A New Year- a New Plan!

So I’ve decided postpartum doula-ing insn’t something that interests me as much as birth work by far… so I’m not going to persue that certification right now.

I am still dedicated in getting started with PfB…. I’m almost at my goal to pay for it! I’m going to take the March Class instead of the April class- so that I will only need to miss 1 day of class- not 2. I need to start working on a backup arrangement ASAP for this!

I currently have 2 clients, and 2 more that may hire me, which is wonderful! Hopefully I can keep staying this busy, I love it!

Midwifery school- on that front exciting new things will be occuring in some months- but right now it’s on the DL! I’m working hard on prerequsites! I’m doing a math and A&P this summester- in the summer I’ll be taking 2-3 more classes, and again in the fall.

 

So not too much to say… just working hard on some things, and needing to keep working on others. But I needed to make a quick update at least- it’s been about 3 weeks since I did! What with the holidays things were crazy, so it was hard to find the time.

Oh- and we’ll hopefully close on the house SOMEDAY! It really is frusturating… I want to be in it now! But we can only be patient… it’ll happen soon, I have to believe.

Updating my goal list (aka biting off more then I can chew!)

I think it’s time (already) to update my to-do/ goals list.

Do NPR on December 13^{th DONE!!!}

Finish and mail my Certification package to DONA by January 1st

Take 2 math classes in the Spring only one- and also doing a nutrition class and a A&P class

Start paying for PfB Seminar working on this!

Order CAPPAs Distance PP Doula course and begin work Jan 15th may not be done on time, but will work on it.

Start Infant Massage Instructor Distance Learning Course Feb 15th hopefully can start at this time

Start a monthly meet-up of aspiring/student midwives and have our first meeting by February 20th working hard- this goal seems do-able!

Do some additional Doula Marketing by February 30^{th brainstorming!!!}

Start a VBAC Supporter Course by March 30^{th brainstorming and working to find a class…}

Take Lamaze Passion for Birth class on April 23-26th hoping and praying to be able to take this class!

Take a 40 hour Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) class May 4-8th may take this- still considering other classes… it’s pricey!

Take 1 math class in the summer will do!

Go to DONA Conference August 6-9^{th hoping this is possible, praying about it!!!}

Start Midwifery School in August or before!!!

I’m working so hard, and am slowly but surely accomplishing things

 

overwhelmed- just a tad.

I find myself very much looking forward to blogging now thar I’ve started this.

I was intensly productive yesterday- I got everything finished for my birth plan consults. My hubby is  so wonderful- he make me to birth plan templates- one is a flow chart- the other is just catagories. I make an additional 2 templates, and examples for all 4 types. I also wrote out 2 articles on planning your birth, as well as got my binder together and make a “lesson” plan. I am so proud I got all that done.

And today my birth plan consult became a full out client, which is great. I’m really looking forward to her birth- I think it’ll go really well, she’s so sure of herself and confident in her ability to handle this.

I think the meeting went really well. I’m excited to be offering this new service- I think it’ll be very good for many parents.

So- now onto preparing for my VBAC prospective client. I really hope I can attend her birth- it would be such an honor.

In other news- house stuff is driving me out of my mind! It’s already such a busy week, and the frequent calls back and forth to the mortgage co, realtor, inspectors, and anyone else are stressing me out. I’ll be so glad when we finally have everything settled. We just sent them a counteroffer, so G-d willing they accept and we can set up a closing! I’m praying hard about it.

I am also feeling a tad down- I was really hoping to have thanksgiving in my new home. It is my favorite holiday, and I really wanted to cook dinner in my own kitchen.

Yesterday my Realtor said something really nice- she said I should teach classes on natural living. J I thought that was such a lovely complement.

So- today I would like to polish up and right out one birth story for DONA, and maybe work more on the online breastfeeding class. It’d be nice if I could finish one more module of that tonight. I also need to finish up the stuff for my meeting tomorrow and email my new client some follow up info from our appt today.

I am also sort of thinking of offering private childbirth education classes….. I know I’d like to teach, but maybe it’d be best for me to do private lessons only- that way I could easily schedule them in a clients home and if I had to reschedule due to a birth it would be easier then with a class of 4 or more couples. I also really prefer the private aspect more then the group one. I hope to do the same for infant massage, and possibly VBAC classes in the future. Maybe even pre-conception lessons!

