I’ve attended three challenging births in the last 8 months.
Two were first time moms –hospital births lasting over 40 hours of active labor. These were caused by the baby trying to come in a funky position.
One was a homebirth that wasn’t long but was hard because of several factors.
All three women birthed healthy babies without an epidural.
When birth is hard, the support team is usually the deciding factor in the outcome. When the challenging births come, the doula is necessary.
At a recent interview, I was asked, “What do you like to do most at births?” Without hesitation, I answered, “Nothing.”
It is a rare job interview that “nothing” is the appropriate response.
See, when I’m not needed, that means the birth is easy. I deeply want my clients to enjoy butter births. My clients want that, too!
But the challenging births are what doulas prepare for.
I want to share Keren’s birth story. It was beautiful. And tough. Spiritual and amazing.
The photos are stunning. Especially when her husband catches their son!
(Hypnobabies students: Use your BOP before reading.)
Inexplicable Ways 
This was an absolute encouragement to me as I still think about and process our daughter’s birth almost two years later. I had a natural birth in a hospital and while I feel blessed to have “accomplished” this, I have always been left with the feeling that it may have been without an epidural, but I am still no poster child for natural childbirth. When Keren said she had already power-yelled and cried at 5 cm, I thought finally, someone like me! I arrived at the hospital yelling through my tears at only 4 cm : ) Transition brought on a whole new realm of power yelling for me. I can relate to her frustrations, her screams, her thoughts on giving up, and never getting in the birth zone. I also had an ascynclitic baby and a moderate cervical lip (although nothing that required the intense manipulation she described). I think I’m just saying it feels so good to read another story of natural birth that sounds a little like mine. It was not pretty or calm and there was definitely yelling and crying, but it is my story and I think I am still in the process of learning to own it. And of course I also agree, I will never give birth without a doula!