On My Way!

Winter, spring summer or fall. All you have to do is call. And I’ll be there. (James Taylor)

As a doula I receive client texts at all hours of the night and day about things most people don’t talk about in public. Updates about medical test results, questions about strange body changes, and funny memes about being so done with being pregnant. 

Some of my answers to clients require a lot of research and links to articles for further reading. Some answers are more routine: “That’s weird but completely normal” and “Yes, you are definitely leaking amniotic fluid.”

But my favorite text to send consists of three simple words: On my way.

These three words are basically my purpose, my sweet spot, my song. They sum up the reason most people hire a doula: birth is hard work. It’s time for help.

Please come.

On my way.

Getting ready to go is all logistics at first: cancel meetings, pack snacks, make coffee, brush teeth, change clothes.

And then I’m in the car, on my way.

This is the in-between time, where I leave my own life and schedule behind and prepare to step into the intensity of someone else’s experience. I’m aware, as I drive toward them, that this will be one of the most memorable days in a family’s life.

It’s a privilege and a responsibility to be invited into this intimate space. On the way, my own mundane thoughts and worries fly away as I ask God to give me wise words and helpful hands.

I can’t arrive with a promise that all will go well. But I’ll be there.

And being together is enough to make birth a whole lot better.