I do see the need to be an activist and push for social change around the ways we care for and support birthing people and families. But when I work as a doula I have no agenda. I think one of the fundamental problems with our current model of care is we are failing to trust and listen to birthing people.
I had a lot of preconceived notions about what a doula was. I thought they were ideologically geared towards unmedicated births. I was turned off by the use of “natural”, which felt like yet another standard that I as a woman had to live up to. But after giving birth to my daughter in January 2017 I became more interested in birth. I realized how little I was taught about it and how little we talked about it. I also began to really understand the ways our society doesn’t support people through the full spectrum of reproductive choices. I realized the work that doulas do is actually pretty simple. We are just there with you. We are radically present, offering emotional and physical support for birthing people.
