A while ago I ran into some of my former childbirth students who I had also done labor support for.  I had been sending them my marketing pieces for a while so they knew I was in Real Estate for the past several years, but their phone # had changed, so I had not gotten to actually talk with them for years.

They lamented that they felt it was a real loss to the community that I was no longer in Practice for childbirth and commented that they were surprised I would go into such a different line of work.  I really had not thought about that at the time.  I honestly felt like the progression of my career was pretty much a career that fit where I was at the time and where GOD wanted me to be at the time and that most of what I had done so far lead up to where I was in Real Estate.... But really this made me think more and I found myself telling them that being a Childbirth Educator and Doula was pretty much the same job.  Let me explain.

*When I was a Childbirth Educator it was my job to share expertise and experience with my clients that they did not have.  Since I worked with births and pregnancy for a living day in day out and this was often a totally new experience for them and or one they had not had for a while.

* When I was a Childbirth Educator I taught and shared my knowledge and then I encouraged clients to make their decisions after doing more research.  I helped them learn HOW to research and what to question and gave them resources to find out and learn more.

*As a Childbirth Educator part of my job was to help my client navigate the many care providers and resources they were going to need now that they were becoming parents ( for the first or the 5th time etc)

* As a Childbirth Educator I was supposed to help my clients get educated, but many of them did make different decisions than I would have with the same information.  I had to be ok with that and still support and help them.

*As a Childbirth Educator I had to some times confront a client who was making a decision that was clearly dangerous or did not fit with what they had told me their goals were.

*As a Childbirth Educator my main job was to help my clients know what to expect and to prepare them for making good decisions when the time came.  Taking the mystery out of things did a lot for them to help them make good decisions and also to not be stressed.

* As a Childbirth Educator my job was often just to listen to my clients and be a sounding board for them and care about them.

* As a Childbirth Educator my job was to set a good example and walk the walk and really do the same things I was telling them they should do.

* As a Childbirth Educator my job was also to help promote good communication between the couple and to teach them about eachother and teach good communication skills.

** As a Doula ( Labor Support) my job was to advocate for my client under stressful situations and sometimes to negotiate even in very impossible situations.

**As a Doula my job was to help client have good information to make decisions when the unexpected happened.

** As a Doula my job was to understand what was normal and natural in a labor and keep the couple calm when something that was difficult, but normal happened.

**As a Doula my job was to support the family supporting eachother, not to replace it, just to be there to help facilitate it.

** As a Doula my job was to support with our judging.

** As a Doula it was my job to remind them of their goals and what they wanted when the going got tough.

** As a Doula it was my job to be sure that the couple were empowered in their decisions and in supporting eachother.

**As a Doula it was my job to keep a log of what happened while we were at the labor.

**As a Doula it was my job to be sure nothing was being put over on my client and that they were not being pressured to do things they did not want.

**As a Doula sometimes my job was really dirty work, cleaning up before or after a birth, making meals cleaning up the house after a birth, laundry and so on.  In essence what ever was needed that I would be the best person to do it at the time even if it was not neccessarily part of the "job"

**As a Doula it was my job to help them integrate the experience afterwards and to give them resources to help and support them with their new life.

Those of you who are good Realtors do not likely need an explaination of how I feel these 2 jobs are the same job.  But here is a really brief discription.

**As a Realtor I educate clients, I consult them on what they really want and help them get it, I let them know if it is unrealistic, I help them understand the process, I hook them up with the resources they need, I support them in their decisions even if I do not fully agree ( unless it is unethical or will really hurt them and then I step out) 

** As a Realtor in the transaction I also negotiate for and advocate for clients under stressful and life changing circumstances.  Like births each transaction is different and while you can prepare you will never know all the twists and turns.  It is my job to help them with information when having to make a fast decision it also is my job to help them have good resources.  And often I do things that are not really "part of the job" I simply am the best person to do it at the time. ...and when we are done it is time to help them integrate the experience and be there for them from now on.

Both birth and a Real Estate transaction take time, cannot be rushed, are life changing situations with much at stake, and in a place where you need some one knowledgable and caring to be there for you.  It is also a place where you need some one with resources and who knows what is and is not normal and who can help you through the process if it goes differently than you thought ( an it will)

I will say that so far the good part of Real Estate is that I do not have to have my phone/pager on 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year.  No matter how stressful the transaction, so far no one in a Real Estate transaction I've done has ever died nor have I been worried for their life.  ( cannot say the same for working with births) and I have never in my Real Estate practice been threatened by a Doctor with an instument in the middle of a transaction.  I have had calls after 2am in my Real Estate practice and I have stayed up at night worrying about a client.  I have never had to work for 72 hours straight with no sleep in Real Estate and I have never had to leave my small baby to help some one with their transaction like I have had to with a Birthing practice.  I have cried and laughed with clients.  I have watched them not take my advice and be sorry.  I have negotiated hard and still not been able to do for them what I hoped.  I have watched what they learned change their lives forever for the good....

Overall it is mostly the same job, with the need for Real Estate knowledge and contracts and ( usually minus the pregnancy and babies)  It does involve labor however.  ( anyone who's done even one closing knows that!)

I'm curious how your previous jobs prepared you for and compare with what you do now.

If you want to know more about Real Estate in general, or need help with doing a Real Estate transaction ( buying or selling a home)  Please call our Team @ 253 212 1252.  If you want resources for labor, birth, nursing and so on.....well, I still have some of my old contacts for that too!--Anna Matsunaga, Team Momentum, Keller Williams Realty