In honor of International Doula Month, we are interviewing our doulas, so you can get to know more about them and their inspiration for becoming a doula.
Today we chat with Adriana
What is your title and with what organizations did you attend your trainings?
I am certified by both DONA and ProDoula and as Birth and Postpartum Doula.
At the Center for Breastfeeding, I Certified as a Lactation Counselor. I am also a Certified Educator of Infant Massage by International Association of Infant Massage.
What does supporting a family in birth/postpartum look like with your support?
Supporting a woman and her family during pregnancy, labor, and birth is one of the highest honors I can be bestowed. I strive to make a difference between a scary birth experience vs. a fulfilling and positive birth. There is an extraordinary value of supporting and empowering women during the most important time of their lives. I bring evidence-based information and an abundance of comfort measures. Along with the emotional support women need and a wealth of experience.
My services are tailored to my client and her needs. I make sure the mother is heard, respected, and supported. That she is well guided through her journey to mothering her new baby. Her choices will be honored in a non-judgmental way. It is her birth, her way, her needs. I will be there to support her as well as her partner as she/he supports her. Having been a clinical massage therapist for 21 years I often use massage during labor. It is a great tool to bring comfort and ease intensity to the laboring mother.
As a Postpartum Doula I make sure that the mother, as well as the babies needs are met. Sometimes in the form of information about breastfeeding, newborn care, or postpartum recovery. Or helping to create a smooth transition into parenthood life. Like, taking care of the baby while mother rests or takes a bath, doing laundry, light cleaning, simple but nutritious cooking, errands, etc. My priority is to make parents confident in their handling of their newborn while enjoying babymoon and beyond.
What do families love most about you?
Families rely on me and my ability to make baby safe and mother rested and able to care for her baby. They appreciate that I bring information and guidance in a non-authoritative way. Making them the experts on their child and their family needs. Mothers have told me they feel safe the moment I arrive. I give them a sense of normalcy that is so necessary when bringing a newborn home.
What do you love most about this profession?
I love to see the power that women have and how they discover it through labor and birth. It makes me so happy to observe the first moments of life unfolding in an environment of love. During postpartum support I love to watch the bond that is built between parents and baby. How protection and care are developed. I enjoy being in service so that the family can exclusively focus on loving and caring for their baby.
What events and careers in the past have led you to where you are today?
I have always considered myself a caregiver. My experience supporting terminally ill people in my life gave me the strong sense of being able to sooth and take care of somebody going through challenging situations. I learned about Doulas and immediately knew that I wanted to use my skills for life, which means “mothers, babies and their families.
