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Episode 51: Immediate Newborn Care Plan
The immediate newborn care plan. When it comes to planning for birth and postpartum this area is often overlooked. For many labor doulas, the birthing process can tend to take center stage. For postpartum doulas, planning for once the baby or babies is home is often the focus. However, exploring the many options for the immediate newborn care plan holds just as much importance for many clients. An important part of guiding your clients through their options is to have a deep understanding of what their chosen birthing location will offer. This requires research on the part of the doula to discover the common immediate newborn care policies for the birthing…
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Episode 50: Conversational Boundaries
Part of the “getting to know you” process for many clients often involves questions of a personal nature. As a birth worker is important that you consider where your conversational boundaries are. Especially when it comes to more personal or controversial topics of discussion. Historically these conversations often centered around topics such as marital status, children, and occasionally religion, circumcision, vaccination, etc. However, in the wake of the pandemic, these conversations have begun to shift. Families are navigating their comfort levels to potential exposure to COVID-19. As a result, we are seeing an increase in questions that are focused on the birth worker’s medical history. Questions about social distancing…
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Episode 49: Normalizing Prodromal Labor
Prodromal labor is one of the most misunderstood topics amongst doulas today. The hallmark of prodromal labor is uncomfortable and often times painful contractions that stop and start. For some pregnant individuals, this happens over the course of days. For others, over the course of weeks. The changes that prodromal labor bring are not often observable from the outside. As a result, many doulas are taught that the cause for these contractions is a malposition of the baby. To understand prodromal labor one must first understand the definition: pre·cur·sor /prēˈkərsər/ a person or thing that comes before another of the same kind; a forerunner By definition and function, it…
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Episode 48: Obstetric Change
If there’s one thing that doulas know for sure, it is that there is a very real need for obstetric change. Yet many doulas do not know how that change typically happens. For many doulas, there is a belief that it is their direct activism that will bring about a quick change. However, if history has taught us anything it is that change in the field of obstetrics is dependably slow. In addition, it is not a simple process. When change does happen it is typically catalyzed from either research that forms best practice. Or from provider experience. However, change also comes as a result of consumer demand. The consumer’s…
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Episode 47: Season Two Wrap Up
Welcome to the Season Two Wrap-Up! To say that 2020 has been a strange year full of struggles would be an understatement. First, a global pandemic. Next, doulas being shut out of hospitals. As a result, many doulas faced challenges and obstacles to pursuing certification. The impact of the pandemic on doulas with children who are now facing remote learning has been particularly difficult for many doulas. Some have had to pause work with families. Others have become creative in juggling the changing needs of clients and their own families. However, there have been many positives this year here at Doulas of the Roundtable as well. As of the time…
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Episode 46: The Impact of Language During Birth
As we work with laboring individuals it is important to understand the impact of language on the birth experience. When working with families in the postpartum period, hearing a client’s birth story is often a part of the doula/client relationship. Understanding the subtext of a client’s birth story is a process that isn’t often taught in many doula workshops. As a result, it is vital that labor and postpartum doulas understand the power that words have. Words that can either build up or strip away the confidence of the birthing person. Birth is a process that brings both mental and physical vulnerability. In this episode, we break down one doula’s…
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Episode 45: Postpartum GPS
Postpartum planning – Helping your clients set their course for postpartum success. Birth planning is a common discussion between doulas and clients. However, postpartum planning is just as essential to growing families. Some clients will hire a postpartum doula before their baby is born. Others will seek postpartum care once their baby has arrived. As postpartum doulas, our goal is to help families explore their preferences and options. What feels right when making decisions about how they will care for their babies? What are their parenting philosophies? Teaching a newborn care class is a great way to help growing families become aware of the many benefits of postpartum care. It…
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Episode 44: Part Time Doula
Can I be a part-time doula? How do I transition from a full or part-time job into doula work? These are common questions in the doula community. We each come to this work from our own unique perspectives. For some, full-time doula work is the ultimate goal. For others, supporting growing families while maintaining a full or part-time job is the desired goal. While passion is the foundation of this work, many individuals do not realize that becoming a doula is more than just supporting clients. It is starting a business. For many, building a doula business can take a good 12-18 months to become sustainable without outside support. For…
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Episode 43: Supporting VBAC
Supporting VBAC clients. What is VBAC? Vaginal Birth After Cesarean. This can be a rewarding yet challenging experience for doulas. Understanding where your client is coming from is the first step to supporting VBAC clients. Understanding the client’s previous birth experience(s) will help you determine where your support may be needed most. Identifying what barriers or anxiety triggers may exist will also help you help them navigate labor with more confidence. As well as identifying what milestones or decisions they may face in labor that may be especially challenging or triggering. In addition, validating our client’s experiences and emotions is essential. Even if we do not share our client’s experiences…
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Episode 42: Postpartum Doulas: Client Choice
When working with postpartum clients, the choices they may make surrounding the care and keeping of their babies can challenge postpartum doulas. Those hot button parenting topics such as cosleeping, vaccination, circumcision, and breast versus bottle can be particularly challenging for doulas. Especially when the doula has their own strong opinions about these topics. Yet as postpartum doulas, we may be the very first person that a family encounters that does not judge or give an unasked opinion on their parenting choices. Identifying and drawing our own professional boundaries is essential when working with families. Knowing how to communicate those boundaries can be a learning process. It is a reality…
