I learn at least one “new” thing at every birth I attend.  One of the best things I have ever done in my development as a doula is keeping a doula journal.  I made sure the journal I choose was pretty so I would enjoy retrieving it to use.  It is smallish so that it is easily portable in my doula bag.  As I enter year 4 as a doula, the benefits of keeping a journal are coming back to me.

So what do I record?  The bare essentials, like first names of mom, dad, and baby.  The date.  The location.  The care provider.  Vaginal or cesarean. Epidural or not.  Then I write down one special memory and one “thing” that I learned. Most entries are one page.  Sometimes there is more than one special memory and more than one thing that I learned.  
 
At the start of each year I also record some of the goals I would like to meet in the coming year.  These are examples of some goals I have already met and some I am still looking forward to:

-Make a webpage.  
-Have a booth at the Farmer’s Market.  
-Blog more.
-Attend Lamaze Training.
-Send in DONA recertification packet in August. 
   
At the end of the year, I do a little recap on the statistics of my birth work.  I can provide these statistics to my clients when they seek reimbursement from their health insurance!

-How many vaginal births versus cesarean births?
-How many epidurals versus no pain meds?
-Which hospitals did I attend the most?

The journal has been a great way to maintain focus on the how, when, where and why of my work in the birth world.  I read my journal two to three times a year.  Time changes perspective on events and often leads to new insights on why things happened the way they did.  The new insight gives me a broader, more complete knowledge base to work from.  So what have I learned?

I always pack extra hair bands in my doula bag, because my clients often get irritated with their hair in their face. Little did I know that one day I would use one to pull back the midwife’s hair (when her hair knot did not work)!  
 
Always bring a fresh change of clothes.  I never know when a birth is going to be a little lonnngggg.  That includes socks. And underwear.  I feel fresher and smell better.   

Some women don’t like to be touched.  Expand my verbal support  toolbag.  
 
Never, ever close my mind  to the suggestions of a nurse or a care provider.  Question them? Yes.  But never dismiss them without respectful consideration.  I have learned many things from nurses, midwives and obstetricians. But, on the other hand, the time to have an in-depth, philosophical conversation on “episiotomy or not to episiotomy” is probably not when my client is pushing (not one of my prouder doula moments).

If a mom gets discouraged during pushing, encourage her to feel the baby’s head.  The amount of energy they find at that moment is amazing.  Learned from a midwife.

At some births, I may never feel like I am in sync with the mom, the dad, the staff, the whatever.  BUT, the most important thing is continuous caring presence. It makes a difference-it really does.  Thank-you cards received months later and chance encounters with past clients in a grocery store have all proved to me that my presence was truly appreciated and positive.  On the other hand, there will be births that are unhappy, but my presence will probably make it easier to bear.    
 
Birth number 4, I decided I was never again going to tell a mom to push.  There are plenty of other people in the room willing to do that.  Instead, I focus on telling her how  well she is doing, wiping her brow, reminding her to take a deep breath for baby, giving her a sip of water.  
 
Some babies come really  fast.  Do I need to say more?  Stealing a phrase from one of my doula  sisters, “Use your spidey sense.”  If a mom seems transitiony or pushy, trust your doula instinct.  

Extended family love updates.  Take a stroll past the waiting room on the way to a bathroom break.  Give them an update.  They may feel uninformed. It is a great time to provide educational support that may lead to them, in turn, providing better support to your client.  
 
Few births are “typical.”  They almost all have something that makes them unique. So, essentially the more you experience, the more likely you are to have the next birth teach you something new. A concept I learned from a lactation consultant.

I want a peanut ball.  My clients like them and not all hospitals have them. Doula work is my passion.  It is an art.  It takes creativity, an open mind, empathy, diplomacy, and a willingness to learn. My journal gives me a chance to rejoice at the special memories and acknowledge the things I learned that will make me a better doula at the next birth, and the next birth, and the birth after that.  Looking forward to recording my next Happy Pushing memory!