Doulas Of The Roundtable

It’s not uncommon to hear those involved in birth work say that change is needed when it comes to the practice of obstetrics. While this is true, very few doulas are taught how change tends to happen. In this episode, we discuss the catalysts of obstetrical change and the influences that drive them.

Twenty-twenty has been a year, yet here were are at the end of Season Two! Join us as we reflect back on this past year’s episodes, talk about your favorites, our favorites, and give some teasers to our upcoming Season Three!

As birth professionals, it is important to understand the impact of language during birth and the subtext that often results. In this episode, we unpack one doula’s birth and the impact of language on their experience. With special guest, Randy Patterson.

Some clients hire a postpartum doula before their baby is born. Others seek postpartum support once their baby has arrived. Regardless of when you are hired, an important step to supporting postpartum families is to understand their preferences and help them explore their options. In this episode, we explore the different approaches that a postpartum doula may utilize to help their clients feel empowered and educated.

A common question in the doula community is, “Can I doula part-time?” For some, they are looking to transition into doula work from a full-time job. For others, they simply want to support families during their free time while working in another field. In this episode, we discuss the many approaches to part-time doula work and the various paths that doulas may take

Supporting clients who are planning to have a vaginal birth after a previous cesarean can be a rewarding and challenging experience. Developing an understanding of your client’s previous birth experience is a vital first step to providing compassionate and non-judgmental support. Come join us as we discuss the various facets of supporting clients through vagina birth after cesarean.

When working with postpartum families, the choices they may make about the care and keeping of their baby and their families can be a challenge for postpartum doulas. As postpartum doulas, our role is to help families identify their available options, without judgment. In this episode, we discuss some of the common challenges postpartum doulas may encounter and provide information for ways to navigate these often difficult situations.

As the number of COVID-19 cases begin to decline in certain areas, hospitals are revisiting their visitor policies. While many have re-opened their doors to doulas, the landscape of requirements for the doulas has also shifted. Come join us as we take a look at the shifting requirements placed upon doulas to support their clients through birth at the bedsite.

Let's talk about free doula services. Providing free or low-cost doula services. For many years the discussion centered on doulas with financial privilege serving birthing families for free and low cost and how that impacts other doulas. More recently an awareness that this conversation must also include serving at-risk communities, including the BIOPIC communities through funded programs. In this episode, we take a look at both sides of this "Free Doula" conversation.

As birth professionals, we are aware of the power of language. This is especially true when it comes to the language used surrounding birth planning vs birth preferences. A birth plan can often be viewed as a pass or fail endeavor. While creating a list of birth preferences can open the door to communication and flexibility. Join us as we discuss the nuances of the language surrounding how we help a client identify and express their desires for how their births may unfold.

Here's Part Two of developing your doula voice. This episode we discuss ways to work around the fears and concerns and share some tips on what helped us feel more comfortable and confident in our work. Join us as we talk more about developing your doula voice. 

As you navigate your doula career, you begin to develop your doula voice. This development often requires you to identify and confront the fears and concerns surrounding birth work. In this two-part series, we start by identifying some of the fears and concerns, and then in part two, we will be giving advice on how to overcome these fears which will allow you to grow your own authentic doula voice.

Empathy and compassion are two of the foundational elements of birth work. Both can have a positive and negative impact on birth workers and their clients. In this episode, we discuss the difference between empathy and compassion and the potential benefits and drawbacks of each.

COVID-19 UPDATE: Birthworkers, how are you holding up during this pandemic? Is your business at a standstill? Are you struggling to find clients? Or is your business booming? Come join us as we discuss how to make money and network during the pandemic to keep your business relevant in your community.

As doula trainers, we see people from all walks of life interested in becoming a doula. Over time a pattern seemed to emerge. Come join us as we discuss the most common reasons many individuals come to doula work and the pros and cons of these reasons.

If you hang around doulas long enough and you'll hear it. Those two words that seem so innocent and inviting, doula sisters (or doula sisterhood). But take a closer look and you're likely to find that the notion of the doula sisterhood has a darker meaning and intent. How can you have a sisterhood when there are doulas who are excluded? Come join us as we break down the idea of "sisterhood" and discuss it's existence in our community.

In this episode, Eva and Angela along with their guest, Kelly Rutan, talk about postpartum support. We discuss the role a postpartum doula plays in a family's life. Kelly helps us take a closer look into what some postpartum families are dealing with and the different ways a doula's support can help. Join us and our special guest as we tackle this important topic.  

In this episode, Eva and Angela tackle the topic of certification. We talk about things like is it important, does it matter, do client care, does our industry care.  As doula trainers, we are passionate about helping new doulas thrive in their birth work, so it was only a matter of time before we tackled this topic. Join us!

Since the start of this podcast, we have wanted to do an episode on Male Doulas. There seems to be a bit of stigma and judgment surrounding male doulas and their role in birth work. Join us as we sit down with Kelly Carrington, a male doula, and discuss this topic. Male doulas may be in the minority but they have a place in this work and it is our hope to see more of them feel welcome to enter this field. 

In this episode, we discuss informed consent & decisions and what a doula's role is in their client's journey through it. We tackle questions like how can we help & when is the right time to offer that help? Is informed consent & decisions more important to you or your client? How do you provide the information they want without bringing in judgment and bias?  Join us as we discuss this important topic.