Today we’d like to introduce you to Shiraya McCain.
Hi Shiraya, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey to be a birth doula started in 2018 when my husband asked me “What do you want to do with your life? What do you want to be?’ That question came at an odd time as I had just had my son not even a month earlier plus I had always been a stay at home mom. I really wasn’t looking to the future any time soon, I was too tired. But it did get me thinking. After the birth of my third child, I knew birth was an interest. Little did I know I was already “doulaing” some of my friends for their births. I had no clue what a doula was until after I had my children. So I stared googling as one would do and I stumbled upon Birth Arts International. I loved what they stood for and I could afford the courses. I made and sold crafts of all kinds and shared my heart with those around me. I was able to pay for the course in full. I started right away, baby in one arm and me taping the keys of my computer with the other.
It took me a full 2 yrs to complete the course but I finished it in 2020 during quarantine! I was busy educating myself but I had to have experience as well. I was nervous and scared on what to do but I jumped right in. I started out with people I already knew like friends and family who were pregnant. With each client and birth, I learned more and more. I also found a mentor who literally was a lifesaver. She had been a doula for many years herself and she offered to help me find my way. Now she is one of my best friends and a midwife.
Fast forward almost 4 years and I have been steadily making my own path in the birth world. I get to educate and support birthing families. I offer prenatal meetings where we discuss birth plan, pain management techniques, labor, delivery and postpartum. Getting to see a baby being born never gets old and clients become friends for life. Plus holding the sweet, squishy babies is definitely a perk! Being a doula truly fulfills my soul. I am currently taking a course to become a childbirth educator as that felt like the natural next step for me. I am always honored to serve the families of Volusia and the surrounding counties of central Florida.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road to becoming a birth doula was a bumpy one. I am an introvert so putting myself out there terrified me. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find clients or do the right things at a birth. There were many moments when I wanted to give up but I knew I had to keep going and see it through. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. So with each client and birth, I used it to learn and grow.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Shiraya McCain Birth Doula?
I am a birth doula who provides faith based eduction and support to birthing families of Volusia and surrounding counties in Central Florida. I offer prenatal meetings where we discuss birth plan, pain management techniques, labor, delivery and postpartum. I also attend the birth and offer postpartum support.
What sets me apart is my faith. I am also a pastor’s wife so incorporating my faith into my doula business was a no-brainer. 99% of my clients hire me because they want someone who believes like them and can pray for them as they journey through pregnancy, birth and postpartum.
I am proud to be the doula I am. There is space for everyone because we are all unique. We bring different things to the table. I feel like I stepped into my true self when I discovered what a doula was.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
That birth is not cookie cutter. Everyone is different therefore each birth looks and feels different. Also feels kinda like Christmas each time because you never know what you’re gonna get. Babies have a mind of their own!
I’ve also learned to believe in myself. I’ve never really been one to follow through on much but I am so glad I did with this. I always want to keep learning and growing in my job.
Pricing:
- free consultation over the phone
- $800 doula services
- $450 virtual services only
- $450 planned C-section
Contact Info:
- Email: smccain321@yahoo.com
- Website: smbirthdoula.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/smbirthdoula
- Facebook: facebook.com/shirayambirthdoula
Image Credits
Shiraya McCain
Anthony Gonzalez
