If you follow up on social media, you may have seen our recent posts introducing our doula team. We’re also beginning a short series on introducing our Rocket City Doulas doulas in blog format!
Today, we hear from Arin! One of our OG postpartum and infant care doulas.
Tracy: Arin, What are your certifications and training?
Arin: I am a Postpartum Doula and Infant Care Doula trained and certified through ProDoula.
Tracy: Why did you become a doula?
Arin: I wanted to be the person I needed but never had.
Tracy: Why did you want to join Rocket City Doulas?
Arin: This is a funny story actually. I was trying to start a business and raise three kids alone, and I had just met with a school counselor because one son was struggling with depression. It was a hard day. So obviously I turned into the Target parking lot on my way home for some comfort. There, I noticed Tracy’s car with the Rocket City Doula’s bumper sticker. I waited like a weirdo to talk to her and beg her for some wisdom and direction …and then chickened out. But later that day I looked her up on Facebook and saw that she was hosting a meeting specifically for Postpartum Doulas! I went and I’m so glad I did! I love working for an agency – at this point, I can’t imagine working solo. I love belonging to a family of doulas, seeing them all at meetings, and leaning on them if I need someone to talk to, to challenge me, or to fill in for me.
Tracy: What’s your favorite thing about working with RCD?
Arin: Our team meetings! They don’t feel like meetings, they feel like family dinners – family dinners when the only people who could come were the chill aunts.
Tracy: What is your favorite thing about being a doula?
Arin: There’s a fundamental shift in a woman’s eyes when you tell her that she’s in charge, and she’s in charge because she intuitively knows what’s best. I’m not giving her this autonomy; it has always been hers. But I’m often given the privilege to be the first person in this new season to acknowledge it, to remind her of how far she’s come and who she is deep down. That sparkle reigniting in a mother’s eyes, never ever gets old.
Tracy: What was your most memorable event/conversation/situation where you thought “This is what makes it all worth it?”
Arin: When I get to meet a client’s out-of-town family, they begin crying while saying hello to me. It has happened a couple of times and I just hope they know I’m more thankful than they are!
Tracy: What’s the hardest thing about being a doula?
Arin: I’m a single mom to three wild boys, so as far as mothering is concerned, I have seen a lot! I definitely struggle with anxiety, but my own parenting journey has worn away the edges of my panic and fear, somewhat. Meeting new, first-time parents and sitting with them in their worry, knowing that nothing but time and experience will etch away that tendency to go over every scenario and experience those emotions as if everything you worry about is really happening. It can be hard to follow them into those mental spaces. But I know the only way out is through, and I treasure those uphill climbs.
Tracy: What’s your favorite random doula fact?
Arin: Doula is a very old Greek word, that we still use it today makes me feel connected to those first wise women standing beside new mothers.
Tracy: When you’re not with clients, what are you doing?
Arin: Homeschooling!
Tracy: What are your favorite things to do for fun, and why?
Arin: I enjoy hopping in the car with my kids, rolling down the windows, and seeing where the day takes us. (Usually, it takes us directly to ice cream or boba.) Now that they’re not such little kids anymore I want to see who they’re becoming, and getting out of the house and chatting over food is a great way to do that! I also love to just sink into a good book and disappear into another world for a little while. It reminds me to remember to write my own story when I come back to reality.
Tracy: What’s your favorite dad joke?
Arin: What do you call a dog that can do magic? A labracadabrador.
Tracy: What else should we know about you?
Arin: Every client has a wildly different task or experience that gives them a sense of normalcy and control. For some it’s clean sheets, for others it’s singing along to Hamilton for an afternoon. My hope is that no matter the ask, no matter the topic, my clients know they can trust me to come alongside and walk with them to their next goal.
What do clients say about Arin?
“Arin has a calm, sweet disposition, which gives her the perfect presence every postpartum mom needs. She listens non-judgmentally and goes the extra mile to ease the challenges of new motherhood.”- A.M.
What we think you should know about Arin:
Arin also runs our monthly support meetup for new and expectant parents. It meets the first Thursday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at Piper and Leaf in Madison.
