Becoming a Woman's Woman

I became a doula after I became a mother.  But I didn’t feel like I became myself until I realized 5 things…
I have no idea what men feel when they go through life, but it has been shared over and over that women feel pretty bad, for a myriad of things: guilt, shame, body image, expectation. We get labeled as “emotional.”  And our voices become invalid.
But guess what.  I’m pretty emotional.  I’m full of emotions like pride, wonder, excitement, compassion, and joy.
What I see when I’m with women who are about to give birth, or who have recently given birth, are some pretty intense emotions.  The tricky hormones that help women push a baby out of her body and produce breast milk to nourish that child, also make women extremely emotional.  
Why?
I liken it to a warrior taking off heavy armor – all the tender parts are just more exposed.  Closer to the surface.  Easier to access.  And it isn’t a bad thing!
Perhaps a woman now feeling vulnerable is able to address her fears about childbirth. Perhaps she can now look at them, and then decide they are present, but no longer hold power over her.  She is going to do IT anyway.  She is a woman who has taken the opportunity to know herself better.
Don’t we all want to know ourselves?
Here are 5 things I have found that directly (indirectly) relate to my doula work after I began to know myself better:

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