's like, Oh, I don't get to work with you at all.
54:29
SPEAKER_01: And like it just snapped her out of it for a minute, like, well, and and we're just sitting there kind of with her as she's transitioning.
54:38
SPEAKER_01: So she kept saying no, she would scream no in these contractions.
54:42
SPEAKER_01: No.
54:43
SPEAKER_01: And I said yes, say yes, and she just she agreed, she like came into agreement, and it was like enough, time to come into agreement, and she did.
54:55
SPEAKER_01: And she was having back labor, which told me her baby was trying to rotate, and and so we do a couple positions.
55:00
SPEAKER_01: I actually have her do inversions, which you probably remember intimately.
55:04
SPEAKER_01: Um, inversions are when you're you put the mother up on a couch or a bedside and you have them go down to their forearms to basically be vertical but butt up.
55:13
SPEAKER_01: Um, and it just helps the baby come out of the pelvis a little bit, get some space, release some tension, and rotate.
55:18
SPEAKER_01: And so we got down through just second one, and she head down felt the urge to push.
55:26
SPEAKER_01: And this is within 15 minutes of Jennifer arriving.
55:28
SPEAKER_01: So, like, I've only been there for an hour and a half, two hours maybe, and Jennifer arrives, and like she gets up off this inversion, she pushes out this baby and like two pushes.
55:39
SPEAKER_01: And there's this moment where we hand her this little girl.
55:42
SPEAKER_01: She looks at her husband, she says, I did it.
55:44
SPEAKER_01: And she's like, I did it.
55:45
SPEAKER_01: She kept saying, I can't believe it, I did it, I did it, I had my own breath.
55:48
SPEAKER_01: And she just was like, something in her was re-educated, and she something that was broken and stolen from her in real time.
55:58
SPEAKER_01: I got to witness be stitched back together and restored.
56:02
SPEAKER_01: And she had a baby in five hours, less than that, probably.
56:06
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so it's like stories like that that you're like, you can't deny that that's the Lord, you can't deny that he was in that room and you know, there was no bleeding, there was no terror, there was no emergency.
56:18
SPEAKER_01: You know, it's there's stories like that all the time.
56:19
SPEAKER_01: I could tell them all day.
56:20
SPEAKER_01: But it's, you know, I think it's just had she been at the hospital, had she been anywhere else with any other people, that would have been very different.
56:29
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, and so having somebody to hold space for that and encouraging that.
56:35
SPEAKER_01: And I love being like, you want to pray?
56:37
SPEAKER_01: Let's pray and kick everybody out.
56:39
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes you'll get a nurse that's like, I'm a Christian too, and then you're like, Oh, this is cool, yeah.
56:44
SPEAKER_01: But it's like such a hush-hush thing in a community of you know, the medical industry or whatever.
56:51
SPEAKER_01: So, so yeah, it's it's it's a very divine and spiritual experience, and it should be treated with honor and sacred attitude.
56:59
SPEAKER_01: And I think the the modern medicine side of it, hospital providers, they are so desensitized to how incredible this is.
57:10
SPEAKER_01: They're moving too fast, they're making too quick of a decision, they're assuming things are gonna go wrong because that's all they know.
57:17
SPEAKER_01: You know, there's there's a a phrase or a statistic, I don't remember what it is exactly, but they say all the time, like obs do not see as much physiological birth as Adula does.
57:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
57:26
SPEAKER_01: Because they don't.
57:27
SPEAKER_01: They work in a setting where it's constant interventions and nobody's really doing this without something.
57:32
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
57:33
SPEAKER_01: Because the hospitals don't know how to just sit on their hands and let things happen and just be there to observe.
57:38
SPEAKER_01: And home birth midwives, you know, they're really just observing.
57:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, they don't do anything until there's a reason for it.
57:46
SPEAKER_01: And so that's the huge, you know, and and do as are that in between.
57:49
SPEAKER_00: It's like I feel like what came to mind is you're the pause.
57:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
57:52
SPEAKER_00: You know, of in the room of okay, they come in and like, okay, we need to do this, and you're like, Pause.
57:56
SPEAKER_00: We can take a second.
57:57
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, let's process this and you can make a decision.
58:01
SPEAKER_00: This is not an emergency, you know.
58:02
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you don't have to make a decision on the spot.
