Blog Posts

My Why

After being an Educational Assistant and working with special needs students for 20 years, at the age of 45 I decided it was time for a change.  Why now? To be completely honest (which I always am), I am just plain tired of it!  Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of joys to being an EA…watching your students make friends, learn to communicate their needs, do small tasks that come easily to others, learn to read, learn to self-regulate, get through a whole day without a meltdown, hugs, laughter…the list of positives goes on….but along with those successes comes a shitload of hard work.  I can’t tell you how many meltdowns I’ve witnessed, how many diapers I’ve changed, how many times I’ve been hit, kicked and bitten, how many tears and runny noses I’ve wiped. Being an EA has become physically and emotionally draining for me.  When you start to dread going to work the next day, and the bad stuff starts to overshadow the good stuff, then IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE!

So why become a doula?  Of course that’s the first thing everyone wants to know, and to tell you the truth I honestly had no idea.  It’s not like I grew up with an obstetrician as a parent (I grew up on a farm), witnessed a lot of births, or felt a special calling to birth work.  But when I felt it was time for a change, I started doing some research.  I wanted a new career that I could enjoy for at least the next ten years of my life, and something that I could have control over my own schedule.  I enjoy helping people, love learning new things and  teaching.  I can’t even remember what other new careers I explored when I came up with my criteria, but when I started learning about what a doula does, it just felt right!  After talking with Melissa, a doula trainer at The Doula Group, I didn’t even think twice before signing up for the next training course. And now I am well on my way to becoming a certified birth doula!

CHANGE IS SCARY. CHANGE TAKES WORK. But what is the alternative?  If you are not happy, do something about it.  I know, you’ll say it’s easier said than done. That’s crap!  Take a deep breath, take one small step at a time.  YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR OWN LIFE.

Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to follow me on my doula journey!