Ask away :)

Celyn

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Dragonfly_Bride

What are your long-term career goals?

LoLoPanda

What made you want to become a doula?

Rock-n-Voll

What exactly IS a doula? Someone with birthing experience that provides professional moral support to the mom-to-be?

If you had to do it over again would you still have gotten your PhD?

Is being a doula something one can do for a living, or is it more supplemental income?

Did you know that I hired Lisa Zomer for my wedding way back when due in part to your review?

hannikan

What is your favorite food?

What is your favorite way to spend a Friday evening?

Celyn

What are your long-term career goals?

That's a good question.  I've been away from academia too long to make an easy transition back at this point.  Right now I'm pondering going back to school to become a midwife.

What made you want to become a doula? 

The short answer to that is a friend asked me to be her doula.  Me being an academic sort of person, I decided to needed to do all the training first.  When I walked into the first workshop I suddenly remembered a period of time in high school when I'd seriously considered being an OB.  I wasn't interested in surgery, so I found something else I was passionate about.  Had I known about midwives and doulas then, my education path probably would have been different.  

What exactly IS a doula? Someone with birthing experience that provides professional moral support to the mom-to-be?

A doula can be many things.  Some people have no formal training, just a lot of empathy for laboring women and some skill at helping people stay calm and relaxed.  Others have lots of training in everything from acupressure to pelvimetry and offer physical and emotional support.  It's not just for women who want to go without meds, but going without meds is added quite a bit by doula support.  

If you had to do it over again would you still have gotten your PhD?

Yes. I always wanted to do it and I value that experience. It continues to serve me.  Even though I didn't do my graduate work in my current field, it helps open doors because people know I'm capable of doing my own research and critical thinking.

Is being a doula something one can do for a living, or is it more supplemental income?

I suppose that depends on one's needs.  I couldn't support my family on a doula income.  I'd have to go back to my grad student level of "living" expectations if I were to try to support myself   It's one of those things that is more a calling than a means to a living wage.

Did you know that I hired Lisa Zomer for my wedding way back when due in part to your review?  

I did   Lisa's awesome and apparently my initial review brought her quite a bit of business.  Yay for that.  I've hired her a few times since my wedding.

What is your favorite food?

A perfect avocado.

What is your favorite way to spend a Friday evening?

Most days I'd answer that with dancing the night away at a good club with friends.  Right now, I'd say a hot bath, a warm cup of lemon/honey/lavender tea, and silence

 

 

Rock-n-Voll

Celyn:

Did you know that I hired Lisa Zomer for my wedding way back when due in part to your review?  

I did   Lisa's awesome and apparently my initial review brought her quite a bit of business.  Yay for that.  I've hired her a few times since my wedding.

Haha, I really thought you were going to say no to that one   Lisa started sending people to me for DOC services but, sadly, I moved away from the Bay Area.  I love her and still recommend her to people.