The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
I think for me, the hardest part of being a doula and birth photographer is the unpredictability of birth…. at any given moment, day or night, I might be called, and it is time to go. I need to stay near my phone and within phone reception once I go on call. I missed my sister’s birthday last year because on that morning I got a call to leave. This part is hard, but ultimately important.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
I once read a quote that said, “Being self-employed means you work 12 hours a day for yourself, so you don’t have to work 8 hours a day for someone else” and I had to laugh. This is certainly me; I have such a passion and drive for what I do that I spend many hours in the day focusing on my photography and doula work, studying, learning, editing, photographing, all to enable me to serve women and families in the best way I can. On the flip side, I adore working my own hours, feeling so passionate about what I do, and doing something that ultimately totally lights me up. This just feels like exactly what I am meant to be doing.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I will continue to serve women and their families in the heart-centred way that I do. I consider myself a birth activist and love to offer powerful questions to guide people into their fullest power and autonomy. I aspire to share a woman-centred, woman-focused level of care, supporting women to make the choices that feel right and best for them in each moment. I want the women in my care to feel empowered and confident as they walk through their pregnancy journey and through labour, birth and postpartum. I adore capturing births, babies and families and creating memories for the families I serve, and will continue to follow this passion of mine too.
Head to the Alexa Doula Photography website to find out more and to view her beautiful photography portfolio. You can also follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
