My Journey to Certification

There is a sense of accomplishment when you take steps towards following your dreams and achieving your goals. As of this weekend, I am one step closer to not only starting my own business, but to use my passion for loving on other's to serve and help mom's and babies.

To see how this journey began, let's take a look at the past year. Summer or 2016 was a strange summer for me. Summer has always meant spending multiple weeks at the beach, going on missions trips, to music festivals, sleeping in, spending the nights star gazing, watching movies and being with family and friends. Although I had a busy traveling schedule in the summers, I always managed to be spontaneous and carefree. But after I got married, I needed to become a little more responsible (Ugh, adulting is the worst). So I got an office job. I would sit at my desk in a windowless hallway on those beautiful, hot sunny days, nostalgic for spontaneity and flexibility. That's when I realized that if I wanted life to change, I had to work towards making that change for myself.

I started brain storming of ways I can make money while doing what I love. I love napping, but a professional mattress tester didn't sound like a real job. I love going to the beach and the pool, but I don't have the attention span to be a lifeguard, always on the look out, and what would I do in the winter? That is when it hit me. I want to be a doula. At the time I only had a basic understanding of what a doula was, I just knew they worked with mom's and newborn babies. And for those who know me, you know I love some good baby snuggles.

After some research and conversations with a friend, I got connected to Wendy Shiffer from Family Trees Doula School. It took me some more time, research, and asking for money for Christmas, but I finally saved up enough money and did enough research to feel confident that this is what I wanted to do, so I registered for the Spring 2017 session of Doula School.

For the last five months I have been reading about, researching and studying everything from the stages of labor, to the benefits of breast milk, to hormone cycles, epidurals, home births, medical interventions, how to properly swaddle baby, and so much more so that I can give evidence based information to families. All this studying, researching and reading all lead up to this past weekend. Our class met for a hands-on training workshop/seminar, resulting in our official certification. I am beyond excited to take this next leap of faith as I work towards working for myself, taking on clients I love, and serving them with all my heart. I may not be able to go back to being the completely carefree, spontaneous person I was growing up, but I will have more flexibility working for myself. I will be the one in charge and making all the calls, and I will be the one reaping the benefits of my hard work. And I can't wait to see where else this adventure takes me.

I can not write this blog post without sending a huge shout out to Wendy. She has been such a major blessing through this process. She is not only knowledgeable and passionate about what she teaches, but she is caring and wants to see her students succeed. She goes above and beyond and is there every step of the way. If becoming a doula and helping mom's and babies sounds like something you'd be interested in, I highly recommend you check out Family Trees Doula School and talk to Wendy.

To keep up with my adventures be sure to follow me on my social media pages (linked on sidebar)