Doula School Canada

Tag: connection

  • Why YOU matter in business.

    Why YOU matter in business.

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1647449189768{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Birthwork is personal. Everyone comes to this work with some level of personal investment. Clients may be drawn to your logo, website, or social media but who they hire is you. 

    Imagine you are following a company on Instagram and Facebook. The images are warm and cozy feeling. The person in the images is wearing relaxed clothing and a big smile. So you set up a meeting. You are excited to connect with the person you see every day online. 

    When you arrive to meet with this person you walk into an office with modern décor and are greeted by a person in a business suit. How do you feel? Do you stay? Do you continue to want to work with this person?

    This person’s marketing was not representative of who they are. For whatever reason, they were trying to be someone else in the marketing of their business. 

    Finding your voice in this business can be hard. You want to stand out, you want your ideal client to find you. The best and most effective way of finding your market is by showing up. Be vulnerable and honest about who you are. 

    Does this mean baring your soul on social media? Not necessarily. Authenticity is more important than transparency. Clients are not looking for every detail of your life. They are however wanting to meet you, not who you think you should be. 

    So what is authenticity? It means staying true to who YOU are, what YOU do, who YOU serve and, most importantly, why YOU do what you do. To quote Simon Sinek of Start with Why, “It means that the things we say and the things we do are things we actually believe.”

    Authenticity is the basis of the trust clients develops in your business. A client wants to have some sense that the beliefs and values you express in your business, align with theirs. People are drawn to others who are similar to them in certain ways.  What it means is finding your voice. Finding your people and letting them get to know who you are. 

     

    Where do you start? 

    Confidence (even if you have to fake it till you make it)

    This means believing in the power of you. Trusting that what you offer is so much more than the number of births you have attended, clients you have supported, or classes you have taught. That who you are is unique, and your clients are excited to meet you.

    Connection

    Getting yourself out there matters, but what matters most is relationships. Relationships with clients, caregivers, and other professionals are what business is built on. Through relationships all things are possible. Who you are matters in these relationships. Your business depends on your integrity of self. 

    Find a way to position yourself as the expert in your field. Find where your ideal clients hang out, what groups they are in, where they go to the shop, and build those relationships. Talk to the business owners, organize speaking events, be visible.  

    Clients are seeking connection. They want interaction, transparency, and relevance. They want to feel special. If a client likes your Facebook page or gives you their email they are saying “hey I like you!”. How can you say that back? How can you connect with them? Maybe that is as simple as shout-out on your social media platform or maybe that is a gift with purchase.

    Consistency

    This is more than just regularly posting on social media. This means that who you are and what images and ideas you are sharing align. All the time.  That your brand is consistent. Being authentic doesn’t mean you have to post every day and rack up 1000 likes. It just requires you to deliver a consistent, compelling identity that gets clients talking.

    It also means that if you are changing your marketing materials you need to be transparent as to what is to come. People have a hard time with change. Something as simple as a new haircut that makes you appear different from the headshot shown on your website can affect a client’s trust in your business. 

    Collaboration

    Going back to speaking to other business owners. We have a saying here at Doula Canada. There is no such thing as competition. WHAT?! Shocking I know. Here is the thing. Competition breeds contempt. Collaboration builds business. Your market, your clients are unique to you. Visibility matters. The more birth professionals out there (in a small town or big city) the more clients there are out there looking for service. 

    Find like-minded individuals and collaborate. Put on a talk, share space, and find ways to build a market through and with each other.  When you collaborate, you build connections. Connections bring clients. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • The Ultimate Dream Team: Doulas and Partners

    The Ultimate Dream Team: Doulas and Partners

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1642695988103{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t need a doula! I have a partner(s),” this post is for you! 

    Your partner is (or partners are) pretty amazing and doulas are so happy to have them on board, however, doulas bring different qualities and backgrounds to birth and postpartum preparation and space than partners do. 

    Let’s talk about how your partner(s) and doula complement one another and each fill a vital role.

    The role of a doula and the role of your partner(s) during labor are vastly different but equally important.

    Let me explain….


    The Partner’s Role:

    The role of your partner(s) (who is/are emotionally attached to you) in labor is a tremendous asset to you in many ways. Your partner(s) provide(s) comfort to you in a way that your doula (aka a new connection) is simply not capable of.

    They know you intimately; your fears, your passions, your deep concerns, and your history. They can anticipate your reactions before you have even had them. They are the person/people you look to in life for support and they are likely the person/people you feel most comfortable being your real self with.

    Your partner(s) can get your oxytocin flowing (it plays an important role in labour and chestfeeding). Your partner(s) can cuddle, kiss, or massage you in intimate ways that only you and your partner(s) can share.

    This relationship in the birthing room and during postpartum is incredibly valuable, HOWEVER, it is not the doulas role.


    The Doula’s Role:

    The doula’s primary focus during your pregnancy and the postpartum period is education, followed by the support of the decisions you make. The doula is able to answer your questions and lead you to the resources you seek. Through learning about normal physiological birth and birth options, chestfeeding and postpartum concerns partners can feel confident in supporting their partners. But they also have the reassurance of knowing a perinatal professional will be there to guide them.

