A Little About Me
When I began this journey to become a doula my children were still quite small but now I am the mother of two school age children. It is amazing how time passes! Like most mothers, I vividly remember their births as if they happened only days ago instead of years ago. I do believe that a woman can be a wonderful doula without children of her own but I know that having my own children changed me in a way that makes me a better doula than I could have ever been before having them.
I married my husband in the fall of 1997. It's hard to believe we'll be celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary this year. He retired from the Army in 2006 and we relocated back to Emerald Coast shortly after. After growing up in this area I am very happy to be close to family and back at the beach. Most of all I'm happy to feel settled into a home we will not be leaving in the next 2 years.
I became a Certified Labor Doula with CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association) in 2006. Though I do not think certification is required to be a good doula I really enjoyed, and was challenged by, the certification process. Some of the requirements forced me to step outside of my comfort zone and experience things that I might not have experienced without it. I plan to retain my certification with CAPPA as long as I practice as a doula. Continuing education is a large part of retaining certification so I am confident that I will stay up-to-date on information and changes.
In addition to paying clients I also volunteer for Operation Special Delivery. This organization pairs volunteer doulas with expectant mothers whose husbands will be deployed at the time they give birth. Please email me or visit www.operationspecialdelivery.com and www.cappa.net for more information.
My Philosophy
A woman should be encouraged to trust her body's ability to labor and deliver her baby. She should educate herself about the risks of interventions and medications as well as their possible benefits. A woman should feel empowered to make informed decisions based on information and what she feels is best for her and her baby. She should be surrounded by those she loves and trusts during labor because her emotional support team is as vital to her birth experience as the medical team. My goal is to help facilitate a satisfying birth experience for the mother and her birth partner(s) whatever that means to her.
Childbirth Education
As part of my passion to help make a difference in how women birth their babies I have decided to pursue certification as a childbirth educator through Lamaze International. Though Lamaze was once identified as a method of coping with birth including lots of breathing and panting, this is no longer the case. The "new" Lamaze philosophy is to promote the childbearing experience as a normal, natural, healthy process. For more information about Lamaze International please visit www.lamaze.org. I am in the process of becoming a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator so check back for availability of childbirth education classes in the near future.
What a Doula Can Do For You
Christy Shields, CLD
If you ask your Grandmother what it was like when she gave birth she will probably tell you everything about her experience in great detail. Giving birth is such a memorable event that women remember in vivid detail how it progressed and what they were feeling for decades to come. Though the health of you and your baby are the most import factor, your experience in this rite of passage should be highly valued as well. With this in mind doesn’t it seem vitally important to do everything you can to ensure you have beautiful memories to revisit over the years?
Studies show that women’s satisfaction with their birth experiences are not about how long the birth was, how painful or whether or not they had any number of interventions. The levels of satisfaction have much more to do with how involved she was in preparing for the birth, how she participated in making decisions during the birth and ultimately how empowered she felt. How does this apply to you? How can you ensure you give yourself the best chances of having these beautiful memories to hold on to? Education! It is up to you to educate yourself about all of the choices available to you, and some that should be available to you but currently are not. Though many interventions are routine in some hospitals it is up to you to learn why they are used, when they are not necessary and how they could adversely affect your birth. Keep in mind there are pro’s and con’s to every intervention and you need to make informed decisions about your health care and about your baby’s health care. In addition you should be well educated as to when these interventions are a necessary part of birth that will require you to deviate from your birth plan.
This journey through pregnancy and parenthood is one filled with so much information that it seems nearly impossible to wade through it all. This is where a doula can become an invaluable part of your birth team. Prior to the birth a doula can help you weed through they mountains of information to find what best suites your needs. She can help you prepare a birth plan to ensure your health care providers know what you want and are going to support you in those decisions. She can help your partner to understand the challenges of pregnancy and birth so that he/she can participate and enjoy this experience to the fullest. And during the most memorable part, birthing your baby, she can support you, comfort you, advise you and empower you in the decisions you have made for your birth. She is not there to judge you or your decisions or to make you stick to a strict plan. She is there to encourage you in this journey and to help you make new decisions, as birth is never uneventful. If it is an unmedicated birth you desire, she can guide you through the stages and challenges inherent to birth. A doula will help you focus on your goal and supply you with the tools you need to manage the pains of labor. If this kind of birthing experience is not appealing to you and you would prefer to have medications and/or an epidural she can help by explaining these procedures and how you can still influence the birthing process. She can help you by staying mindful of the importance of the peaceful birth environment. Ultimately, her primary goal is to help you create the best memories of your birth so that you forever can look back and relive the most amazing experience of your life.