Confessions of a Doula Groupie

Ten years ago when my kids were babies I spent two weekends training to be a doula.

My mother couldn’t even pronounce the word and still had no idea what a doula was even after I explained that

A doula is like a labor coach for pregnant women.

A WHAT?, she asked.

As I head off to the DONA conference this week to

INSPIRE doulas

to keep the Birth Visionary light on,

and teach them tools to ignite every pregnant woman in the knowing that

she is the protagonist of her birth journey

and - for the doula - that she too is the architect of her

HERO'S JOURNEY,

my body builds with juicy-ness at just

BEING IN THE ROOM WITH SO MANY FREAKING AWESOME DOULAS.

I think I’ll always have

Doula envy.

I'm a wannabe doula.

I just love everything about 'em

Being of unconditional service to women, 

A commitment to ignite every pregnant mother 

to listen to her

MY BODY ROCKS inner growls,

and every doula's fierce collective passion for birth being safe and humane.

But ultimately my path was not to be a doula.

I was supposed to hold the birth vision-ista torch a different way.

By writing a play. And starting a movement.

Still, every time I’m with a doula I’ve got major

DOULA ENVY.

When the play was just taking off at every location I went to I

Always

spent an evening with local doulas.

Why?

Because if you want to know the

TRUTH

about birth

then just ask a doula.

It wasn’t surprising to me that DOULAS are the reason the play BIRTH exploded.

Virtually every doula’s response when she sees the play is:

Yes, this is exactly what’s happening in childbirth today.

And then they go make productions of BIRTH happen.

All over the world.

Doulas are the ultimate community organizers.

Planting seeds for the empowerment of women.

Maybe that's why I enjoy their

SISTERHOOD

so much.

As I head off to the DONA conference this coming weekend,

Preparing to hang with a tidal wave of cool doulas,

I wonder if what I've called 

DOULA ENVY

for a long time

is more than that.

Maybe I’m a DOULA GROUPIE.

Yep, that’s it.

I just want to be around the sexy energy of doulas.

I want to wave "I Love You!" placards at them behind barricades

and SCREAM when I see really well known doulas and birth visionaries

like Debra Pascali Bonaro

and try to get a hug and email addresses from the not-so famous doulas

so I can keep close to their

SEDUCTIVE

MAGICAL energy

and offer fist bumps when they assist 3 women in 10 days to have the

BIRTHS OF THEIR LIVES.

Funny,

when I first wrote my play I had to define what a doula was.

I’m stoked that today the word

“DOULA” IS IN THE DICTIONARY.

I no longer have to explain my doula groupie-ness to people.

Just this week I told several people I am going to a conference with doulas

from around the world

and they get it.

"That's amazing," a friend who has never given birth said.

Even my mother gets it.

Imagine that.

Have a confession about doulas - being one, lovin' one? Share your comments here. And if you're on twitter be join me in giving shout-out tweets to the doulas at DONA this weekend. Use #DONA12 so we know you're tweeting! :)