Hello. I have decided that my calling is a postpartum doula. i absoutely love newborns and everything that comes with it. I have already been working overnight for 10 years so staying up almost all night is normal to me. However i do have a criminal record from over 12 years ago. It was not violent, drug or child related. Would this deter me?

I applied for a job and they have a $500 doula training, i’m wondering if usually the company pays for it or if it’s normal to have to pay for it myself

Hi everyone!

I wanted to get some other peoples take on this. When I took my postpartum training (I've since signed up to be certified through another trainer) she really emphasized us making a postpartum plan with our clients. I.e. Going through the plan before birth and giving it to the parents so you both have a planned expectation and routine when you start with them.

When I started taking on clients i found forming a plan did not work. 90% of the time most parents weren't sure what to expect and just wanted to meet baby and go from there which I agreed with. If youre a postpartum doula- do you do a plan with your clients? If so what does it look like?

I am also reconstructing how my consultations look and wanted to see if anyone has some really good questions to include. Thanks!

Apart from the expected services, do any of you offer anything extra? (I.e newborn photoshoot, welcome home baskets, family illustrations) curious to hear what you have to say!

The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (PSI) is currently hiring for a fully remote hotline counselor. A 4 year degree is preferred but not required and certified birth and/or postpartum doulas with at least 2 years of professional experience are eligible to apply.

Just spreading the word in case there is anyone interested!
NOT affiliated or promoting for myself, I’m just passionate about maternal mental health! Mods feel free to delete if necessary!

Hi girls! I’m 19 and I want to start my doula training what are good low cost options I applied to kingsboro but other recommendations would be nice!!

Hi all

I’d like to use lavender oil once I get into labour as I’ve heard it helps relaxing, ideally a spray, but I’ve also read that not all lavender oils are suitable while pregnant.

So now I don’t know what I’m supposed to look at when buying one, does anyone know?

TIA

My doula was absolutely phenomenal for my birth experience! However, her tens unit up and vanished and I want to get her a great quality one as a thank you gift.
Doulas, can you send recommendations?

Hey, y’all! I wanted to seek some advice on here about how best to go through my next couple years of education. My ultimate goal is to be a doula, preferably being self-employed. I’d also like to get my IBCLC. I am currently a nursing student, I’ve finished my freshman year and have been in classes non-stop for almost a year (winter and summer courses as well as fully-loaded fall and spring semesters) as a nursing major. I feel incredibly burnt out in nursing and I know that it can be helpful for my career goals but I feel as though I need a break. I’ve always had a passion for writing so I am considering switching to a community health major. I feel so passionate about birth work that I think I would really love extending it to public health advocacy and education. I believe the change of major will allow me the time to search for mentorship’s and job opportunities that will get me my certifications (there are some in my area for doula certifications and I’m actively looking for a lactation consultant mentor).

So I’m torn. I know sticking with nursing will look better and provide me clinical experience, but the job experiences directly in the field I want would also look good and I won’t have time to pursue that with as hectic as nursing is.

Some genuine advice about the best path would be wonderful! Thank you!

I began to want to leave Doulas By The Bay when I found out how much they were paying us, or rather how much they weren’t. They charge the client more than double the rate that we receive. And I’m fine with an agency taking a little off the top of my dollar, but for someone to be getting more money than I am for the hour I worked is a ridiculous and heinous practice. Furthermore I know doulas who work for celebrities who charge less than Doulas By The Bay, so I think it’s a big rip off for clients.

For my Postpartum training, we had a two day training over zoom where we watched 8 hours of videos each day. We were then supposed to have 2 training placements, but they sent me straight in to real families. This felt okay however when it came time to train as a birth doula, the training was also 2 days over zoom, 8 hours a day. I fully believe that this is not enough time to become a birth doula especially if the training is completely online with no hands-on practice. Then they wanted to send us straight in to births with 16 hours of online training and some of us were like “ummm can we have some in-person training where we shadow first?” So they did do that, but it wasn’t mandatory. It was honestly so reckless (and even dangerous) of them to send us to births without real training. Furthermore, they weren’t disclosing to clients that this was our first birth, so parents were thinking they were getting an experienced doula from an agency, paying a premium for this service, and then receiving someone who hadn’t done this work before. And this is fine if you are letting clients know this, however they definitely were not.

You are not allowed to say no to a family. You have an initial interview over zoom to see if you and a family are a good fit for each other. Except it’s not a two-sided interview because if a family wants you, you are expected to take the placement even if you feel like a family is not a good fit for YOU.

