BIRTH by KellyM Photography

This past weekend was my doula training with Debbie Lavin (doulaspace.com). What a wonderful weekend it was. Debbie is warm and inviting. I felt at ease with her instantly, which made all of my nerves seem silly. Most of her workshops consist of upwards of 20 women, this weekend there was only 3 of us. What a treat that was!

Going into training weekend, I felt as though I already had a fairly good grasp of comfort techniques, as well as the stages and phases of labor. That is not to say that I didn’t learn anything new in the comfort realm, but most of it was refresher for me. The part of the training that I found most valuable was learning about client/provider relationships. Setting boundaries, how to handle certain situations, how to navigate the hospital setting/staff. I think that setting boundaries with clients is going to be the hard one for me. I want to be everyone’s friend, so I am going to have to actually work at not befriending every expecting couple I meet.

We did a lot of role playing. This is not my strong suit and it was really hard to decide what to do next or what to do to comfort someone who didn’t really need comforting. Luckily, by the end of the 3rd day, Debbie acknowledged that that this type of role play is difficult, and that in the birthing room, it comes more naturally. That statement sums up why I chose to pursue doula training to begin with. Being in the room with birthing women and having this huge calling to support. It came so naturally to me, I was unable to ignore it.

At the end of the training, she didn’t just release us into the wild to fend for ourselves. She added us to her doula group and let us know we could contact her and that she wants to stay connected.

I love photography. Always have, and always will. I’m excited for my upcoming portrait sessions, and birth sessions. I will never put my camera down. However, the birth community feel like home to me. I can’t wait to dive right in!

I leave you tonight with a shot of Nicholas, brand new.

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have already read that I am training to become a doula. My training is this weekend. I could not be more excited! I have had the extreme honor of attending a number of births over the last couple of years. Each experience was absolutely amazing. However, there were moments in many of these births that left me feeling like I wished I could be more hands on. Moments where I wished I could suggest a comfort technique, a position, or even take over hip squeezes for a fatigued partner. The problem was, it just wasn’t my place to do so.

I didn’t know if it was possible for me to be both a birth photographer and a doula. I became part of an amazing and supportive birth photography group, where I found many women like me. Some started as photographers, then chose to train as doulas. Others were doulas who started offering birth photography to their clients. These ladies helped to give me the confidence I needed to take the next step.

As with all business, it might take some time to find a balance. As I start out in my doula studies, I will be offering doula services and birth photography separately. Meaning, if I am hired as a doula, being your doula is my main focus. If my client wishes, I will take photos as time allows. I will also be offering a “post birth photo session” add on package. If I am hired as a photographer, taking photos will be my main objective. If my client is open to suggestions and help with comfort techniques, etc, I will be happy to offer my knowledge, as long as it does not interfere with my work as photographer.

You might be thinking, “Kelly, isn’t adding “doula services” to your blog header jumping the gun a bit?” It actually isn’t. A big part of the certification process with DONA is hands on experience. After this weekend, I will be able to start attending births as a doula. The first 3 of which involve evaluation and documentation which will be submitted to DONA with the rest of my certification materials. Independently, I look forward to continuing my education through workshops, classes, and networking with other birth professionals. I am also working closely with my own doula (and dear friend!) Teri of harmonydoula.com. She has been extremely helpful through this process. I feel beyond lucky to have her as a mentor.

As a few of my clients enter their third trimester, you will be seeing more from me soon! Be sure to follow me on facebook or twitter to get my latest updates.

Because no blog post is complete without a photo. An oldie. Teri in action with Evangelina, at our very first birth together. Her first as doula, my first as birth photographer.