Doula Mamas Tribe

[MrsJPS]

I didn't see a tribe for doula mamas as I was searching, but if I missed it, hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes!  I'd love to get to know other mamas who have been through it as well as helped others through it!

[georgia]

Hi! I'm going to move this over to our Birth Professionals forum so you can find other doulas more easily! 

[Nutter]

I've been a doula for about 5 years (attended my first birth almost 8 years ago), and am expecting my first baby in May.  :)

[MrsJPS]

Thanks Georgia!  And CONGRATS Nutter!  I'm just finishing up my certification, which sort of got put on hold when I had my first baby last July.  Just getting back into it now, slowly though, since my son is just barely starting to eat anything other than being EBF, and I'm still figuring out the world of on-call childcare. ;p

[Oregonicmama]

Hi!  I will be attending a Doula training workshop in April in preparation for applying to midwifery school this fall. 

MrsJPS- on-call childcare is an issue I have also dealt with.  I was with a very non-supportive partner, then a single mom for a while and felt I could not persue Doula or midwifery work because I didn't have easy access to on-call childcare.  I am so grateful for my fiance who is willing to be available to take care of the kids so I can finally follow my calling.

[KaliShanti]

Hi everyone! I'm a doula in East Texas and mama to 2 children, ages 3 and 1.

[rebirth]

I'm a Doula mama in Florida, with a 1 yr old son :) I am a birth doula, CBE (private), Postpartum Doula and Midwive's assistant. And I do belly casts and sew slings, too... I've attended births for nearly 3 years now.

I handle childcare in a few ways... I have a big list of available people!!! Mainly though, I have a very supportive family (my husband, mother and sister when she is home from collage).

My hubby takes off work when I have a birth Doula client in labor, as he has over 5 weeks of paid leave from work.... it is amazing! When he has a meeting he cannot miss, or something then my mom watches my boy. She also watches him when my hubby is in school, or while I'm doing postpartum work. I schedule CBE, belly casts and prenatal/postpartum meetings around my hubbys work, and I only assist when my mom is available, b/c financially it isn't enough for my hubby to miss work over.

My husband is finishing his bachelors, and will be going to law school g-d willing in the fall, and that may complicate things..... we will see. Right now my little one HYSTERICALLY cries when he is with any babysitter, and it is heartbreaking... :( I'm hoping by August that is better, and we've considered hiring a mothers helper 2-3x a week, who will be on call for us, so he feels more comfortable w/ the sitter. Things will again getr new complications in his 2nd lay school year, when he is in an internship and cannot leave work for my clients births... but I have faith I can make it work :)

[COgirl19]

I am an aspiring doula here (I have a post on here somewhere about that). I will be lurking.

[phathui5]

I've been working as a birth doula for a year. Right now, I'm working on a certification as a BirthWorks Childbirth Educator so that I can also offer childbirth classes.

We have four children, aged 3, 5, 7 and 10, who I homeschool.

[pungalina]

I'm a doula and student midwife. I have one two year old daughter and another baby on the way this summer.

[zenmumajen]

Hello!

My son was also born in July! I just started studying with CBI about a month ago for a birth doula and breastfeeding counselor. I still have awhile to go to reach certification but hoping to get my first birth in by the summer!!

[heather333]

Hi! I just received my cert. from ICEA and am so excited to find this forum! I attended 4 births during the training but then had my 4th baby 11 mos. ago, so things have become more complicated. He nurses a lot still and I'm not eager to leave him for hours and hours at a time. I attended my last birth when I was pregnant with him and I was there for 17 hours! Not do-able now that he's here, at least for now.  But I'm so anxious to get into the working world for doulas:) So...I'm going to just do scheduled postpartum work for now. In 6-12 mos. I'll start attending births again. I saw another mom on here also has 4 kids and homeschool- I do too. So, lots to consider! But I love this field!

[ButtonGirl]

Aspiring doula and midwife (though no plans as to when I will be able to...) - happy to learn along the way though!

[Shaymariep]

My name is Shannon and I live in Oregon.  I've always been drawn to the birthing experience, I saw my first birth when I was 19, since then I've seen two more births and have had three kids (1+ twins)  I am looking for more information to see where I'd begin to get started... I worked at an OBGYN clinic for two years and Right now I'm a licensed massage therapist so Hopefully that will help me along.   My children are still young 5, and 2 (twins) so I'm not sure how i will do it at this time, but I'm very very interested!!

 Any information as to how to get started would be greatly appreciated! <3

[ButtonGirl]

Hi Shannon - I've found a lot of great info. on DONA.org - I know there are other certifications out there as well, but this one has definitely been helpful to me - I even used their list of doula's in my area to e-mail several of the ladies for information, and all of them responded and were amazingly helpful.
 

