Doula School Canada

Tag: birth doula

  • 10 Ways to Improve Your Emails to Doula Clients

    10 Ways to Improve Your Emails to Doula Clients

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    Doula School alumni will often ask “what’s the best way to get new clients?” and our answer is almost always the same – email. It’s the most effective way to connect with people and become a regular part of their lives. On a social media platforms like Instagram or Tik Tok, you’re competing with hundreds if not thousands of accounts – all vying for someone’s limited attention. Conversely, once you get into an email inbox, you go right to the top each time .

    There are several ways to build your email list. It can include past clients, freebies (like guides or offers), advertising on Google or Facebook, opt-in forms on your website, and so much more. Today we aren’t talking about BUILDING your list, we’re looking at how to get the most out of the list you do have. Whether you have 20 people or 2000, having an email list that is working for you can make all the difference in your doula career. Below are 10 ways to optimize your emails and improve your sales.

    Use an Email Platform

    There are SO many different platforms out there for managing your email list. Some of our favourites are Kit, Mail Chimp, and Constant Contact. Even if you have a small list, it’s important to be using a professional email platform. This allows you to set up automations, send emails in bulk, manage unsubscribes, and so much more. The good news is that most of these services offer a free version you can start with. Perfect for doulas starting out with a small marketing budget.

    Add Personalization

    Most email providers will offer the ability to “personalize” messages. So when you get someone’s email address, you can make sure to get their first name as well. That way when sending out an email it will start with “Hi Marie” instead of more robotic or impersonal openings. Research has shown that adding personalization can help improve results from emails and make readers feel more connected.

    Ask for Reviews

    As birth workers we sometimes feel uncomfortable asking for support or feedback from clients. But we’re here to tell you it’s ok! Clients will be excited to share their testimonials, especially if they had a great experience working with you. Reviews on your website, social channels, google, and in emails can make a huge difference to sales. Future clients are always looking for “social proof” that you’re a trustworthy person and a doula they want to work with.

    Use Images of Yourself

    You know when you’re on a website or Instagram page, you can always tell when someone is using a lot of stock images. There is nothing wrong with using images you bought online now and then, but you’ll find that your emails and social content does better when it feels personal and real. Don’t be afraid to use photos of yourself in action. Maybe have a friend take some nice pictures of you at the park, or snap a couple of you working with a client (with their consent of course). Over time you can create a catalogue of images to use in a bunch of places.

    Improve Your Subject Lines

    The average email is only going to have an open rate of 30 or 40%. That means most people on your list may never even read the content! That’s why the subject line is so important. It’s your one chance to make an impression and get the reader interested. The best lines tend to be short and punchy, creating a sense of urgency for the reader. For example, something like “5 Baby Proofing TIPs from a Doula.” Most email platforms will let you test multiple subject lines per message, so you can start to understand what works best for your followers.

    Only use ONE Call-to-Action

    Have you ever gotten one of those BUSY emails with like 7 different places to click? They can be overwhelming and hard to understand. The key to a good email is keeping it simple. Don’t be afraid of white space and making it easy for a reader to follow. You do this by having only ONE call to action. If the email is about your overnight doula services, then make sure that’s the only thing you’re asking people to click on.

    Don’t always SELL

    Having someone’s email address is a big deal. They’re letting you send them information that goes directly to the top of their inbox. That’s a privilege. And it’s a privilege you can lose quickly if you abuse it. Every email you send can’t be a sale or a product or a doula service. Make sure you’re adding VALUE to your readers. This could be through tips and tricks, personal anecdotes, birth stories, interesting videos, or anything. By providing value, your readers will be more open to receiving the odd sale or product offering.

    Have a Plan

    We talk to some birth workers who feel overwhelmed by creating content and email newsletters. I don’t know when to send it? How many should I do a month? What kind of content? It can be a lot to manage, especially when your focus is working with clients. One way to simplify this is to have a plan. If you’re going to send a newsletter every 3 weeks, then set that schedule and stick to it. It will also help your readers start to expect your content on a regular basis.

    Consistency

    Designing things is fun. It’s especially fun if you have a bit of design know-how in photoshop, or adobe, or just got your new CANVA account. You might feel the urge to constantly be creating NEW and innovative designs to use in emails (and on social media, the website…etc). However, new designs can be confusing for readers and clients. They want to know what to expect. And seeing a consistent color, font type, and design will allow them to start recognizing your doula or birth brand. Where possible, try to pick a standard look and feel that you can maintain.

    Automate Where Possible

    You might be reading all this and thinking “I barely have time to reply to clients, when am I going to write additional emails?” That’s ok, it’s a lot! The good news is that you can automate a lot of things through email platforms. For example, maybe when someone provides their email address, they are automatically sent 2-3 emails that explain your doula services, what they cost, your availability, and more! It will take a bit of time in the early going to set up automatic email funnels, but these can save you a TON of time in the long run.

    Make sure to check back with the blog next month, as we’ll be sharing more doula marketing and sales tips.

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  • Learning from US Healthcare on Doula Access

    Learning from US Healthcare on Doula Access

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1706711380769{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]I vividly remember “The Greatest Canadian”, a 13-part  competitive series produced by CBC in 2004. Each week, a biographical documentary on individuals who have made a great contribution to Canada aired, including Terry Fox, David Suzuki, and Tommy Douglas. Viewers got to vote on who the greatest Canadian of all time was. Tommy Douglas, recognized as the father of publicly funded health care in Canada, emerged victorious. 

