Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Thomas.
Hi Heather, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a native Texan and grew up in Amarillo. I married my husband in 2012, and we moved to Austin in 2016 to work with some of our best friends who own a local trail running company. I have always been passionate about loving and serving women, and what that has looked like has changed throughout the different seasons of my life.
When I got pregnant with my daughter Norah seven years ago, I began a journey of trying to educate and prepare myself for childbirth. As I learned more, I decided I wanted an unmedicated birth and felt that I had all the tools I would need for that to happen. When the time actually came, I ended up feeling more unprepared than I thought I was and felt pressured into making decisions that I didn’t feel good about. Her birth ended in a cesarean I didn’t want but was told that all that mattered was that my baby was healthy. I walked away from her birth feeling disappointed and traumatized. It seemed like my body had failed me and I internalized that throughout my postpartum season with my daughter. I had PTSD from the experience and would have panic attacks whenever I had to return to the hospital for follow-up visits. My postpartum months were spent feeling lonely and like I wasn’t a good mom.
Two years later, when we decided we wanted to have another child, I knew I had some work to do to prepare for walking into another birth. I knew that in the first round, I hadn’t done the work necessary for me to feel empowered, and I took on any and every option that I knew would help me get to that place this time around. I started preparing for my son’s birth like I was training for battle. I went to a counselor that did EMDR therapy with me to help process the trauma of Norah’s birth. I went to VBAC classes. I hired a doula. My husband and I made lists of fears and expectations to talk through. I exercised and ate healthy, gaining half the weight this time as I had with my daughter. I did acupuncture, acupressure. I went to a chiropractor. I listened to hypnobirthing tracks every night before bedtime. I bought birth affirmation cards and would meditate on them. I read dozens of books and hundreds of positive birth stories. I did positioning techniques and stretches every day. I knew that it was up to me to prepare mentally and physically for what my body was going to do.
When the time came, through the support of my doula and husband, I was able to successfully deliver my son without even one intervention at the hospital. I had done it. I could not believe that I had actually succeeded in the moment I had been training for so long. My husband and I both felt so empowered by what we had just accomplished. My proudest moment was when I signed the mandatory consent form in case of an emergency cesarean while holding my son in my arms. We found so much redemption in being able to educate ourselves and then fight for the birth that we desired. I truly believe we had such an amazing experience because we eliminated fear’s role in the whole thing. It had no part. We knew my body was doing what it was supposed to and that we were part of something bigger than all of us. And while my son was the one who made the grand entrance, I was reborn that day. Changed forever by the beauty of seeing what I was capable of.
Throughout the next year, I started to notice a stirring in me. It felt like a nagging desire to be able to use my experiences to help prevent birth trauma from affecting other families. I started to look into what it looked like to become a birth doula, and through the generous help of the doula that had served me and my family, I took the first step and began my training and certification. As I began learning about the ins and outs of this new career, I knew I had found my forever calling. My new business endeavor needed a name that reflected my story, so I started to brainstorm as to what it should be. I had labored at home for the majority of my son’s birth, and my in-laws were caring for my daughter while I labored. They had taken her for a walk when things got intense, and when they returned, I had reached a point where I did not think I could continue. My daughter came into the room where I was and brought me a dove feather she had found on her walk. A simple gift from my girl turned into a powerful reminder for me that I held onto for the rest of my labor. That feather reminded me of how much I loved my daughter, and at that moment I knew my love was powerful enough for me to finish what I had started. I still have the feather, and it is why Wild Dove Doula was born.
Through the trust of an amazing Midwife I had met, I came to meet my very first family. They took a risk on a doula who had never attended a birth before, and it ended up being what is still one of my favorite births I have attended thus far. I even got to be there for the birth of their second this year! There is nothing more sacred than entering into a space where life begins and getting to watch a woman become a mother. Whenever I tell people I am a doula, I get looks of confusion as to what it is. Some assume that it is the same thing as a midwife, and others don’t even know to connect it with birth. Historically, women have been cared for by women during labor and childbirth. “Doula” means a woman who serves, and that is exactly what I do. I serve expecting families by providing emotional and physical support before, during, and after their baby is born.
My favorite part of what I do is training families to advocate for themselves and then watch them feel empowered when the time comes. It doesn’t matter what kind of birth a family wants. My goal is for them to be able to make educated decisions based on evidence-based studies and then for me to support them however they need moving forward. I once told a mother I was working with that if she ended up in an unexpected cesarean, that I wanted it to be the most empowered supported cesarean where she could still walk away feeling peace and not traumatized. That same mom did end up in a cesarean, and she told me that my support and presence that day did in fact prevent her from feeling trauma and she was still able to walk away with gratitude for the way things turned out. And knowing that my experience and story prevented the same thing from happening to her makes the whole experience worth it. My goal is to continue to educate and inform families all over the Austin area so that they can receive the support they need and walk away from their birth experience grateful. This is how we will change the culture of birth in our country.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Becoming a doula has its own set of challenges. Since I chose to do it while still being a young mom, I have had extra challenges that I wouldn’t have had if I had waited until my kids were a little older. It took me much longer to attain my certification because my attention is so divided. It is also difficult to be on call. With birth, you never know what’s going to happen, no matter how prepared you are! It can take 30 minutes or 30 hours, and I have to be able to be available for either. I wouldn’t be able to serve families the way I do without an incredibly supportive community. I have friends that are willing to take my kids for the day at the drop of a hat. My husband is always willing to step up and rearrange his schedule when I have to leave unexpectedly. And my kids have learned flexibility as a strategy and never complain when I have to leave because they know how important my job is.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I would say that I am known for my calm presence and willingness to do whatever it takes to support my clients. I meet with my families for several months for prenatal appointments in order to build trust and a strong team relationship. I provide them with resources and information so they can prepare the best they can for the big birth-day they have coming up. I’d say that I stand out as a doula because I enjoy going above and beyond for my clients. I know how hard that postpartum season can be so I love to bring my families dinner so they can have a break from cooking. I also take birth photos while I attend their birth and love to share these and process their birth story at the first postpartum visit.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I was lucky enough to have a doula who helped me birth my son that I trusted as a friend as well. She was amazingly willing to answer questions for me and set me up for success with my new adventure. There are multiple organizations here in Austin that help out doulas that are just beginning as well. I became a member of the Central Texas Doula Association where I found tons of other doulas at all different stages of their careers. There is also a group called Gals that is Giving Austin Labor Support where they provide doulas for free to families here in Austin. You can sign up to volunteer here and meet other doulas this way. This also would allow you to attend your first few births to help you get your certification.
Pricing:
- $12oo for my full birth package
Contact Info:
- Email: Wilddovedoula@gmail.com
- Website: wilddovedoula.com
- Instagram: @wilddovedoula
- Facebook: @wilddovedoula
