This is a great book for all ladies, but especially Jewish ladies.  It focuses on how trusting Hashem is one of our biggest strengths and tools in labor and birth.

I have been blessed to always follow my heart, passion, and soul.  My parents were always supportive of my free spirited ways, allowed me to go on my very first trip to the only country I knew they could not say no, Israel, when I was 16.  Before marriage and children travel was my thing, sure I loved dancing and later on found Yoga, but seeing the world, people in different parts of the world, culture, and diversity is all I wanted to do.

My father got married at 33, so I did not even want to think about it until I turned 33, I just wanted to soak up life, and have a great time.  Luckily once I turned 33, I was open to meeting someone, and at 34 I met my husband, thanks to an Israeli grandma in one of my classes. Eight months later we married, and a year after we welcomed our first son, and that is when my journey began into becoming a Doula. I did not know it then, I just had an amazing labor and birth experience with my Doula. I was taking regular Yoga classes until my 9th month when I could not move anymore, and I found Prenatal Yoga and feel in love.  18 months later, two weeks before my daughter was born, I took a Prenatal Yoga certification training, 11 of us were pregnant, I was the most pregnant.  I had the same Doula, she allowed me to let go of control because I knew she was in control, and she was a great team with my husband.  My contractions started at 5:40am at home, and my daughter was born at 7:18am in the hospital, yes the second baby in many cases comes in no time.

I was leading nutrition and fitness groups for pregnant and new moms, and that is how I met my Doula teacher, she saw my flyers, and introduced herself as a birth educator, so I referred one of my pregnant regulars, who demanded that I get Doula training immediately because she was hiring me.  I had just given birth to my third child, he came five weeks early on Shabbat.  My Doula decided to focus on accupuncture, and I had lined up two girls to call, but nobody would answer their phone five weeks early on Shabbat.  I was on my own, but I was calm and focused.  With the first two, I just went inward, into my own zone with my breath, but with my third I took control.  I didn’t know if it was actual labor, but after two hours of consistent and close contractions, I told my husband to get our friend to watch the kids, and head to the hospital, because it was definitely it, and I wanted to stay clear headed, before my water broke and it got super intense.  At the hospital I told the nurse:

• third baby
• no epidural (I had the first two naturally)
• consistent contractions for 2 hours, 5 minutes apart, one minute long

She said OK, she heard me, and I felt so empowered, and I was so thrilled to find out I was 7 centimeters dialated!  This showed me that if you go in knowing what you want, and of course open to decisions that need to be made, and staying present, they will hear you.  If you go in without being informed, they will fall back on medical management and prevention.  I knew I wanted to labor at home and just go to the hospital to birth.  They say we plan and God laughts, but I am grateful that for my births our plans collided.

GET INFORMED.

TRUST YOURSELF.

BE PRESENT.

The goal is to have a conscious birth experience, where all the decision are your own.

Coach Yulia