As I laid my head back after my sweet baby boy was placed on my chest, I felt a wave of joy come over me. I felt strong, empowered and controlled. I could not believe how different this birth was from my first child. I went in blindly, knowing nothing, doing everything everyone suggested leading me to have an overwhelming sense of fear and insecurity during my first birth. When I got pregnant with my second son, I thought, “birth can’t be that bad for everyone, right?” As I began researching, I discovered a new world opened up to me. Pregnancy can be smooth. Birth can be joyful. I dug in deep, educated myself and prepared my body, mind and spirit for birth. My entire delivery of my second child was full of joy, laughter and empowerment.

I knew that every woman needed to experience this. Every woman needs to feel victorious when they deliver. Every woman needs to feel the strength of another holding them up, encouraging their decisions, and reminding them they can do this. Birth is unlike any other experience in our life. It involves our mind, our spirit and our emotions, just as much as it involves our bodies. I kept telling myself, “Why is this not addressed or talked about?” So I decided to take action. Since, I have become a doula, I have made it a goal for every woman to walk away from her birth feeling empowered, victorious and encouraged. I love seeing moms step into the role of motherhood with confidence, kicking fear and lies to the ground. After all, this is what our bodies are designed to do.