Photo by Ileana Skakun

I am a doula. I never really planned it; instead I became a doula by default. I had a lot of friends who were having babies, and I had a lot of babies, too. I always loved babies. As a little girl, I’d play mama to all of my stuffed animals and dolls. In junior high, I couldn’t imagine a greater rush than that of holding a new baby. In high school, when everyone was talking about which university they would attend and how rich and successful they wanted to be, I’d chime in with “Six kids—that’s all I want and I’ll be happy.” (26 years and six children later, I’ve achieved my life’s goal!)…