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 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!

Birthing From Within

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Echo Morris

Not a review, yet! I will be reviewing Birthing From Within once I finish it up 🙂 I got a wonderful deal on it at Goodwill. I’ve found a ton of great birth and lactation books there. I think a lot of moms must donate them after they are done having kiddos. If you are a birth junkie, I totally suggest checking out your local Goodwill for some great reads! Granted, often you have to check the publishing date to make sure you are getting the most up to date information, but hey! It’s cheap and even if it’s older you can still glean a bit of info!

How I spent a long road trip

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Echo Morris

I’m originally from Indiana. Every few months I make the long nine hour trip with the boys, and sometimes the dog, Because this time instead of listening to NPR and random radio stations, I decided to download a ton of podcasts about birth. It was great! I listened to a few interviews with Ina May Gaskin, some about how to choose a doula, doula techniques, vbacs, it was fantastic. I will definitely search for great podcasts for future trips.