Great Expectations: Cara @ 25 weeks

By Cara Joyner

I'm sorry for the radio silence friends! We decided to buy a house - our first house - before the baby gets here and we are closing the week of Christmas. Life has certainly upped the normal level of crazy in this month!

Since we last spoke, I've attended my last two births as a doula and am in the beginning of what will most likely be a ten-month hiatus from that part of birth work. I'll continue to teach childbirth classes for most of the year, but the next time I walk into a labor and delivery unit, it will be because the day has come to meet this sweet boy!

It's an interesting perspective moving toward labor after working as a doula. When my second son was born, the only birth I knew was that of my oldest. It was a long, hard labor occurring over the course of two days and I have a distinct memory of swearing off all child bearing somewhere around 7cm. When labor began with the second, I was at peace. I trusted the process more and I knew I would survive. There was never any time to doubt it anyhow because the whole process was less than five hours long. By the time we arrived at the hospital, he was ready to be born. Everything I had witnessed about birth was summed up in those two experiences.

I became a doula one year ago this month and since then, I have had the honor of attending sixteen births. That's sixteen unique stories filled with highlights, scares and triumphs. I'm carrying those memories and lessons with me into this birth; a gift that brings along it's own challenges as well.

This year has given me a deeper respect for the use of medical interventions and their appropriate use; and it has solidified my trust in my own ability to birth my babies.

I'm excited for this break and the opportunity to turn my focus in on the needs of this boy - and this mama. I hope it's a time of rest and preparation...you know, rest and preparation in the midst of packing boxes, unpacking boxes, setting up our life in a new home and taking care of preschooler and a toddler. I guess that's just the nature of motherhood!

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Cara Joyner is a mother of two who writes regularly at carajoyner.com and in various publications. She is also a Professional Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator (trained by Lamaze International).

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