Disappointments and Looking Ahead

Well, today was a little rough for me: plans that I had been working on, to start teaching my own prenatal classes here in Clinton just absolutely fell through. I had been waiting for the last two weeks just for confirmation of the final details for my classes and now I'm back to square one. I was so disappointed when I got off the phone after getting the news, I wanted to cry. A few minutes later my phone rang...it was literally hard for me to pick up because I was still working at fighting back the tears of disappointment. But on the other end of the phone was a woman calling about my doula services. Now how incredible is that?!! Well, let me put this in perspective for you: in the seven years of being a doula I haven't received many calls out of the blue asking about my services (she had gotten a referral from a previous client). Most of the clients I have served I've met through prenatal classes or other places where they have heard me share about my work. I also haven't attended a birth since June and didn't have anyone else lined up until January (where I will be swamped with deliveries to start the new year!!). So getting this very call at the very moment that it came to me was a definite word from my Father, at just the right time. It confirmed that I am indeed exactly where He wants me to be, exactly where He's created me to serve, and that was such a confirmation of that!

I had a good talk with Joel this evening and received some wonderfully supportive e-mails from some of my dearest girlfriends, and the overwhelming message that I'm hearing now is to just keep on being a doula, and give up the rest...for now. It's not to say I'll never have my own classes, but for now the details are not working out as far as location so I'm ready to open my hands and let it go and wait to see what God brings for me in that regard.

I love to teach and I desperately think that women in the county need guidance and teaching on comfort measures and just encouragement for them to trust their own bodies, to develop their own rhythms in labour and to teach their partners to recognize when she's coping just fine with the pain of labour (even if she is making lots of noise), and when to recognize that she is no longer able to cope without assistance. But for now I will be teaching my clients only and we'll see what the future holds in that department. I am sad to know that most couples will not be receiving the hands on teaching that they need to learn to soothe their loved ones during the labour process since there isn't time for 'comfort measures' in the prenatals anymore. I also feel badly for the teachers who are teaching and don't have the time to cover the topics that they think are incredibly important to cover...it's got to be extremely frustrating.

God thank You for your peace. Continue to guide me in this career.

Melanie