For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor,
anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,
the cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath,
stretching out her hands, saying, “Woe is me!”
Jeremiah 4:31
I hear her through the doors as I walk by. I can instinctively tell, by the sounds she is making that she is crossing the line between pain and suffering. I know she needs help, so I stop what I am doing and take time to respond. I step into the birth room, and when I see her my heart fills with compassion. She is whimpering and has a tight and high-pitched breathing pattern through her contractions. Her whole body (and mind) is fighting against them. Her face is distorted and clinched, her shoulders are raised high by her ears. I walk towards her. I smile calmly at her family in the room and explain to them, “I’m Joy, and I’m a birth assistant here, I’m also a doula, and I’m going to help Amy* work through her contractions.”
The Joy of This 