2020 Manifestations!

2019 was a big year. I left my former agency and struck out in a partnership, Full Spectrum Doula Care was formed and the scholarship fund was conceived of, I went to the advanced training of Eat, Pray, Doula in Bali and met Ibu Robin Lim and formed so many precious friendships and had my cup overfilled, my brother got married and I determined to have a closer relationship with my family, back in Portland I reached out to several maternity homes and formed tight partnerships in the community serving women facing homelessness, domestic violence, and addiction issues, I took Trystan Reese's training on trans birth, I had to develop managerial and business skills as the business grew, the flood gates opened and 2019 has really been the year of the return client for me, I took Shafia Monroe's enlightening full circle doula training, I supported a client with the most significant mental health issues I have encountered professionally while one of my oldest friends in Portland was going through an intense mental health crisis herself, I struggled with balance as several higher needs clients wanted overnights every night for months, FSDC started a residency program to support newer doulas just beginning their careers, my business partner told me she was going back to school full time to pursue midwifery, I took Gena Kirby's rebozo training, my dear Uncle David died suddenly and I had to grapple with grief in a way I never have before, I officially took over FSDC and bought out all other interests in the business, I took Spinning Babies workshop with Nikki Zerfas right before I headed home for December, also a first since I've been a professional full time doula. I also supported 30 births and did more postpartum hours than I can count! 2019 was an awesome (in every sense of that word) year.

Every year since I've been a doula I have set New Year's manifestations. I'm not just resolving to change, I am making magic and staying open to what I need to learn and do in 2020. And not to brag, but I am really freaking good at manifestation. I didn't really know until Jesse Remer taught me about it during my MotherTree internship in 2016, but I'm basically a witch and have manifested big things every year since. 2020 is going to be my most magical year yet. But I've found that for my manifestations to work I have to speak them out loud to many people, and since the blog is my biggest megaphone I'm sharing this with everyone in the Full Spectrum community here today.

So here are my manifestations for 2020:

I will attend 35 births this year!

I will finish my certifications and work towards becoming an Evidence Based Birth childbirth educator.

I will submit my application so I can be designated a traditional healthcare worker by the Oregon Health Authority and start taking my first OHP clients.

I am going to learn how to cook meals from the first 40 days that people will actually want to eat! (this is probably the one that will require the most magic, but I got some le creuset cookware for Christmas so here's hoping!)

$25,000 will be donated to the scholarship fund and FSDC will gross $200,ooo!

I will work on resting and enjoying my life outside of being a doula as much as I take joy from birth work; I will start taking one full day off work every week, I am going to get back into biking and playing music as much as I did before I started working at my former agency, and I am going to start tracking my sleep with the goal of 49 hours every week again.

​I also asked Ariana Micek, who truly has been a blessing to me as I figure out how I want the business to work as the sole proprietor of FSDC, what she is manifesting for her doula work in the next year. This is what she said:

"I want to add vaginal steaming to my postpartum offerings, get a support group going for FSDC and attend 15 births" in 2020!

As I move into 2020, I feel so grateful that I have found my path, that it is one surrounded by so many amazing people, and that I really feel led and held and cared for by something bigger than me on this journey. Truly, I am having a happy new year!

​by Jenna Chidester

felt cute this new years day, def not going to delete later haha