Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christine Gibson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Christine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I gave birth to my first child at home with a wonderful midwife and birth assistant. The birth assistant had also just had a baby that year, and hearing my newborn child cry was making her milk “let down” as she taught me how to breastfeed. That birth (and my second homebirth a few years later) made me want to be a doula or midwife or breastfeeding counselor but we could not afford the cost of the training. Ten years after my first child was born, I finally took the leap and did a doula training. My first client was a homebirth. The midwife turned out to be the birth assistant from my first birth-she was now a fully licensed, practicing midwife. When we saw each other, we showed one another pictures of our ten year olds! That first birth remains the most magical one I’ve ever attended. The baby was a surprise breech and the midwife turned the baby with just a gentle belly massage. The baby was born in the sac-which is rare and thought to be associated with psychic properties-also it was Halloween!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into birthwork because I experienced a miscarriage in the hospital and really hated the way I was treated. I chose homebirth for my next two births and the experiences were wonderful, transformational and life changing. I wanted to help other people know their options and support them in their goals.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

I studied “international relations” as an undergrad. It afforded me the chance to travel to Central America as well as Eastern and Southern Africa. After college, I worked for a non-profit organization for a few years before going back to school for my Masters Degree in International Relations/Political Science. I got married and had my first child at 27 years old at home with an incredible midwife. My experience birthing at home completely changed my life and made me want to be a midwife or lactation consultant or a doula. However, money was extremely tight since my husband was the only one working outside of the home. About three years later, I gave birth to our second baby at home again with the same incredible midwife.

I continued to stay home with the kids until my youngest started school. At that point, I got a job at a non-profit. After about two years of working in an office, I decided that it wasn’t for me. I quit my job and used some of the money I’d been able to save from my job to sign up for doula training in 2018. I absolutely loved it, and soon I had a pretty busy practice and also trained and certified as a lactation counselor and childbirth educator.

If I could go back, I would have allowed my first home birth in 2009 to lead me more directly to birthwork. While I didn’t have the money to take the training, I could have started reading books and even volunteered to help friends of mine give birth-giving me real life experience.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2021, I was a busy doula working with about 3-4 families per month. Suddenly one day my daughter began having headaches and fatigue as well as new bruising and a persistent low fever. After a million covid tests and several trips to the pediatrician, we landed in the ER where we found out that she had Leukemia. After attempting to absorb that news, I immediately thought of the clients I had (I believe I had nine at the time who hadn’t yet given birth). I called my good friend Lisa Taylor, who owns a doula agency that I belong to. I asked her to help me find doulas to cover for me, which she immediately got to work doing. I felt so bad “abandoning” these clients but they were so sweet! Some of them rejected the refunds I sent to them-telling me to keep some of the money to care for my little girl. Past clients who had already given birth sent me gift cards, mailed gifts to my daughter, sent me care packages, offered to help however they could. It became apparent that the relationships I’d formed with these folks went far beyond business-these folks were truly part of my village, just like they had allowed me to be part of their village on their journey to parenthood. I’ll never forget my husband turning to me one day and saying “it’s obvious that you were made to do this, and you need to get back to it as soon as you can.”

During months of chemotherapy, and a bone marrow transplant (a six week hospital stay), I actually managed to join my doula collective weekly zooms. Staying somewhat connected to the work, and receiving the support of my fellow doulas was so nourishing. Once my daughter was in a stable place, I began interviewing potential clients again and tip toed back into the work. I feel that my experience as a cancer caregiver has only added to my skills as a doula. I feel like I possess a necessary wealth of empathy, compassion and a more intimate understanding of the importance of advocacy in healthcare as well as really learning the ins and outs of hospitals!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.queensdoula.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/queensdoula
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thequeensdoula/