A Woman's Design Doula Group Minneapolis | St. Paul Doula & Childbirth Education Services
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A Labor of Love

3/13/2013

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Today I spent most of the morning “doulaing” myself. Every once in a while my back will spasm and cause extreme sciatic pain that can bring me to my knees. I’d pulled every trick out of my doula bag until I eventually found a spot on the floor with tennis balls and worked on some pressure points. This allowed me to relax enough to be able to do some stretches.

While I lay on the floor, I exhaled and thanked God that I didn't have any clients due, and then thought about how His grace has been sufficient even when I have attended births, especially long ones.

A few minutes later a package arrived from the mail man. I was intrigued because the items I were expecting in the mail where larger than what I received. 
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It was a beautiful package thoughtfully put together for me by a former client. More beautiful than the items were her words thanking me and describing to me what I meant to her and her husband during the birth of their sweet little girl in the fall.  

This young couple was prepared, made great choices along the way, trusted the process and her body to do what it was designed to do. Their love for each other was so apparent and intense and seeing them work together was beautiful to behold. This mama worked so hard in spite of sleepless nights prior to labor becoming active and welcomed her little girl with such grace and strength. 

And as I reflect on their story and read their beautiful words I am encouraged.

I must admit that there are often sleepless nights, replaying birth experiences, trying to see if there was anything I could have done differently or more to support the women who invite me into this sacred space. It is not because the experience is about me. It is because I truly care if I have made some kind of positive difference in their story, if they felt supported, heard, respected and valued.

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I am content with what I find most of the time and then there are other times where I see that there is still room to grow. It can be common to be hard on yourself because of the nature of our work.  We pour our hearts into families only to say goodbye in a few short weeks postpartum. Sometimes friendships emerge out of the close time you have spent together. But it is rare.

It is a labor of love. I believe in the women I work with, I believe that they can do all they set out to do and that what lies within them is an inner strength that meets them at the challenge of becoming and transforming. It’s a hard work sometimes, emotionally and physically but it is a beautiful work indeed.


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My Heart Is Overflowing...

6/13/2012

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On a Birth Professionals page, someone asked us to name one thing we loved most about being a birth doula. "Just one? Just one???!!!", was the sudden outcry from the birth community.  I offered one for the sake of the original poster's request but continued to consider in my heart all the of the reasons I love supporting women and families during this time in their lives. 

I spent a few hours today working on a birth story from a previous birth I attended and all of the reasons began to pour out as i recapped our time spent together and all of the wonderful moments I was blessed to share with them.

I thought I'd share a few with you:
The "dance" that a couple shares when they are working together to bring forth their new life.

The moment a laboring woman finds "her voice".

The moment when a laboring mother is peacefully riding the waves of contractions. 

The moment when a partner looks at his woman with pride as she is being transformed right before his eyes. 

The look on a woman's face when she realizes what she is capable of doing...she knows her own strength and will never be the same. 

An expectant grandmother quietly sitting in the corner watching her little girl become a mother. 

The cry of a newborn who is away from his/her mother who is clearly calling out for her, wanting to know that she is still close by.


The moment a father takes his new baby and nuzzles, sniffs and talks to him/her as if it were just the two of them in the room. 


The moment when a mother and her baby lock eyes for the first time.  

The look on a mother's face when her baby latches on for the first time.

The moment I quietly bow out as the new family are becoming one.


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Why I Became A Doula

1/26/2010

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The first birth I attended was on my 16th birthday. I was having a party and found out that one of my relatives had gone into labor. She had just recently moved to town and her immediate family wasn't there yet. I left the party without thinking and stayed with her from the beginning to the end. I couldn't pull myself away and have assisted several births since.

Mothering the Mother is another explanation of what doulas do; birth and postpartum. I didn't realize how much of an impact we have until I hired one for myself. 

It was 2006, my mother had just passed away from breast cancer the previous November- two days before my birthday. I was right in the throws of grieving when I found out I was pregnant. 

