Moms who inspire...
Erica and I are not shy about our mom crushes. We will often say to each other especially when we know of a mom we both admire how we want to be her, she’s a-maz-ing , how does she do it?!
What it comes down to is we do like who we are but we also like what other mothers bring to the table. Be it courage, wisdom, truth. We want to learn from them and grow not just as mothers but as women. I know I sound new age-y here but this year I am really into going back to my more bohemian roots and hoping all the good energy we share with each other will give us the courage or the push to do what makes us happy.
So here is our first post from Samantha Huggins co –founder of Carriage House Birth in our new series moms who inspire…..
MB: How did you go from being a Natural History Collections Specialist to a doula?
SH: Honestly, it was the process of being pregnant and birthing of my first child as an NYC transplant. New York is an amazing place because we have a billion choice for everything. Restaurants, shoe stores, medical specialists. And when you are the first person in your social circle to be cooking up a baby, the choices can be overwhelming. I felt like I had to learn a new language to navigate the system and get the birth team together that I wanted.
In the end, the birth itself was magic. I had made a lot of informed decisions and felt really good about how things went.
Then as I met other women with babies my daughter's age, I started hearing these stories about other women's experiences and I kept hearing "if I had known" or "I wasn't allowed" or "I didn't know I could change practices" and I thought, 'this just has to change.'
So I became a doula and started Carriage House Birth with my amazingly wonderful partners Domino Kirke and Lindsey Bliss.
MB: What do you love about being a doula?
SH: When a baby comes earth side, it is not just them that is being born. The parents are being reborn as well. They are being reborn individually and as a family all at once. And they are filling to the top with the indescribable love. One that you can't even explain until you become a parent yourself. That moment is my guilty pleasure. I literally will never get tired of watching that happen to people.
Simply put, I am so deeply fulfilled by being able to help others. I feel like I am 100% me when I am helping a family navigate the birth process whether they hire me or one of our doulas. Even if I just get to give a little nugget of useful information and never hear from them again, I feel good. It is truly a labor of love.
MB: I feel that you always challenge yourself- did I read it right you are taking wielding classes?
SH: Its true! I have always wanted to wield. My father made art by wielding and he taught my older brother but passed away long before I could have learned too. So Im going for it. Super excited too.
MB: I know from my personal experience I alway feel like I'm still 'figuring it out’. As a working woman and a mother how do you meld the two together?
SH: You said it, lady! I am perpetually figuring it out and thats ok with me (most of the time). Nothing ever stays the same so periodic check-ins are key. And remembering to stay fluid is imperative. Where am I at? Where is my family? Most importantly is a HUGE lesson I have been working on and I think we all can. It is to remember to not kill myself trying to do it all. I am a much more peaceful person since I have started saying "no" to other people and projects if saying "yes" will negatively impact my family or stretch me out too thin. Its a tough lesson and I haven't mastered it, but I am already seeing the happy results!
You can find Carriage House Birth at 97 N 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Phone:(646) 824-2563
Post By Donna
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