58:04
SPEAKER_01: In fact, it's so important to to take that pause and and and ask for privacy.
58:09
SPEAKER_01: And sometimes I even leave.
58:10
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, Do you want me to stay or do you want me to go?
58:11
SPEAKER_01: Because I don't want my opinion to to force you into anything either.
58:15
SPEAKER_01: Because I may have strong opinions, but ultimately it's your decision.
58:18
SPEAKER_01: You know, we're told, you know, we're not supposed to tell people what to do, and we certainly don't, but I'm gonna be honest with you.
58:23
SPEAKER_01: Like, this is what I would do and why I would do it, but this is your story.
58:27
SPEAKER_01: So, but you're getting it from a lens of truth and trust and like such care.
58:33
SPEAKER_00: I think you should do this, but because I know you, I care about you, and I genuinely want what you want.
58:39
SPEAKER_00: And so there's a difference in that.
58:41
SPEAKER_01: Well, yeah, and and you have to consider too the system that they're working in.
58:44
SPEAKER_01: You know, they are their hands are tied, they can't free-flow like like you would love them to, you know, they're they're being told that they're supposed to work within these parameters, these rules.
58:55
SPEAKER_01: If you go outside of that, you're going against medical advice.
58:58
SPEAKER_01: And now, you know, like so it's it's just there's a lot of red tape, and so that's why people labor at home as long as they can.
59:03
SPEAKER_01: And I love the clients that are like, I don't want to be there for very long.
59:08
SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna show up right towards the end, you know, and and literally show up and have a baby within a couple hours, you know, because it's just it is the ideal way to do it.
59:18
SPEAKER_01: If you have to have a hospital birth, labor at home.
59:20
SPEAKER_01: Even if you plan on getting it up at your all, it's like you should still labor at home for a chunk of that time, a large chunk of that time, because you're just gonna have a better birth.
59:28
SPEAKER_01: You're just gonna have a better experience.
59:30
SPEAKER_01: From from even the consult to the first meeting, like I'm figuring you out pretty quick.
59:35
SPEAKER_01: What is your birth vision?
59:36
SPEAKER_01: What do you want?
59:37
SPEAKER_01: What is your idea?
59:38
SPEAKER_01: What is your goal?
59:39
SPEAKER_01: And you know, sometimes you don't even know what hospital you're supposed to go to or what birth center you're so I'm like, okay, well, I've done a lot of these, I've seen a lot of babies born in a lot of different places.
59:49
SPEAKER_01: So based on what you're asking for or what you want, here's where I would go, or here's what I would offer to give you advice on.
59:56
SPEAKER_01: And then you're set up for more success because you're going to a place that supports what you want, right?
1:00:01
SPEAKER_01: And people don't think about it that way.
1:00:02
SPEAKER_01: It's just, oh, this is the closest one.
1:00:04
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
1:00:05
SPEAKER_01: It's like, oh gosh.
1:00:06
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
1:00:07
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
1:00:08
SPEAKER_00: That's a terrible idea.
1:00:11
SPEAKER_00: They're just like looking at each other like so do it.
1:00:14
SPEAKER_01: Gosh, doing research.
1:00:15
SPEAKER_01: But it's it is important, it does matter.
1:00:17
SPEAKER_01: Um, and you know, whether it's uh and two different hospitals can be totally different, you know, and that's the thing, too, is it's just you know, and and I'm just one doula, like many doulas would have been put, but yeah, lots of things, lots of things, but yeah.
1:00:31
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for sharing your story and like your passion, and just like God has given you such a gift for this.
1:00:39
SPEAKER_00: Like, clearly, obviously, he very clearly told you you're supposed to do it.
1:00:43
SPEAKER_00: But having worked with you, and I know so many people who have that, yeah, this is your calling, and you're just so uh you have so much authority in the room in the best in the best way, like God has gifted you with that, and just like the strength to walk in and just take authority and like you said, like not care what people think and but be there for yeah, your clients, and you just have sac you sacrifice so much time of yourself, like even with your kids, you know, like obviously obviously you love them, duh.
1:01:10
SPEAKER_00: But like I guess, yeah.
1:01:13
SPEAKER_00: But just the sacrifice that you give in to be the support for other women is not going unnoticed, and just the time that you put in and are on call and are just like, I'm gonna be there for other families so that they have beautiful experiences is so yeah, so cool.
