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Episode 95: Doula Business Chat
Becoming a doula means that you are starting a doula business. Many doulas overlook this first step. Or this information is not a big part of their doula training. Understanding the ins and outs of starting a business is important. Creating a legal business structure, setting up business accounts for banking, taking payments, and offering services are critical first steps. These steps not only protect your business but can protect your personal assets as well. Running a business means that you need to manage many aspects of your doula business daily. Working with clients is a part of what you will do as you work in your business. But it…
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Episode 94: How to Know When to Go
Doulas new to labor support have a common question; “How will I Know when it’s time to go?” Doula clients often have a version of the same question; “How will we know when to go?” The answers to these questions may seem relatively simple, but in practice, the answer can be pretty complex. Factors that doulas may consider include: what are the frequency and duration of contractions, how the client copes with the contractions, would the client benefit from the reassurance that moving to their birth location can offer, does the client have any medical risk factors that warrant closer monitoring. Helping clients distinguish between practice labor and progressive labor…
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Episode 93: Doula Consult vs. Interview
On the surface, the difference between a doula consult vs. a doula interview seems virtually nonexistent. However, the intentions behind each can be vastly different. Depending on where a doula trains, an interview may be where a doula decides if they want to work with a particular family. Or an interview is a place where a doula “teases” what they have to offer. But reserves providing information and genuinely engaging in offering a deeper level of information and support until hired. A consultation is where a family can meet with a doula to gather information and advice. It’s an opportunity for the doula to create a vision of what it…
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Episode 92: Exploring Doula Bias
As doulas and humans, it is inherent that we bring bias into our work. Yet, at the same time, providing non-biased, non-judgmental support is a hallmark of the support we provide to the families we work with. The first step to setting aside our bias is identifying the types of bias we are subject to. The three basic types of bias that doulas face are: Implicit bias Explicit bias Confirmation bias There are biases that we hold based on our lived experiences. They influence our subconscious thoughts, attitudes, and stereotypes. These biases are identified as implicit bias. Explicit biases come from our views about a person, thing, or group. Then…
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Episode 90: Community Referrals
As a birth worker, networking and developing a community referral list are important to your work. Those new to the field often wonder how to begin. Another common question is what services should be included on a referral list. No matter the approach, who you add to your referral list is a task that requires careful consideration. Do the business’s beliefs and values align with your own? In the digital age, a fumble on the part of one business can reflect badly on your own. For example, if your business is LGBTQIA+ friendly, referring to another business, no matter how skilled they may be, who does not share these values…
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Episode 87: What I Wish I Knew
What do you wish you knew before becoming a doula? This is a question that we see frequently from those considering birth work or those who have just entered the field. Working with growing families is the part of the work that most have at least a loose idea about. But when I think about what I wish I knew it’s the practicalities that many often fail to consider. Living the on-call life. Pacing yourself when supporting families. What self-care actually looks like. These are just a few things that come immediately to mind as experienced birth workers. Then there are other things that many may not consider. Running a…
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Episode 86: Doulas & Personal Mental Health
 As a birth worker, your personal mental health is just as important as your physical health. The very nature of our role often places us in stressful situations that can cause or exacerbate our own mental health issues. Anxiety, depression, and other conditions can all factor into our ability to care not only for our clients. These conditions can also heavily influence our ability to care for ourselves as well. However, there are strategies to help birth workers combat compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. From therapy to medication to processing with a trusted colleague, there are many ways to help birth workers cope. Come join us as we discuss…
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Episode 85: Working With Repeat Clients
As a birth worker working with repeat clients is always an exciting and humbling experience. For many, the repeat client is like working with an old friend. Someone you’ve developed trust, a deep bond with, and a healthy mutual respect for. Yet at the same time we as birth workers have to be careful not to make assumptions about what the client will need in this birth or postpartum experience based on previous experiences. There are also many questions that birth workers have when it comes to working with repeat clients. For example, we often hear the following: “How much do I charge a repeat client if my prices have…
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Episode 82: The Art of Newborn Soothing
Newborn soothing can sometimes seem like a mysterious, magical, art, especially to new parents. The phone rings, it’s a new parent who needs help. Sometimes they need more sleep. Others need help with learning how to settle or soothe their newborns. They are feeling panicked, helpless, desperate, and oftentimes as if they are not doing it right. Some also express that they feel as if their baby doesn’t like them. For some, the frantic urgency to try and calm their baby perpetuates the cycle. For others, they cycle through the newborn claiming techniques they know too quickly. As a result, no one technique is given enough time to work. This…
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Episode 81: Navigating Family Challenges
Navigating family challenges surrounding our clients and their support systems can be challenging for many doulas. The relationships between our clients and their support systems are nuanced and built over time. As with all relationships, there is often a deep history that we as doulas are not privy to. Helping clients navigate the challenges that family and friends can present is often a huge part of our role. Giving birth and becoming a parent are emotionally charged transitions. At the same time, it is also an extremely vulnerable state, both emotionally and physically. The people our clients choose to have around them during birth can impact how they view themselves.…
