Doula Mamas Tribe - Page 4

[mamaprek]

Hi! This seems like a great tribe... let's keep it going!

I am a doula in North Dakota and have helped with 16 births. I have three children of my own and also work during the school year as a preschool teacher. I trained through CBI.

Hello fellow doulas!

[katy_bug]

Hi!  I am a new doula in North Georgia.  I have 5 births under my belt and 2 little ones of my own!

[mamaprek]

Hi katy_bug!!

[Caitlin0919]

Glad I found this tribe! I just completed my doula workshop through DONA and will be attending my first birth around the end of August/beginning of September. I already have a daughter who will be 3 in September and I'm due with #2 in December! I'll also be participating in a volunteer doula program through a nearby hospital starting in the fall.

[mamaprek]

How does your hospital doula program work? I would love to have something like that available in our community!

[gypsyhips26]

Hello there!

I'm very exited to come across this tribe. I just finished up my DONA training and am working on my certification with DONA. I have 2 little ones, a 4yr old and an 18 month old and am working full-time. I'm still not sure the best way to get myself out there-so far the only births I've attended have been my own! Looking forward to learning lots from the other doula mamas here!

Hope everyone is staying cool!

-Julia

[Caitlin0919]

mamaprek: They're just starting it up in the fall and it's the only program like it in the state. It sounds like they'll require each volunteer to be on call for x number of 24-hour periods per year, probably 12 per year so one per month. I assume a doula could be on call more if she wanted and I think they'll let us be on call more days in one month if we need some time off(like maternity leave) later in the year. So if I was on call, I'd be on call from 8am to 8am or something. When a woman comes into the hospital in labor, a nurse will ask her if she would like a doula(and will most likely explain what a doula is/does) and if the woman says yes, whoever is on call will be contacted so they can get to the hospital to be at the birth. This particular hospital has just recently started to make a lot of changes to their L&D system and they're really focusing on getting the community involved. They've already hosted one night where they invited people to come and share their experiences and basically tell the hospital what they want. They'll be having at least 2 more of these before the doula program starts and they've also hosted a couple nurse trainings through ICEA and a doula workshop(which I attended). They're not part of a big hospital system so they have a lot more freedom to make changes in how they do things.

[niccoluv]

Hi all,

Long-time member, though infrequent poster, here on MDC. My IRL is busy these days, and I find it challenging to make time for an online one, too, but I am very interested in connecting with other doulas on MDC.  I am a birth doula in Framingham, Masssachusetts, serving families in Greater Boston and Worcester. I trained with toLabor in November of 2010, and am choosing to not certify with any organization at this point. I have attended 4 births to date and I am waiting on two July mamas, and have two mamas due in August. I've interviewed for three September births, but nothing past that.

Childcare: I have one child. He is 21 months old, and so far, my births have taken place on days when my husband or family were able to watch him. I just put my son in a home daycare one day a week, and she is willing and able to accept him for drop-in care, so that is how I hope to handle childcare from here on out. I also have some friends and a few actual babysitters in the wings, but, quite frankly, the daycare option works the best, because it is 100% reliable, and very affordable when compared to the hourly rate most babysitters make in my area. (I was a nanny in college. It's how I put myself through school. I know the value of exception babysitters, I just don't make enough money right now to afford them!)

Support, Networking: I am very lucky to have been welcomed with open arms to our very active and supportive doula community here in the Boston area. Most of my clients thus far have come through referrals from my own doula and from the other doulas I know who are more experienced and have more inquiries than they can handle themselves. I am in the process of focusing on getting my name out there more so that I can start building a clientele for the remainder of this year and into next. One of the ways I will be doing this is hosting a free "Birth Options" workshop in August with a fellow doula. We plan to spend a hour sharing easy to digest information about birth locations available in Massachusetts (hospital vs. birth center vs. home). I also need to send business cards to OBs and midwives who I've worked with.

I was (am?) involved in a volunteer doula program that is affiliated with one particular CNM practice at a large Boston hospital, and, unfortunately, it has not gone anywhere. I signed up because the person who runs it said she was always had lots of need for volunteer doulas and it was good way for new doulas to gain some experience. I paid money for the official "uniform", and since last December, there's only been perhaps two or three calls to us volunteers. I am interested in offering volunteer services, but don't think this is going to pan out for me, so am thinking about offering my services mamas in need twice a year. Wish it could be more, but doula work is not just a calling for me, it is also income!

Building my business: I will be taking a certified lactation counselor course through Healthy Children in September, so that I may be of more help to my clients when it comes to breastfeeding.

I wondered if we all might like to help one another out with supporting each of our social media efforts? I am on Facebook and Twitter for my doula-work. Would you consider some reciprocal liking and following if you also use those applications? If so, please share your information! Mine is located below.

