We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erika Washburn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Erika, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
I have not always been a birth doula, a birth educator, or a self proclaimed pregnancy and birth nerd. If you had told me 10 years ago that I’d end up as any of those things, I’d probably laugh and think you were crazy. Because a decade ago, I was well into my career in the corporate world, and happy to remain on that path. However, becoming pregnant with my first child nine years ago, started me on a new trajectory. A trajectory propelled by a newly discovered passion and an undeniable calling. As someone who thrived on predictability, management, logic, and to some degree, control, I was feeling led into a space that is mostly comprised of the opposite of those things. God was calling me outside of my comfort zone, in order to learn how to bring comfort back into birth for both myself and others. So, I set out with an open and information-seeking mind. The phrase: “knowledge is power” became alive for me as I learned the history of birth, the physiology of birth, the mind/body connection, the intelligent design of birth, and ultimately the way to harness strength, peace, and joy throughout the process. I quickly became in awe of pregnancy and birth. Not only was a baby girl developing and growing in my belly, but a doula/birth educator was simultaneously being formed as well! From here, the shift happened very organically. Friends and family began seeking support and information from me regarding the topic of birth, and it wasn’t long until I took the plunge to train and certify as a birth doula. Doors were opening left and right for me to step into this new role. As I took on client after client, the confirmation and feedback was clear: this is what I’m meant to do. I found my gift that I can use to serve others with, and to do so wholeheartedly and well, it requires me to fully embody what I teach my clients: to balance control with surrender. Having now birthed four children and supported over 60 families, I have a career that blends over into my personal life in such a beautiful way. Being a doula is who I am to the core: empowering women and their families as they welcome new life.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
2. I am the owner of Empowered Birth and a certified Birth Doula through DONA International. I’m also a certified PAIL (Pregnancy and Infant Loss) Advocate. I support women and their families through seasons of pregnancy and birth. A birth doula’s role is multifaceted. I educate, I provide resources, my hands and heart support body, mind and soul, I’m a constant person in your corner, I advocate for you, I validate and affirm, I practically and literally have ways to help your labor be less painful and more efficient, and I am often the missing puzzle piece in standard maternal, fetal, and infant care. My role as a doula differs from a Midwife or an Obstetrician because the scope does not include anything directly medical, but I work alongside those individuals to form a complete care team. I am hired on by families with a variety of views and wishes, and my goal is to support them where and how they desire- with a few key consistent items on my part: I will help educate you in order to make informed choices, you will then proactively make the choices that are right for you, you will learn how to prepare adequately for the birth you desire, and you will be coached on how to replace fear with joy, peace, and strength! I have birthed four of my own children and supported over 60 families on their birth journeys, so I’ve had quite an array of experiences. All in settings of hospital/birth center/home birth, with varying approaches to interventions and procedures, from births lasting two hours to multiple days, from birth emotions spanning euphoria to the deepest grief, from plans going exactly as desired to plans needing to pivot, to supporting miscarriage and surrogacy and stillbirth, to a baby being delivered into my hands in a doorway because I was the only one there. As well as, delivering my four children with my own hands, being fully supported by my family, my doula, and excellent midwifery care. Every birth experience I support is unique and beautiful in its own way, and it requires much skill and intuition, yet immense humility as I serve. I firmly believe that each client is intentionally my client as there truly is something greater at play in the context of new life. Just as one would never successfully run a marathon without adequate training and preparation, both on a physical and mental level, birth is similar. With appropriate preparation and support, the experience can be magical and positive, despite any twists and turns that may arise. This is what I bring to the table for my clients as I walk with them through one of life’s most monumental events.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I’m continually amazed at how effective word of mouth is in supplying my client volume. I suppose it’s the most original advertising tool there is, so it really shouldn’t be surprising. Getting a personal recommendation from someone you know and trust has significance to all of us in just about any area of life, but especially in areas that are personal, intimate, and fundamentally impactful- such as the birth space. When I first began my work as a birth doula, I was very content to grow slowly, as I was simultaneously balancing raising my own newborn and toddler. Time and experience have been the most effective and organic strategies to produce growth for my business. I was years late to the Instagram game, and once I finally joined the bandwagon, it certainly has provided more exposure, interactions, and some clients. However, the true MVPs are all the personal recommendations that I’ve been so very blessed with. That is 90% of what fuels my client volume and I couldn’t be more grateful! It’s fun to trace back through the links, a client genealogy of sorts, to see how the tree branches have grown and expanded exponentially over the years! The icing on top is the client testimonials. I’ve been so blessed in that most of my clients take the time to write about their feedback and experience with me. Posting these to social media is certainly helpful for potential new clients, and I hear time and again how these testimonials impacted a client’s decision to hire me.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Being a birth doula takes a good deal of resilience in general. Supporting birth means giving of oneself on every level: physically, mentally, and emotionally. This might look like providing intense hands-on support for over 24 hours, with no sleep, while remaining sharp enough mentally to encourage and advise throughout. I can’t tell you how many times this very scenario plays out, especially for first time moms. I’ve even had a few instances where I supported two births within the same 24 hour period! Running on that birth high is what keeps me going! But my favorite story of pressing on through new territory comes not from a place of surviving longevity in birth, but rather an emotional resilience in reading my client and the moment, and rising to the occasion. My client, pregnant with her third baby and planning for a homebirth with midwife care, had been having prodromal labor for weeks. Finally one day her water broke, and we knew this was the start of something. I arrived at her house and after observing her contractions, her body, and where she was at mentally, I suspected that baby might need some help getting positioned and engaged properly. The midwife agreed that this was a good plan and she decided to leave for a while as I worked with my client. No one suspected any action anytime soon. After all, the midwife would only be 10 minutes away. I got to work, using a Rebozo scarf for positioning exercises, and hip massage for release and relaxation. I quickly noticed a shift in her body, feeling in her belly and back that her baby had lowered. We decided to call the midwife and move to the birth pool as she intended to have a water birth. As we began walking to the next room, she felt the urge to bear down. We got as far as the doorway when her baby began to emerge. A doula’s scope does not include anything directly medical, so delivering a baby is not something I am trained to do. As she stood in the doorway pushing her baby out, with her husband steadily supporting her, I knelt down to receive baby into my hands, unwrap the cord, and lift her up to her mom’s chest. Not once did I waver from a place of calm and confidence, as I talked mom and her husband through the process. It felt as though I was an extension of divine intervention. My demeanor helped them to remain in a place of peace, relaxation, joy, and awe. Which are all emotions that promote oxytocin: our body’s natural pain relief. Five minutes later, the midwife arrived. This birth was not your average progression. It was extremely precipitous once baby got engaged in the pelvis, and it required quick thinking and grit for me to take on this role that is not normally mine. Getting to experience this was incredible on so many levels! I have since then had one additional similar situation where I’ve delivered a baby in the midwife’s unintended absence. This isn’t the norm, but it does happen on rare occasion. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the incredible resiliency of birthing women and their bodies! It’s truly divine, intelligent design and I feel so blessed to have experienced it personally, to get to support it, and to witness it on a regular basis!
Contact Info:
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Image Credits
Jenn Elle Photography Emma Christine Creative Ivan Gil Brad Freeman Emily Hovet