We have needs

In our culture weakness is not looked well upon. People don't want to show need or ask for help. This is very sad to me. The truth is we ALL need help. We all go through hard times. At our church we help a lot of people and sometimes it's hard for them to accept that help. What I always tell them is that everyone needs help at different times. Sometimes people need help getting groceries. Sometimes people need a hug. We all have needs.

This is especially true of parents who have just had a child, especially their first. My heart is really for people in this period of life right now. Maybe because I'm in that period or maybe that's a heart God has given me. Not sure which. But I'm trying to decide so that I can know whether I want to pursue becoming a Doula more seriously. Anyway, a quote from a book I'm reading now says,
"While almost all societies have a system for helping parents through this period (the postpartum period), in the United States the lack of widely accepted cultural tradition for giving the necessary support to families after childbirth is a major deficiency."
I agree. I think it stems from people wanting to seem "strong" or that they have it all together. Who are we kidding??? None of us have it all together.

I think this quote shows the need of the Doula. Doula's are support people. Mostly used during labor, but how valuable is that help after birth as well. I personally think every woman should have access to a Doula during her labor, and someone to help her for the first 3-6 months after birth as well. It's too bad our hospitals don't have programs in place for this because it can be expensive to hire a Doula. Maybe I'll do it for free:)