We do it because we love what we do. It’s a beautiful sacrifice we are privileged to make to serve the mothers and babies we are blessed to have in our lives.
Living Life On-Call Birth doulas go on call at 37 weeks gestation for our clients. We discuss with our clients as much as possible about the on call period, when to call the doula, and we assure our clients of our availability.
Sometimes, though, it seems that the weight of the words “I’m on call for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from 37 weeks until the birth” really doesn’t quite sink in for most people. It’s a concept that is easily overlooked as the paperwork is signed, and protocols are discussed. It sounds simple enough - just live your life as usual until you need to go. The reality of on call life can be tricky and challenging, but the rewards are more than worth it.
Life on call as a birth doula means that vacations are deliberately planned many months in advance, and we must give ourselves 2 weeks on either side of that vacation window where we will not accept due dates.
Life on call as a birth doula means that our life and our family’s life exists within an hour radius of our client.
Life on call as a birth doula means that we take an extra car out to dinner, church, family outings, or social events in case we need to leave for a birth. Our bag is always packed in the back of our with all of our supplies, including a change of clothes in case a birth happens to be longer than expected.
Life on call as a birth doula means being prepared for everything and anything. All the time.
Life on call as a birth doula means having a backup plan for every aspect of our lives - and a backup plan for the backup plan
Life on call as a birth doula means being more fully present with our family when we are with them, because we know we could be called to leave them at any moment.
Life on call as a birth doula means planning the logistics of our day - including scheduling, transportation, child care, meals, and self care, based on a possible birth, every day.
Life on call as a birth doula means saying no to much needed girl’s nights to sleep up in case of a birth.
Life on call as a birth doula means that we understand there is chance we will need to miss a child’s birthday, a family gathering, or Christmas morning and we are at peace with that.
Life on call as a birth doula means being married to the phone, waking up at odd hours in the middle of the night to subconsciously check for messages, and having a heightened sense of responsiveness to any sound that our phones make.
Life on call as a birth doula means letting go of a lot of control, and accepting whatever happens.
Life on call as a birth doula means having the privilege of being present for a baby’s first real birthday.
Life on call as a birth doula is exhausting, demanding, and unyielding. It can sometimes be hard on the body, hard on relationships, hard on the mind. Yet at the same time, it's exhilarating, thrilling, and infuses us with an undeniable sense of purpose and gravity.
We do it because we love what we do. It’s a beautiful sacrifice we are privileged to make to serve the mothers and babies we are blessed to have in our lives.
Sometimes, though, it seems that the weight of the words “I’m on call for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from 37 weeks until the birth” really doesn’t quite sink in for most people. It’s a concept that is easily overlooked as the paperwork is signed, and protocols are discussed. It sounds simple enough - just live your life as usual until you need to go. The reality of on call life can be tricky and challenging, but the rewards are more than worth it.
Life on call as a birth doula means that vacations are deliberately planned many months in advance, and we must give ourselves 2 weeks on either side of that vacation window where we will not accept due dates.
Life on call as a birth doula means that our life and our family’s life exists within an hour radius of our client.
Life on call as a birth doula means that we take an extra car out to dinner, church, family outings, or social events in case we need to leave for a birth. Our bag is always packed in the back of our with all of our supplies, including a change of clothes in case a birth happens to be longer than expected.
Life on call as a birth doula means being prepared for everything and anything. All the time.
Life on call as a birth doula means having a backup plan for every aspect of our lives - and a backup plan for the backup plan
Life on call as a birth doula means being more fully present with our family when we are with them, because we know we could be called to leave them at any moment.
Life on call as a birth doula means planning the logistics of our day - including scheduling, transportation, child care, meals, and self care, based on a possible birth, every day.
Life on call as a birth doula means saying no to much needed girl’s nights to sleep up in case of a birth.
Life on call as a birth doula means that we understand there is chance we will need to miss a child’s birthday, a family gathering, or Christmas morning and we are at peace with that.
Life on call as a birth doula means being married to the phone, waking up at odd hours in the middle of the night to subconsciously check for messages, and having a heightened sense of responsiveness to any sound that our phones make.
Life on call as a birth doula means letting go of a lot of control, and accepting whatever happens.
Life on call as a birth doula means having the privilege of being present for a baby’s first real birthday.
Life on call as a birth doula is exhausting, demanding, and unyielding. It can sometimes be hard on the body, hard on relationships, hard on the mind. Yet at the same time, it's exhilarating, thrilling, and infuses us with an undeniable sense of purpose and gravity.
We do it because we love what we do. It’s a beautiful sacrifice we are privileged to make to serve the mothers and babies we are blessed to have in our lives.
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