Author: Shaunacy

Categories
Mentorship Uncategorised

Looking to Learn? How Knowing Your Learning Style Can Help You Succeed!

Looking to learn!?
Have you been out of school for a bit?
Well good news!
Knowing your learning style can make things a whole lot easier.

I’ve been immersed in the birth world now for over 6 years now, as an Educator, Doula and Mentor.   I remember working towards my doula and my educator certification and found myself spending countless hours staring at a page of words and not retain a thing.   When I found myself in a classroom I would find I only retained a small percentage of what I was being taught.  I was frustrated.  Here I was, mid thirties…FINALLY knowing what I wanted to do with my life and I was terrified!  Scared of “class work,” worried about failing tests, and not feeling I would able to get the accreditation to further my career.

Before beginning my journey I had been a stay at home mom of three, running a day care and working part time at a restaurant.  I didn’t leave a book smart career to become a doula… I left “mom” mode, meal prep and nursery rhymes…my brain was on overdrive most days!   My own self doubt nearly prevented me from moving forward!

But I’m so glad I did move forward.  Eventually I learned to walk the walk and not just talk the talk!

My recipe for success was having the right support alongside me and taking the time to learn what my learning style was.

Take a look at the learning style graphic above…did any of them grab your attention? How do you find out which one you are? Here’s a good reference:

https://www.thoughtco.com/three-different-learning-styles-3212040

and a bit more about different types: https://www.udutu.com/blog/what-are-adult-learning-styles-and-how-do-they-affect-elearning/

Many of us are a combination.

Let me share some tidbits that worked for me, and can maybe help you on your learning journey as well:

  1. Change up your work space:  Maybe on one day you will work best outside, in the basement, at an office desk, or in a library.  Once I even worked in my trailer while camping!  Key points: recognize that you need to avoid interruptions and it may take awhile to get into your groove.
  2. Doodle and/or listen to instrumental music: I needed to keep my hands busy or stimulate another sense to help me retain info.  Sound familiar?
  3. On that same note: I needed to handwrite my study notes. I got in a bad habit of typing everything on my computer or iPhone – it just wasn’t the same! There may be a a huge mental disconnect when you do that.
  4. Move: Stretch, get fresh air, work at a standing desk, sit on an exercise ball.
  5. Dedicated time and accountability: If I didn’t get work done first thing in morning or late at night, it wasn’t happening – I’m a squirrel – everything in the middle distracted me (hence needing different work spaces from time to time).  Schedule your work as an appointment and stick to it!  Buddy up with someone – there were times I would completely and mentally shut down because I would second guess an answer or project.  I needed a few different people on standby to walk me through something or be my “butt kicker.”  We have lots of buddies at Doula Canada!

So, in my examples above, which learning styles did you connect with?  A little bit of all of them right?!

Take a moment and identify what works for you.  See what learning style you think you might be.  Look back at the times you needed to learn something – what worked, what didn’t?

When you are struggling, buddy up!
You are not alone and simple tweaks to your daily habits can break bad habits and keep you moving closer to your goals!  We are here to help!

Jump into our closed Doula Canada Facebook group or our Learning Centre forums and ask a question, send us an email, call us on our toll free number, and…

Stay tuned for more information on a mentorship opportunity with Doula Canada (details coming in October)!

About the author:

Helena McMann has been a Certified Doula and Educator for over 6 years.
She is currently an an Admin Support Person and Student Mentor for Doula Canada.
To date Helena has supported over 200 families through her work as a doula and educator.
We’re a big fan of Helena and all the wonderful things she does for our community!

 

Categories
About Us Business Labour Doula Members Mentorship

Not all Doulas are created equal.

Recently some Doula Canada members have had their hands full with comments or suggestions that “not all doulas are created equal.”

For many years Doula Canada has prided itself on our efforts to build a unique, and uniquely Canadian, doula training and membership for our International members.  We haven’t felt the need to justify our curriculum or our presence to others because, well, “if you haven’t bought the book how do you know it wasn’t worth the read?”

However, as our #doulanation continues to run into the discourse about “what makes a good doula” we feel it is important to write our position on the “not all doulas are created equal” suggestions floating about (a-boot, just to clarify).

