Pp doula advice?

[kimkim]

Dona vs cbi vs cappa?
I am looking into switching gears from being a Baker to pp doula. Currently sahm with 11 no old. Wondering if this is over my head with a baby..
Do doulas ever bring their babies with them?

I can't envision myself going back to traditional work and would love to provide the postpartum support I wished I could've had...but am trying to figure out if its too soon? Feasible?
I know I can offer a good service ...I went to Culinary school...we had lots of bf drama in the early days....

I guess I'm wondering if I should go for it or wait ...and which training program ...

Thanks!

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[WildDoula]

I can't speak for the PP training really, but my DONA experience for being a birth doula was lacking. I felt like I didn't learn anything from the workshop that I didn't already know from online research and working with another doula in my community. I feel like PP training would be similar, covering things like BF support, common PP problems, help around the house, etc., all things that you could easily learn on your own and through another doula.

As for bringing the baby, I personally wouldn't. I would try to find another doula to switch off care with, or find a drop in day care. Most of the time you'll only be gone for a few hours, and since you can schedule PP visits, you don't need to worry about on-call childcare like birth doulas do. You can plan ahead and have an easier time. 

So to start, I would research if there is a need for PP service in your area, and if there is I would try to connect with other doulas (both birth and PP) in your area. Find out what the PP doulas do for moms regularly, and make friends with the birth doulas to get referrals and to find your community. Maybe you'll want to offer birth services someday, who knows. Ask the PP doulas you meet why they chose what they did, and how they liked it as far as certification/training. You can do all this with a baby along, and maybe eventually you can even shadow them for a bit and find out if it is for you.

Learn as much as you can about PP problems, BFing, etc.

[phathui5]

DONA's trainings seem to be very, very basic in terms of content. The way to get a good DONA training is to thoroughly research the individual trainers and find the best one you can get to. If you are able to choose another organization, I think you would learn more.

I did a post awhile back on starting out as a doula where I listed some of the organizations you can choose from:

http://naturalparentingsupport.blogspot.com/2011/02/becoming-doula-first-steps.html

In terms of having a newborn, I might wait until the baby is closer to a year to actually start working, if you have the option. You could use this time to get the reading list and other requirements done.

[momto9kidlets]

I think the first step is looking at the organization - what is their philosophy and do you agree with it?  After that you will want to find a good trainer.  In any organization there are good and bad trainers so ask your peers who they had and try to take a training from the people they say are really good.  

As far as taking a baby with you - some people do, but I personally wouldn't.  My reason for not doing it is because I want to be seen as a professional and want the family I am working with to know I am there 100% for them and I am not stopping to take care of my own child.  Also having a soon to be toddler that you are taking into other people's homes is very different then your toddler in your home.

[demetria]

I agree. Take a look at Birth Arts International, they may have what you are looking for.
 

Originally Posted by momto9kidlets 

I think the first step is looking at the organization - what is their philosophy and do you agree with it?  After that you will want to find a good trainer.  In any organization there are good and bad trainers so ask your peers who they had and try to take a training from the people they say are really good.  

As far as taking a baby with you - some people do, but I personally wouldn't.  My reason for not doing it is because I want to be seen as a professional and want the family I am working with to know I am there 100% for them and I am not stopping to take care of my own child.  Also having a soon to be toddler that you are taking into other people's homes is very different then your toddler in your home.

[rosadesal]

i'm a (mostly) single mom, and i am a postpartum doula. i became a postpartum doula first because i knew that the on-call demands of birth work wouldn't be do-able without reliable middle of the night childcare. postpartum work allows me to make my own schedule - and so, for you, if there are two days a week you *know* you can have childcare, than you only work those two days (maybe 8 hour shifts, you know?).

i originally had planned to bring my daughter with me who is 4, but after a little work (i've only had two clients, and the second was more of a long-term nanny position in which i did bring my daughter), i realized that while my families were perfectly fine with it, *i* was not. now, 11 months old is much, much different than 4, and my 4 year old is pretty needy, socially, and thus there are a lot of reiterating rules and such that i'd just rather not do in other people's homes. an 11 month old can be contained/played with differently, and you might be alright....so, the way that i would present it, would be "i can be there on x day and y day, and if you need help on z day i can be available but i will have my daughter with me, and i want to make sure that you are getting one-on-one care, so it usually isn't my policy to bring him/her along. however, if you really, really need help, i can be available. i would not bring my own child within the first week or so, though.

another thing you could do is look into what kind of postpartum work you really want to do - there are some ways in which you can be useful without necessarily needing to do, say, overnights and intense home visits. what if you facilitated new-mom groups that met somewhere, and you could charge a fee...what if you taught a class and partnered with a childbirth educator, etc. you could even look into breastfeeding support, and i find that when you offer a specific service rather than a general practice, it's a little easier to drop some of the required flexibility for traditional postpartum care.

and also, the baking/culinary aspect? USE that, mama! people will hire you in a heartbeat! you could even teach a class or like, offer a meals service (and that would make a great new-mom gift from her family if the family isn't going to show up with meals every day).

you make your practice, you know? take a look at what you've got and what you want to be doing, and make a rough plan. talk to people. meet with other people in the field. you can absolutely do this.