Tag: practitioner

Menopause Doula I ONLINE I April 3 course ACCESS date

Applicants recognize that this course material will not become available April 3rd, 2022.

This is an online course with 10 modules of content, 4 live meetings, 6 core assignments, module quizzes, a final exam, and a minimum of 20 practicum hours. Students have 24 months to complete all course requirements for completion.

Live meetings are scheduled for 7:30pm EST on:
April 21
April 28
May 5
May 12
*June 2 – optional business discussion and Q & A session

Students are asked to attend 50%.  All meetings are recorded for playback

Categories
balance Business Labour Doula Lifestyle Mentorship Postpartum Doula Uncategorised

Finding Balance: Working and Doula Life

The question often comes up in doula circles “how do people manage to swing doula work and family or other jobs”. It can be especially hard for people, like me, who are just starting out and aren’t in a place yet where they’re able to give up their other job for financial reason. I’m here to tell you, as a new doula in an area with no other doulas yet, a full time paramedic, a first-time mom-to-be, a DIY home builder and the Doula Canada Provincial Liaison for Newfoundland, it’s not an easy task.

There are two things that every doula must have, no matter their life situation. They must have a good support system and a love and deep desire for this work.

I took my training with Doula Canada in the spring of 2017. After having the time to set up my business, I took on a client due in January, and left a full time work schedule to accept a casual position working as a paramedic. I live in a province that is in heavy need of paramedics, so I have been able to work full time hours, but have the flexibility to take time off as needed. I know that this is a great luxury that is not available to everyone, and I have grateful for the position that I’m in. Having that flexibility was wonderful, as I took off time while on call for my doula client, and then returned to work again after her birth. This also coincided with my first trimester of pregnancy, so it worked out well in that I probably wouldn’t have been able to manage on call life while sick and exhausted from this pregnancy.

I would never be in the situation that I’m in without the unwavering support from my partner. When we decided that I would pursue this line of work, he supported me 100%. Even though we have had to tighten our shoestrings a bit in order for me to be on call periodically, he has recognized that for me to do work that will fill my cup, at times we will need to make some sacrifices in other areas of our lives. He also tags along to events with me, and listens to my many rants about the amount of work left to be done here! He’s a pretty good listener. I know moving forward with a child, he will allow me to take the time I need to focus on this business in whatever capacity that I need.

The second piece to the balancing puzzle is the love and desire for this type of work. It’s a lot easier to find the motivation to make those contacts, reach out to potential clients, and ask questions to the people in the community, when you see the potential. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to be a real part of the shift in birth culture here in Newfoundland. There are lots of struggles, but so much potential, which really lights my fire. After every positive meeting, I find myself motivated to keep moving forward. After every negative encounter, I find myself driven to help make that change. It’s hard to look at how far we have to go and to know, realistically, how long it’s going to take to get there. But each assignment that gets submitted, each new like on my Facebook page, every acknowledgement by a once skeptic gets us closer to providing the right support to the families in our area!

So how does this translate to you and your doula business?

First of all, find your support team. It’s hard to support people through their pregnancy, birth and postpartum without being supported yourself. Whether you need family to take care of your kids when you get called to a birth, a reliable babysitter for your prenatal visits or postpartum shifts, a partner who helps to manage times of lower income, a friend to enjoy a cup of tea with or a Doula Canada counterpart to vent and debrief with about hard situations, we all need to build our support team.

Figure out what you’ll need in order to make this a successful venture and then find the people to who will help you do that. Also be sure to add yourself to your support team.

Self-care is vitally important if we are to remain an active member of this birth culture shift. Fill your cup in order to continue filling others. That love and passion for the work, which I think you need to be a truly good and effective doula, is only sustainable if we take care of ourselves.

Samantha is the Provincial Liaison for Doula Canada and the owner of Nesting Owl Doula Services in Newfoundland. She is originally from Nova Scotia, but has been living in Newfoundland for the last 7 years. She had been working as a paramedic for the last 10 years before having her first child this summer. She is passionate about bringing midwifery care to Newfoundland and Labrador.

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.