I have a happy husband!

Today was Scott's last day at The Vitamin Shoppe. He is very excited to move onto better things for him and us. Although the team has already been practicing for over a week, tomorrow will be his first official practice. He has been counting down the days. He doesn't have another part-time job lined up yet, but he has had offers...and some very promising leads come his way.

A lady I worked for doing massage last spring (well I still sort of work for her, but that is complicated) called me this morning. I used to do massage at her wellness center a lot and do office work for her before I started my job at Veria. She is involved in another art show this weekend that is along Magnolia Ave. where her center is located. Artists come and set up in different businesses and show their work off to the public. I helped her with an event last spring. When she heard Scott may be in need of work for a couple of weeks before one of his leads pans out she got in touch with him about helping her out at the center. YAY!!! We are going to both help her out at the Arts Goggle Friday night so she will talk to him more about it then.

I have some really great things going on with me as well. I have recently decided and began the training process to become a birth and postpartum birth doula! Doula??? Glad you asked...

The types of doulas are as varied as the types of women who are going to labor. Some doulas have highly developed clinical skills, allowing them to do cervical exams and diagnose problems during labor. Other doulas have trained themselves to be constant companions, never leaving the mother's side and never tiring of giving positive feedback. There are doulas who are trained in Lamaze, Bradley or Hypnobirthing. There are doulas who will speak to the medical staff for you, and there are doulas who will not speak to the medical staff for you.

Regardless of the way she practices, there are some things that all doulas do. These skills and techniques are what make a doula so valuable during labor.

Resource for Comfort Measures - Having a doula is like having your very own talking labor guide. Doulas not only know what helps during labor, they also know when it helps and how to do it. Your doula can either perform these comfort measures herself, or help your family or friends to support you with comfort measures. Your labor partners will feel more confident knowing that they are doing the right thing.

Constant Encourager - A doula not only encourages the mother to keep going, but she encourages the labor support to keep going as well. The process of labor can be long, and it gets hardest just before it is over. A doula can keep you and your coach focused during the most intense part of labor, helping you to manage any discomfort or pain.

Helps Explain Options - A doula is also a source of information about ways to handle your labor. Medical attendants don't always have time to get into all the options available, and rarely give all the risks and benefits for the options they do give. A doula can help you understand what options are available, and what each options consists of. This can help you make better informed decisions.

Yes, yes, I am still continuing my Holistic Nutrition. I am going to be a busy girl. Training to be a doula consists of several steps. I am currently working on finishing my Breastfeeding Course on-line. I will finish that up here in a few minutes and send for my certification. I have to have that class before I can attend the Postpartum workshop. The birth and postpartum doula workshop is in November. I am going to Fayetteville to take it for a week. An excuse to see my sister again! I have a laundry list of items to complete before attending but most will occur after the workshop. I got three books in the mail today that I will read before the workshop. After that I will have to continue reading several books, attend a birth class such as Lamaze or The Bradley Method, attend three live birth that are at least eight hours in length each. (Guess I would have to attend about 12 births if they are anything like Heidi's :)) There are a few more things to do, but you get the drift. I have this whole vision of having a women's center devoted to helping women who intend to become pregnant to continuing during and after birth. I would like to provide nutritional consulting, massage therapy, and doula services. I have talked to several of my friends who really think Fort Worth needs something like that. Believe it or not, there isn't much like that around here. I can dream anyway. So, I am totally excited about all of this. And, like I said, I am going to be a busy girl. I have been informing Scott of everything I have learned about breast feeding so far. I have a feeling he is going to hear a lot more about birthing and babies in the upcoming months than he bargained for. At least he will be fully informed when it is his turn though. He seems interested, which I am very happy about. He is being so supportive of my new venture! He is so wonderful.

Well, ya'll what am I still doing up at this hour? And, I still have a test to finish. Good night, sleep tight. Miss you, love you all! Thanks for caring, thanks for reading.