Why I Became A Doula

by Katie Rachanow

I believe that with anything in life, things have a way of working out.  So when I was posed the question; “Why did you become a doula?”  I was a little stumped. To be honest, I have no idea. But this is how the journey unfolded.

I'm a yoga teacher from America. We moved to Ely when I was 5 months pregnant and had to learn everything about the British healthcare system in a matter of 4 months. I was scared and alone and boy do I wish I had a doula.  Luckily, I had some amazing midwives that pointed me in the right direction. And eventually I just let my yoga practice take over my mind and body and experienced the most profound and enlightening birth of my daughter.

I had been studying yoga and pregnancy for sometime before becoming pregnant.  I have a deep routed interest in people and their health and the health of their babies.  So when I was looking at trainings for the year I was pleasantly surprised that England has some of the most educated and well trained teachers of pregnancy and birth in the world. I decided that I couldn’t leave this country without meeting Michel Odent. Odent is the first doctor to write about Waterbirth and about the impact that birth has on our civilization.  I had no idea what a doula was or what the work would entail but I did know that I needed to meet this man! And the way to do that was to take the Paramana Doula training Odent and Liliana Lammers offered in London.  So I sign up!!!

I had heard of doulas (they are fairly popular in America) but I had never known exactly what they do.  A doula is a person that supports the family unconditionally with emotional, physical and informational support throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond.  I learned so much at that training. And although I left with a new understanding of birthing, I still wasn’t sure that I would become a doula afterwards. I just thought that it would be a good addition to my pregnancy yoga classes, and it was.  However, a couple of my yoga students heard that I had become a doula and all of a sudden before I knew what was happening I was sitting in a hospital room helping a mom have her baby. Four short months and 4 births later, I became a certified/recognized doula with Doula UK.

So far, I’ve had the extreme pleasure of working with the RAF Lakenheath hospital system and the Addenbrookes NHS hospital system. All four births have been in a hospital. Some natural, some not so natural, some with midwives and some with doctors, some with gas and air, some with induction, some with medication and some with nothing at all.  I’ve been so blessed to have seen both the American and British health care systems at work.  And what I’ve learned is that every woman and baby are different. Each birth is unique, even if it’s multiples. Every partner and family structure is distinctive.  Sometimes the mom doesn’t need support at all but sometimes it’s the dad that needs reassurance. Some women need massage and music and others just need me to sit and listen to them. Some women need reassurance and some don’t need anything at all. But one of the main things that I think I provide as a doula is the knowledge that women are capable and strong and sometimes they just need to know that they can trust their instincts.

I continue to learn from each experience and every story I hear (I will forever be a student). And I still can’t believe that I have had the unexpected good fortune to slip into a role where I get to help a new baby meet the world. 

Have you used a doula? Let us know about your experience by commenting below...

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