Ahhhhhh...

Yes, all is right with the world again. School is back in, Joel is happy to be back to work, and I think Lyric is happy to have some Mommy and Daddy time to herself. Today was a great day. The kids were excited to head back to school. We managed to get through the morning without any breakdowns. Joel and I spent a nice morning with Lyric. We visited our new potential babysitter who is willing to take the kids at the last minute during the week. She wanted Lyric to come over to get to know her and the house etc. It went really well. She is a dear lady...the kids call her Oma. She's dutch and she absolutely adores children. We've known several people who have had her for a sitter and they've all loved her. She has tonnes of experience and loves the kids like her own. She even showed us pictures of a family she was a nanny for for 6 years. All of the kids are grown up, getting married, some in University and they still drive to visit Oma once in a while...that speaks volumes.

It's such a relief to know there is a caring person who is willing to help me with childcare. That and having amazing in-laws who are willing to be called in the middle of the night to come and help me, I just feel SO blessed. There is no way that I could be a doula without my in-laws. I remember when I first thought of becoming a doula I thought it would not be a possibility with young kids. It is stressful when you have young kids, but I love the job too much to give it up, even despite the stress.

Birth is such an incredible event. If any of you have had the opportunity to witness a birth (other than your own), it's amazing. I love to watch how the woman changes as she becomes more focussed on the labour. She slowly becomes much more distant and removed from what's going on around her. She begins to drift off between contractions. This has always absolutely amazed me. I remember feeling it myself. In the biz we call it "labourland", God's wonderful concoction of hormones that help to relax and ease the pain. It's those same hormones that help with bonding once that baby is finally born and they produce that "high" that keeps new moms awake when they should be exhausted in those first few days. It's so amazing watching that transformation from pain (pushing) to exhilaration the moment that baby is born and all the pain fades away (at least until the afterpains start ;).

Yes, I'm in a good place right now. I'm sleeping like a baby. I'm excited about my next upcoming birth (and hoping that I get some more clients this year). It's great to have the kids back to school and to share the evenings with them as they tell stories of their day at school. I've gotten my feet wet in the birthing room again (literally...her water broke when I was standing beside her :) Oh the joys of birth. It's worth every pain, discomfort, inconvenience and frustration to be a part of the incredible miracle of a new soul seeing the world for the first time.

Life is good...

Mel