    Douglas’ win says a lot about the value we attach to our healthcare system and the national pride we take in making sure that every Canadian has access to the care they need. We often look to our American neighbours with pity when we hear about $700+ a month insurance plans ($2000+ for a family plan) or families going into debt or going bankrupt to pay for life-saving treatment. But if the Canadian healthcare system is so superior to that of the US, why is publicly-funded doula access expanding by leaps and bounds in the US, while progress on the same front has been stagnant in Canada?

    Over the last few years, an increasing number of jurisdictions in the US have made doula care payable via Medicaid. Medicaid is public health insurance for people who are unable to access private coverage. 11 States that have introduced Medicaid-funded doula care programs include New York, California, and Michigan. California cites familiar research as the rationale for its decision: “doula care was associated with positive delivery outcomes including a reduction in cesarean sections, epidural use, length of labor, low-birthweight and premature deliveries. Additionally, the emotional support provided by doulas lowered stress and anxiety during the labor period”. 

    One reason why advocates for publicly funded doula care have gained more traction in the US is that the US collects race-based healthcare data, along with information on many other social determinants of health. This data has demonstrated significant disparities in perinatal outcomes based on race, income, and other factors. The Black maternal and neonatal mortality crisis has emerged as a system disaster that requires urgent solutions. Combined with a growing body of health research demonstrating that doulas are an effective intervention that improves outcomes for Black birthers and babies, this has made a strong case for access to doula care for Black and other at-risk communities.

    In Canada, we have the same research to show that doulas solve a problem, but we don’t have the same amount of data to show that there’s a problem to solve. That being said, while our race-based data collection needs to improve, we do collect data on other topics. In 2023 OBGYN researchers at McMaster University published findings on operative deliveries and 3rd and 4th-degree tears in Canada. They found that “among high-income countries, Canada has the highest rate of maternal trauma after births in which tools like forceps and vacuums are used”. Sadly, their research only compares operative deliveries (forceps/vacuum) to surgical deliveries (cesarean sections). They do not take into account the ample evidence that California and other US jurisdictions considered showing that support from a birth doula reduces the likelihood of any of these interventions. 

    Not only do we need to collect data that demonstrates the impact of the social determinants of health, we need to put the research we do have into action. This action needs to encompass the role that all care providers play in improving conditions and outcomes for birthing people. This includes ensuring that all birthers can access the reduction in medical interventions and related increases in good birth outcomes and satisfaction that skilled doula support can achieve. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”534490″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1706711516822{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Keira Grant (she/her) Inclusion and Engagement Lead – Racialized Communities

    Keira brings a wealth of experience to the Online Community Moderator role. She is a Queer, Black woman with a twenty-year track record in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) education, projects, and community building initiatives.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Respecting All Life: Reflections on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and National Day of Remembrance and Action Against Islamophobia

    Respecting All Life: Reflections on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and National Day of Remembrance and Action Against Islamophobia

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1706563078413{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]That horrible day in 2017 when for no reason other than hate a 6 Muslim Canadians were killed at a Mosque in Quebec is still haunting. In a society that claims to love peace, equality, and freedom, the level of hate that spawned this horrific attack should never have been able to arise. What’s almost as haunting is that in the intervening 7 years, we’ve learned very little about the thinly veiled hate that is clearly pervasive in this country because we haven’t learned how to have an ongoing, brave discussion about it.

    This year, Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan. 25) and National Day of Action Against Islamophobia fall as a very deadly conflict in Israel-Palestine has raged on for over 100 days. While Jewish and Muslim Canadians are no more complicit in the conflict than any other Canadians, they have been forced to endure an unprecedented increase in hate-motivated attacks against them. I wish I was more surprised.

    We’re too polite to talk about hate until people are getting killed, and by then it’s too late. We hold the guilty party accountable when the van attack and similar crimes happen, but we don’t hear the call to examine the society that created the van attack.

    As birthworkers, we see and snuggle many brand-new babies. Every single one is special and they all deserve to grow up and live the lives they create for themselves based on the values that were cultivated in childhood. The presence of hate in the world makes this right impossible to realize for all children, so hate must be eradicated.

    To our Israeli, Jewish, Muslim, and Palestinian alumni and audience, we know this has been an unbearably distressing last few months within your communities here in Canada and internationally. As birthworkers in your communities, you have had to process your own feelings while supporting birthers in your community who are under incredible strain. We know that extreme stress can contribute to complicated pregnancies and challenging outcomes. We see the vital work you are doing in your communities at this time and we are continuing to extend our compassion and support.

    As doulas, we will continue to shine a light on hate in the healthcare system, institutions, communities, and ourselves. Only when hate is diligently brought out into the open and swept away can we have communities where all life is truly respected and it is safe for all children to grow. 

    If you are looking for guidance on how you can support your community and access support for yourself at this difficult time, please visit our blog post “Our Hearts Are With You” from November 10, 2023. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”534490″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1706554746991{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Keira Grant (she/her) Inclusion and Engagement Lead – Racialized Communities

    Keira brings a wealth of experience to the Online Community Moderator role. She is a Queer, Black woman with a twenty-year track record in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) education, projects, and community building initiatives.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Facilitating Accountability

    Facilitating Accountability

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1706107261056{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]As birth workers, we often see things or hear things from our clients that should not have happened. It could be an ultrasound tech sharing an interpretation that is later contradicted by their primary care provider, causing the patient confusion and anxiety. It could be membrane sweeps, AROMs, or episiotomies performed without the client’s consent. Or nurses disclosing information to family members while the client is unconscious, leaving the patient to receive a broken telephone story from their family later. 

