A long-winded story....

Some of you may know, but most of you probably don't; in the last few months I've become very interested in, and have been researching the many aspects of birth. It all started with a medical anthropology class I had last fall. My professor was a lovely woman, seven months pregnant with her third child, whose area of expertise was childbirth in Russia. Her knowledge and passion for the subject of birth in different cultures opened my eyes to a subject I was previously afraid of and uncomfortable with. Since then, I've been reading books and watching movies to learn all that I can about childbirth.

It was during this class I was first introduced to what a doula is. A doula is basically a person who provides emotional and informational support to a woman in labor. According to the Doula Organization of North America (DONA), the use of a doula

• tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
• reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
• reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
• reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals

Pretty cool, right? I surely think so.

I've found an organization in Ann Arbor, Doulas Care, that offers training classes to complete the first steps of obtaining DONA certification. The classes normally cost around $300 - $400, but scholarships are available for some students. I applied for the scholarship in January but it wasn't awarded to me. I didn't hear back from the organization for quite some time until Monday when I found a message in my email inbox offering me the training scholarship for the upcoming training session in May.

You're probably all wondering what this has to do with my trip to India, right? Well, before I received the scholarship award email, I was thinking of how cool it would be to attend some births while in India. Through a google search, I found an organization based in Delhi promoting natural childbirth in the region. The site had a list of doulas, educators and midwives working in Delhi. I looked at each profile, and decided I would email one particular woman in an attempt to make a connection. I wasn't sure what to write in my message. I didn't want to sound like I was some arrogant American traveler wanting an exotic experience seeing some Indian women give birth. But at the same time, that was pretty much what I wanted, minus the arrogance. I concluded I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say, so I saved the draft and tactfully decided to sleep on it.

I'm supposed to be working on finals and crap, but I'll probably finish the email and send it off in the next few days. Since I'll be completing doula training before going to India, I think I'll have a much easier time explaining why I am contacting her. I just keep telling myself that it won't hurt to ask. I've found that asking for things is the best way to get what you want. Sometimes I look back on the things I've asked strangers/family members/friends for, and subsequently received, and I'm amazed at my chutzpah! So, I'll write a well though out email asking if I can see how doulas work in India, and I'll get one of three possible responses. She could not respond, she could respond and tell me she's not interested, or she could respond with an interest in making a cross-cultural connection with an American traveler wanting to witness birth(s) in India. I've got nothing to lose!

Best,
MCC