Devoted Hands Doula
Melanie Ellison, Durango CO doula
  • Home
  • About
  • Photography
    • Maternity
    • Birth
    • Fresh 48
    • Newborn
    • 6-9 Month
    • In The Box Toddler
  • Investment
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Baby Nanny
  • Contact

What it means to be on call

11/3/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Do you know what it means for me as your doula to be on call for you? It means: backup plans for my work and fun outings both -- it means people one step removed from me having to have backup plans for if I can't show up. It means not being able to go on family vacations, saying no to camping trips that are out of cell range, lugging birth supply bags in and out of the car day after day when I go to town just in case I get the call so can drop everything and get to my client quicker. It means carrying 24 hours worth of food and water in case I'm stuck at a long birth where I can't leave my client even for a minute. It means not knowing if I get to sleep through the night. Living in limbo about where I'll be tomorrow.

​It means friends and family knowing birth comes first for me. It means wolfing down Thanksgiving pumpkin pie sitting in a bathroom while watching a woman push outside the door (because I finally got a breather with care providers stepping in after hours of my support). It means spending my own birthday welcoming a new little soul into the world, or missing one of my family member's birthdays entirely. It means keeping my pro CPR license up just in case I am needed to step outside my scope in an emergency to give a breath. It means constantly checking my phone to make sure I didn't miss a call from a client going into labor.

And when I go on call two weeks before a due date, with just 2-3 births a month my life can look like this much of the time. This is what you pay for when you hire a certified birth doula. Experience. Devotion. Just peeling the window back from my professional veneer to get real with you. This is the on-call life. And it's worth all the sacrifice to have the honor of standing by your side.

0 Comments

    Melanie Ellison, Durango CO

    Childbirth fascinates me, and I always love learning more tidbits about it and sharing them with you. I also post photo galleries here from my photoshoots. Sign up for the RSS feed below so you don't miss a post!

    Follow me at: www.facebook.com/devotedhandsdoula

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Adoption Stories
    Birth Photos
    Breastfeeding
    Conception
    Doula
    Humorous
    Labor
    Maternity Photos
    Morning Sickness
    NB Photos
    Newborn Care
    Newborn Care
    Pregnancy
    Pregnancy Health
    Recipes
    Triplets

    Archives

    November 2019
    July 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.