I also wanted to recommend DoulaMatch.net to those doulas who have not yet signed up. It's a free service that I've found to be useful.

Mamaprek, my sister's name is Brielle, too! She is 30, now, and definitely one of the originals. It is such a beautiful name, and I love learning about other Brielles!

Warmly, Nicole
 

Nicole Siswick
Sweet Song Doula
www.sweetsongdoula.com
508-808-1587
[e-mail]
twitter: @sweetsongdoula
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SweetSongDoula
Check me out on DoulaMatch!

[mamaprek]

Caitlin - Thanks for sharing about your program! The epidural rate at our local hospital is somewhere around 90% from what the nurses tell me.

Niccoluv- I think Brielle is a beautiful name too! My hubby and I don't usually have the same taste in names, but we both loved Brielle!

[libbylovely]

Hey everyone!  Libby here!  I just started my training... thinking of switching from DONA to toLabor for certification.  Any thoughts on this?

[KeenDoula]

My name is Kristi. I'm a new doula in the SW Houston area. I've attended 3 births so far. I am DONA trained and I am hoping to certify through DONA. I am also a flutist and I have one 14 month old baby girl.

[NW2SE]

Hello Everyone!
I'm Stacey with Bella Belly Doula Services. I live in Asheville, NC with my partner and our 2.5 year old daughter. We relocated from Oregon last year and adjusting to the birthing laws in NC have been a little challenging for me, but I'm grateful to be here and helping familes. Also, my daughter has just weaned herself, which makes being away at births a little easier on our family. I've been practicing as a doula and midwifery assistant since 2009 and was recently mentored in placenta encapsulation. Nice to "meet" you all...I look forward to learning and growing together as a group!
Warmly,

-Stacey

Stacey A. DiMuzio CD(DONA)
Bella Belly Doula Services
Birth, Postpartum, Hypno
Doula & Midwifery Assistant
703.470.2727    828.484.1558
www.abellabelly.com

www.facebook.com/BellaBellyDoulaServices

[mamaprek]

Hi Stacey! I checked out your FB page and it looks like you offer some neat services! Awesome!!

[KaliShanti]

Are we allowed to post our websites here? Mine is www.mamamatters.com I offer birth doula services, birth photography, and placenta encapsulation. I'm considering certifying to be a postpartum doula as well. Anyone here a PP doula? I am due with my 3rd child in Nov/Dec and hoping to do something that lets me have a bit more control over hours too..

[lillysweets]

I have been a doula for 7 years and I have a 14 yo girl and a 9 yo boy and we are expecting our 3rd in NOV. This was quite a surprize as my hubby had a vasectomy 8 years ago!  But we are so excited to meet this little one that I wonder why he ever had the procedure done in the first place...

[KaliShanti]

Originally Posted by lillysweets 

I have been a doula for 7 years and I have a 14 yo girl and a 9 yo boy and we are expecting our 3rd in NOV. This was quite a surprize as my hubby had a vasectomy 8 years ago!  But we are so excited to meet this little one that I wonder why he ever had the procedure done in the first place...

Congratulations!!!!!!
 

[niccoluv]

Hi Kristi!

I trained with toLabor and am on the fence about whether or not I plan to certify at all (but not because I don't love toLabor!). Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions about my experience with toLabor. And just in case you haven't seen it, here is a MDC forum thread about the differences between DONA and toLabor. :)

Nicole

Nicole Siswick
Sweet Song Doula
www.sweetsongdoula.com
508-808-1587
[e-mail]
twitter: @sweetsongdoula
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SweetSongDoula
Check me out on DoulaMatch!

[Beccadoula]

I'm a doula with 4 step sons...none of my own.  I have been doulaing for about 5 years and we homeschooled for most of that time...very challenging if you don't have family or friends nearby that are willing to help.  I still sometimes feel guilting about dropping everything to go to a birth but my kids are good at getting their own meals and taking care of themselves when they must.  It really helps to have an older son home who can help them...if he's being a good big brother!  :) 

[Caitlin0919]

Today is my first client's due date! She's been seeing a family practice doc and of course, he wants to run a non-stress test tomorrow if she doesn't go into labor by then and if she hasn't had the baby by Monday(and if they don't find some excuse to induce tomorrow), they want to induce her. I told her to call me before her NST tomorrow if she feels like she needs a pep talk and that she has the right to say "no" and ask for a second opinion if they try to push induction. She works at a chiropractor/acupuncturist office so she's planning on going in for acupuncture on Friday(again, if they don't force her into an induction tomorrow). I'm so nervous for her and I really hope she stands her ground and asks a lot of questions before agreeing to anything, but I don't want to push my views onto her. I want it to be her decision if she does go through with the induction, but I really hope for her sake that she won't have to.