It takes a village

I first remember seeing this phrase in an advertisement for Hillary Clinton's book It Takes A Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us back when I was about 12 or so. I had no idea what this phrase meant, and in fact, I remember thinking, "How silly," and going on about my business. I'm not sure what I thought "It takes a village" meant, but I am sure now that I really had no idea.

I buried that phrase somewhere in the deep recesses of my brain after that, but lately, it has begun to resurface. Especially when it comes to my doula work.

The more I do this work, the more I love it, and the more I am sure this is the perfect path for me. I truly felt called to do this. There is no other way to describe the tug toward assisting other women as they bring new life into this world. I was very unsure at first, but I am thankful that I had the encouragement I needed to pursue this path and the constant support I need to continue down this path. I've been giving a lot of thought to the wonderful people who have truly blessed my life during this journey.

To the M family and the T family: Thank you for being "on call" to watch Lily for us. It gives me so much peace of mind while I am helping a laboring mama to know that my baby will be taken care of if needed. And Sister T, thank you for calming me down over the phone at this last birth as I tried to figure out exactly when I would need to drop Lily off and reminding me how unpredictable birth is and that's okay!

To the H family: Thank you for just always being there. Thank you for loving Lily the way you do. I know she loves you guys to pieces. I really couldn't do any of the things I do without you guys.

To my parents: Y'all are amazing and are always proud of me no matter how crazy my dreams are! Thank you for everything.

To my friends: Thank you for the kind comments, the encouraging words, and for a few of you, for allowing me to be present at the births of your babies. It truly was an honor. I will cherish those memories forever.

To Lily: Thank you for giving me the birth experience that inspired this whole journey. You were so sweet and kind to your mama! Thank you for being such a sweet, tender and laid back and flexible little girl. You are so adaptable with all the crazy schedules we keep in our family.

To Robbie: My sweetheart, you always support me in the things I want to do. I do notice how much you love and support me, and I appreciate you. I know I am never good enough at showing it. I don't know if I ever will be, but I hope you know it. Thank you for your patience, and thank you for being proud of me. That means a lot to me, and I really really really like it when you tell your friends at work what doulas are and they retort, "You sound like you're a doula."

All of these wonderful people in my life help me out so that I can provide my doula services to the mamas who hire me. As mentioned before, birth is unpredictable. These wonderful people have the awesomeness and flexibility to help me help the mamas who hire me because I can't do this on my own. I am truly thankful for them.