by Jessica English
Watching this season of NBC's "The Voice," I've been amazed by the way pop superstar Shakira has doula'd her team members. She nurtures, supports, encourages and praises with the perspective of an insider. Doula! Now those who love me know that I can turn just about anything into a birth analogy… But hear me out, friends. Read on and I'm convinced you'll see the connection too.
Watching this season of NBC's "The Voice," I've been amazed by the way pop superstar Shakira has doula'd her team members. She nurtures, supports, encourages and praises with the perspective of an insider. Doula! Now those who love me know that I can turn just about anything into a birth analogy… But hear me out, friends. Read on and I'm convinced you'll see the connection too.
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| Frederic Legrand / Shutterstock.com |
She's
genuine and passionate.
Can't you just feel Shakira's genuine warmth? She seems
to truly love music and her spontaneous outbursts help make the show fun!
Shakira's hugs seem real. Similarly,
your doula is in this work because she (or he!) truly believes in women and in
birth! She believes in you. We can
talk birth into the wee hours, and our passion drives us to stay on call for
you 24/7, not to mention staying up all night with you in labor. Your doula is
genuinely proud of you and excited to see you become a mother!
She
knows when to nurture and when to push.
As a voice coach, Shakira has great instincts about when
to be gentle with her singers and when to get more assertive to drive them
forward toward their goal. Your doula understands that balance too!
Professional doulas are trained to maximize oxytocin and help shape birth
memories by nurturing the mother, but we also know how to recognize those
moments when "taking charge" is just the right thing to help guide a
woman on her journey. The trust bond you have with your doula makes her just
the right person to both soothe you and help you dig deep for strength grit and
when you need it.
She
understands the business.
I can only imagine how much Shakira's contestants need
their families. Their husbands, wives, partners and parents bring them strength
and connection on a crazy journey through "The Voice." But Shakira… Shakira knows
the music business. Along with emotional support from their families, the
singers also need Shakira's expertise in how to engage an audience and how to
bring out the best in their voice. Your partner can be an amazing support
person during your birth – this is the person you have chosen to spend your
life with! Of course you want the people you love by your side during labor.
But your doula knows birth. She understands how to navigate the physical and
logistical aspects of your labor and your birth place. It helps to have a full team to help you navigate your birth experience: each member with his or her own strengths. If there's an
unexpected twist in your journey to meet your little one, your doula can stay
calm in the moment to help you regroup and restrategize to create your best birth.
She's
with you no matter how the tides shift.
Shakira is no fair weather coach! America can be fickle,
but Shakira's heart stayed strong and steady with her singers to the end. She
believed in them! Similarly, birth can be unpredictable. Your doula will do
everything she can to help you "stack your deck" and achieve your
ideal birth experience, but even the best preparation can't guarantee any one
outcome. Although she can't guarantee exactly how your birth will go, your
doula can say that she will be by your side, supporting you through, cheering
you on, no matter what. Unmedicated birth? Epidural? Cesarean? You doula is
your biggest supporter! No. Matter. What.
She
knows how to shake it!
It feels like an understatement to say that Shakira is
famous for her moves. The woman knows how to shake it. Throughout time, the
rhythms of women's dance have been based on the movements of sex… and birth.
Your doula knows a lot of moves! I remember one of my clients reflecting back
on her birth, saying, "You started helping me move and everything opened
right up! I was amazed at how well you understood a woman's body." Exactly!
That's how we roll. Your doula can help you figure out just how to move your
body to help ease your baby into the world. Often women who are well supported
find those moves instinctively, and in that case your doula will be right there
to assure and encourage you – "That's it. That's the way. Beautiful."
In a complicated labor, a professional doula also knows ways to move that may
help your baby into a better position and facilitate a smooth birth. Shake,
shimmy, sway, spiral and squat. Your doula's got the moves!
What
did we miss, friends? How else is your doula like Shakira? Did you enjoy this
comparison? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
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Jessica English is a DONA-certified birth doula and Lamaze-certified childbirth educator. She is owner of Birth Kalamazoo, a Midwest agency that offers birth and postpartum doula services, natural birth and breastfeeding classes, in-home lactation consults and a renewal circle for mothers. As a DONA-approved birth doula trainer, Jessica mentors (and learns from!) new doulas entering this amazing work.
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Jessica English is a DONA-certified birth doula and Lamaze-certified childbirth educator. She is owner of Birth Kalamazoo, a Midwest agency that offers birth and postpartum doula services, natural birth and breastfeeding classes, in-home lactation consults and a renewal circle for mothers. As a DONA-approved birth doula trainer, Jessica mentors (and learns from!) new doulas entering this amazing work.
