I have an article up over at The Frisky (tagline: Life. Love. Stars. Style) about being a doula.
I don’t love the framing of it (it’s for a column called “Girl Talk”). A big part of why I started this blog was to talk about queer and gender issues in the birth community–something we’ve got a long way to go on. But I also believe in the mission of talking about doulas to all sorts of audiences, particularly ones who might not know about us. So there you go.
Here is an excerpt:
Usually, when I tell people that I’m a doula I get two questions. The first: How do you spell that? And the second: Isn’t that like a midwife?
The concept of doula, at least in the way I use it, is relatively new. The word itself comes from ancient Greek, meaning “helper” or “woman slave,” but it’s been adopted in the last 40 or so years to refer to someone who provides support to women during pregnancy and childbirth. The support a doula provides ranges from emotional cheerleading to massages and acupressure to aromatherapy and meditation. It runs a wide gamut of all things non-pharmacological, a unique service for women giving birth mostly in hospitals.
Read the rest over at The Frisky.
Radical Doula 
Kudos for reaching out to a new audience! Not the easiest thing to do in the world.
I thought the article over at The Frisky was great! The article had such a great voice, & you did a fantastic job of concisely & assertively discussing the state of childbirth practices in the US without sounding militant or tip-toeing around the details. The public needs to know this! Women & families need more access to services like yours, it’s a no-brainer! Thanks for sharing.
My first was a C-section and it was the nature of medical bullying to expect the second to be the same. Instead of follow the herd, I turned sharply in the direction of an unassisted home birth. In 1992 I don’t recall the term “doula” and the midwives I met along the way did not offer the respect for my intuition that I needed.
Thinking back over my two unassisted home births I smile at the memory of women friends making me a cup of tea…doulas in my midst…that’s what friends are fun, right? To be there when you need them, no matter what.
My vision of a doula network will surely come true, what with so many women reaching out to become exactly what their pregnant friends need!
I printed this off to include in my birth binder and folder I give to potential clients! Thanks Miriam 🙂