     

    These incidents range from irritations to serious breaches of practice standards, and things are more likely to “just go wrong” for systemically marginalized people. Clients are usually at a loss as to how to seek accountability or believe they can do nothing to address the harm they’ve experienced. 

     

    Some may be aware of complaints processes that exist, but concerns about outcomes on either end of the spectrum – nothing will happen, or the worker will get fired – are often a deterrent. And of course, our clients who have just had babies or experienced a loss may simply not have the time and energy to engage with a complaints process.

     

    In truth, there are far more opportunities to address what happened than most people think. Speaking up can lead to many positive outcomes, including a faster return to well-being for the client, and learning and improved practice on the part of the care provider. The processes focus on restorative justice, learning, and growth, rather than punishing the provider.  There is an understanding that the vast majority of workers in the healthcare system care about people and want to help. The options outlined below are suitable depending on the context and seriousness of what happened.

     

    Speaking with the Care provider directly

    For my clients who decide to speak up about their experience, this is usually the option they go with. This is especially true of midwifery clients who have an ongoing relationship with their care provider. 

     

    We can support clients in this process by clarifying the concerns and rehearsing the conversation to make sure key points are captured and that the client feels empowered to self-advocate. 

     

    I’ve seen improved treatment relationships and greater client well-being arise from these conversations. Especially in the case of complex births, creating a safe environment to debrief the experience with the provider is essential. Debriefing a traumatic birth with the care provider is a protective factor against birth trauma.

     

    Engaging the Care Team

    If multiple people are involved in a client’s care, sometimes a care provider with whom the client has a positive relationship can be a liaison between them and a provider with whom the client is having challenges. For example, in the case of the oversharing ultrasound tech mentioned above, it might be appropriate for the midwife or OB’s clinic to reach out to the ultrasound clinic to let them know about the impact this had on a client. This leverages the clinics’ mutually supportive relationship that should incorporate giving and receiving constructive feedback. 

     

    Patient Relations and other “in-house” processes

    Talking with the provider directly isn’t always the right option. This is especially likely to be true in a dynamic where the client felt intimidated or belittled by the provider, such as a discriminatory incident. Our debriefs with clients can explore their level of comfort with the various options.

     

    Depending on the setting in which the care took place, there is usually an internal process for raising concerns. For example, most hospitals have a patient relations department that can work with you to resolve issues. There is often a mechanism for the hospital to anonymize information raised with the provider. Staff within patient relations will investigate the complaint and decide on the best way to address it. This could include seeking an apology from the care provider, supporting them to learn from what happened, or more serious action depending on the nature of the complaint.

     

    Regulatory Body

    Suppose a client has a serious concern about someone involved in their care who is a member of a regulated health profession. In that case, they have the option of filing a complaint with the care provider’s regulatory body. In Ontario, these regulatory bodies are called “Colleges”. They may be called “Boards” or “Associations” in other places.  If you’re unsure of the system where you live, I recommend searching for “regulated health profession [your province/state]” and finding out more about health professional regulation where you live, especially for the professions providing perinatal healthcare, such as nursing, midwifery, medicine, pharmacy, and diagnostic imaging.  

     

    Professional regulatory bodies fulfill a range of functions including setting educational requirements, registering members, setting professional standards, and investigating complaints and reports. 

     

    Anyone can go to the College with a complaint about one of their members. When health professionals work in settings where they have oversight, such as a hospital or clinic, management is legally required to report certain types of information to the regulator. It’s one of the reasons why it’s always best to take the complaint somewhere internal first. 

     

    A range of things can happen, such as a letter with recommendations, reflection exercises and activities to support professional development, and a meeting with an expert in an area where more learning is needed. In some instances, the regulator may take no action. In some situations, the College can pursue an internal prosecution of the member. Again, a range of outcomes is possible, including having their license to practice their profession removed. This outcome is very infrequent.

     

    Complaints Commissioner, Ombudsman, etc.

    Provinces in Canada have arms-length government bodies that ensure the quality of public services such as healthcare. In Ontario, complaints regarding healthcare can be taken to the patient ombudsman. In Quebec, complaints can be made with the Complaints Commissioner. This 2022 case study explored the advocacy potential of many individuals accessing this complaints process. In 2019, “Obstetric violence” became a focus of media attention in Quebec due to a series of articles published in La Presse about experiences during childbirth, including inappropriate comments, procedures performed without consent, and being separated from babies. In the weeks following these publications, the Complaints Commissioner received an influx of complaints that spoke to a systemic pattern. The Commissioner is well placed to liaise with government policymakers and she produced a report with recommendations aimed at improving perinatal care. This led to several outcomes, including workshops for service providers on communication, information sharing, and consent.

     

    “It’s me, hi! I’m the problem. It’s me”

    Transparency with our clients about accountability includes making sure they know what their options are if they have concerns about us! Keeping the lines of communication open so they feel comfortable coming to us with concerns is ideal. If a client has a concern about a certified doula or perinatal educator that can’t be worked out, the client can go to their certification organization. In Ontario, If clients have concerns about how their personal information was used or shared, they can file a complaint with the privacy commissioner.

