Birth Partner Corner: Anna Cheechov
Anna's journey into the birth world began with her own pregnancy in 2012. She was fascinated with the miracle that was taking place in her body: growing her baby and expanding to create new life. She delved deeply into books on pregnancy, childbirth and lactation and was excited to learn about and feel the entire experience. Little did she know, the transformational birth of her 6-year-old daughter, Nola, would be the platform for launching into her newfound passion and career-- the work of being a birth doula.
The Push: What keeps you committed to being a doula?
Anna: After attending nearly 200 births to date, the statement "I couldn't have done it without you" has been expressed after so many babies are born. I still feel those same sentiments toward my doula, so can understand the level of gratitude families feel when they're well supported through this transition into parenthood. Birth work is intense, beautiful, and often really hard work. Sometimes sleepless nights, and sometimes 24+ hour shifts! I feel right at home while guiding families through to the other side of birth, and beyond. I'm grateful for each family's willingness to invite me into their lives in this way and to trust my guidance during such a special and intimate string of moments.
The Push: What are some of the tools and techniques that you find to be the most useful for your clients?
Anna: Prenatally, I like to streamline the information my clients are getting, and really steer them away from Dr. Google, toward evidence-based research and information that will be helpful rather than harmful. Sometimes Dr. Google can be scary, and I've already done a lot of digging to find good info that will help birthing people make decisions that feel best to them.
During labor, my love for massage, breathwork, essential oils, and my magical reiki hands are what help me to get families through this process-- all bodies included! Most of all, my sense of calm, gentle encouragement, and ability to adapt in high-intensity situations comes in handy when guiding clients down their birth path. Birth is sometimes a marathon, so energy management of all present is key.
Postpartum, I love to encourage the bonding and feeding process, and to normalize life with a baby. Like I said, it's a major life shift when adding a little human into the world, and you never know who you are going to get, or who you'll be on the other side. To be able to talk about this stuff with someone who gets it is really important. And by stuff I mean, leaky breasts, baby poop, and lost sleep, to name a few of the fun side-effects of giving birth. The babies make it all worth it.
The Push: You are very involved in the birth work community. How has your own birth experience shaped how you support other doulas?
Anna: Through the NYC Doula Collective, I was connected to an amazing doula who made a world of difference on the day of my birth by holding space for the process to unfold, step-by-step, toward my envisioned birth. My doula offered chocolate and coconut water at the most perfect times. Encouraged position changes and supported the whole birth team. Everyone stayed up through the night into the morning, waiting for Nola to emerge. In the end, the birth went beautifully, in my eyes. After going through that experience I felt strongly that supporting people from the doula's seat would be the perfect way to share the excitement I felt.
So, I began doing the work when Nola was just 5 months old, after being accepted into the NYCDC. A few years later, I assisted enough families to qualify to mentor doulas who have less experience than I do. I've now been mentoring for a few years, and it's one of my favorite parts of my job! We mentor doulas until they become mentors, usually after attending about 75-100 births. Being a doula is not just about supporting families, it's also about building a business for yourself as a birth worker. Most doulas are women, so these are women-owned and run businesses built for the sole purpose of supporting other women. Just like Poppy Seed Health. Whatever I can do to support that, I'm happy to do!