Reflections

2 years ago I introduced Life Faith Birth to the world. It was January 2020, “the year of Vision” and I felt excited about the road ahead! I’d spent the previous year obtaining my doula and childbirth education certifications, creating my brand, developing my mission, designing my logo and marketing materials and building my website.

I knew I had been called to birthwork for over a decade and yet, on January 1st, 2020 as I pressed send on my first Instagram post a wave of doubt and anxiety washed over me.

• “Why would a stranger want me to be their doula?”.

• “I don’t know a soul in Memphis, how will anyone find me?”

• “There is so much information online already, what do I have to say that hasn’t already been said?”

Imposter syndrome anyone? Yup, I had it bad. As a new doula, the question I most feared was “How many births have you attended?” Duh, Duh, Duhhhhhh….

Well, truth be told it was all a waste of time worrying about my insecurities because 2020 would give me something to really cry about! 2 1/2 months after that IG post, the world shut down, and doulas were shut out of births nationwide.

And while I tried to pivot to offering online childbirth education workshops and virtual doula support, the whole experience felt like another dream deferred. I was definitely in my feelings.

It took a minute, but I decided to brush another birth-related business off the shelf and bring it to market. After all, I had dreamt of gifting a doula to every mom in the country and if I couldn’t be at a birth in person, a subscription box could be a great substitute. By August of 2020, I’d launched DoulaBox and was shipping boxes of pregnancy-safe products, activities, and childbirth education nationwide. It was definitely the highlight of my year!

By 2021, It was clear that the pandemic had no plans of leaving us alone, and doulas were slowly (and reluctantly) being let back into hospitals. I was blessed to be hired to support my niece who was expecting her first child in the spring. And by the summer of 2021 I’d been hired by 2 additional families as their birth doula! Won’t He do it?!

So as I reflect on my journey to 2022, and where I am today, I am proud of all that I have accomplished, despite the roadblocks and setbacks. Not gonna lie, comparison to other doulas on social media can sometimes get the best of me, (do I really have to dance y’all? Uggh) but I have really tried to lean into what I am doing in the present and I how I can connect to the families that need me.

I have been called to birthwork so that I may educate, advocate, support and serve and it is a privilege that I don’t take lightly. I understand now that no one can be me. I have a wealth of lived and learned experience, and I am great at what I do! In fact I already have my first birth of 2022 under my belt and I cannot wait to connect with more families in the coming year.

Here’s to all the possibilities (planned and unplanned) that are in store! Follow me over at @lifefaithbirth on IG or shoot me an email lifefaithbirth@gmail.com to chat or to schedule a free consultation!

💜Tichanda