Recently I’ve gotten the chance to meet a few doulas, and I feel sad that I can’t say I have met Emily Crouch in person, but I have not. I have however heard great things from other doulas in regards to her, and I feel confident that she will serve whoever hires her with all of her ability!
Part of being a doula means that you are willing to get through your own ideals about birth, and serve a woman according to her ideals instead of your own, Emily, I believe is a perfect example of this. She says that in the future she would “love to be more empathetic of all the different walks of life each family comes from to be able to better serve their needs. Each birth teaches me something new, and I hold on to each story like a prized treasure.”
Birth does teach a doula a lot, each and every one has the doula walking away thinking ‘that was new’ about something.. but a good doula isn’t phased by the new, she presses on, and finds amazing things along the way. Each of us holding one part of birth work as our favorite, Emily said her favorite part is the look of triumph on the faces of her clients. There are so many situations that makes a woman who has just greeted her baby proud, and one of them is succeeding in her goals to birth with respect, and safety, but the best feeling according to Emily is witnessing their strength “whether it be a successful vbac, or a first time mom realizing that she IS strong enough to have her babies the way she wants. It’s such a blessing to witness their strength.”
Emily is also a humble doula, when I asked her what she felt she could bring to the table that no other doula could she pointed out that each person has a personality unique to themselves, and that one doula couldn’t possibly do better than the others, but that the clients that pick her would be ones that felt a ‘spark’ and a special connection to her. She suggests that women looking for a doula not necessarily look for experience as a guide to choosing their doula but rather a personality that mixes well with their own.
Emily is also a part-time barber, work she continues to do since the birth of her own child and her discovery of birth work, however if she had a dream job she says it would be to become a respected midwife in the city she loves. Sounds like a great aspiration! Birth work often pulls the doula closer and closer to its heart, and Emily doesn’t seem to be an exception to that rule!
Currently Emily has attended a grand total of 34 births (I’ve attended 13 myself) and she has been in birth work for only one and a half years (I’ve been working since 2011). She seems excited to announce that she is waiting on a vba2c (vaginal birth after two cesarean sections) mom to go into labor. These births are exciting, helping a mother to achieve her goal of a vaginal delivery after having even one c-section is pretty amazing, but after 2 is even more exciting, especially when the mother meets her baby, delivered the way she hoped she could. Emily says this particular mom is becoming a very special friend, and is it any wonder that a doula would become the friend of the mother she helps in such an intimate way?
I asked Emily about certification and she said ” No, I am not certified, I received training through DONA in April 2014 and plan on going through midwife assistant training in 2016, so I am waiting to be certified through that organization so I don’t have dual certificates. I am a certified placenta encapsulation specialist from APPA, though.” The training is no different if you are certified or not, and being DONA certified myself I feel the training is far more valuable than the certification is.
Because my relationship with Jesus is such an important part of my job I also like to ask my featured doulas what their religious affiliation is. Emily says she recently started attending a Catholic church, and she feels that it has helped to improve her ability to relate with more families and to really trust that God has a plan for each client she serves, as well as for herself, which she feels enhances the experience.
Emily gave birth to her daughter just over two years ago, and was introduced to birth work through her own doula. She says she feels very strongly that she had a positive outlook on her own birth because of the support that the doula offered her while she labored to deliver her daughter. This made her aware of the desire to become a doula herself and advocate for safer, more evidence based care to women in the community.
Emily said her ideal birth would involve being at home surrounded by the women she has grown to love and support in their own endeavors and her loving husband available to catch their next little one. She is careful to mention that this isn’t the birth everyone should have, that each woman has her own ideal birth, but for her being “surrounded by my tribe in my own home sounds just lovely.”
Every doula has special memories from the births that she has attended, and Emily has such a sweet memory of one of the births she attended. She says that this particular birth had involved her continuous support for three days, and the family told her that she had just become a member of their family after all that work. She says they helped her to see the very real and great impact that she was having on families, and how many hard and beautiful births and labors she had attended, sitting nearby ready at any moment to do whatever needed to be done to support the mother’s and fathers to feel supported, heard and loved. Emily wraps up her experience by saying “You don’t go through something like that and end up strangers on the other side.”
If Emily seems like she might be the doula for you, I hope you will contact her! She has such a heart for birth, and the women/families that she serves. Below you will find her contact information.
As always I am still available to work for you, I only bring these doulas to your attention because I feel strongly that it is my duty to be open, honest, and loving with you my potential clients and also with the other doulas that work the same hospitals/birth centers, and city as I do. It is part of my training, and my heart to be supportive of the women who are helping to further this same cause, support for YOU, a birthing mother, and her family. Please carefully interview many doulas and find the one that is just perfect for you!
If Emily sounds like the doula for you, please contact her through email at scissortailbirth@gmail, or to find out more about her and the services she offers please visit her website; scissortailbirthdoula.jimdo.com
Have a Cherished Birth
Your Cherished Birth 