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Becoming a Doula – The Austin Birth Photographer and Doula

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I can hardly contain my excitement over becoming a doula. When the pandemic hit I felt the familiar nudge to complete something I’d always known was the logical next step for my business: to become a certified doula. I will now be offering both doula and birth photography services to Austin families. 

I wanted to share some images from a birth with one of my first doula clients, Stephanie. This birth was monumental in for me. It really put my understanding of birth and doula support to use. I am so honored that Stephanie, an aspiring doula herself, trusted me to provide a safe space for her to birth in. That was really important to her. She’s an independent woman who doesn’t need a lot of hands on care, but words of affirmation and a calming presence were something she knew she’s benefit from. As a born nurturer, I love filling this role. And as a doula, I want to make sure my clients care is personalized to their unique needs.

I remember thinking as I set up a little cave for her during labor what beautiful work it is that doulas do. That they’ve been doing for generations and generations, before the term even came into use! I’ve witnessed the love and care that goes into doula-ing for most of my career. Not to mention, I hired a doula for my last birth (back in 2006!) So I truly understand the value of doula support. And it is truly a beautiful and unique thing.

Stephanie’s third baby did what most third babies do, he surprised us. In fact, he came 5 weeks early! Unfortunately, Stephanie did not get the homebirth she planned on, and that was really hard for her. Making the transition so abruptly is enough to send anyone into a tailspin, but Stephanie was so well prepared to birth at home. She was well informed and we went over all the things she thought she might need or want while in labor during her prenatals. Obviously, she was expecting a straight forward birth. There was no reason not to!

Once in transition, Stephanie discovered that her baby was breech.  She had worked so hard (we were at 24+ hospital hours logged by this point) and while her body wanted to push, baby remained high. The decision was made (not lightly!) to have him via cesarean. If there was any way she could have kept going and brought him down herself she would have! She had such drive and determination to do what she felt was best for her and her baby. I was in awe of her strength and composure during the sudden turn of events. Sadly, the emotions over it all had to be set aside to bring Noah quickly and safely earthside, which was not easy. Stephanie watched her birth plans change over, and over, as the experience became more and more medical. We have to remember that even when such a need arises, there is a human on the table. This is all too often forgotten by hospital staff and, tragically, Stephanie didn’t get the delayed cord clamping, skin-to-skin or vaginal seeding she’d hoped for while in the operating room.

Once we were in the OR, my role shifted from doula to photographer. Documenting a cesarean breech birth was a first for me. I found it fascinating. So did Eli, one of Stephanie’s older children. He could not wait to see the photos of his brother coming out of Mommy’s tummy! Stephanie appreciates the images too, but it’s because they are well done, not because it was beautiful and empowering experience for her. 

I think we forget that a healthy baby is NOT the only goal. Mothers’ hearts, minds and souls need to feel safe and healthy as well. This means it is quite normal for birthing people to  need some time to fully process why things don’t always go as planned. They need answers to the whens, hows and ifs and those answers just don’t come very quickly.

It can take years to fully heal from a traumatic birth experience, but just a few moments to prevent a traumatic memory. It is one of a doula’s many responsibilities to see that clients have access to all the resources they need before, during and after their birth. But one can sometimes feel powerless even after all those efforts are met. I really struggled to see Stephanie’s baby be taken from her before she got skin-to-skin. It triggered a memory of my own premature baby’s birth, so my heart was truly hurting for her in that moment.

At our post partum visit I brought my camera and was able to capture some family photos for Stephanie and Jason. This was a special request because they felt it would help give them some joyful images in their home, where their birth was supposed to take place. Their kids are precious and I enjoyed capturing their personalities and excitement so much that I’ve decided to offer this to all doula clients! Photography can be healing in so many ways, and I hope these images bring some closure to Stephanie’s birth experience. 

 

The post Becoming a Doula – The Austin Birth Photographer and Doula appeared first on Leilani Rogers Photography.


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