Window Cleaner come Doula
My window cleaner came this afternoon. He likes to chat. A lot. When he arrived he knocked at the door. This is never a good sign. He usually just jumps the six foot back gate.
Knock, knock.
Thankfully my partner opened the front door.
WC: “You’ve got a new padlock”
M: “yep same number”
WC: “Oh right, I never remember it I just…”
me: in my head No you just climb it; so today….?
WC: “How’s the little one?”
moment of small talk
WC: “What does Juliet do?”
M: “She’s a hypnotherapist”
WC: “oh I thought she did something with babies, midwives, birth”
M: “hypnobirthing, she does hypnobirthing. And she’s a doula.”
WC: “yes that’s it, remind me to tell you my story”
Off he goes to clean windows. When he finishes and knocks on the door I deliberately invite him in. I was feeling very cold and did not fancy a (very) long chat on the doorstep.
The Doula Story
In he comes with a fabulous window cleaning story. It was the first time he’d met the very pregnant client and that was only because she’d arrived home as he arrived. Within a short space of time he heard a banging on the window, followed by “call an ambulance, I’m having a baby”. WC rushed down his ladder and off down the road to call the emergency services and to find the road name as he’d (momentarily I’m sure!) forgotten it! Labouring woman thought he’d run away! Father of the woman, grandad to the baby (and son who was also present) arrived soon after and to cut a short story even shorter baby arrived very quickly. WC being the man he is, organised everything beautifully. Baby cried immediately, “went from blue to pink immediately”. Birthing mum was “so in control”, and the reason why I love my WC
“my friend said did I grab something to cut the cord. I told him that in some cultures they never cut the cord, they just leave it until it falls off. Nothing needed touching at all”.
I’m considering bringing my WC to all hypnobirthing classes, seems as though he’d make a great doula.
Why Hypnobirthing?
Imagine that though, on all counts. The labouring mum, there are few women that prepare for it to happen that quickly. The (grand)father, I expect he was grateful for the presence of WC; and the son. What an amazing experience to witness, the birth of your baby sister. I’m sure that if this women had a hypnobirthing course behind her she would have been using the techniques to remain fully in control of a somewhat unexpected and probably slightly scary situation.
Hypnobirthing is about more than managing the intense feelings of birth. It is also an education on labour, the physiology of birth, a tool to empower women and techniques to help women remain in control of the birthing process. I truly believe every pregnant woman or couple can benefit from taking a hypnobirthing course. Just wondering now whether I should put on a course for the window cleaners of Farnham!
Find out more about Hypnobirthing with Juliet here
If you are researching hypnobirthing you might enjoy my blog post on Hypnobirthing, a little for the birth partner