    The doula can actually bring you closer to your partner. By making sure that your partner’s needs are met (food, drink, and reassurance), the birther and partner(s) can work more closely together. The doula allows for the partner(s) to participate at their own comfort level. The doula can fill in and allow the partner(s) to participate as they wish, without leaving the birther or postpartum person’s needs unmet.

    The doula is trained to know what is “normal” and what is beyond the scope of normal. The doula’s experience (professional and sometimes personal) enables them to support you confidently. The doula creates a space where the birther and partner(s) are given the opportunity to ask questions and make informed choices.

    When a doula attends a birth or supports you in the postpartum period, they bring with them the strength and wisdom of those they have served before you. Being the sole emotional and physical support for a labouring or postpartum person can be overwhelming for some partners. If we look at the birth and postpartum periods throughout history, we often see birthers surrounded by other experienced humans offering continuous support. Our shift in birth norms over the last century has made it uncommon to have multiple continuous support people. Partners provide an intimate and essential role that cannot be replaced, but a doula can come alongside to help and enhance the experience. 

    The doula is great at talking about the huge transition that is new parenthood. Especially for first-time parents, it can be so important to have someone to talk to about the big life and identity changes that happen when you bring a new baby into your family. 

    The Doula has a network and knows when offering resources and referrals are needed (from pelvic floor physical therapy, counselling support, or chestfeeding resources, to house cleaning services, or information on newborn jaundice, and so much more). 

     

    Your birth or postpartum team is not an either/or situation, and no doula would (or could!) ever take the place of your partner. Doulas and partners complement one another and come together to provide loving, compassionate, and judgment-free support along the journey to parenthood. It’s important to assemble your team carefully and think about the mix of personalities and support styles you want involved in your experience, making sure everyone is prepared to walk alongside you with their unique gifts and skills.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • 2018, a year of connection – A message from our Director

    2018, a year of connection – A message from our Director

    2018.  A year of connection.
    A message of reflection from our Director.

    When the last light switch is turned off on our yearly trainings I like to sit back and reflect on the growth, the hiccups, and the bounty of support we have created at Doula Canada.  Were our 2018 goals achieved?  What were the lessons we learned?  How can we make this better for our members in the year to come?  

    365 days of continuous trainings and member support can feel like a daunting task at the turning of the new calendar year, but 2018 leaned towards healthy growth via the streamlining of our online learning centre and the dedication of our expert training staff.   In short, this past year was a year of vibrancy and commitment by our growing membership, our hardworking team, and the community of networking partners we set out to encompass.

    It was also a lot of fun!  We made videos, held webinars, and we increased our communitas for members who wished to take part in our online check-in’s, social media platforms, monthly newsletters, and closed community forums.  

    But fun wasn’t the only focus of this past year.  2018 was about making connections and beginning the work on collaborations both with and for our Doula Canada members.  The year allowed for us to ask and to receive.

    In Canada we found incredible partnerships in The Gabriel Dumont Institute and the onset of our Indigenous Doula program.  We set the groundwork for our doula programs to be offered bilingually through Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB).  We continued to strengthen our relationship with Douglas College in New Westminster, BC, and we began discussions with multiple national partners to increase access to doula support through increased funding, alongside obstetrical partnerships, and increased awareness of maternal and infant mental health.  

    We are grateful to have held space and made plans with First Family Wellness (Regina), Beausoleil First Nation (Christian Island), BirthMark (Toronto), Hon. Min. John Haggie (Newfoundland) and his community partners, Canadian Mental Health Association (National), and a number of hospital administrators and boards.  We look forward to continuing our discussions and plans in 2019.

    Connections were also made outside of Canada as our team worked to create bridges between the maternal support needs of International communities and the strength of our Doula nation and its trainings.  Many of our members volunteered in countries like Honduras, Costa Rica, and Haiti, and in early 2019 a number of Doula Canada students will travel to Tanzania with Wombs of the World to work as alongside obstetrical support, and to increase access to safe water and sustainable job opportunities.  We will continue to support these initiatives as we make plans for future retreat and learning opportunities held abroad by Doula Canada in 2019.  

    Lastly, 2018 was a year of growth.  As an organization we saw our membership increase by over 38% from the previous fiscal year, and we expanded our certifications and workshop offerings to include expansive programs such as Infant and Pregnancy Loss, Sex and Birth, Rock Your VBAC, and the announcement of our Fertility Support and Menopause Practitioner trainings. 

    So, 2018, you were kind to us, and for that we are grateful.  Our organization at Doula Canada grew and created beautiful connections that we look forward to nurturing in 2019.   As the Director for this organization I am continuously grateful for the opportunities to learn from each of our members, for those who put forward their best intention to help our Learning Centre get off the ground, and for all the individuals who continue to show up for our profession and our communities.   I am also grateful to the Doula Canada team, who work 24/7, 365 days a year to support our growing membership and their professional needs.

    This New Year’s Eve we will ring it in with many new friends and colleagues, and for that we say…

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