Chris Arrowsmith, BA, Doula, Postpartum Support

I frequently am asked why I chose this line of work. No matter how many times I am asked this question my response is always the same. I didn’t ‘choose’ to help families bring new souls into this world – this path chose me! I believe that this is part of my DNA as both of my maternal great grandmothers were midwives. I recall being in a first year women’s history class at the former Mount Royal College and even then, in 1996, I knew that my path would be to help families have their babies. I had no idea how I would fulfill my calling, but I knew what I needed to do with my life.

In 2000 I completed my BA at the University of Calgary in Women’s Studies. I used that knowledge to work at women’s shelters, a halfway house for women, and at a residential facility with teen girls who were at risk for prostitution. During this time I was trying to figure out exactly how to work with birthing families. In 2007 there were no education facilities for midwives in Calgary so I decided to pursue my education at a midwives college in the United States. I complete many courses with stellar marks and went to a couple of skills conferences where I leaned many valuable skills and connected with other like minded women. Unfortunately my education was cut short as it was decided that my school was not a recognized institution in Canada. I decided that I could still work with birthing families in the role of a doula. Shortly after that, I completed Jenn Price Jones’ Hypnobirthing course so that I can be of assistance to those families who wish to use this method. I am currently waiting for Calgary to establish a midwifery education program so I can continue to further my knowledge of birth and eventually become a midwife.

I had a beautiful baby in 1998, and again in 2005 I had a second beautiful baby! I feel that my experiences with natural, home waterbirth help me immensely when working with birthing families. My personal experiences help me to be empathetic and to remember just how intense and powerful the birthing experience is. This helps me to stay grounded during the whole experience and really ‘be’ with each labouring mother and partner.

I am not sure what makes this a more rewarding path for me: watching and helping new souls enter this world, or hearing after every birth, ‘I couldn’t have done it without you!’ Thank you so much!