Me at 36 weeks with my 2nd
My name is Jennifer Willhite, I'm 45 years old, & I love babies. I loved being pregnant. I love childbirth. I loved breastfeeding. I could listen to birth stories for hours. I had 2 beautiful babies of my own, and the days they were born will stay in my mind, heart and soul for eternity.
However.... I was ignorant, clueless, naive and pretty much terrified when I gave birth. If only I had known then what I know now - that we are often socialized to fear childbirth, only hearing horror stories or believing what we see in the movies & on TV. Conversely, with the advent of natural childbirth as part of an overall shift to a more healthy lifestyle, many women feel they have to have a "perfect" birth, some with unachievable standards, &/ or inadequate preparation. Now I understand that childbirth can be a time of strength, empowerment; full of energy, serenity and unbelievable beauty. Each pregnancy is individual; each journey through childbirth is unique. The physiology is fascinating & wonderful, and information truly helps one feel more powerful. Learning / preparing for childbirth is a great idea; that being said, when you go into labor, you surrender your mind to your body and know that your body knows what to do. It truly does.
Having returned to school to become a Labor & Delivery RN, I was captivated by the things I was re-discovering. When we were both Teaching Assistants in Anatomy, I made friends with an amazing woman (Stacy McCorkle Connor) who was a doula. A what? When she explained what a doula is (a companion / helper who supports the birth parents physically and emotionally), I was thrilled and intrigued. I had heard of those fictional people who "didn't consider their jobs work" because they loved what they did, but I had never understood the concept until then. Long story short, I trained with Jana Wernor, who is a legend in the Childbirth Community. I could not believe how much I was fascinated by what Jana shared, every single class I had with her. It all came together for me: my love of pregnancy, birth & babies, previous education and experiences coalesced into the certainty that this was what I wanted to do.....and here I am, a practicing professional birth doula.
Being a doula is my favorite job EVER besides being a mom, which frankly is a lot of work -- offset by love and tenderness and the boundless thrill of watching these beautiful human beings grow and develop.
I am so excited to listen to you talk as much as you want: every little detail of your pregnancy, child birth preferences, questions, doctor or midwife visits, and then later, your journey through childbirth. I feel privileged to meet expectant parents and honored to be even the smallest part of your beautiful family story. I look forward to hearing from you!
However.... I was ignorant, clueless, naive and pretty much terrified when I gave birth. If only I had known then what I know now - that we are often socialized to fear childbirth, only hearing horror stories or believing what we see in the movies & on TV. Conversely, with the advent of natural childbirth as part of an overall shift to a more healthy lifestyle, many women feel they have to have a "perfect" birth, some with unachievable standards, &/ or inadequate preparation. Now I understand that childbirth can be a time of strength, empowerment; full of energy, serenity and unbelievable beauty. Each pregnancy is individual; each journey through childbirth is unique. The physiology is fascinating & wonderful, and information truly helps one feel more powerful. Learning / preparing for childbirth is a great idea; that being said, when you go into labor, you surrender your mind to your body and know that your body knows what to do. It truly does.
Having returned to school to become a Labor & Delivery RN, I was captivated by the things I was re-discovering. When we were both Teaching Assistants in Anatomy, I made friends with an amazing woman (Stacy McCorkle Connor) who was a doula. A what? When she explained what a doula is (a companion / helper who supports the birth parents physically and emotionally), I was thrilled and intrigued. I had heard of those fictional people who "didn't consider their jobs work" because they loved what they did, but I had never understood the concept until then. Long story short, I trained with Jana Wernor, who is a legend in the Childbirth Community. I could not believe how much I was fascinated by what Jana shared, every single class I had with her. It all came together for me: my love of pregnancy, birth & babies, previous education and experiences coalesced into the certainty that this was what I wanted to do.....and here I am, a practicing professional birth doula.
Being a doula is my favorite job EVER besides being a mom, which frankly is a lot of work -- offset by love and tenderness and the boundless thrill of watching these beautiful human beings grow and develop.
I am so excited to listen to you talk as much as you want: every little detail of your pregnancy, child birth preferences, questions, doctor or midwife visits, and then later, your journey through childbirth. I feel privileged to meet expectant parents and honored to be even the smallest part of your beautiful family story. I look forward to hearing from you!