Doulas have the skills and equipment necessary to support moms labor and are ready to do it anywhere.
In the photo above I am on the way to teach a private Lamaze childbirth education class to a couple who lives in my neighborhood. I don't typically travel on my bike with my doula bag and birth ball, but if I needed to reach a client in labor via bicycle I would definitely make it work. Doulas overcome all sorts of travel challenges and life obstacles in order to get to their clients in labor. They live with the knowledge that at any moment they might have to interrupt their own lives and head off to a client in labor. Most of our lives are lived on call and we are ready to go at a moments notice.
One of the key skills doulas must posses is flexibility. No two clients are alike, no two births are alike. Each labor is unique. It is one of the things that makes the profession so exciting. Doulas have the skills to support ALL types of moms in labor. They support moms with various goals, hopes and dreams for birth. They support moms of various cultures, educations and socioeconomic levels. They support moms with various heath conditions, body types and ages. They support moms with and without partners.
I haven't met a doula that wasn't pushed out of her comfort zone while supporting a mom into labor. The needs of the clients are top priority and meeting those needs might require more than we could ever imagine.
Was there ever a time when you were pushed beyond your usual limits, sprung to action at a horribly inconvenient time or labored with a client in a unusual location. Please share!
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