Liz and Alejo's Birth story
A doula in general and Susana in particular are essential, or at least were for me. My husband and I had done a lot of research on our own and had discussed what kind of birthing experience we wanted. Maybe you’ve done this already and maybe not, but as long as your baby isn’t here yet there’s still plenty of time. For us, watching the film The Business of Giving Birth was critical and helped cultivate a dialog between us about how women have given birth across cultures and time, and how perceptions of things like C-sections or Doulas and Midwives are really shaped by culture, media, and the medical industry, and not necessarily by fact.
We wanted a natural birth without any medication or intervention. This is how women gave birth historically and how they still do in much of the world. We connected with Susana two weeks before our son was born (he was three weeks early). Our sessions affirmed the research and conversations my husband and I had shared and encouraged and nurtured the wishes that we had for our birthing experience. We wanted to stay home as long as possible, and we wanted to give birth naturally but in a hospital (we had chosen Clinica Rosario). Susana helped us visualize that experience, she provided valuable information and genuine support in the sessions before the birth. On the day of, she arrived within minutes of our call, and assisted in so many significant and meaningful ways until our son was born, in the hospital, six hours after my first contraction. Without her swift action and expert guidance we may have had the baby in our house or in the car, as it was much faster than we anticipated. Because I’m not fluent in Spanish, her ability to translate, but also navigate the hospital setting was a true gift.
Susana helped voice our wishes when I was in pain and my husband was dealing with hospital beauarcay, she offered massage and gentle care, verbal encouragement and affirmation, safety and connectedness. She helped maintain the integrity of our birth and it was everything we had imagined, and there is nothing I would change. We are indebted to her for walking with us through the most powerful and transcendent experience of our lives. I would recommend her participation wholeheartedly as it was as important for me as it was for my husband and my son. Thank you Susana!