I also have a bit of an idea to make a website… I’m not sure, but it is in my mind right now. Maybe next year! I cannot believe it is almost 2009…. I need to get cranking with my midwifery studies!

lastly- I need to start thinking about what to give Rob for chanuka….. he wants an iphone I think, or a computer…. but I’d like to do something more for both of us. I’ve been thinking about buying a jumbo tranpoline… we will have a huge backyard if we get this home, so we’d have ample space- and it would be a wonderful workout. I’ve also thought about just doing a few gifts, or not spending so much, and then cooking something special each day or planning a fun evening event.

a VERY busy doula-y week!

I did take the math test- albeit one day late, but oh well, at least it got done! It was not as bad as I expected… until I got the results. I have to take 2 math classes before I can even take the class I NEED! So- it’ll be a math filled year for me…. L

I have 2 visits scheduled for this week, which is really great, b/c it is only really a ½ week! One for an interview with a VBAC mama, and one is a birth plan consultation. It’s a new service I’m starting to offer, and I’m really excited. I’ve been working hard to get everything set up for that meeting. The birth plan consult will be like a prenatal visit, and if the family then wants to hire me they can, and the consult fee will go towards their Doula package, and the visit will count as one of their prenatal meetings. I think they’ll be a really valuable service; having a GOOD birth plan will really serve my clients well, whether they have me at their birth or not.

I’m still slacking on my DONA Cert. stuff- I need to start making that a priority! I just don’t seem to have time, especially with working on getting my Birth Plan consults set up and organized. Realistically- there is no way I can make that deadline anymore, plus it’ll cost about 200$, and we need that money right now because……

We got a counter-offer from the bank!!!! We’re accepting it, and I am just wonderfully excited, a little nervous and slightly confused. J I am so happy and hopeful. What a wonderful birthday gift would a new home be!

So my new goal for the DONA stuff is by January 1^st 2009. I hope that by then we can have the money to spend, and we’ll be all settled into our home. My goals are to finish the Breastfeeding Basics program by Monday (12/1/08), and to finish all the essays and other things by 12/5, and to have it all copied and put together in a folder, with an extra copy for insurance by the 10^th.

 And I had a great idea for the bumper sticker dilemma: I can just glue magnets to them, so they’ll be removable!

I’m so pleased to have accomplished so much stuff. What with all the stress of buying a house it is great to have gotten all this done and I’m working hard to be able to finish more of my goals.

For all my gifts for my birthday and the coming holidays I’m hoping to be able to buy the postpartum Doula distance course and pay for my neonatal resuscitation, or at least most of those two things. Pretty much all of our other money will be going to our new house. Life is my most expensive hobby. J I’m praying that G-d will bless us with all that we need, and that I will keep getting more and more clients. I sure could use the experience and the money, and it is so nice to be busy. It seems like I am most productive when I am overwhelmed with things to do.

So now off to go finish my to-do list for today. I need to meet up with my realtor, finish just a few things for the birth plan consult, talk (again) with my mortgage broker, get together my things for the meeting with the VBAC mama, hire a home inspector, and hopefully have just a tad bit of time for myself! If I do I’ll spend it reading (I just started yet another book!) and maybe even taking a nice relaxing LONG afternoon shower. I just love those- it seems so decadent.

 

 

a bit of progress, a lot of hope

Ok- I’m terrified to take the math test, but tomorrow I really am going to do it!!! I get serious math anxiety, and I know it’s going to be hard not to procrastinate and not just take it tomorrow, but I will persist. Even if I fail it, at least I’ll have gotten it out of the way.

 

It has been a busy week. This past weekend I helped out at the booth of the Birth Center I work with at a natural living festival. It was very fun, and I think that totally counts as my Birth Doula Marketing goal! We also got many people interested and informed about the Birth center, which was the real goal. I think it was a very successful marketing event. It also got me very interested in baby wearing, and I think I want to work on making some slings before I start really doing a lot of PP Doula work. 

 

Anyhow, at the fest I made contacts with 3 prospective Birth Doula clients, and one Post-partum prospective client. I also have 2 other prospective clients this week, and two meetings scheduled. So I’m very excited about that!

