birth companions, check!

I totally forgot that today was the day Tim and I were slated to meet our birth companions. For those who are like, "what the heck are birth companions?" I'll explain. Birth companions, or doulas, are trained professionals who serve as advocates and support to the mother and her partner during birth. They fulfill many roles, from communicating your birth wishes to your nursing staff and doctor (whether or not you want interventions/drugs, whether you'd like to labor in various positions, if you intend to breast feed or not, etc.) as well as being mental support during birth. They don't take the place of doctors or nurses, they're just like having personal birthing assistants.

For our birth, Tim and I are participating in the Johns Hopkins Birth Companions program, which is a free service to help nursing students get doula training. It's beneficial for both them and us, as we couldn't normally afford a doula and they get to experience our birth and count it towards their training. So we're all sort of learning as we go along.

We met our doulas today and they're great gals. Both are young, fun and very well educated (I was expecting they might be shaky or scared, but they were both so well composed and relaxed. I actually asked if they'd attended births before because they seemed so calm.) They helped me to understand their role, as well as what Tim and I were looking for in our birth. We're trying to go for an all natural, intervention-free birth, but I'd also like to be able to get medication if I change my mind. We chatted with them for about a half hour and I felt totally great with our decision. They were very surprised with my own planning and knowledge, as well as Tim's calm nature and his knowledge/expectations for birth. I think this is going to be an amazing and good experience.

Now, I just have to think of a "safe word" to use that means I really, honestly want meds. Tim suggested, "paladin," muhahaha.