     

    Seeking accountability has the potential to be healing and empowering for clients, while providing a learning opportunity for the client. When working with diverse humans at a sensitive time, hearing critical feedback compassionately and receptively is integral to our ability to grow in our practice. It may not always feel great in the moment, but if we reflect honestly on constructive feedback, it can be a wonderful catalyst for deepening our practice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”534490″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1706107304539{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Keira Grant (she/her) Inclusion and Engagement Lead – Racialized Communities

    Keira brings a wealth of experience to the Online Community Moderator role. She is a Queer, Black woman with a twenty-year track record in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) education, projects, and community building initiatives.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

    16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1701109787897{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]For our observance of UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, we reflect on how doulas are involved in ending obstetric violence at the individual and systemic level. Reflecting on this year’s theme, we call on governments and insurance providers to Unite and Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls by funding better access to doula care.

    Where we need to go

    As doulas, companions, and birth keepers, we know in our bones that our presence alleviates the challenges of birth and new parenthood and supports people to have joyful, transformative experiences during this major life event. 

    A growing body of research supports our intuitive knowledge. Doula care is an effective perinatal intervention that reduces the need for medical interventions, including c-sections, decreases low birth weight and preterm births, and improves satisfaction with childbirth and postpartum well-being, among many other benefits. These benefits have the biggest impact on families adversely affected by the social determinants of health, including low-income, and racialized people (Cidro et al., 2023; Greiner et al., 2019; Kozhimannil et al., 2016; Marshall et al., 2022; Ramey-Collier et al., 2023; Robles, 2019; Thomas et al., 2023; Wodtke et al., 2022; Young, 2022).

    Yet, despite this, only 6% of birthing families receive support from a doula. Doulas are usually paid by families out of pocket, and care is not usually available to the populations for whom having a doula might have the greatest impact.

    Some exciting changes are happening in the United States. Starting from around 2020, several studies found that racialized birthers and newborns experienced much poorer outcomes than their white counterparts, including an increased likelihood of death. This disparity was most significant for black people. These studies opened a floodgate of conversation about a Black maternal health crisis in the US. State healthcare systems are under significant political pressure to find solutions. Doula care is seen as a critical intervention that improves outcomes for racialized birthers and babies, and many Medicaid-funded doula programs are emerging (Rochester, Delaware, Michigan).

    Sadly, Canada is lagging in finding innovative ways to make doula care accessible. One reason for this is that it is harder for researchers and advocates to demonstrate similar racial disparities because Canada does not collect race-based data. There is ample anecdotal evidence that Black and Indigenous people experience the same medical racism that has been identified in the US, but individual accounts can’t provide the level of “proof” that makes a strong case for funding.

    That being said, a recent study by obstetrician researchers at McMaster University learned that birthers in Canada experience a high rate of operative vaginal deliveries (forceps or vacuum) and has higher rates of 3rd and 4th-degree tears than any other high-income country (CTV, 2023). Continuous support from a doula during childbirth reduces the need for interventions like operative deliveries.

    Call to Action for International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25)

    Whether you are a birthworker, a birther, or a concerned citizen, you can add your voice to the call for better access to doula care by doing two things:

    1. Write or call your Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) and let them know you want coordinated public funding for doula care in your province’s healthcare plan. 
    2. If you have extended health coverage, call your insurance carrier and let them know you would like doula care to be an insured healthcare expense. More insurance companies covering doula care would make this support accessible to many more families.

    Birthworker Affirmations for 16 Days

    We use affirmations to buoy our clients, but what about using them to protect ourselves from burnout as we extend compassion to clients and act for systemic change? As part of our observance of 16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence, we offer these 16 affirmations to support you on your birth work journey.

    1. My work humanizing birth humanizes communities. The merits of this work are limitless.
    2. My practice of self-compassion is integral to my ability to extend compassion to my clients.
    3. Changing one life changes everyone’s life. By supporting each person I honour our interconnectedness.
    4. My actions can make a difference.
    5. I will manifest the village I need to support me to continue manifesting change for birthers and families.
    6. By facilitating a non-judgemental space, I play an invaluable role in creating a safe space.
    7. By creating a sacred space for birth, I bring great joy to families, which increases my own joy.
    8. When I remember to take a deep breath, my client is reminded to breathe deeply.
    9. With collaboration and determination, we can realize humanized, empowering birth for all families. 
    10. My acts of service provide a blanket and a shield to families at their most vulnerable.
    11. My compassionate presence and loving words are a powerful antidote to suffering that can exist within birth, making space for more joy.
    12. By inspiring birthers and families to believe that physiological birth is possible, I play a tangible role in making physiological birth attainable.
    13. I will preserve my energy for the real struggle. 
    14. It is a blessing to walk alongside families during this intimate and transformative time, for which I am deeply grateful.
    15. With deeply rooted compassion, I can be a willow or an oak in service to my clients’ needs.
    16. With the birthwork community’s diligence, one day all births will be humanized births. I am honoured to be a part of this movement.

     

    Keira Grant (she/her) Inclusion and Engagement Lead – Racialized Communities

    Keira brings a wealth of experience to the Online Community Moderator role. She is a Queer, Black woman with a twenty-year track record in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) education, projects, and community building initiatives.

     

    We invite you to practice with the ones that resonate with you. Please share any of your own affirmations that would support the birthwork community.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Women’s History Month

    Women’s History Month

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1696691842834{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]For much of human history and in a myriad of cultures, the ability to create life was revered and seen as a source of power. When Rachel from friends, overdue with Emma famously says “No uterus, no opinion” – she’s describing an attitude that used to be a given. Things started to change in the mid-19th century as the then-exclusively male profession of medicine and the burgeoning specialty of gynecology gained legitimacy and brought reproductive health under its control.

    When you control the uterus, you quite literally control the social order. You assume control of the means of producing the next generation, who gets to have a “legitimate” family, and who does not. 

