Doula Training

It was a privilege to have the opportunity to learn from Dr. Michel Odent and Lilliana Lammers.  Michel Odent WAS one of the pioneers supporting physiological births in maternity wards with the use of birthing pools and home-like environment in maternity wards in the 70’s (hospital standard practices are difficult to change!)  His deep respect and trust in women’s capacity to birth helped me to restore confidence in my body which was lost as a result of my hospital birth experience.

5 years later, I was ready to support women during labour and birth and it was my 50th birthday, so I chose to do this residential training in Bali.  The entire experience was doula support in practice – physically there was delicious food prepared with love in a beautiful and comfortable setting.  There was deep wisdom sharing but also profound holding of space and co-regulation, emotional and spiritual support.  There was a lot of space to process. In hindsight, I can say that there was embodied love and compassion.  I offer this experience to my doula clients

I had always wondered what my role would be as a post-partum doula, and then Ann provided the answer, “Tuck in your cape.”  It is tempting as a post-partum doula to swoop in like the super-hero that you are to save the day.  But at the end, the family must be empowered to find their own way.

So, my role is to help put in place a solid and substantial framework that will support the post-partum family with all its unique needs. I am there in the beginning to ensure that the transition from baby within to Mother-Baby is as smooth as possible.

Along with the typical experience of conception, pregnancy and birth, there is also the unspoken experience of miscarriage, still birth, abortions, and infant loss.  Once there is life, death is a possibility.  This training complimented my on-going end-of-life doula training because it gave me insight, wisdom and knowledge on how to support families with challenging births and navigate this particular unimaginable loss.

Our family’s experience of my father’s end of life left me believing that there must be a way to support the family during this transition.  Traditionally, there was the extended family and community, but our modern lifestyle has eroded that support and modern technology, and medicine makes us feel that we could live forever.  However, that is not the reality.

I had been looking for training to support people and their families at the end-of-life and there are very good programs, but most have religious affiliations.  Other non-denominational programs are now available, but they are not comprehensive. 

This program by Living Well Dying Well is put together by Hermione Elliot, a former nurse, midwife and palliative care provider. She is passionate about supporting “the whole person – physical, emotional and spiritual – and about upholding dignity and self-determination at every stage of life.” This is what I am learning to provide for my clients.