Who me, a DOULA?

Wow. I talked to this woman on the phone last week who is looking for a doula. She had one at her last birth (a home birth midwife, no less) and asked about my services. I told her my price, what I offer, etc. and she said she'd call me back. So we talked this morning and she says very matter-of-factly: "We've decided to hire you. That is, if you're still available at the time of my due date."
I was struck dumb. I've never even met this couple. I had a 10 minute phone conversation about my background and what I do. Normally, this is followed by another phone call either saying, "We're not interested" or "Let's meet and have an interview."
It's kind of strange. So I'm going to sendmy contract in the mail and meet them next weekend.
As Margaret would say, I'm gobsmacked.

How can you hire someone to come to such an intimate situation and not even know what they looked like? I couldn't. I'd want to see that they're clean, friendly, a good listener, hell, that they don't suffer from halitosis! (Bad trait for a birth attendant to have. I'm addicted to Altoids for this very reason~ and I don't even have halitosis. Pregnant women and their noses~ look out!)
So there you go. A birth lined up. A hospital birth. Haven't been to a hospital birth in 2 years. And that last one was one of those typical I Get Stuck With Doula Birth. Ahem, something like this: Client calls Friday evening with piddly contractions that she can totally talk through. I advise her to eat an easy meal, maybe have a glass of wine and try to sleep. Instead, the client goes out for spicy Indian food, drinks a Coke and decides to walk the streets of Ann Arbor for 3 hours. Contractions mildly stronger but still fifteen minutes apart! I get another call at 2am, client can't sleep. Contractions still only 10 minutes apart but she claims she needs to go to the hospital. So I drive up to the U and find her in triage. They don't want to admit her but do anyway. Within 6 hours, we're hooked up to Pit and an epidural. I stay all day Saturday and Saturday night. Baby is born sometime Sunday afternoon.
Do you know that I've had FOUR doula clients pretty much play out this entire scenario? Is that not crazy? All of them via cesarean. I used to beat myself up about being a shitty doula. How come all my clients get sectioned? What am I doing wrong? But many births (mostly homebirths) later, I realized that we need to honor (completely, not just lip service) each birth as it unfolds. Even if we think this woman has a beautifully roomy pelvis and could've totally pushed her teensy 6 pounder through there. The phenomena of psychologic dystocia is incredily true and powerful. Women need to feel safe to let go. And for some women, there is no place that feels safe enough to let go to the powers and pains of labor and birth. And of course it doesn't help to have a clock hanging across the room at the end of each laboring woman's bed. With nurses, midwives, OBs, janitors, annoying phone calls all clanging away during labor, watching the clock screaming, FASTER, FASTER!
And me as the doula trying to keep them out but also thinking, I've been here for 48 hours, can you please have your baby now? And then feeling incredibly guilty about this.

Phew, I guess I needed to process some of my own birth fears!

At any rate, this stranger who has hired me had a good vaginal birth last time. With a short (for a first baby) 8 hour labor with the help of Pit and a doula. Don't know if she had an epidural or not. I really don't care. Sounds like she's all business and healthy. It should be okay.

Now I really need to find night time child care. Gosh, I don't even know where to start looking.
Blech.

All right, I really need to take a shower. Eamon is napping, it's 12:30 and I didn't have time before taking Sarah to school. I'm half tempted just to stay dirty. I'm not doing anything but cleaning the credit union, but then I'll feel really gross. Shower it is.