What made Chloe become a Doula?

www.thelittledoulacompany.com�

So now you know what a doula is, I will tell you a bit about me and what led me to this wonderful new profession of mine.
I am Chloe; I have a fianc� called James and a gorgeous 18 month old babe called Teddy. We live on the borders of Hertfordshire and Middlesex � People from inner city London would call it �The Countryside� and people from the countryside would call it �London�.
Being a mummy myself led me to doula-ing. As if I am being completely honest, I would never have heard of one if it wasn�t for the thousands of pregnancy and baby books I read throughout my pregnancy trimesters! Because of my natural curiosity, a day after coming across the term �doula�, I had researched every piece of knowledge, findings and information-and that was it, I was hooked, completely line and sinker.
It was extremely difficult halting my new found passion until baby had arrived and the time was right, and I was always keeping an ear and an eye out for anything doula related. Even during my appointments, and admittedly during labour at the birthing suite I had Teddy on, I kept trying to �find one�. I hadn�t realised just how obscure doula-ing was. Nobody had heard of one, let alone realised and understood the amazing profession.
I had a fabulous first labour. For somebody that hadn�t really paid much thought to the little details, it kind of went pretty perfectly. (Except the water birth which I was desperate for and never happened as I dilated so quick from 4-10cm!). No pain relief other than a lovely little heat pack for my back, a couple of paracetamol and a gorgeous little 7lb bundle after 4hours and 14 minutes. Seeing as I had been told by �professionals� that because I was just short, only 5ft, my little body and frame would struggle to labour a baby and therefore I would probably experience complications with it passing through my hips. What utter rubbish that was! My own mum is the same size as me and has naturally delivered six out of her seven babies. The thing that upset me the most was that if I wasn�t so sure of myself, like many others aren�t at this vulnerable time I would have really let this get to me and it probably would have affected my labour and also influenced my decisions and choices. I had a little think to myself, if a doula was around, a silly comment like that wouldn�t have been able to affect someone, let alone influence them! My personal experience was enabling me to see just how wonderful having/being a doula was.
After doing the best job in the world (being a mumma!) for nearly a year, I booked on to my doula course with the renowned and �doula of the year 2009� Kicki Hansard who is utterly amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed, learning, talking, listening, sharing experiences and building up self-confidence to realise I could also support and empower women, and be good at it! I walked away from that course having felt I had found my place. I was so excited to start, so excited to meet new people, so excited to be part of the wonderful doula community and most excited about being able to make a difference to women and their families and a memory that would stay with them forever�
And here I am, loving every single second.

Speak soon,
Lots of love, Chloe xxx

www.thelittledoulacompany.com�

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