COVID-19 Resources for Doulas—May 2020 Newsletter

LIVE VIRTUAL DONA Postpartum Doula Workshop will be held May 14-17 on Zoom, with Patty Brennan & Guest Instructors. You no longer have to travel or pay for hotel rooms to become a postpartum doula. This is your chance! Also in this newsletter: the evidence on natural techniques for induction of labor; “Making More Milk” virtual book group starts May 3 (21 L-Cerps offered for those needing continuing education credits). COVID-19 resources for doulas and tips for quarantining with kids.

Birth & Postpartum Doulas May 2020 NewsletterView this email in your browser

Birth & Parenting News

YOUR DOULA CAREER STARTS HERE!PATTY BRENNAN’S DOULA BUSINESS GUIDE

LIVE Virtual DONA Postpartum Doula Workshop! I’ve decided to jump in the deep end and go for it! My first virtual doula training will run as scheduled May 14-17. There is room for more if you want to join us! The Postpartum Doula Workshop fulfills DONA International postpartum doula certification requirements. We will use the Zoom platform for this interactive, live event. Participants must meet the following requirements:Good, reliable internet connectionComputer camera enabled so we can see youA private space, free of interruptions (so, NOT the family kitchen)Attendance for all portions of the workshop, Thursday-Sunday, 8:30am-5pm (with breaks, don’t worry)I will be scheduling a couple of test sessions the week prior to get familiar with all the features of Zoom we will be using. The Early Bird discount applies to all trainings through the end of June, regardless of when you register. Registration Updates Thanks to all of you have been riding this COVID-19 rollercoaster of changing training dates and related challenges. It has been heartening to experience the kindness and adaptability you are all demonstrating. What good doulas you will make! I’m afraid we need to be on the rollercoaster a while longer here in Michigan. It makes it very hard to plan. Accordingly, I have made these adaptations:There will be no fees charged if anyone cancels their registration.Deadlines have also been waived (you do not need to cancel a minimum of 30 days prior, through the end of June).Early Bird pricing will apply for all trainings through the end of June. It will not expire. This means you do not need to rush to try and make that deadline … you are saving the $50 regardless.If a training you have registered for must be cancelled, you can request a full refund or move your registration forward.I will be trying to accommodate everyone’s needs, add more trainings when needed, and otherwise do everything I can to deliver high-quality doula training for you all. Hang in there everyone and stay healthy!What is the evidence for natural induction of labor? Natural induction techniques continue to be among the most searched and requested topics at Evidence Based Birth®. A new series on natural labor induction is now being offered. It starts with reviewing the evidence on acupressure/acupuncture, shiatsu and breast stimulation. More to follow in the coming weeks. This is a site that all birth doulas should become familiar with. Get on her email list and stay in the flow of this great information on evidence-based care.“Making More Milk” Virtual Book Group! This is cool and innovative. My awesome colleague, Barbara Robertson, is partnering with author Lisa Marasco to offer a LIVE virtual book group for guided discussion of Making More Milk, 2nd Edition (2020). Seven Sunday evenings beginning May 3rd (TONIGHT!). 21 L-Cerps offered for those of you who need continuing education hours. Learn more.Looking for more COVID-19 doula resources? Speaking of putting yourself in the information flow, for doulas in Michigan, I highly recommend two Facebook Groups. You must have completed doula training to be admitted to these groups. (Be sure and answer the question related to training when you request to join.) The groups are a great way to share resources at any time, but especially valuable these last couple of months as doulas post what is happening at various area hospitals and share strategies for how to continue to support their clients. The situation has been so fluid as whatever is true one week, may not be true the following week. We need our doula sisters to navigate this challenging new terrain!Metro Detroit Doulas and Childbirth EducatorsMichigan DoulasIn addition, Evidence-Based Birth has a resource page (scroll down a bit to see the COVID-19 Research Update Webinar from April 20th).Quarantine with Kids I’m guessing you are all getting to be pros at this, but no doubt, some of you are struggling too. Some of us are finding a few silver linings with a slower pace to life, less (no?) places to be, open calendar days stretching before us … And yet it’s wearing us all down, bit by bit. Elizabeth Pantley offers some tips for stress-free homeschooling, just in case. Read the blog. I love her down-to-earth, calming approach.