I'm done.

Today is my last doula birth. I'm retiring. I've spent five years fighting the good fight. I've encouraged families to choose hospitals known for their low intervention rates and providers that support natural birth. I've labored at home with women who were motivated to have natural births. I've supported women, who after being informed of their choices and evidence based practice, still chose the 'other.' I'm done. I can no longer sit idle while providers give bad care and propagate antiquated practices (no eating in labor, continuous fetal monitoring, immediate cord clamping, perineal massage, episiotomy, Freedman's curve...the list goes on and on). I'm done.

Today I step away from my role as a doula and fully embrace my role as the midwife I would want my doula clients to have. The midwife that follows evidence based practice and supports her clients in making informed, autonomous choices about their care. The locus of power in birth belongs with the woman giving birth and I will continue to support her on her journey. I honor the path that being a doula has brought me down and I hope that I have paved the road, in some small way, for the doulas that follow me; however, I'm done.