Parenting is a journey. A wild, wonky, delicious journey. It is, I believe, some of the hardest, most astonishing and revealing work we will ever do.
And one way or another, it all starts with birth…the birth of a baby and the birth of a family. And families come in all shapes and sizes, all genders, orientations, colors, ages and configurations. BLOSSOM celebrates them all and seeks to support and empower you in this amazing, and sometimes challenging, transition.
BLOSSOM is you, the birthing person, plus your partner and/or other loving support people, and me, Jenny Carmichael Finn your birth and/or postpartum doula. Together, we create a relationship that is supportive and nurturing to you during your pregnancy, birth and postpartum recovery. I also offer family support to parents that have chosen gestational surrogacy or adoption. Don’t know exactly what a doula does? Try here~ What IS a doula anyway?
My own experience of birth started in 1988 with the birth of my oldest child in a traditional hospital setting. I was a teen mom, who was caught off guard when it came to what pregnancy, birth and postpartum recovery would really be like. But I was in love with my baby, and fascinated with birth. I was determined to learn more for the next time. And like all parents, I grew. I read, I learned, I planned. My next baby was born in a hospital birth center, the third and fourth at home. I had both supportive and unsupportive experiences in all three birth places. For me, this has led to a firm belief that as important as where a person gives birth is who surrounds them. Having a person who believes utterly in your strength and agency, while holding space for you to be vulnerable…that seeming contradiction is at the heart of being a doula.
As important and transformative as becoming a parent is, the support we receive after the baby comes home is also crucial. Again, I had both supportive and unsupportive experiences, and it made such a difference in my healing and state of mind. Good postpartum, post surrogacy or post adoption support can help a family get off on the right foot, lower risk of postpartum depression and aid in physical recovery. No matter how your baby comes into your life, it’s important to have someone cheering you on and digging in to help in ways that empower and support your transition as a family.
Over the years, I attended births and helped new postpartum families here and there as a supportive friend. I knew that when the timing was right, I would be involved in the birthing world professionally. After I supported a close friend for her birth in December of 2015, I knew the time was NOW. My babies were almost all grown, only one left in the nest…it was time! And after attending my first birth as a professional doula in March of 2016, I drove home saying over and over “I’m the luckiest person on earth! I have the best job in the world!” I am so very grateful to the families who have allowed me to be a witness to their births and to help during their postpartum time. It would be an honor to do the same for you.