Changes, they are a comin’

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Echo Morris

Hey All!

So things have changed so much over the last year. We’ve decided to put our house on the market, our kids have all gotten larger, and I’ve settled into the role of praise and worship leader at our church. I have been crazy busy and as you all know, balance is hard.

I’ve decided to examine who and where I want to be in this life. I want to be more present, and I want to do the things that my heart calls out to do. One of these things is being a doula. I had a really hard time balancing life when Dixon was born. We had just lost the girls a few weeks prior when I found out I was pregnant. Life was hard. In the year since he’s been here though, I’ve found balance was so hard to find. That’s one of the places I really struggle with. I like to be everything for everyone all the time and now through therapy I’ve found that just isn’t possible. I have to have priorities. I have to say no to good things sometimes. And I have to create a balance that may not work for anyone else but does work for my family.

Being a doula is one of those areas. I would love to have a thriving business being a doula, but this is just not the season for us. So while my heart cries out to help women in birth, I’ve decided that I can make it work without making my family struggle. Being a doula is something I feel called to do, but the business aspect was just not working for me. I support all doulas who charge, so that isn’t where this is coming from. It’s truly coming from a place where my heart can be happy, I can be happy doing what I love, without the aspects that stress me out. So I have decided to become a not for profit doula. I also am dramatically limiting the number of births I attend. I don’t know exactly what this will look like as I’m trying to figure it all out, but I know that it has to look like something I can be happy with. Serving women in pregnancy and labor is something my heart desires, the business part isn’t, for now. Maybe that will change in a year, who knows. But for now I’ve found peace in it.

A recommendation and an update

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Echo Morris

Hey everyone,

It’s been a crazy few weeks! Wrapping up school, getting “more pregnant” ;), and three kids tend to keep me pretty busy. But I did have the pleasure today of meeting up with a mama to work on her birth plan! She took advantage of my “mini mama” service. It was a lot of fun and I always enjoy helping mamas prepare themselves for the birth they desire. So without any further ado, I’ll share this glowing review 😉

I am currently 38 weeks pregnant with my second child. My first is 6 years old so it’s been awhile! 🙂 I figured since I’ve gone through this experience before I knew what I was doing, but as I did some research, I realized that much has changed since I was last pregnant and there were so many options that aren’t readily offered that are available to me as a birthing mom. Yesterday I decided in a frenzy that I needed a birth plan because I had more questions than I thought I would. Echo showed up and showed up BIG! Within 24 hours, she dug into some research for me, had an outline prepared to walk me through a birth plan and met with me for a few hours to work out what my goals are for my birthing day (in 6 short days- planned c-section). You have a gift Echo and I am grateful for you! You are simply amazing!

– Joy B.

A doulamamaecho review

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Echo Morris

I was sent this beautiful review from one of the mamas. It really touched my heart <3

We decided to have a doula for this birth for a number of reasons. Although it was my third child, I wanted to have someone to support me if I went into labor before we were able to secure childcare for my other children. We had an initial meeting with Echo and decided that we were a match. In a subsequent meeting, we discussed birth choices. Echo provided me with many choices that I was unaware of such as delayed cord cutting. When I wasn’t sure what my decision would be at that moment, Echo took the time to send me some articles so that I could make an informed decision about it. During this meeting, she also took the time to discuss what measures would be most helpful for me during labor. After the meeting, she wrote up a birth plan and then sent it to me to look over. When I was finally in labor, she brought it to the hospital for the staff to have. Echo was very supportive during my early labor, which seemed to last a long time. I had a few false alarms and she was always patient and took the time to answer my questions and remind me what true and false labor were (despite this being my third, I needed some reminders). We called Echo on our way to the hospital and she arrived very shortly after. She jumped right in to see what she could do. While I was in labor, she offered massage, position changes, music, and other measures to help me. When the hospital staff suggested an intervention, she made sure that I was aware of all of my options. Overall, I had a very good birth experiences and I was glad that Echo could be a part of it. I had a number of fears going in (a doctor that I was nervous about, possibility of a huge baby, nurse that wasn’t too warm and fuzzy), and Echo helped me throughout the experience. Had Echo not been at my birth, I do not think it would have been as positive of an experience. I would highly recommend Echo as a doula and wish that I had had her at my other births. After Echo left, the nursing staff commented on how involved she was and how impressed they were with her skills.

– Brooke R.

