Jessica Jardine: MSP Spring 2018 Doula Training Scholarship Winner

bebo mia’s Spring 2018 Doula Scholarship submissions for the Maternal Support Practitioner Program saw some amazing applicants. We are thrilled to present our winners’ submissions. With the help of some incredible sponsors like Olivia Scobie & Candice Tizzard of Stages Doula, we were able to offer 6 Scholarships to the very first round of our extended version of the combined fertility, birth and postpartum doula training.

We are so honoured and excited that we were able to offer Spring 2018 doula scholarships to incredibly strong, motivated, kind and passionate women from all over the world who would otherwise not be able to afford a doula training program. When a scholarship recipient is chosen they must submit a blog entry introducing themselves and their “why”.

We are pleased to introduce you to the 5th recipient of the Spring 2018 MSP aka Doula Training Program, Jessica Jardine…

Hi there! My name is Jess, Jessica, Jessica-lyn, sometimes Jessie…Most often it’s “mom” or “honey”. I’m a woman, a mother, a daughter and a wife. I have three living children and their sister, Dotty, who was born too early and lived a tragically beautiful half an hour or so. My living kids are 7, 4 and 1! We reside in an historic Gold Rush town in California where we live life fully and loudly! Actually, we’re pretty quiet people but it sometimes seems loud! We express ourselves through homeschool (learning through play/life), singing, dancing, traveling, and mingling about our rural community.

One interest we ALL share is birth! My children were there for the births of their siblings, and together with my husband, are my biggest supporters as I venture into the world of birth work. I have been pregnant six times. I’ve birthed four babies and felt the otherworldly experience that comes along with an unmedicated birth (even with a slightly traumatic hospital birth). It’s better than any high I’ve experienced or imagined.

I had been following the #bebobabes for a while and saw the spring MSP doula scholarship announced a few months ago. I immediately checked out the website and pricing to see if we could make it work.

Being a stay at home mom to three in this economy has its setbacks, monetarily speaking, and I definitely don’t put myself first. It just wasn’t in the budget. I applied as soon as I could for the spring MSP doula scholarship, with shaking hands. I’m not one to take these kinds of risks. Risks where I could fail and not be “chosen”. Saying no to that little voice in my head was a huge part of applying!

I’ve had so many friends from my generation go through agonizing traumatic births that have more times than not, resulted in a cesarean birth. I’ve known moms who had zero support breastfeeding and have given up. I’ve seen the struggle that comes from the lack of support in a birth-based community. It is forcing mothers into spaces they don’t deserve to be in and I can’t sit back idly. My local hospital has an extremely high C-section rate. I feel it’s an exploitation to birthers when it is so blatantly obvious that something is wrong.

I believe strongly in a woman’s choice to birth how she feels fit, after having the opportunity to make an informed choice out of love, not fear.

I hope to some day see physician bullying phased out, traumatic birth phased out, and to no longer hear women say “my Dr said I couldn’t, my Dr won’t let me”. I want to assist in that movement; I want to be a labor assistant, a postpartum laundry doula, a warm hug to a new family. I don’t want Mom’s to feel the paralyzing fear of “going home” from the hospital, not aware of the confidence they hold deep within. I want to support a Mother’s medical decision to have a cesarean birth and to help her heal and shine after; to not slip into the darkness that so often follows medicalized birth.

I have plans brewing in my head and plan on utilizing bebo mia’s Business Mentorship that is part of my training to make it happen. I want to host birth centered classes and workshops in my area and to network with other holistic programs/providers in the area. I want to offer my services to bereaved parents as well. To check in on what is such a delicate and tumultuous time. To let them know it does get lighter.

It’s going to take time and I know that doulas are just barely feeling welcome in the area. I want to gain confidence to offer my services AND make a living from it. I want to stay busy in the birth world!

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bebo mia’s mission is to connect women* to their intrinsic value & power. One of the ways we aim to do this is by offering the most comprehensive combined fertility, birth & postpartum doula training! Our team of instructors are diverse, interesting, committed to social justice & super funny.

Collectively we are committed to changing the landscape of birth experiences across the globe. 

Thinking about registering for class this September? Our EARLY BIRD rate is on now!

Are finances the only barrier to becoming a doula for you? Apply to our Scholarship for the Fall 2018 MSP Program!

Have a passion for creating opportunity and want to become a scholarship sponsor?! Learn more here.

We want to make all support accessible! Check out our Community Scholarship!