    For as long as patriarchy has sought to control women and people with uteri by controlling reproduction, we have resisted and fought relentlessly to bring reproduction back under our control and keep it there. 

    October is Women’s History Month and this year’s theme is “Through Her Lens: Celebrating the Diversity of Women”. 

    The diverse, heroic people who have fought for reproductive justice, access to choice, and humanized birth are countless, spanning time, place, age, race, gender, sexuality, ability, class, religion, and the full array of human experiences. By sharing a few of their stories, we begin to tell the story of our ongoing struggle for reproductive freedom through their lens. 

    The work of these pioneers and modern-day heroes is part of the fabric of all we do as doulas, childbirth educators, and birth keepers to ensure that pregnancy, birth, mothering, and parenthood are empowered, affirming choices and experiences.

    The featured figures in women’s history offer a lens through which can explore the movements that have shaped the context of birth work in the 21st century.

    Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw & Nurse Dorothea Palmer

    Elizabeth Bagshaw started her medical studies at the University of Toronto in 1901 at the age of 19 and began practicing medicine in Hamilton, Ontario in 1905. The medical profession was overwhelmingly dominated by men at the time. The limited number of women in the profession were excluded from specialties such as surgery and steered toward obstetrics or pediatrics. As a result, maternal health quickly became the primary focus of Dr. Bagshaw’s practice. In 1932 she was asked to become the medical director of Canada first birth control clinic, which was illegal at the time. Despite the legal risks, Dr. Bagshaw accepted the role because she “understood that neglecting health care that only women need contributes to their subordination.” Bradshaw’s practice at the clinic consisted largely of fitting women for diaphragms and conducting follow-ups. The clinic served 400 women in its first year of operation.

    At the time that she assumed the role, the Great Depression was ravaging society. Men were out of work, children were hungry, and maternal mortality was high. Women were dying from botched abortions. Family planning options were urgently needed. Despite these conditions, sharing birth control information was illegal and considered immoral by many. Bagshaw and her collaborators were called “devils” and “heretics”. 

    The controversy came to a head in 1936 with the trial of Ottawa-based reproductive health nurse Dorothea Palmer. Palmer was charged with advertising birth control during home visits to discuss family planning. Palmer’s defence successfully argued that she had acted in the public good and she was acquitted. This defense was successful again on appeal, making things easier for Bagshaw’s clinic and other early family planning pioneers, although the law making advertising birth control illegal was not reppealed until 1969..

    June Callwood 

    June Callwood was a Canadian activist, journalist and writer who co-founded the Canadian Abortion Rights Action League in 1973, along with Kay Macpherson, Lorna Grant, Eleanor Wright Pelrine, Esther Greenglass, and Henry Morgentaler. Over the course of the 1970s and 1980s the organization played a pivotal role in the journey to full decriminalization of inducing an abortion in 1988.  After this milestone, CARAL continued its work to ensure equitable and safe access to medical termination of pregnancy.

    June Callwood was also known for her journalism in support of social justice and women’s rights. Over the course of her journalistic career she wrote for the Globe & Mail, Chatelaine, McLeans, and other major Canadian publications.

    As an activist, she was involved in co-founding over 50 social service organizations, including Casey House a hospice for people with AIDS and Jessies: The June Callwood Centre for Young Women, which provides a range of social services to young women and trans people experiencing pregnancy.

    Dr. Galba Araujo

    The Humanizing Childbirth movement began in Fortaleza, Brazil in 1975 when Obstetrician Galba Araujo pioneered a program to train traditional midwives and partner them with hospitals. His project gained international recognition, and acted as a catalyst for the World Health Organization to host a conference on technology and childbirth in Brazil in 1985. 

    In 2000, the first annual conference on humanizing childbirth was held in Fortaleza Brazil, revitalizing interest in the Humanized Birth movement for the 21st century. This movement aims to de-medicalize birth and create a process wherein relationships and communication are centred and where personal and spiritual transformation are possible. 

    While Dr. Araujo’s contribution was undoubtedly central to this movement garnering international recognition in mainstream medicine, the principles of this movement are drawn from woman-led traditional Indigenous midwifery in Brazil and other part of the Americas. 

    Reverend Alma Faith Crawford

    Reverend Alma Faith Crawford is one of 12 Black women who coined the term “reproductive justice” in 1994 and founded an anti-racist feminist movement aimed at equipping women of all races, classes, and sexual and gender identities with the option to choose to have family, whether through accessing adequate support to childrear, or by accessing options to prevent or terminate pregnancy. The organizing framework they developed for Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice recognizes that the rage of choices available to a person are impacted by a person’s social experience, with people experiencing injustice and marginalization having diminished access to choice. Maintaining each individuals human right to reproductive justice involves dismantling all forms of social injustice at the deepest level of the system. In addition to equitable abortion access, reproductive justice advocates call for access to social services that would make is possible for more people to raise families with well-being.

    Reverend Crawford also organizes with interfaith pro-choice advocacy organization Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. She continues her intersectional social justice work as a senior coach for Pastors Without Borders. As clergy in the United Church, she and her partner Karen Hutt create welcoming and loving spaces for members of the Black, LGBTQ+ community. 

