Today we’d like to introduce you to Cara Ginnel.
Hi Cara, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started off in 2019 as a postpartum doula to support a young mother I knew personally. She had asked me for help with her pregnancy and we knew that there could be a great impact on her mental health postpartum. I’m not really sure how I stumbled upon doula work specifically, just seemed like it fell in my lap and I knew that’s what I needed to do. When I started the certification process, I realized with every fiber of my being that this was my life’s calling.
Shortly after, I met with a local nonprofit that supports low income and vulnerable women to see how my services could be rendered to support their clients. I was a single teen mother myself, and this demographic has always been my goal to serve. I was told that day that what they really needed was childbirth education and support in the birthing space. So I took that as my next step. I didn’t know that I would eventually become more passionate and better utilized in the education and birthing space. I completed my birth doula certification through CAPPA in only six months.
Fast forward to 2023…while cleaning out my grandparents attic, I found a letter from my high school best friend. She wrote it once she was in college, and it talked about how my support of her (when I was 15 and she was 16) throughout her unplanned pregnancy is what helped her to get her where she was. You see, I was the first to know; and from that moment if I wasn’t at school or working I was with her. I was not allowed in the room when her child was born, but I was at the hospital. She was born right at the end of the year and I pretty much lived with her all summer. When I read that letter…I realized that I have been a doula all along, without knowing what it was.
As I approach serving over 100 families in birth and postpartum, I’m looking forward to what the future holds! I am mentoring new doulas – one of them being my daughter that I gave birth to at 18, as well as 2 women that I have served pro-bono who also became passionate about the work. My ultimate goal is to create a non profit to be able to support women who don’t have the privilege to afford support for birth and beyond. From educating to labor support and postpartum support. With the purpose of also growing them into the profession so they can in turn serve in their communities in the same capacity. It is slow moving getting there, but at every turn I get closer to it! I currently work with several local nonprofits to support and serve families.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think career wise it has been a pretty smooth road. I work well with others in our field – I work hard to work well with midwives, providers, and hospital staff – and I think that makes a huge difference. But on a personal level there have definitely been a lot of struggles. I have experienced almost every scenario for labor and birth, from what we call “butter births” to traumatic births. I carry each mother’s story within me and that load can be heavy.
I’m the type of person who shows up when you need me and I don’t leave until I feel you are at a place of peace. Serving like that means many sleepless nights, which can have an effect on my health and nervous system along with the stress it puts on my family and personal relationships. Sometimes I don’t see family for days, sometimes I miss holidays, and often my personal relationships are put on hold because I can only do so much. I am constantly on call and often have to leave or reschedule my personal life.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a birth and postpartum doula and childbirth educator. I have been told I am a “one-stop shop”! From the moment I’m hired, I’m fully committed throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum providing support – whether it is educational, emotional, or physical – whereever I’m needed.
I teach in person childbirth classes that cover everything having to do with birth from a holistic and medical view. Because many of my clients are giving birth within the medical system, raising awareness about what to expect and how to advocate for themselves is just as important as understanding how hormones and environment impact birth and postpartum. The more autonomy they have over themselves, even if things don’t go according to how they hoped, makes an impact on how they view their birth experience. I believe that a mother’s birth experience and her birth outcome go hand in hand and make the difference between a positive birth or a traumatic birth. We have to balance both of them. It is experiences that shape our lives and decisions. Women carry their birth stories throughout their lives and it shows up when least expected.
As doulas we kind of have to become a “jack of all trades” to step in when needed with encouraging and empowering words, physically with holding their hand, applying different techniques to bring comfort or just holding space. Sometimes holding space is the most important skill we have. The support extends to the birth partner as well. This includes walking them through what the mother may need or showing how to better support and advocate for their partner. Sometimes the birth partner needs the emotional support as well!
I am most proud of the impact that I have had on the families and community. The fact that I can hopefully impact their story so that it has a more positive outcome or outlook is what matters to me the most. I don’t stop caring for families just because my time to serve contractually has ended. I try to keep a relationship flowing. I am invited into one of the most personal, spiritual, and vulnerable times in their lives and I don’t take that lightly.
I asked my clients and other birth workers what they feel sets me apart from others. What they had to say is that I am very intentional, meeting people where they are without judgement or set expectations. I focus on establishing a relationship with my clients and spending quality time, building a deeper trust in doing so. I’m an “all in” kinda gal! The more I can get to know my clients and in turn them know me, I am able to serve them better. It goes for those that are in birth work as well. I once “rescued” (her words not mine) a retired doula to support a couple I’ve never met through an intense birth journey on a holiday. This is more than a job or career. This is a way of life for me.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I am a tried and true enneagram 2w3, and also neurodivergent. It’s probably the first time in my life that I truly feel my ADHD is used as a benefit. It allows me to focus on the client at hand, while also being able to be meet another client’s needs. I’m able to anticipate a need before it is asked for and read a room without any words having been spoken.
I have had two clients go into labor at the same time, my back up not be able to come. The staff were wonderful and put them in the rooms next to each other and I was able to bounce between the two and not lose a single step. When I asked my clients if they felt the absence, neither of them ever realized I was out of the room.
I have a deep-seated desire to help others, and I’m outgoing and super passionate about birth work. This helps with getting clients excited and motivated to advocate for the births they desire.
Pricing:
- $1800 for birth services including childbirth education
- $300 for in person childbirth education
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dotingdoulabirthservices.com
- Instagram: @dotingdoulabirth
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=doting%20doula
Image Credits
Portraits of Joy Photography, Elizabeth Spohn