1:01:28
SPEAKER_00: So I just want to honor that and just you're heart behind things.
1:01:32
SPEAKER_01: I feel very honored that you wanted to interview me.
1:01:35
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, it's super fun.
1:01:36
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm excited to be offering this.
1:01:39
SPEAKER_01: Um, and my kids, you know, they're very sweet, they understand, you know, they've been this is.
1:01:43
SPEAKER_00: Which is so cool though, to like have a mom that just shows an example of like her job is serving people, yeah.
1:01:50
SPEAKER_00: And just that I'm yes, I'm not spending time with you right now, but it's to serve another family, and like what a beautiful example that is that they will grow up of that you just want to serve people and you just want to love on them and take care of them and help other families thrive too.
1:02:03
SPEAKER_01: So I'm even normalizing birth to my I have three daughters, and my oldest she loves babies, she loves babies, she can't wait to be a mom.
1:02:11
SPEAKER_01: And mom, I'm gonna have a home birth, and you're gonna be my midwife.
1:02:16
SPEAKER_01: I was like, absolutely fun.
1:02:18
SPEAKER_01: Love that you thought like that, you know, it's just like you know, everyone can choose what they want, but it is fun.
1:02:23
SPEAKER_01: My kids are definitely very gracious.
1:02:26
SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's days, you know, I've missed things that you know I've been sad to miss, but um, but yeah, it it doesn't I think they get it.
1:02:34
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, I'm and and and anybody who's considering do the work, like I think that's something I'd love to, you know, be a resource for.
1:02:42
SPEAKER_01: I do have a mentorship with the Village Doula as well, um, that I offer.
1:02:46
SPEAKER_01: It's a six-month basically shadowing experience, and I help I help up and coming Julas figure this out and you know what does this look like?
1:02:54
SPEAKER_01: And so yeah, it's it's a good time.
1:02:56
SPEAKER_01: I'm hoping one of my daughters takes on the business when I get too old, but we'll see which one that ends up being.
1:03:01
SPEAKER_00: You know, there's some pickup of the letter.
1:03:03
SPEAKER_00: So we'll see.
1:03:05
SPEAKER_00: So where can people find you if they want to reach out to you or just find resources from you?
1:03:10
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I am on Instagram, Facebook.
1:03:12
SPEAKER_01: Um, that's it though.
1:03:13
SPEAKER_01: I'm old school.
1:03:14
SPEAKER_01: I don't do TikTok or any of those things.
1:03:16
SPEAKER_01: So Instagram, I'm the Village Doula M N.
1:03:18
SPEAKER_01: Um, and I have a website, Facebook, same thing, the Village Doula.
1:03:23
SPEAKER_01: Um, my office is located in Coon Rapids, but I serve all throughout the Twin Cities, usually about a 60-minute radius from Minneapolis out.
1:03:31
SPEAKER_01: Um, and farther, if it's the right client.
1:03:33
SPEAKER_01: And if you're having a home birth in the rural parts of the Minneapolis, you know, Minnesota area, I'm happy to go.
1:03:38
SPEAKER_01: I've gone as far as Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
1:03:40
SPEAKER_01: I've gone as far as, you know, I'm actually going up to Duluth for a birth in a few months.
1:03:44
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I definitely serve as much as I can if within my capacity.
1:03:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, but I also have a great team.
1:03:50
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's it's definitely reach out.
1:03:52
SPEAKER_01: Website's very easy to navigate to.
1:03:54
SPEAKER_01: If you want to book a time, you just do it through there.
1:03:56
SPEAKER_01: And if you can't find a time, that's when you shoot me a message.
1:03:59
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
1:04:00
SPEAKER_00: This is so cute.
1:04:01
SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for being here and taking the time.
1:04:03
SPEAKER_00: Of course.
1:04:04
SPEAKER_00: I know that this is just gonna be an encouragement to moms and just kind of hear yeah, the heart behind why you started and just a different perspective of Jula care that I think needs to be talked about.
1:04:14
SPEAKER_00: So yes.
1:04:15
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for amplifying it.
1:04:17
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
1:04:18
SPEAKER_00: All right.
1:04:18
SPEAKER_00: Everyone hire Jula.
1:04:19
SPEAKER_00: Yay! Stephanie, I'm here.