    Nurse Courtney Penell

    Courtney Penell is an Indigenous labour and delivery nurse in Nova Scotia who performed the first smudge ceremony in a Halifax hospital in June 2023. Her ability to perform the ceremony in the hospital came at the end of 10 years of advocacy, that included collaboration with the hospital and the fire department to resolve safety concerns. The long-fought-for policy was implemented just days before her nephew’s birth, allowing her sister to become the first person to receive the ceremony in the hospital. Smudging is an important Indigenous ceremonial and medicinal practice that involves burning sacred herbs such as sage, cedar, sweetgrass, and tobacco. The specifics of the ceremony vary from Nation to Nation. Penell performed the ceremony according to her family’s Mi’kmaw traditions. 

    Courtney Penell’s advocacy is part of a Canada-wide Indigenous movement to decolonize birth by reclaiming traditional practices and ceremonies, bringing birth back onto ancestral lands, introducing traditional first foods, and other liberatory actions. 

     

    [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1696691935455{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Keira Grant (she/her) Inclusion and Engagement Lead – Racialized Communities

    Keira brings a wealth of experience to the Online Community Moderator role. She is a Queer, Black woman with a twenty-year track record in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) education, projects, and community building initiatives.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”520907″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Bisexual Visibility Day

    Bisexual Visibility Day

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1695560834217{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]According to national data, bisexuals make up the lion’s share of the LGB population. Yet, we are also the most invisible. This is because sexual orientation is usually interpreted based on relationship status and household composition, rather than on how an individual experiences their sexuality.

    My wife and I have been together for 16 years, and co-parenting together for 11 years. We are both bisexual. Rarely is our family interpreted accurately by the outside world. I am Black, she is white, our kid is mixed race and presents as Black. We are also both femmes. As a result of these factors, we have been in countless interactions where my wife has been interpreted, and treated as “my friend who helps me out with my kid”. She has actually been a part of every moment of his life since he was an ultrasound image.

    If she takes him to medical appointments she is asked to substantiate who she is in relation to him, or now that he is older, he has been asked to confirm her identity. This doesn’t happen when I take him to medical appointments. It is a good practice to confirm the relationship between adults and children at medical appointments. However, this seems to be happening based on race, sexual orientation, and gender-based assumptions about families, rather than as a universal safety precaution.

    We’ve come a long way in terms of normalizing same-sex households, but as recently as this past school year, our kid came home with a form that had spots for “mother” and “father”. It is so easy to create a form that has two spaces for “parent/guardian”. Outdated forms such as this one exclude a lot of families that aren’t “same-sex households”. 

    In general, we’re not very surprised by these microaggressions as we navigate a heterosexist world. What often lands more painfully are the microaggressions from within the LGBTQ community in relation to our bisexuality.

    Recently, we were at a comedy night that was heavily attended by queer and trans people. Despite the largely queer crowd, one of the comedians made a biphobic joke. We groaned and gave each other knowing eye-rolls. This reaction sparked a conversation with a lesbian couple that was seated at the same table. We got to chatting with them and when we revealed that we have been together for the better part of 2 decades and are raising a child together, they made a remark that we have heard in lesbian spaces before: “Oh, well it’s like you’re lesbians then”. 

    Like many microaggressions, the intention was clearly complimentary, but that’s definitely not how it landed. We are proud bisexual women. Our relationship with each other doesn’t change that. In these conversations, we find ourselves resisting the temptation to disclose being polyamorous and our relationships with men as a counterargument. No one should have to justify being Bi. That is just what some people are. We all understand that a person who’s been celibate for an extended amount of time isn’t necessarily asexual. It’s the same thing really. My sexual orientation is the one I was born with. Relationships are choices I make over time.

    Not all same-sex couples are gay and lesbian. Not all different-sex couples are straight. Many of us raise children using a variety of family and community structures. Being told we are not real or that our identity is a phase hurts. 

    A great way to make the world less painful for bisexuals and their families is to normalize and represent different family structures. Right now, there is a culture war over when it’s okay to start talking to kids about LGBTQ+ people. 

    Who among us can remember receiving an explanation about marriage and families? We take for granted that there is no need to explain these concepts. We learn about these and other institutions by observing the world around us. LGBTQ+ people are part of the world. Representing queer and trans folk in a child’s world from day one is how we present an accurate portrait of reality.

    There is content that affirms family diversity for all ages. Independent children’s publisher Flamingo Rampant offers an excellent selection of children’s books that show race, sexual, bodily, ability, and gender diversity with people and families doing all sorts of fun and magical things. Super Power Baby Shower by Toby Hill-Meyer and Fay Onyx tells the story of a queer, polyamorous family of superheroes preparing to have a baby! 

     Keira Grant (she/her) brings a wealth of experience to her EDI Co-Lead role. She is a Queer, Black woman with a twenty-year track record in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) education, projects, and community-building initiatives. As a mom and partner, she uses her lived experience to provide support and reflection for her clients and her work. Keira is the owner of Awakened Changes Perinatal Doula Services.

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  • Empowering NICU Parents as a Doula: Strategies for Support

    Empowering NICU Parents as a Doula: Strategies for Support

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1696077782676{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]September is NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)  Awareness Month. ​This special month is dedicated to acknowledging the challenges families face and providing them with the support and resources they need.

    As a doula you will encounter times where families are navigating a baby in the NICU for various reasons. This is an overwhelming and difficult time for all of those involved. It is a traumatic separation of parents and baby. A time where navigating expectations of what parenting was supposed to be and what it is, is up against the fear of will my baby be ok. 

    Often times as doulas we feel scared and unprepared in supporting families as they navigate their way through this journey. Here are a few ways you can show up for families in the NICU. 

    Listen

    Just as you might support someone going through any kind of trauma by listening as they speak, simply lending an open, non-judgmental ear can be of huge help to NICU parents. Focusing on listening ensures that you honor the experience they’re having, instead of clouding it with your insights, birth story, or advice.

