‘Why did you become a Doula?’ I hear you say. Well now, there lies a loaded question with many answers but the first and foremost is this: I have been blessed with 3 beautiful water babies…with the swoosh of water into water, baby into world, the sense of euphoria, empowerment and achievement has been like nothing else. I am no different from any other women in terms of physiology, I was not gifted with a superhuman uterus or ‘high pain tolerance’ but I have always believed in the power of my body. There is no way that after experiencing the energy of birth that I could not become addicted to that unique sensation. I have an affinity with pregnant women and all that they feel, fear and look forward to. I strive to allow each woman that same feeling of achievement that comes with the knowledge that they birthed their baby in an educated manner, knowing everything that they need to know to make informed choices, whatever those choices may be. As a first time pregnant woman at the age of 22 the trust that I placed in things’ going good’ in labour came down to naivety alone: I had no friends or cousins or sisters who had given birth before me and therefore I had nothing to compare to. I simply believed in birth as a part of life because I had no reason not to. In my home country, England, all women are under the care of a midwife during pregnancy and this was all that I knew. Pregnancy: a condition not to be treated, but rather one to be nurtured. Once my first born arrived into the world safely and without issue, I had confidence in the other pregnancies and births that followed. This is what I try to recreate in all of the women who I attend in labour…by educating you, informing you, being true and honest , consistent and caring, I hope to install in you the confidence to birth whichever way you choose to. I am a writer, it is a gift that was given to me by the genes of my father and I use my creative energy that comes with being a writer also in the outlet of being a Birth Doula. I use instinct and eye contact to look at the laboring mother and just as in writing I feel around for the right word, as a Doula I search for the correct touch, visualisation, words or methods to fit your personality and situation. Me…I love my 3 girls, I love my husband, I love red wine and soft fabrics, a good book, giggles with positive minded people and the burn of muscle after a work-out but more than anything I like the simple things in life that money really can’t buy: I love that exquisite spark that glows between the eyes of a mother and her baby the minute that they meet. And I love, love, love being a part of that process. This is why I am a Doula. Sian Pilkington,
BA Hons English. Residing in Airdrie since 2009 & married with 3 daughters born between 2006 and 2012.