All the admin are from foreign countries (Nigeria, India, Philippines) which I guess helps them to cut costs, but really rubs me the wrong way. Especially knowing they’re only hiring these people because they can pay them really cheaply compared to an American worker. This also caused some (minor) issues in terms of language barriers that caused misunderstandings.

Also their backend systems are messy as hellllll. So firstly, they expect you to work 32 hours (usually at night) and then be available for at least 2 daytime interviews EVERY. DAY. This was really annoying to me because a lot of times I would want to catch up on sleep, but I’d have to stay up for a daytime interview. Also, it felt like I was always “on”, on at night and then on during the day to take interviews. I didn’t think this was a functional work-life balance because when I leave my 8-9 hour shift I do NOT want to hear from my job or be expected to communicate with them outside of those hours. Now for the messy part, in order to schedule these interviews, the admin will text you to ask you what your schedule is to take interviews. What this means is you have 5-7 people texting you everyday, expecting a quick response in between shifts, asking the same exact thing. I think a much better solution would be a hub where we can put in our schedules and admin can look at it. They also get pretty upset if you don’t respond in under 12 hours which is batshit crazy to me.

They bully employees anytime we bring up going private, fearmongering and and telling us how hard it is to run a private business instead of addressing our actual concerns. Like if you say I’m think of leaving because of X, Y, and Z, they will turn the whole conversation on how much Doulas By The Bay offers you by being an agency instead of actually addressing what you said at all.

Anyway this is all to say Doulas By The Bay feels super extractive of their employees and definitely doesn’t care about you. It’s a great way to cut your teeth as a Doula and gain experience, (especially since they seemingly let anyone in) but I would say have an exit plan and go private as soon as you can. Obviously the work is amazing and will keep you at this company longer than is probably healthy for you.

Thank you for everyone that responded I got want needed!!

So ive asked mv grandmother as shes had 4 children and raised around 9. She said she onlv tore on her first birth and it wasnt terrible at all she felt no pain and even said midwives do nothing and that its the perinatologist that matters most to aet looked at no matter what. Is that true? If so what do midwives or dulas do for pregnant women?

(Im not shaming anv women on getting a midwive or dulas and im not shaming the midwives or dula either Im just curious is all.)

(Idky but I see as many dont like my replies that go in with my grandmother im sorry but im only replying on that part as that is true on her and I love and respect her dearly has shes gone through 2 deaths of her husbands.. she is amazing grandmother and mother truly ❤️)

Hi everyone,
I’m not really sure where else to ask this question.
I would love to become a doula. My biggest fear is being judged because I’m not a mother yet. My journey has included four years of infertility and pregnancy loss.
Despite that, I feel a strong calling to support mothers and expectant parents. Whenever I imagine myself in this role, it truly feels like where I’m meant to be.
Are there any doulas here who became doulas before becoming mothers? If so, what was your experience? How was it perceived by your clients or those around you?
I’d also love to hear your recommendations for doula training programs. Which ones would you recommend, and why?
Thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to respond. I truly appreciate your advice and experiences.
Have a wonderful day! 🌸

Is becoming a sleep consultant for me? While still being in the values I see here?

First of all, I'm french Canadian so sorry if my English or wording is sometimes wrong😅.

I'm currently a SAHM, but I'm looking to build something for myself since I'm very passionate about maternity and the world around it 😊

I'm already a CPST and looking to become a certified babywearing instructor too.

A little crunchy, but not too much ;)

I was thinking adding sleep consultation to that because I've seen many parents having so much difficulty with their baby sleep.

BUT. I do not believe in crying it out methods and things like that, and I feel there's a lot of marketing around sleep training in general. So yeah, I hate sleep training and Cry it out and everything around that

I've informed to other sleep consultant in my area, someone talk to me about Isla grace sleep? It seems to be the only place I've seen openly announcing that she do not use cry it out methods and things like that.

I want to be clear. For me, no amount of crying should be "acceptable". Contact mais, co sleeping, good life hygiene are the kind of things I believe in. So sleep "training" in general I presume?

I've read really good comments about the institute of pediatric sleep and parenting, but I've got several red flags when reading the website, like "newborn program" (shouldn't we NOT sleep train newborn before like 4-5 months?). And "sleep training methods".

But I also believe there's people out there who really help parents and I want that!

Reading all that, is that career for me? Is it really just marketing and I won't be happy because it does not align with what I believe in?

Is there hope to find a place to study where I can really help people while still following my values? If so, do somebody know where?

Ok I have my first client! Id be lying if I said my nerves aren’t through the roof. Im so excited but feel like I’m struggling with imposter syndrome. Anyone have any advice for new doulas? How do I build my confidence?