    Consider starting with, “Do you feel like talking?” before asking any questions about their status or that of the baby. They may really want to share with you how much weight the baby gained that day or how they’re doing on certain good days, or they may really want to vent on some terrible days. But they also may not want to talk.  Asking if they’re open to talking before diving into a conversation is a way to respect their boundaries.

    Support them in establishing communication with their baby’s care team: 

    NICU parents often feel insecure about how to provide care for their baby who is in such a fragile condition.  It is important for them to know they are just as needed in the NICU as the medical team. 

    • Remind them they are their baby’s best advocate
    • Help them formulate the questions they want to ask
    • Remind them they can provide care to their newborn, changing diapers, taking temperatures, etc. The nurses will support them. 
    • Encourage them to keep a daily journal of their babies progress. keeping track of  baby’s individual body systems, like breathing, digestion, heart, brain, eyes, and any special conditions the baby has.  Keep track of milestones and ask the nurse what the baby’s current goals are.  Sometimes the goals will change daily, and sometimes they will stay the same for weeks.

    Offer Practical Support 

    As a doula this is our wheelhouse. Just as we would in the home, offering clear and concise suggestions about the type of support you can offer will help overwhelmed parents get what they need. 

    • Work with their support system to arrange food delivery for in hospital support and those at home. Gift cards for restaurants in and around the hospital, premade easy to heat up meals and snacks or even e-transfers will be greatly appreciated. 
    • Offer to do a load of laundry and bring it to the hospital ( or arrange for a family member to do so) 
    • Offer to be a communication liaison between the family and their extended family and friends, or help them find their person
    • Remember that the birther is also dealing with recovery, help them with practical recovery strategies like pain management, pumping, etc. 

    Remember that the fear does not end when baby comes home 

     There is a lot of excitement when baby comes home however this doesn’t mean that the fear and concerns have ended. Often parents have not fully processed the trauma of being in the NICU and coming home creates a space for all of that to surface. 

    Find the parents counselling and peer support resources. Expect some hypervigilance when it comes to caring for baby. Patience and listening will continue to be important. 

    What strategies and tools do you use to support families in the NICU? 

     

    Sondra Marcon (she/her). Education and Administration Coordinator
    Sondra’s background in family therapy and mental health work drives her to create environment for her clients and students that is both supportive and challenging of bias and assumptions. Teaching and development of curriculum drives her to continue to grow. Sondra’s drive to become a doula came when she saw the impact of early childhood experiences and parenting has on the wellness of both the infant and their parents.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Where Can My Doula Career Take Me?

    Where Can My Doula Career Take Me?

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1694438520551{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]As unregulated health care professionals, a doula’s role involves advocacy, education, counselling, collaboration and negotiation to provide physical, emotional and informational support to individuals and families across the full spectrum of their reproductive choices. This role relies on a comprehensive set of skills and knowledge. With the foundation of your doula experience and education you can choose to grow your career path in many different directions. 

    So let’s talk about some career options that complement each other. 

    Lactation Consultant or IBCLC 

    These are two different avenues of support. 

    A Lactation Consultant/ Educator works with families from preconception through the stage of weaning offering education, encouragement, counseling, an experienced point of view, and fostering confidence, and a commitment to body feeding. Lactation Educators can be found working in a variety of settings to offer their services to families. Families can find them working as public health educators, WIC peer counselors, hospital/community educators, pediatric support professionals, and in private practice as educators. You can find certifications online for these programs. 

    An International board-certified lactation consultants (IBCLC) is an allied healthcare professional who specializes in caring for bodyfeeding parents. They’re qualified to treat common nursing problems along with more serious conditions such as mastitis and clogged milk ducts. Lactation consultants most often support parents in how to increase milk supply, find the best nursing position, and manage breastfeeding pain. IBCLCs are held to strict standards. To be accredited, they must complete 90 hours of training, 300 to 1,000 hours of clinical experience, and extensive health sciences coursework. An accredited lactation consultant must also recertify every five years and continue their education.

    Prenatal Fitness Instructor

    As a Prenatal & Postnatal Fitness Instructor, you can help educate and train clients in all stages of pregnancy – before, during, and after – about what is safe for them and, conversely, what should be avoided to help protect the health of both the gestational parent and baby. Furthermore, fitness training is a fun way to meet new clients and get to know them in a positive environment. Prenatal fitness certifications are available both online and in-person. Take a look in your area to see what works best.

    Perinatal Counsellor

    Perinatal counselling provides emotional support and treatment for individuals (and couples) who are having a difficult time adjusting to pregnancy and parenthood, who are experiencing a perinatal mood or anxiety problem, or who are experiencing both. Some of this work can naturally overlap with a client’s pregnancy and birth journey. If you really enjoy the counseling and support side of birth work you may want to become a psychotherapist or mental health professional. You can find certification courses through college or university or through private vocational training schools. 

    Birth Photographer

    If you have a creative eye, you can capture the moments of birth for clients on camera. A few of our alumni have combined their creativity with a love of birth. You can either work solely as a Birth Photographer, documenting the pregnancy journey and birth. Or you can have photography as an additional service available through your doula work. It depends what you’re comfortable with and how you’d like to structure your business. Each client is different and you’ll want to work with them to understand what their goals are and what kind of pictures they’re looking for. The great thing about this career path is a relatively low barrier to entry. If you already have a love of photography and a camera you can get started. Alternatively, there are a variety of photography courses available both online and in person.

