_Starting out as a doula I had to convince people that they needed me!  Most of them had no idea what, or had  even heard of a Doula.  Megan was one of these people.  I started working at a catering business not long after I had been to training and Megan was the Bakery Manager there.  She announced that she was pregnant not long after I started working and I started on her immediately!  It took quite awhile but I finally won her over and she and Brian invited me to be a part of their birth team.
Megan has a medical issue that required her to be on special medication throughout her pregnancy.  Because of this her doctor wanted to induce labor. 
On the morning of the induction, they headed to Baptist Women's at the dreaded hour of 4 AM!  (I do not understand that policy at all!)  I arrived around five and is was six when they finally hooked her up to the pitocin.  They started her out nice and slow and said they would come in every 1/2 hour and up it a little so at 6:30 and 7:00 they did, but she still wasn't having any hard contractions.  Then her doctor came in about 7:15 and offered to break her water.  We discussed that this could make things move faster, but that the contractions would be a lot more painful.  She opted for faster, and the first contraction after he broke her water she gave me look that said, "What have I done?"
So the contractions were coming stronger and pretty regularly.  I thought maybe she was struggling with all of us sitting there thinking we were just watching her like she was in the middle of a show.  So about 8:00 I asked if maybe she needed to go to the bathroom and she said sure.  We let her go in by herself, and she hung out in there for about 40 minutes.  She came out and told us she was calling "Uncle!"  She couldn't do it anymore and needed and epidural.  I suggested we call the nurse in to check her and then make a decision about pain medications.  Before this point and leading up to labor she had decided she did not want an epidural.  When her nurse came and checked her was and EIGHT!  At this point her husband cousin and I were all supporting her through each contraction, and she was truly handling them like a rock star!  The nurse and I suggested she try some pain medication in her IV instead of an epidural and see how that helped.  The nurse and I shared a look that said, "she's doing great and she's almost done, if we get her the stadol it will get her to a 10 and pushing."  SO the nurse left and we kept up our routine for each contraction.  The nurse returned and gave her the medicine. (She only gave her a 1/2 dose since she was so close)  I remember the nurse and I trying to tell her how amazing she was doing.  She didn't believe us, but we could hear the women in the next room screaming as though she was being tortured!  Her nurse told her to let her know when she felt like pushing, and Megan told us that she never had the urge to push with her daughter.  At this point the doctor had been called and the nurse was hanging out waiting for any sign that it was time. 
Megan was really in control with every contraction, her husband and cousin helped sit up and rock, and I was at the end of the bed keeping eye contact and encouraging her, and reminding her that she was almost done.  Then it happened, during a contraction, she opened her eyes looked right at me and said, quite forcefully, "AMY, I can't do this!"  I looked over at the nurse and told her something is obviously different about that one.  She agreed and checked her again, she was complete and ready to start pushing.  The rush of helpers and doctor started, and Megan started pushing.  And at 9:29 just 2 hours and 15 mins after breaking her water baby Brice was out! 

_Abish and Jared were my first clients.  I know them from church and approached them to see if they would be interested in having a Doula for the birth of their second child.  They actually looked at me with blank stares, and wanted to know what a doula was?  I explained briefly, and then sent them to few websites where they could read all about the benefits of having a doula.  We then met in their home to discuss what having me as part of  their birth team would mean for both of them.  They decided to include me, but Abish insisted that an epidural was a MUST!  I told her that was totally fine, but inside I was thinking, "we'll see!" 

At our pre-natal visit, we discussed her previous birth and what sorts of things she could do differently this time.  Her first labor was induced and she had an epidural for most of the labor and didn't really experience any really hard contractions.  I assured her that she could do it, she could do anything that she put her mind to.  As with all my clients, I advised her to labor at home as long as possible.  Staying at home affords more freedoms.  Women in labor at home can walk around, they are able to really listen to their bodies and are able to find coping measures.    Well, she did! She had called me to check in after a doctor visit and gave me a lot of clues that she would be going in to be induced the following week.  But in fact this baby was preparing itself for a grand entrance. When Jared called me at 3:30 the following morning they were getting ready to head to the hospital.  I would find out later that she had been laboring for hours all on her own.  She seemed to be handling the contractions well, and they were going to call me when they got to the hospital and let me know where things stood.  Well, I was up, so I thought I would go ahead and meet them there.  Again, we would figure out later that while she was in the shower before they left for the hospital, her water broke.  The contractions were of course a lot more intense and she felt she could not get to hospital fast enough to get her epidural!  When I got to the hospital they were already in a room and I had to wait for the ok  to go back.  Jared and Abish both seemed really relieved to see me!!  But when I walked in the room I was shocked at all the activity.  It was clear to me that the baby was coming, NOW!  She was an 8 when she got there at about 3:58 and baby Caleb was born at 4:15 epidural free!!

I loved the conversation we had after everything had settled down.  We talked about all that had gone on, since she had done most of the work on her own.  Her cervix had been a little posterior when she had been at the doctor, this can sometimes cause labor to take a little longer.  To help with this I would have had Jared stand behind her during a contraction and gently lift up her belly.  This gives the cervix room to move forward where it should be.  When I told her about this, she responded emphatically, "I did that!"  She then explained that while she was laboring at home, during a contraction she wrapped her arms under her belly and pulled it up.  She said it felt really good so she continued to do it.  I was amazed!  A women's body will always tell her what it needs if she really listens.  I also loved when she told me she would have NEVER said, let's have natural childbirth.  but that she felt so much better after this birth than the first when she had an epidural.