By Diksha Berebitsky
I have been a doula for over 10 years and let me tell you, I have seen big differences with the different models of care and providers. Being a doula is more than a job, it’s a passion and it’s a lifestyle. Doulas are often the first support person at their client’s birth and often have worked several hours with them before the provider arrives at the client’s home or the client transitions to the final birthing location. We never know if we will be there for just a few hours, or if it will be a couple of days. As doulas we don’t make decisions for our clients; we offer information and physical and emotional support; before, during, and after labor. Even though being a doula is amazing and very fulfilling, it’s not always easy to be on call 24/7, getting up in the middle of the night and working the often-long hours.
Birth families benefit most when their team works well together and can freely communicate. That’s where Christy and Jenny stand out. As a doula I always felt welcomed and supported in my role, which greatly benefited our clients. This made it so easy and fun as we worked as a team. Christy and Jenny are such warm, welcoming and loving people and amazing to work with. They are both highly skilled and knowledgeable midwives which never failed to impress me. I knew I could trust their opinions and decisions. They always invited me to share my thoughts and process together after the birth which was so wonderful and helpful. Christy and Jenny are probably the most caring, loving and nonjudgmental people I have ever met, I never did hear them say anything bad or judgmental about anyone and their love and light they carry really shines, especially in the birthing room.
One thing I really loved was that they really trust women and their ability to birth. One example is they don’t automatically tell people how far dilated they are unless the client wants to know. I remember once arriving at the Birth House where Christy and Jenny worked with one of my clients who was expecting her first baby. After a long night of laboring with strong contractions Christy encouraged my client to wait just a little longer to get in the tub without telling her that she was in early labor and not ready yet (she could have sent them home). I helped my client to get comfortable and relax and approximately 1 hour later she suddenly voiced that she feels like she needed to push, sure enough she was right, and we helped her to get into the tub where she birthed her sweet baby. My client told me later that she is so happy that Christy didn’t tell her how dilated she was because that allowed her to trust her ability to birth. I have seen women start to struggle and losing confidence when they were not as far dilated as they thought, and it often slowed their labor progress.
I always admired Christy and Jenny for being so good with words, I often was impressed with how they found the perfect words in every situation to guide women though labor. My clients always felt so loved and cared for. They are hugely missed by our birthing community in Olympia, WA!