    Midwife

    A healthcare professional that assists with the labour and delivery of a new baby. Midwifes are experts in low risk pregnancy and birth, providing care to patients and delivering the baby. In the case where there are concerns or complications, a midwife can transfer care to a physician if needed. A midwife is different from a doula, in that they are a trained medical professional who can deliver a baby. A doula is trained to provide physical, emotional, and informational support to clients. However, a doula is not a medical professional. A question we see a lot at Doula School is does a client benefit from having a midwife AND a doula – the answer is yes! They both provide very important services to clients, and many people find it helpful to have both. Training to be a midwife typically takes between 3 and 4 years, depending on the program and its requirements.

    Labour & Delivery Nurse

    They work as main points of support for OBGYNs, monitoring of patient vitals, administering medication, and establishing communication with expectant parents. Once a baby is born, the L&D Nurse acts as an informational resource to parents, to monitor neonatal vitals, to ensure the birthing person isn’t experiencing postpartum complications. Nursing degrees can vary depending on where you are located, however they typically take 3-4 years.

    Whatever path you decide to take, know you have a foundation of knowledge that will help carry you through. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Doula’s Toolbox: Why Birth Affirmations Matter!

    Doula’s Toolbox: Why Birth Affirmations Matter!

    [vc_row][vc_column][mk_padding_divider][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1679509016754{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]So let’s talk affirmations. The concept of self-affirmation isn’t by any means complex or far-fetched. Positive affirmations are statements or phrases that, when repeated daily, can help challenge negative thoughts and boost self-confidence.

    First, a little science. 

    To understand how positive affirmations work and how you can make the most of them, we have to familiarize you with neuroplasticity, which is the ability to rewire the brain. Despite being one of the most sophisticated and complex structures in the known universe, the human brain can get a little mixed up on the difference between reality and imagination. This very loophole serves as the basis of self-affirmation. To elaborate, when you repeat affirming statements daily, you’re helping your brain create a mental image of the goal you’re trying to achieve or the version of yourself you are aspiring to become.

    Affirmations require regular practice if you want to make lasting, long-term changes to the ways that you think and feel, even for birth. There is MRI evidence suggesting that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks (Cascio et al., 2016). If you want to be super specific, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—involved in positive valuation and self-related information processing—becomes more active when we consider our personal values (Falk et al., 2015; Cascio et al., 2016). There is also some reasearch asserting that affirmations can reduce the rate of medical interventions during childbirth.Empirical studies suggest positive affirmations can:

    • Decrease health-deteriorating stress (Sherman et al., 2009; Critcher & Dunning, 2015);
    • Help change the way we view “threatening” messages with less resistance and perception (Logel & Cohen, 2012);
    • Self-affirmation has been demonstrated to lower stress and rumination (Koole et al., 1999; Weisenfeld et al., 2001).

    Think of it this way. When you repeat the same thoughts in your head, positive or negative, you start to believe them and your brain forms a pathway of neurons. There is a popular saying: Your words become your world.

    Anyway most importantly the purpose of affirmations in labour is actually quite simple: Birth affirmations are sayings or statements designed to change your mindset and help you maintain a positive outlook or mood regarding the birth process.

    Preparing your mind for labour and birth is really important, and it is no different from eating well or working on specific exercises to prepare your body for labour.

    In order for birth affirmations to work, you need to keep a few things in mind:

    You  have to believe what you’re saying

    When you have a negative thought or fear, recognize it and deal with it first. This study found that participants with low self-esteem who repeated the phrase “I am lovable” actually had more negative emotions and still didn’t feel lovable because they didn’t really believe what they were saying.

    Try to get to the root of your fears or negativity around birth.  Talk to a counsellor, listen to or read positive birth stories and surround yourself with other positive influences.

    Keep in mind that sometimes we have to keep saying affirmations over and over again until we do believe it, which brings me to my next point.

    Repeat, repeat, repeat!

    Create a plan to practice your birth affirmations daily or a few times a week leading up to your birth. Find an affirmation meditation you enjoy, write them in a journal, and practice with your partner, doula or support person, you can even record your own voice memo practicing your affirmations to listen back. Practicing during your pregnancy will make using these affirmations during labour more effective.

    They are not just for vaginal birthing.

    There’s a common misconception that affirmations or hypnobirthing tracks are only helpful for people planning for an unmedicated birth experience. Plus affirmations are a great tool to complement other forms of pain management in your plan (think about that long drive to the hospital before you get an epidural).

    Make them visible: Once your contractions pick up, channelling your focus on affirmations will be more challenging. Print out a copy of your affirmations, save them to your phone, or pack affirmation cards (see the downloadable pdf)  in your bag will give you a visual point of reference to help keep your focus on your affirmations as you ride the waves of labour.

    Now that you’ve got a sense of how affirmations work, where can you find the right positive messages for you?  We have a downloadable PDF with a few ( ALSO for doulas this deck is customizable you can add your logo) you can google, or you can ask friends and family to help you out.

    What matters is that they are meaningful and believable for you![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mk_padding_divider][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”Customizable CANVA affirmation deck ” color=”turquoise” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.canva.com%2Fdesign%2FDAFd8HHbv8Y%2F_hEn_HPs8cN6DuVZfUaADw%2Fview%3Futm_content%3DDAFd8HHbv8Y%26utm_campaign%3Ddesignshare%26utm_medium%3Dlink%26utm_source%3Dpublishsharelink%26mode%3Dpreview|target:_blank”][/vc_column][/vc_row]