Exciting news for Mama Echo

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Echo Morris

Welp, if you follow my facebook page, you’ll already know… we are expecting our fourth baby! We have three little boys from the ages of 8 to 17 months… and we are welcoming another in November.

This pregnancy came as a bit of a suprise.. not that I don’t know what causes pregnancy 😉 but we weren’t planning on it. In fact, I had been planning on getting pregnant in around August after my doula training is complete. But God had different plans.

With everything that has gone on in the past few months, this pregnancy is an interesting one. I’m depressed, and I recognize that. So I have to push myself to enjoy the little moments and the joy that this pregnancy will bring me. I know that I don’t want to regret this pregnancy. Life isn’t worth living if you are going to regret and be miserable, so I’m trying to choose to be happy and choose to live in the moments of here and now. Be more mindful of this pregnancy.

So what does this mean for DME? I’ll be continuing to support my mamas that have already signed contracts with me. After that, in August I will go on maternity leave until January 1. So I will continue to have doula dates for any mama who needs a doula with a due date after January 1st. If there is an emergency, you can’t find a doula and desperately want one, I am still willing to attend births until August, but only under extreme circumstances. Please contact me with any questions 🙂

Birth mama numero four

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Echo Morris

Beautiful warrior mama went into labor on Thursday morning, made it through until Friday night! She gave birth to a beautiful little girl! Surrounded by love the entire time, it was a long journey for mama 4!

Doula note,

this was my first birth at Jefferson Memorial in Charles Town, WV. I have to say, I really wish EVERY hospital could be as great as JM. They were respectful, loving, caring, and had some really great protocol in place, like allowing mama to EAT during labor! They even allow water birth if you are lucky enough to get in the big room. Check the hsopital out! Not only are they cutting edge, the doctors and staff are amazing.

A note from a mama’s mama

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Echo Morris

This touched my heart so much. Being my first birth, being a huge step in my life, just wow. So touching. Thank you, Faye, for letting me share this.

My name is Faye and My daughther’s name is Rachel. Echo was my daughters doula last Monday and it was a wonderful experience. I must admit that I wasn’t sure if I wanted someone else helping out my daughter since I was there to be her coach. It’s been 7 yrs since seeing Alyssa being born and things were different this time . Maybe it’s because I’m going through Menopause but I didn’t have the stamina that I knew Rachel needed me to have .Echo helped me to help Rachel by showing and telling her things she could do to make labor more bearable. As the labor progressed I soon found myself being able to depend on Echo and didn’t have to feel like I was letting my daughter down. The encouragement she gave Rachel showed me that you don’t have to be a relative to someone to helpful, and her knowledge made me feel that it was ok for her to be there. She never left my daughters side and I will always cherish this experience forever. I’m very grateful for Echo she had only met my daughter once but it was as if she knew exactly what to do and how to calm Rachel, and me sometimes also.:) And made this whole experience better than I could have done on my own. Thank you Echo from the bottom of my heart !! Faye

Baby story

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Echo Morris

I just wanted to share a little bit (with permission) about my first birth. I was nervous, of course! But once there, it was just so seamless. This was a wonderful first birth to attend. Mama was being induced due to low fluid, however we were determined to make it a more natural induction. Mama made her own decisions, asked for time to discuss and research, and moved through labor like a seasoned professional 😉 She labored much of the time out of the bed, moving her baby downward and out. She was determined to go pain medication free, and after hours of labor made it! She was truly an inspiration and it was such a blessing to be there with her!

Thank you Rachel for allowing me to be a part of such a beautiful and special time in you and Keith’s lives!

Baby number one!

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Echo Morris

I’m so excited to write this! I had my first since officially starting my training! I’m feeling super blessed that I was able to be a part of it. I’m so glad I had that “aha! this is what you are supposed to be doing” feeling… It’s unlike anything else. Seeing a baby being born, also like nothing else. I think that seeing a baby born is about the closest we get in this lifetime to seeing God… it’s just this amazing, breath taking, magical moment.

birth community in frederick county, md

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Echo Morris

Wow! I can’t believe I forgot. I was interviewed for Want2Dish about some super exciting things going on in the birthing community in this area, specifically Sacred Roots Birth Community. It was super fun to be interviewed… and anything to spread the word about birth choices 🙂

Check it out!

Want2Dish!

resource list

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Echo Morris

I’ve added a couple of new resources to my resource page. Am I missing something? Is there anything you want that’s not on the list? A provider not mentioned? Let me know!