I wasn't handling the loss of my mother so well and was very surprised to say the least of our news. I remember crying and praying in my car on the way to work, "God, this is the worst time to be pregnant, I cannot even think straight, my heart aches so much, how can I go through this- it's too much too soon." Please do not misunderstand, there was no doubt that we were having this baby. After my sob fest, I had the radio on and a quote by Carl Sandburg was mentioned , "A baby is God's opinion that life should go on." I wish I could tell you what station it was on or what the topic that was being discussed was, but I can tell you that it was exactly what I needed to hear.


A few months later while I was getting adjusted (the weight of a baby can really do a number on your back and hips), I noticed in the display business cards, one happened to be for doula services. At this time I didn't know what a doula was but based on the description of service I knew I needed her. We met with her (Mary Ann) and her sweet gentle spirit comforted me-we hired her on the spot. She was available for questions anytime, she met with me several times before my labor and brought me reading material and cd's with calming music and meditations about birth.

Three weeks before I went into labor I was experiencing prodromal labor. Prodromal labor can feel very much like active labor, yet is not consistently progressive. It made me very anxious, tired and frustrated. Mary Ann called weekly to check up on me. When she called on the 3rd week of prodromal labor I completely started bawling on the phone. She calmly affirmed how I was feeling and suggested my husband go purchase some bath salts, light some candles and draw me a warm bath. We did this and in about 15 minutes my labor became active.
I was in labor from 12-am to about 8:15-pm (I know this because Mary Ann documented everything, which was helpful because the process of birth can become a blur after a while.) During this time Mary Ann encouraged me when I felt like giving up, she administered several comfort measures from her bag of tricks. She didn't replace my husband in fact they were a team. She encouraged my husband when he wasn't sure of what was going on.  She grabbed him some food when he was hungry. She let him rest when he looked tired. She had a great relationship with the staff and therefore had access to things on the maternity floor that I wouldn't have thought to ask for. She hugged and swayed with me when I couldn't stand up. She sat quietly in between contractions so that I can grasp a minute of sleep. She suggested a position to turn the baby when she was faced the wrong way causing back labor. I could go on and on, but even recounting all she did takes me back, and regardless if everything didn't go according to my birth plan, I still had a great birth experience. My heart gets full and I will be forever grateful for her presence during what could have been a really difficult time. After I reviewed what she did it dawned on me that I was offering my friends and family the same care during their births and decided to officially become certified to help other women have births that they love to remember. 
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My Little Peanut
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    A Woman's Design

    A Woman's Design Doula & Childbirth Educators are here to walk along side you during such a precious time. Whether it is your first journey or tenth, empowering women and families with education and support to trust their inner wisdom and make wise choices in pregnancy, birth and early parenting is the heart of A Woman's Design. 

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Contact A Woman's Design:
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(612) 314-6378
Specializing In
Attachment Parenting | Babywearing | Birth Bootcamp | Bottle Feeding | Bradley Method | Breastfeeding | Cesareans Section (Family-Centered/Planned/Repeat) | Cloth Diapering | Epidural Birth | Home Birth | Hospital Birth | Hypnobabies | Induction | Lamaze | Multiples | Natural Birth | Spinning Babies |Vaginal birth Assisted by Medication | VBAC | Water Birth | Birth Doula | Postpartum Doula | Lactaction Support | Prenatal Education | Childbirth Education | Placenta Encapsulation |
Lamaze International, Childbirth International, DONA International
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Providing Professional Doula Services to Families in the Twin Cities, Minnesota

Minneapolis - St Paul
Anoka | Hennepin  | Carver | Chisago | Dakota | Ramsey | Washington    

​At the heart & soul of A Woman's Design is the belief that every mother has the inner wisdom to make the best choices for herself and her baby in pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting. 
This is your story and we are your supporting cast. Birth. Your Way. 

Copyright © 2012-2018, Natalia Hals. All rights reserved.