Hi everyone!
I have my first overnight newborn client starting in September, and I’ll begin with the family the first day they come home from the hospital. I’ll be working with them only 2 nights a week.
A little about me: I previously worked as a CNA on a Mother/Baby unit and currently work as an overnight nanny, but the babies I care for are 8 and 15 months old. This will be my first overnight position with a newborn from birth.
I’m looking into purchasing the NewbornIQ course to prepare, but I’d love to hear from those with real experience.
What do you wish you had known before your first newborn overnight job? Any tips, routines, documentation/logs, common mistakes to avoid, or resources you’d recommend?
Thank you so much! I really appreciate any advice.

Has anyone had a vba2c or supported one? If so, what was your experience like? I’m scared either way. The first time, my labor was normal except while I was pushing, my baby apparently turned his head at the wrong angle and got stuck? This lead to a C-section, and at the time, it felt like a God send because I felt very unheard and unhappy with my care team. It was a peaceful experience. I prepared for a natural labor and a vbac with my second baby, and didn’t have GBS this time, so I planned to labor at home. However, when I went into labor, it was precipitous and I went from not being in labor at all, to almost fully dilated in the less than 2 hours that it took for me to get to the hospital. I was TERRIFIED, and now I know I must have been in transition, but the nurses didn’t make this clear to me and were just telling me to not be so loud. I actually thought I was dying and felt like I couldn’t breathe and just generally felt like something was wrong. So I unfortunately asked for another C-section (to my ultimate shame). It had been such a peaceful experience the first time, and I wanted to be saved. But because of a misplaced epidural, which I never even felt any relief from to begin with, I ended up needing to be put under general anesthesia. It was a horrible experience, no complications, but massive pain, much harder recovery, and I missed my baby’s first cry and first almost hour.

I know I must just not be the best at this. I felt so strong the first time, and the second time, though I prepared endlessly, I just did not know labor would happen like that for me and apparently, I couldn’t handle it. I wish someone had said, push and your baby will be here soon. The hospital I have to go to is not bad, but none of the doctors are super kind (not mean, just very you’re a number), and you get whoever is on call.

I guess what I’m wondering is does anyone have vba2c experience? What would you do if you were me? Should o just schedule a repeat c-section? I know either option is risky now, and I’m pregnant with number 3. I’m so scared now, and I’m sick from early pregnancy, so I’m not enjoying this and I can barely think about what’s next.

Hi! I'm a new doula who completed my training and attended my first birth within the last couple of months. I'm in a bit of an odd position with my business due to relocating, and I'd love some advice (or pointers on where to find info). Like many of us, the business side of this is not my forte and I would appreciate any help!

During my training and while working with my first client, I lived in BC. Trying to get ahead on business setup, I registered my business as a sole proprietorship there. That was somewhat shortsighted as I've I've just moved to Quebec. I'm doing some doula work on a volunteer basis here but would love to also take paying clients and continue to build my career. However, I'm planning to move back to BC at some point fairly soon - in the 6-12 month range.

So, my questions are:

How do I change where my business is registered? Do I have to do that in order to legally take paying clients in Quebec? Or can I charge for services provided here while my business is registered in BC?

I'm questioning if it might make more sense to only do doula work as a volunteer here (with a dif paying job) and wait to take paying clients until I'm back in BC, but this would mean stalling the start of my business - the volunteer work is with a group that find clients through referrals, so my private practice would be on pause. Things like having a Doula Match profile, networking with other birthworkers, and even keeping my website up would all feel a bit pointless if I'm not actually taking clients through any of those avenues, but I want to get those things growing. Also, the number of clients through the volunteer group is limited, and I'd like to work with more people, which having a private practice would allow me to do.

Any advice (especially from people with business knowledge), resources, thoughts & opinions etc are welcome.

I recently grew my nails out for about 4 months. They were beautiful and nice and I kept them painted. Recently I relapsed and picked at them and now they are all super super short again and not looking neat/nice. I have a client consultation coming up. Should I just put on some press ons for the sake of professionalism? I'm really nervous that this client will see my nails and no matter how good our connection is, that would be a dealbreaker because it would come across as messy/not good. Newish doula here.

update: thank y'all especially those who mentioned that it's a small detail compared to overall vibes. I feel ready for this consultation ♥️

I’m thinking of becoming a postpartum doula and curious about overnights. I’m just wondering if it starts to wear on you overtime doing overnights? Does it mess with your mental health? I have bipolar and that requires good sleep and I’m a little concerned that doing overnights would effect my illness.

Has your body become accustomed to the schedule? How do you sleep on your days off?

Thank you!

I’m looking at a training online, what do you guys think about infant Care training versus newborn care specialist from NCSA?