"Birth, Breath & Death:Meditations on Motherhood, Chaplaincy and Life as a Doula," a book by Amy Wright Glenn

It's a slim memoir, about 100 pages long, but Amy Wright Glenn's memoir "Birth, Breath & Death," has stayed with me log after I finished it. The book is about how, as a young woman, she eschewed Mormonism to find her own spiritual path. She sought to understand all religions, and their commonality. She also put herself in challenging situations to learn about the two most important and spiritual aspects  life -- the birth and death parts -- which many of us find too personal and difficult to face with others (or even ourselves.)

Becoming a doula, even when she was unsure she wanted to be a mother herself, takes a wide-open mind and heart. Still, I can see why one might become a doula. To help a woman in labor is to be present at a miracle. But to help individuals and their family and friends meet the end is to surround yourself with sadness. That takes a kind of mettle that I cannot fathom, but am certainly grateful exists. Amy's willingness to confront death in many forms, with fortitude and grace, is mind-bending. The one exception to her willingness is when someone asks her to perform an exorcism. This scene becomes a form of comic relief in the book, though I don't think she wrote it to be funny.

"We dance between form and formlessness," she writes. These words made me pause. Yes, so much exists before we are born and after we die. If we're not dancing in between we are wasting time.

Why becoming a doula is important now

Today, I present a guest post from Gina Forbes, the Workshop Coordinator at toLabor.

Becoming a doula is important now, more than ever.   With the current political climate and the recent attacks on women's health care and civil rights, it seems very clear that this is a precarious time in American culture.  Yet, I also feel that we are on the cusp of something bigger and better.  Every day, I learn about more individuals making greener, healthier choices for themselves and the planet.  People are beginning to rise up and live consciously.  This gives me hope.

As a birth advocate, doula, childbirth educator, and Workshop Coordinator for toLabor, I have thought long and hard about the role of a doula in this cultural and consciousness shift.  What is the greater significance of being a doula?

The answer is this: that EVERY person deserves to have autonomy over their bodies, their babies, their families, and their choices.  It is a human right, a civil right.  Every person who becomes pregnant, gives birth, and becomes a parent deserves to have high-quality, loving and compassionate care around this incredible time in their lives.  Doulas are people who are trained to respect that principle as the basis for all other work they do in their role as birth professionals.  Doulas ideally embody the role of empowered human being, facilitating a process of transformation and support for each and every client.  No matter what the birth experience looks like, doulas should be there to create the space for their clients to claim their choices, their autonomy, and their unique voice.  If done successfully, this paves the way for those individuals to become empowered, healthy, confident parents, which will have a direct impact on the quality of future generations' lives.  Birth matters!

I am an advocate for toLabor, the Organization of Labor Assistants for Birth Options and Resources, because toLabor exemplifies these beliefs in their doula training and certification program.   toLabor aims to return the focus of control to the laboring woman, to create the space and support for her to have her own voice, to be included and central in her birthing process.  toLabor understands the importance of empowering families, honoring birth, and changing lives.

Join the Community of Change.

toLabor will be having a doula training workshop in Jamaica Plain, MA on May 18-20.  For more information on that workshop, please contact local sponsor Catherine McKeown-Lindsey at catstamatos@yahoo.com or at 617-817-5397.  For other workshop listings and more information on toLabor, please visit the website at www.tolabor.com.