My Journey to Becoming a Doula

I felt called to become a doula after my own birth experience, during which a doula supported me. Before getting pregnant, I was actually terrified of giving birth. That fear was one of the reasons I had hesitated to have children. Once I did become pregnant, the fear only grew stronger.

A few months into my pregnancy, I found myself overwhelmed by the thought of what could happen in birth and I thought I'd have a caesarian "to be safe". I kept hearing the typical horror stories about childbirth—stories that only deepened my fears. Then, I started hearing other women share their positive birth stories—empowering, natural birth experiences—and I realized that what truly frightened me wasn’t birth itself, but the hospital environment.

The idea of being in a place where I might not be supported, where I might not be in a position to advocate for myself, and where I could easily be swept into a cascade of interventions that might end in an emergency cesarean, an episiotomy or other interventions—that was what scared me most. I didn’t want to feel like just another patient in a system focused on “a live baby in a basket,” as Dr. Stu says, instead of the well-being of both the mother and the baby.

A friend had once mentioned doulas to me, but at the time I dismissed the idea as something kind of out there. Still, the thought stayed with me. Eventually, I started looking for doulas in Barcelona. The first one I spoke to didn’t attend births, but the second, a woman named Erika, completely changed everything for me.

After just a 30-minute conversation with her, I hung up the phone feeling strong, empowered, and sure that I could have a positive, supported birth experience. Around that time, I also began prenatal yoga flow training, which included elements of birth education. I started reading and learning—Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin, and A Baby Is a Mammal by Michel Odent. These books profoundly changed my perception of birth and helped me understand that I could have an empowered experience, free of trauma. I learned about hypnobirthing and discovered The Positive Birth Movement.

When the time came, I gave birth to my daughter at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, which follows a respected birth protocol. I arrived at the hospital already 10 centimeters dilated—exactly as I had hoped, since I wanted to labor at home as long as possible. Looking back, I might choose a home birth next time, but at that moment, I wasn’t quite ready for that step.

Erika, my doula, was with me throughout the entire experience. She advocated for me, communicated with the midwife when I couldn’t find my voice, and provided amazing support. Thanks to her, I had an amazing, empowering birth.

That experience transformed me. It made me realize that every woman deserves to feel supported, informed, and empowered during birth. That conviction led me to complete my doula training with Quiero Ser Doula here in Barcelona, and for the past six years, I’ve been honored to support women on their own motherhood journeys.

-Mimi