From a very young age I have always loved babies. I loved my baby dolls and I would drag one around with me almost everywhere I went. I remember walking through the grocery store, my mom pushing the cart and I would be walking beside her carrying my baby doll, I would hold her during church or pretend to feed her on long car rides. Luckily, I grew out of that at an appropriate age but In high school I was reminded of my love babies through a child development course. Our final project was to take home a robotic baby for the weekend. The robot baby would cry when it needed fed, needed changed, etc. to get it to stop crying you had to hold a key to it's back for a certain amount of time. I loved it. I came in Monday morning with my robot baby in it's provided car seat, sad that I had to give it back. I loved the role of caring for a baby (even if it was just a robot) and I knew that whatever I did in life, it would probably including caring for and loving on little ones.
Flash forward another couple of years. I was just about to graduate college and was walking through Lancaster city with some friends when a pastor stopped us on the sidewalk. I got to talking to him and without me sharing any details of my life he stopped mid sentence and said "I need to tell you, that you will be a blessing to many children someday." Not only was I totally creeped out that he knew I loved kids and wanted to work with them but I was also honored that he felt called to tell me this. I am often reminded of that day and am always wondering what he meant by "someday" Did he have a divine voice telling him that one day I would move to a foreign country and open up an orphanage there, or that I would adopt or foster kids, or that I would find a career path allowing me to work hands on with babies. I don't know what he knew about my future in that moment, if he even knew anything. But I am very thankful that he shared with me.
With all of that being said, here is the news I am so excited to share with you all. I am pleased to announce that I will be starting a certification program to become a Birth and Postpartum Doula. For those of you who don't know what a Doula is, the best words I have found to describe it is a pregnant lady/new parent's best friend. I have also heard it being described as being like another mom. Being there to support, help, encourage and give non-biased advice on all things baby. My plan is to start with a focus on postpartum and ease my way into birth, as my schedule is not flexible enough for me to attend births at the moment. I am ecstatic to start training for this new adventure and am thankful for all the people who have supported me in this journey so far and for those who will continue to cheer me on as I go through the certification program.
