Doula Differently

Loved and reposted from .photo The one where the midwife made the hard choice for a cesarean…
Sonja has spent her life walking with families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum as a midwife at , one of our local freestanding birth centers. She has witnessed hundreds of births, each one powerful, unique, and deeply human. But this time, the story was hers.
Her baby had been persistently breech, even after everything she tried to encourage a turn. We tried acupuncture, spinning babies, chiropractic care, and three, maybe four ECVs. Despite her deep knowledge and all the right support, her baby remained tucked in that position, firm and certain. No one could say why baby wasn’t willing to flip.
As someone who had built her career helping families experience birth on their own terms, planning a cesarean was not an easy pivot. It was a decision she made after carefully considering all her options and thinking through the risks and benefits for her unique situation. It was a mother’s act of surrender. An act of love.
That morning, I met Sonja and her partner at their home. The house was calm but humming with quiet and heavy emotion. I documented them getting ready, folding baby clothes, packing their bags, and soaking in the strange feeling of before-ness that feels so heavy right before your life changes forever.
Paying attention to the sentimental nods to their sweet dog, Marshall, who sadly had passed away just before the birth. His presence was felt all throughout their home. She brought stuffy Marsh to the hospital, a little golden lab stuffed animal and a symbol of love and loss that reminded them of his comfort and unending loyalty in the moments they truly needed it.
Birth Team