I began studying and working towards becoming a birth doula about six years ago. In 2001, my husband and I got married and moved from Massachusetts to Colorado. Just a few months after moving there we found out that we were expecting a baby. My due date was January 1st, 2003. We decided to turn around and move back East again so we could be around family when the baby came, and we ended up in Maine. I was put on bedrest at ten weeks along due to placenta previa, and was completely unable to do much but read endless books and websites about pregnancy and birth. My son was born in early December, 2002. I was dedicated to breastfeeding, which did not come easily to us. I completed my doula training during that time, which included training in breastfeeding education and support. I was living in an area where hardly anyone had ever heard of a doula, so I knew that when our son was old enough to handle a big move that we would move back to the Pioneer Valley.