How to Start a Career as a Birth Doula

Starting a career as a birth doula should not be taken lightly. It's more than choosing the right school and attending births. Birth doulas work really hard at all hours of the day and night, spend time away from their families (even during birthdays and holidays) and have to be emotionally prepared to handle all of it. If you have children, becoming a birth doula is an even bigger task. However, there is no other career like it. Being a part of someone's birth is wonderfully rewarding. The following steps will assist you in starting your career as a birth doula.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Consider your family. Are you married? Do you have children? Having support from your family will make a big difference in your capability to be a doula. It is hard to do great work as a doula if you have a lack of support, as it will create negative energy. Have a family night where you can sit down with your spouse and children. Explain to them what it is you want to do and why it's important to you. Be honest about having to be on call and attend births. However, also point out the positive aspects of the job, which are satisfaction, making a difference by educating women, and of course, the financial benefits of taking clients.

2. Get organized. It is almost impossible to run any business if you are not organized. This means getting all of your existing paperwork filed, working out a schedule for dinner, clothes, school and tying up all loose ends. Work on setting aside about two to three hours a week for reading birth books, consulting with clients or marketing ideas. Being organized before embarking on a new career allows you to spend more time to devote to your business.

3. Consider your finances. Do you have a flexible job that will allow you to miss if you're at a birth? Do you have a partner who works and can support you throughout this career change? Consider where you will make up for lost finances if you are starting this new career.

4. Find local support. If you have children, you need to seriously consider your ability to find someone who can watch them when you're away. This can be a friend, a relative or a babysitter. Whomever you choose must be reliable and within reasonable distance. Make sure that you work out payment arrangements and schedules before setting up care.

5. Find doula support. It is always a good idea to get advice from women who are in the same profession as you. Join an online doula support group and find the local doulas in your community. They will most likely have advice about getting started, how to handle certain situations and how to take care of your own family situations that arise.

6. Choose a method of training. There are numerous schools that offer doula training and certification programs. Some schools offer local instruction, only while others offer distance learning programs. Some schools want payment in full and other schools offer payment plans. Most schools offer certification, but it is not mandatory. Take your time to evaluate each school and choose the one that best fits with your philosophy about birth and your lifestyle.

7. Establish contacts. It is good to establish your contacts and get your foot in the door, so to speak. It is a good idea to attend a birth or two with a local doula to get a better idea of the doula world and what's involved.

Tips & Warnings

• Read pregnancy, birth and postpartum books. The more knowledge you have in these areas, the more you can offer potential families.
• Watch birth videos. Seeing birth, in all forms, is a good thing to do.
• Talk to friends and family about their experiences with birth. It is educational to hear different birth stories.
• Make contacts at your local hospitals, birth centers and pregnancy crisis centers. These places can be a great launching point.
• Participate in online discussions about pregnancy, labor and birth. The more you discuss things with other doulas, the better you will be at developing your own philosophy and protocols.
• Strive to better educate anyone who contacts you. Even if you are not going to be her doula, let her walk away knowing more than what she did when she contacted you. That will give you a great reputation for being helpful and probably more business than you would have had.
• Always keep your word and appointments. Nothing speaks louder than actions.
• Don't backstab other doulas. Even if you hear something negative about a doula or her practice, you do not have to add to the gossip. That will make you look bad and may encourage animosity.

Resources

• All Doulas: Community for Doulas
• Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association
• DONA International Doula Program
• Birthing From Within Doula Program
• Birth Arts International
• Maternitywise Doula Program
• Childbirth International
• A Resource Guide & Newsletter for Birth Professionals

[thebirthauthor]

on 3/9/2009 Thank you - glad you found it useful.

[ellie42]

on 3/9/2009 This is a good advise for tholse looking into becoming a doula