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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 91: Supporting Precipitous Labor
Supporting precipitous labor is a skill that, for many doulas, is learned in real-time. Precipitous labor is labor that ends 3-5 hours after the onset of labor. On average, 1 in 3 of every 100 birthing people will experience precipitous labor. While certain factors can make a pregnant person more likely to experience precipitous labor, the exact cause is unknown. As doulas, we often wonder what the “secret sauce” is. What is it that will cause some people to experience this type of labor. While the idea of rapid labor may sound great to clients, this type of labor does present some challenges. The body is doing the same amount…
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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 89: Partner Support
Partner support during the postpartum period is one topic we don’t see discussed often. Yet, for the partner, having a baby and learning to parent is an equally transformative experience. Partners experience the birth in a different way than the birthing person. They can experience worry, feelings of helplessness, and even experience vicarious trauma. Partners will typically self-sacrifice to support the birthing person. This is often where the need for more focused support can begin. Sacrificing their own needs to support the birthing person. Setting their need for rest and nourishment aside. As postpartum doulas coming into this dynamic requires assessment skills. What does this partner need most at this…
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Episode 88: Birth Photography & Labor Doula Support
As doulas consider expanding into other birth-related services, birth photography is often a common consideration. It seems like the perfect mesh, doula skills paired with photography skills equals the perfect match. But can a doula be both at the same time? While it seems like a simple answer, there are many factors that doulas often fail to consider. Will doula support or photography take priority when a client needs hands-on support? What happens if doula support is needed simultaneously as the one “perfect shot” a client wants presents itself? How birth is viewed as a photographer vs. a labor doula is also vastly different. Photographers typically look for moments to…
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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…
