I wrote this post several months ago and first published it on my personal blog. At the time, I was pregnant--I have now given birth to that sweet baby boy, but the truth here still remains. I am so excited to continue on this journey of supporting women during such a special time of life.
A little over a year ago marks the beginning of my conscious journey of stepping into an area of life I am so passionate about, an area that intrigues and captivates me. It seems strange to say, but from a young age I can recall being fascinated with pregnancy and birth. More so than most females my age. It didn’t weird or gross me out, and I still don’t know how to explain it, other than my spirit engaged and continues to engage in such a way that sometimes catches me off guard.
Before having our first son, it was not something that I talked about or really gave much thought to. It seemed a strange thing to be so inspired by without actually ever having been pregnant or given birth. Being pregnant and having our first son though, gave me the permission I felt like I needed to start talking about the way birth moved me and brought my soul satisfaction. It seems silly now–I know plenty of birth advocates that have never had children and their passion and expertise is just as real as mine after having one child and being in my third pregnancy. I figured that my deep sense of connection to pregnancy and birth and women was the fact that I was a woman—I assumed that every woman must feel the same way. And while most women are convinced of the beauty and wonder of birth, not all feel the deep sense of desire to come along side other women and walk through their pregnancies and birth with them.
So after exactly a year of praying and a series of God events and doors opening (as all life is), I attended my training to become a CLD (certified Labor Doula). The why is simple: I want to serve women during one of the most vulnerable, emotional, beautifully sacred times they will walk through. I have experienced both the joy of childbirth and the sorrow of pregnancy loss, and both have only increased my desire to support women during this season of their lives.
We become parents the day those tiny lives are conceived in us. The parenting process and parenting heart starts long before the physical babies are born. No matter how long we are blessed to physically parent a child, we steward those tiny souls. “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13).
And that is why I am now a walking cliche. A pregnant doula in training. A pregnant lover of pregnancy and birth.
“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psalm 127:3