Here are 7 reasons why Doula Canada doulas and childbirth educators are NOT created equal:

  1.  Super Selfhood:  Our members come from diverse communities, have diverse backgrounds, and bring diverse expectations about what they would like to glean from their learning experience with Doula Canada.  We respect this like WHOA!  No cookie cutting happening over here.  Pure unequal awesomeness happening!
  2. Equal ideas?….not happening!  Our community often debates new policies, international perinatal experiences, and curriculum updates.  This keeps us all on our toes, which is vibrant and exciting.  Imagine a day where everyone agreed with you?  BORING!  *unless you have small children, then that would be a miracle!*
  3. Collaboration acclaimation:  Our members are often the first to give praise where praise is due, and sometimes that means to Doula Canada, other members, or even those who are in direct competition with their business.  Say what?!  Our doulas are eager to partner with other perinatal workers, regardless of make or model.   But praise can be unequal…. that does happen sometimes!   *Insert the doula Jeep wave*
  4. No person left behind!  Recently a member felt ostracized by the suggestion that “Doula Canada leaves their students to fend for themselves.”  This is quite the fancy tale.  Our team of administrators, instructors, provincial liaisons, and peer community are just a phone call, email, message, or coffee date away.  But alas, not all members need our assistance in the same way, and this makes them unequal in their needs and wants.  That’s ok too!
  5. Name that Doula.  Some doulas love the history of our title, while others prefer “practitioner,” “support person,” or “badass new parent helper.”  Whatever floats your doula/ CBE boat!  Our titles do not have to be equal (or have all the same letters behind them), but they should have a strong foundation of community support, continued learning, and movement forward as a common professional voice.   Those who are unequal in their alphabet ownership should not be seen as unequal for it, they were unequal to begin with… they were themselves!
  6. They make all the decisions themselves.  Ack!  Our members choose their books, their educational units, the clients they work with…. they “own” it.  That makes them unequal for sure!
  7. They get the last word.  Our doulas final assignment is a reflection paper about their journey.  This helps Doula Canada to grow and to prosper from our communities feedback.  Each reflection is personal and confessional.  Totally unequal… but equally beautiful.

To claim that someone is unequal can be hurtful and questioning.  However equivalency does not make you a better doula or childbirth educator.  Distinctiveness and commitment makes you a good doula.  Passion and purpose.  Community and collaboration.

At Doula Canada we recognize our doulas are all operating and offering compassionate support at different stages, with different modalities, with different needs, and with different purpose.

At Doula Canada our purpose and intention is not to be equal….it is to be accepting.

If our doula training and organization is “not created equal” that’s perfect!

Doula Canada is unique
Our members are incredibly trained.
Our community is filled with passion and purpose.

*high fives all around*

~ Image:  “The Three Graces,” circa 1503-1505, by Raphael.  The three women in the painting may represent stages of development of woman, with the girded figure on the left representing the maiden (Chastitas) and the woman to the right maturity (Voluptas),though other interpretations have certainly been advanced.  Each are unequal in their development and experiences, but equally beautiful and strong.   In mythology the three figures have often been told to depict youth, mirth, and elegance.

Categories
Lifestyle Mentorship

Moving Provinces – “Time to Pull Up the Big Girl Panties”

Back in April 2017, I got this idea from a friend about doula training.  The alarms in my head started blaring and my fingers frantically raced across the keyboard trying to find a training in Newfoundland.  As I typed and erased and typed and erased some more, I finally typed in something that google understood, and Doula Training Canada came up on my screen with a training 2 weeks from that day.  Now tell me that isn’t fate!

 

To make matters even a little more chaotic, we had a trip booked to go to Halifax for a weekend getaway for my birthday the weekend before the training.  So I put on my “Please babe, I’ll love you forever! Can I please have another birthday gift and sign up to become a doula (insert puppy dog eyes and pouty lips)”.  To which he replied, “What the heck is a doula?”  So you can imagine how that conversation went, but he is supportive and never says I can’t do something, so off I went to register.

 

Things were happening in my family during that time as well.  My daughter was having a rough time in life, adjusting to a blended family, anxiety, and just not fitting in the best at school.  So we were mulling over the idea of moving and giving her, and us as a family, a fresh start.  So finding a new passion and our trip to Halifax really solidified our choice and it was that month that we set our eyes on the new love in my life and a new province to call home.

If you are reading this and thinking of moving while owning your own business, it isn’t easy, I get that!  But follow your dreams.  Daily I had so many feelings.  Feelings of guilt for taking my children away from their family and friends and wanting to make a clean start, excited for the possibilities ahead, stressed about whether we could afford to try this, sad at the thought of possibly failing, and so incredibly refreshed that for once in my life, I had truly felt like I had found what I was meant to do.  It was hard at first!  Then a friend said to me “Shandelle.  It is time to pull up those big girl panties. You were meant to do this.  So many times in your life fate has taken over and this is one of those times.  But you can do this. And if it fails you know where home is.”  Thank you to that friend for reminding me!