 

I’d also like to do at least 1 more Doula marketing thing in the next few months. I want to get some Doula buttons from CafePress (I love that site!) to wear when I’m at births and also to events I attend where I may meet women interested in Doula care. I wish I had a car I could put bumper stickers on…. But Rob won’t dare let me put stickers on my car. Maybe when we get a new vehicle for me I can do that. I’d love to be a driving advertisement. I’ve thought about getting a magnet made for my car… hmmmm…. Maybe that is something I’ll work on after we move and I get a new phone number.

 

I really do need to work on getting my Birth Doula Packet in to DONA. Maybe when I finish I’ll post those birth stories (identifying details omitted) on this blog, and maybe also the essays I write…… I hope I’ll get some referrals from the DONA site, that would be really great. Even if I just got one birth from DONA every year it’d more then make up for the fees to be a member.

 

I’m also scheduled to take the NRP (neonatal resuscitation program) course on December 13^th, so that is another goal I’m working on. I’m very proud of myself for all the progress I’m making, and very grateful to my friend and fellow aspiring midwife for helping me get the NRP scheduled.

 

I left a message with a woman with the Florida Council of Midwifery about some questions I have, hopefully I can hear back from her ASAP. If she gives me the answers I want I can have some awesome news to share here (or with me, b/c I don’t think anyone is reading quite yet!). It may mean I could start midwifery school even sooner then August, which would be amazing.

 

I am also thinking about blogging about what I’m reading- maybe later this week that will be a new post. I’m currently reading about Twin Births, and I want to read also about VBAC births, as one of my prospective clients is a VBAC mama. I really want to be able to support her- I think VBAC is so special and so in need of support.

 

In other life news, my husband and I put an offer down on a house that we’re just in love with. It meets our needs so well, and I’m crossing everything crossable in hopes that we can get it. We sort of low-balled them, so they may counter offer, but it would be even better if they accepted our low offer! It has been on the market for 4.5 months, so it is a possibility….  I’m so anxious to find out something!

Step One: Learning to Crawl

I’ve wanted to start blogging for quite some time, and I don’t feel like I’m a great writer. While I’ve let that stop me for some time I’ve now decided to just do it- start writing, start sharing, just start!

Becoming a Midwife is a long term goal, and it is proceeded by many smaller goals. My first short term goal is to take the math placement test and enroll in a math class at the local community college for the fall term. The majority of my other goals are more midwifery related, and more fun, but no more important. The math pre-req is very crucial to one of my longer term goals: enrolling in formal school in August 2009.

I guess I should backtrack and talk about who I am a bit. I’m Cheryl, a 20 yr old aspiring midwife in Florida. I am a birth Doula, and a midwife assistant in training. I am married (since August 9th of this year), to the most wonderful, sweet, handsome, and supportive man. He is my best friend, my advocate, my encourager and my favorite person in the world. Even though I know he doesn’t get my passion for birth he stands behind me always, which I feel proud to be able to say. I hope that he understands how grateful I am to have him. We don’t have any children yet, and I look forward to the day that G-d brings a baby into our life and home. I am Jewish, and I hope to become closer to G-d through this journey into the mysterious, miraculous world of birth.

So now, back to my goals! Here is my list of things I hope to do, and the dates I’d like to achieve these things by.

Take the Math Placement Test by November 20th 2008, enroll in corresponding Math class

Send in My Cert. Package to DONA by Thanksgiving (and my BIRTHDAY!) 2008

Do my NPR (neonatal resuscitation program) to train as a Midwife Assistant and do corresponding training by New Year’s Day 2009

Do some sort of Birth Doula Marketing by January 20th 2009

Start a monthly meetup of Student and Aspiring Midwives in my Area- January 10th 2009; first meeting by St. Valentine’s Day.

Take VBAC support class by March 1st 2009

(If money permits) go to Midwifery Today Conference in March (third week) 2009

Take a 40 hour Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) class in May 4-8th 2009

Finish Training to be a Postpartum Doula by April 30th 2009

Complete Training to be a Infant Massage Instructor by June 20th 2009

Complete Training to teach Childbirth Education by July 31st 2009

Go to the DONA Conference in August 6-9th 2009

Start Midwifery School in August 2009

 

Now that that is all typed out, I’m a bit overwhelmed. I hope very much that I can get the money together to pay for all of this learning too! I believe that G-d is right by me on this journey. I guess I better get busy so that I can achieve all of these credentials and meet all of these goals. Thanks for reading, and I hope to update weekly or more often, although I make no promises, as the world in general (and birth in specific) doesn’t always act as expected, or follow timelines.