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I anticipated the birth of our daughter with a fairly confident and, dare I say, cocky attitude towards the whole process. I was convinced that I of all people would have NO problem giving birth. My grandma had done it eleven (yes eleven!) times with apparently no trouble and my mother had had four uncomplicated births so I figured it was in the female genes of my family that this should go smoothly for me as well. Besides that, I'm a tall woman who had prided myself on being in (relatively) good shape all my life and had maintained a healthy lifestyle in every way. I was not only determined that I could do this with relative ease and without medication, but was also secretly sure that other women who had needed medication were just not as mentally tough as I planned on being. So I got a humbling reality check when my labour went 48 hours and ended in a c-section after three hours of pushing. Thank God my husband and I had our doula with us to make the process bearable and to help us work through all the mental and physical challenges of the labour and delivery, as well as the weeks of adjustment afterwards. Karen was a phenomenal support - helping me focus and breathe through the pain of contractions, giving Kevin a break when he needed one (48 hours is a long time to be supportive!), helping us stay strong and positive when the labouring process took WAY longer than we thought it would (or should)...she became an invaluable and special part of the journey for us and we will be forever grateful to her. As a testament to Karen's special gift as a doula, we even had nurses comment to us that Karen was the best of the doulas they had seen in the labour/delivery unit. She's Good Cheryl, Regina SK |
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Karen Nistor
CAPPA Certified Labour Doula
© 2007 Gentle Kare Birth Support