What is my top tip for people making the decision to move to a new community and begin again?

Do the research. 

Start making list of people you need to connect with when you get to where you need to go.  Can you contact them before you go?  What does your province need in order to be a registered business? Talk to other people in the area who will be working in the same field.  Can you partner, feed off each other or just be a rock to lean on? 

Do I miss Newfoundland?  Every. Single. Day.  We are making a new life here.  My doula life is in full swing with birth and postpartum clients, I am a part time admin assistant, and I am also Provincial Liaison for Doula Canada.  My husband is settled in his new role at work, my daughter is finding her way and making strides in becoming a beautiful young woman and we are beginning to find our new normal.  Moral of the story?  Pull up the big girl panties and follow your dreams! 

 

ABOUT SHANDELLE:

Shandelle is the owner of Blossom and Birth Doula Services in the Halifax, Nova Scotia and surrounding area.

She has a passion for supporting her community and as such sits on a number of boards and committees that are directed toward maternal and infant well being.

At Doula Canada we are proud to call her a team member – she’s our Provincial Liaison for Nova Scotia and for the time being PEI.

Check out her services at Blossom and Birth Doula Services

Categories
Mentorship

Top 5 Doula Bag Items

“What should I have in my doula bag?” 

As seasoned doula trainers this question presents itself at nearly all of our labour and postpartum doula trainings.

Feeling prepared to support clients helps to build confidence, but will also build trust from your clients and longevity as a doula.

We often speak of ‘assertive language skills’ at Doula Canada, and having a rock’in doula bag is a perfect example of showing off your assertive professional preparedness in any situation!

Here are our Top 5 Doula Bag items for any labour or postpartum doula on the go:

  1.  Fuzzy socks.  Plain and simple.  Regardless of the environment you are supporting clients, having a pair of super cozy socks that you can pull out and on is a great addition to your doula bag.  Clients will remember that feeling of having you pull them on for them after welcoming their baby, or during a long feeding session.  Plus, if you need a change of socks in a pinch (hello, spontaneous rupture of membranes all over your feet!) then you know there is an extra pair in there with your name on them!
  2. Affirmation cards.  We are big on positive power at Doula Canada and an interesting deck of positive affirmation phrases or words is a perfect way to change a “not-so-sure” into a “sure-I-can.”  We asked our Doula Canada members to come with the phrases and words on our Doula Canada deck, but there are many awesome options out there that may call your name.  Pull them out during a clients labour to practice present moment thoughts, or introduce them to clients during postpartum transitions.  Believe you can…. and you will!
  3. Roller Ball or Tennis Ball.  Nothing fancy here.  Having something that can smoothly move beneath your hand while offering a client some gentle touch/ massage will provide comfort for all parties involved.  The less expensive option is a 4 pack of tennis balls that can be disposed of, but we really love the rollerball options often found at larger department stores or fitness stores ($8-$15 generally).  Find something that fits snuggly in the palm of your hand and allows for movability and washability (sanitizing after use is an important step to take after each client use).
  4. $20 in funds.  There is nothing more frustrating than finishing an all-nighter support with your client and then finding out that the hospital debit or parking lot machines are broken.  Having a spare $20 in your bag to call a cab or find a location to make change is key!  There may be times as a postpartum doula that you meet your client in a location outside their home (i.e. doctors office) and need money for parking or coffee (perhaps your debit card was left at home!).  Having an additional few dollars stowed away in your doula bag is a great way to ensure you get to where you need to go 24/7.
  5. Something of power.  What brings you energy or reminds you of why you started this compassionate journey to support others?  We often think of doula bags and think “what can I bring for my client,” but taking care of you is important too!  Perhaps you have a Mala, a picture, a stone from a beach, or a mantra that you can put away in your bag for those moments you need a boost.  Our Director at Doula Canada has a heart-shaped stone she once pulled out of Lake Superior.  The stone has been pulled out and pocketed during long births or difficult experiences.  It has been held by dozens of clients who have also felt connected to this simple, yet powerful “tool.”  What brings you clarity, strength, and power?  THAT is a perfect thing to include you your doula bag.So, there you have it, our Top 5 Doula Bag Items we wouldn’t be without.Leave a comment with items you love to have in your Doula Bag.  We would love to hear from you!