33 babies (32 clients- one had twins)

27 hospital births, 5 home births

27 vaginal, 5 Cesarean

1 VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean)

12 unmedicated, 20 epidurals

24 with midwives, 8 with OBs

9 inductions

Smallest baby: 5 lbs, 4 ozs

Biggest baby: 9 lbs, 11 ozs

Longest gestation: 42 weeks 6 days

Shortest gestation: 36 weeks 1 day (two clients)

First birth: 14

Second birth: 15

Third birth: 2

Fourth birth: 1

Shortest labor support time: 3.5 hrs

Longest labor support time: 41.5 hrs (twice!)

Average labor support time: 13.5 hrs

Location of births: Baptist Health Lexington 3, Bethesda North 1, Home 5, Saint Joe East 1, UK 22

Individual provider who caught the most of my clients’ babies: Angie Chisholm, UK Midwife Clinic (5 babies)

Practice whose providers caught the most of my clients’ babies: UK Midwife Clinic (18 babies)

Professional development: Became Birth Becomes You Certified Photographer and Body Ready Method Certified Professional, renewed as an NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program) Provider

While doulaing in a pandemic continues to prove challenging, I started to feel a little more in my groove after a long break this summer. I entered both my 40s and my sixth year of doula work in April and I have to say that that combo has been pretty wonderful in terms of my confidence in advocacy and informational support for clients. I’m also really embracing that one of my greatest skills as a doula has been relationship building with providers and nurses. If you know me outside of doula work (I’m an extrovert who doesn’t particularly like people) that may surprise you, but it’s something that has made this job more enjoyable for me and made experiences better for my clients.

2022 was a record breaking year in some fun and not so fun ways. Super grateful that I was chosen to support 32 families as their 33 babies were born! And that was with my summer off call! I had the most repeat clients that I’ve ever had at nine and one of those was my first threepeat. A repeat client birthed the biggest baby girl I’ve seen (and third biggest doula baby on record). I supported my oldest doula client, but that record won’t stand for long as I have a slightly older client in 2023. At the end of this year, one of my clients was knocking on the door of 43 weeks gestation as she carried her son for 42 weeks and 6 days. That’s basically a month longer than the majority of my clients want to be pregnant! I surprisingly had four clients with gestational diabetes (3 diet controlled, one insulin controlled); all had vaginal births. And a doozy for me was attending not one, but TWO births, for my longest support time ever of 41.5 hours; both were inductions and both resulted in vaginal births of perfect baby girls.

Notable occurrences also abounded this year. The one I’m most proud of is that I was chosen as the doula for two other doulas and one OB! It makes me feel like I’m doing a lot right when other birth workers ask me to be their doula. I was also super excited to add birth photography to my services this year; I hope that even more families hire me as their doulatog next year. Something interesting that happened with several repeat clients was that their second birth was more challenging/had more interventions than their first. Most of the time, second births are “easier,” but you won’t catch me making any guarantees about that, especially after having so many this year that did not take that path. Here are some more notable facts from 2022:

I got to support my second twin birth.
Two of my clients had successful ECVs (both at UK).
Thirteen of my clients went past their due dates. Considering that the majority of my clients gave birth in the hospital and how high induction rates are, this feels like a win.
Three baby names that were chosen twice by my clients: Eleanor, Henry, and Seraphina.

Thankful as always for the clients that chose me, the nurses, doctors, and midwives that provided patient centered care, and the community and family members that supported me so I could show up for my clients. Looking forward to new and repeat clients as well as beginning my partnership with Amy Jessie in 2023! Cheers to all the relationships grown and lessons learned in 2022 and to all that 2023 will bring!

While a 19th baby could sneak in before year’s end, I know that the family would be perfectly fine waiting until 2020 for their newest family member, so I am going to share my stats for this year:

18 births (17 live births, 1 stillbirth)

First set of twins!

17 hospital births, 1 home birth

16 vaginal, 2 Cesarean (1 scheduled for breech, 1 unplanned)

10 unmedicated, 8 epidurals

9 inductions

9 with certified nurse midwives, 9 with OBs or family practice doctors

Smallest baby: 5 lbs, 12 ozs

Biggest baby: 9 lbs, 6 ozs

Shortest labor support time: 3.5 hrs

Longest labor support time: 36 hrs

Average labor support time: 15 hrs

Longest gestation: 41 weeks + 5 days (induction)

First birth: 14

Second birth: 4

Location of births: Baptist Health Lexington 7, UK 6, Clark Memorial 1, Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan 1, Norton Women’s & Children’s 1, St. Joe’s East 1, Home 1

Baby’s sex: 12 females, 6 males

Most common first name initial: M (3)

Most common middle name initial: E (3)

2019 was my busiest and hardest year yet, for some reasons that I will share and others that I choose to keep private. 50% of my clients had their labors induced. I do not know what the average rate for inductions is at most of the practices that were included in this stat, but this felt very high. Some of the inductions were medically indicated and others were elective or for “squishy” reasons as one of my doula friends dubbed them. To me, “squishy” ones are where the provider gives reasons that one might want to induce, but they are sometimes not evidence based and may come with the additional pressure of fear/scare tactics. Again, that is my interpretation and perspective as a doula who has seen 22 different care providers deliver/catch babies. Inductions can be hard for a number of reasons, but one that often surprises people is how long they can take. My record setting labor support of 36 hours was at an induction.

Another reason that the year was hard was that I witnessed coercion and scare tactics from providers. Coercion is crushing to bear witness to and then difficult to untangle the events and emotions that come after it. I am good at helping clients navigate coercive behavior, but it’s not easy.

Was that too heavy? Okay. 2019 had some wonderful highlights. As the backup doula, I supported my first twin birth! For continuing education, I learned how to use a TENS unit in labor, went to the first ever Evidence Based Birth conference, and had a mentorship with Domino Kirke-Badgley, one of the founders of Carriage House Birth. I also became a certified birth doula through Carriage House Birth. One of the highlights in the birth room was seeing a hospital provider be almost completely hands off with a client (like I would see with a home birth midwife) and watch a partner catch his baby girl.

I’m looking forward to next year as I will have my first repeat clients! I am already more than halfway booked for 2020 as I am taking a limited number of clients, so if you’re interested in hiring me as your doula, now’s the time to connect! Thank you to the wonderful families that allowed me to support them in 2019 and to the people who supported me so that I could be at my best for them.

2022 Reviewed

2019 Reviewed