Originally Posted by Shaymariep 

My name is Shannon and I live in Oregon.  I've always been drawn to the birthing experience, I saw my first birth when I was 19, since then I've seen two more births and have had three kids (1+ twins)  I am looking for more information to see where I'd begin to get started... I worked at an OBGYN clinic for two years and Right now I'm a licensed massage therapist so Hopefully that will help me along.   My children are still young 5, and 2 (twins) so I'm not sure how i will do it at this time, but I'm very very interested!!

 Any information as to how to get started would be greatly appreciated! <3

[Keileen]

I'm Kiersten, living in Kentucky with my husband and two children: DS 5 and DD 2, I did my doula training with DONA and have found it to be solid and helpful, though a lot of paperwork. I'm finally ready to pull my application for certification together--wading my way through said paperwork bit by bit.  I'm loving the variety of moms I've been working with, but the realm of on-call childcare has certainly been daunting. We have no family nearby, so I've basically been compiling a resource list of my own of friends, homeschool and other SAHM's, and a lady down the street who watches her granddaughter from time to time.  My past three births have been strokes of luck though--one on Thanksgiving day (short enough to make it home for dinner), a Sunday night birth followed by a snow day, and a Saturday birth--all easily covered by DH. I know that luck will inevitably fail, and the challenge is that sitter options keep evolving and changing and I haven't truly found anyone willing to be fully on-call along with me...

[Mal85]

Another aspiring doula. I will attend my training this spring, but have started my readings this month. I'm getting DONA certified and so excited about it.

I witnessed my first birth when I was 13, my nephew. 3 days later, I was there for the birth of my niece. Over the next few years, I witnessed 4 more births, all nieces and nephews. The last one was a traumatic birth. She survived, but it was close at the end. She was transferred to a children's hospital and later diagnosed with a genetic disorder they did not know about during pregnancy. I wasn't sure if I could witness another birth after being there for that one. After I'd had my own daughter, almost two years ago, my friend asked me to attend her home birth and take pictures for her. I told her about the baggage I bring with me, unsure if I'd make it through the whole thing.

I got the call for her birth at 4 in the morning and stayed with her until he was born at almost 3 that afternoon. I was there as photographer, but was quickly enlisted as co-doula with the midwives assistant and the other good friend that was there. We all took turns being her labor support throughout the day. It was an experience like none other and when I left that day, I just KNEW I had to do that again and again. That was last August and I immediately started looking into how I could become a doula. I was supposed to start my training last month, but finances put that on hold until this spring.

I really can't wait to start attending births, but I do have some concerns. One is that I am currently TTC. I imagine my future pregnancy and birth of said child will put my training on hold for a while. I just want to get to the point where I can start attending births before I have the baby. Then, once I'm ready to dive back in after the baby, I can go straight to attending births. The midwife who attended my friend's birth was impressed with how helpful I was and has offered any help I need from her. She works at a nearby birthing center and said I am welcome to attend any births I need with her.

I run a daycare out of my home, so I am still trying to figure out how to tell the parents of my on-call status as a doula. I am holding off until I know I will start attending births, though. My good friend (the co-doula) is also getting certified. She has offered to be my back up childcare, as well as back up doula if the need arises. I'm very lucky to have all of my family local to me, so I know my own child/ren will be cared for no matter what.

I just wanted to jump in here and introduce myself. I am very excited to be getting started on this. I feel like it's what I was meant to do. I never had any desire to work in the medical field, but I've been obsessed with birth since I saw my first one at age 13! There is just nothing else in the world like it.

Edited by Mal85 - 2/2/11 at 4:00pm

[Mal85]

Oh I did have a question for anyone going through/went through DONA. I have started my reading list. Is there some way I need to verify that I've done the readings? I haven't purchased my packet because with pregnancy possible in the near future, I can't guarantee I'll be done in 2 years. So, how should I be keeping track of what I'm doing?

[MsVyky]

 

WHen you purchase your packet, there is an official document with the mandatory and optional reading materials listed, which you cna check off which you've read and there's a place to sign the form at the bottom. They put a lot of trust in that you've read it. 

[rebirth]

I'm so excited... in March I should be attending my first twins birth!!! Any tips for me? Here twins are born in the OR, with an epidural cath placed even if no pain medication is administered.... Baby A also has to be head down.

luckily, she is a 2nd time mama, so she gets a bit more leeway then a primip, which I've heard makes a difference. She will likely be induced at 37 weeks due to a medical condition she has, but she is strong and determined and will wait if she has an unfavorable bishops score.