As Kairos doulas, we promise to:
Respect the dynamics of women and their family, the sacredness of birth, and believing that our children are the greatest gift and blessing in our lives, and that as a young woman is supported as she begins her life as a new mother, so is the life of a child begun in the most healthy, loving fashion possible.
Believe that as a child comes into the world, there are many births at once, the birth of a baby, the birth of a mother, the birth of a father, siblings, and a family, which are all significant and important life transitions.
Realize that childbirth is at once both a joyous, as well as a physically and emotionally challenging occasion for both a mother and a father, and an important time to feel supported, safe and loved;
Realize that women are able to benefit physically, emotionally, and spiritually, from the loving, one-on-one presence of another woman, a professional labor support doula;
Believe that the husband/partner is also facing the unknowns of childbirth, and will be better equipped to support his wife working as a team with an experienced professional labor support doula
Act from the firm belief in a woman’s ability to listen to and follow the inherent wisdom of her body, standing firm in the belief that she is strong, capable and possesses all the tools needed to give birth successfully and joyfully,
Know that love has great power to heal, and that loving doula support can overcome past traumatic and challenging birth experiences, and allow for healing and positive growth,
Believe that it truly does take a village to raise a child and we are not one of us an island sufficient unto ourselves, but rather have been given individual gifts to share with and build each other up,
Feel that the work of a doula is more than just a job, but a calling and a ministry, given from the heart of a woman to another woman/a sister,
And believe the Biblical calling of Matthew 25:31-40, and following the loving example of Mother Teresa when she said:
- “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by, I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.”
“Hungry not only for bread ,– but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing ,– but naked for human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks ,– but homeless because of rejection.”
We, the owners and staff of Kairos Holistic Healing Arts, Birth Support Services, strive for and commit ourselves to the following:
- Encouraging our clients to reach into thier deep feminine well of wisdom, and with confidence and faith in their abilities, draw forth the tools they possess, to birth in strength, love and power, not fear or weakness
- Supplying education and information which will assist the woman to make her own informed decisions regarding her healthcare, helping her to navigate through the unknowns of pregnancy , labor and birth, and non-judgmentally supporting the decisions she makes,
- Working to acknowledge and to meet the emotional, spiritual and psychosocial needs of our pregnant, birthing and newly delivered clients
- With wisdom, compassion, patience, love and understanding, to serve and guide birthing women through the unknowns of birth and first time motherhood, past the illusions of fear, powerlessness and helplessness;
- To be a guide who looks beyond doubt and fear, past the challenges, to the victory ahead, pointing the way, illuminating the positive, reframing and redirecting, keeping them on paths of potential, success and triumph;
- Offering all we do in a spirit of service, love, compassion, respect, patience, joy and peace.
- Pledgeing our resolve to lend a grander vision of women’s strength and potential, gently encouraging and nurturing them to move from, and toward, that place of accomplishment and triumph which is already theirs to acclaim;
- Practicing as part of the maternity care team, alongside the clinical staff, in order to provide the best possible care for the mother and family;
- Helping to build and enhance her trust and confidence in her medical caregivers, so that she can rest in the knowledge that she is safe, and can let go of fear, and surrender to the joys of birth
- To serve new mothers and families with supportive postpartum care to help to begin the life of a new mother/father in a loving, supported fashion, so they may believe in their ability to parent and care for their new child
- Achieving and maintaining certification with Doulas of North America, or other doula certifying organization, with an ongoing quest for continuing education and deepening of knowledge and skills to allow us to better serve out clients with the highest level of knowledge and professionalism;
- Practicing our profession in a manner which adheres to the Standards and Practices, and Code of Ethics of Doulas of North America, and/or the doula certifying organization to which we belong;
Committed to offering nothing short of excellence in care and professionalism to support our clients with services tailored to meet their individual needs, as they begin the transition into the most important role of their lives, that of a mother.
