Post Partum doulas/trained what are you called?

[Rockies5]

I've been attending women at home after birth for awhile and have alot of history in birth, breastfeeding and nursing care (in a former life I trained as a nurse assistant and I spent many years in hospice care) I also do LLL and volunteer shadowed a lactation consultant here for several years, so I feel I'm qualified and have been visiting homes for years but I've always felt a little uncomfortable when people assume I'm certified in that or that I am a doula. I am in one sense of the word, but years later the Dioula term is almost owned exclusively by the orgs

So if you are an untrained (meaning you haven't taken and don't plan to take the DONA or CAPPA Post Partum Doula course) what could you call yourself?

[Midwife Kris]

Do you belong to the Colorado Doulas Association? They have a pretty active postpartum doula program and email group. All of the uncertified doulas I know call themselves doulas anyway.

[Stephanie L.]

ya, definitely doula: "Postpartum Doula"


Sooooooooooo many doulas are NOT certified through the Big Organizations. It does mean a lot to SOME doulas to have the certification attached to their business, but to so many others it's irrelevant!

Congratulations--you are a doula!!

[Amydoula]

Anyone can call themselves a doula so feel free to use the term, as long as you aren't calling yourself a certified doula when you are not, it isn't an issue at all.