How to Hire a Doula: A Consumer’s Guide—July Newsletter

Holding space for pregnancy loss; navigating difficult conversations; COVID vaccine safety in pregnancy; pediatric palliative care; rebozo controversy; and more!

How to Hire a Doula: A Consumer’s Guide to Getting the Help You Need

If you have never had a baby before, never been a new mom or cared for a newborn, never witnessed a loved one die … then you simply don’t know what you don’t know. You likely don’t know what your full range of options might be, let alone the pros and cons and alternatives to various choices. We tend to rely on our doctors to guide us, but they often have only one piece of the puzzle and limited time to spend with each patient/family. Enter the doula who takes a holistic, relationship-based approach. Read and share How to Hire a Doula: A Consumers Guide.

During inherently stressful times of transition, and in the face of complex choices and a fragmented medical system, families benefit from focused guidance and support.

Invest in our Doula Business Builder Training Bundles and save.

OR any combination of the above (e.g., Basic Birth Doula Package or Core Birth & End-of-Life Package). In addition to your doula specialty training(s) of choice, the bundles include our Evolving a Doula Business Workshop and a copy of Patty Brennan’s The Doula Business Guide and Workbook (3rd Editions).

• Lifetime certification is included in the cost of training (no additional or ongoing fees). This is a big deal if you are comparing training programs.
• Get an enhanced Doula Directory Listing for each specialty area. Consumers can hire a doula here.
• Payment plans available.

FREE WEBINAR:
Holding Space for Pregnancy Loss
With author Amy Wright Glen

July 21 (Wednesday, 7–8pm EST)
What does it mean to hold space? What does it mean to companion the bereaved? How can doulas feel both confident and compassionate in the event of a planned fetal demise or an unexpected and heartbreaking outcome?

Amy Wright Glenn is the owner of the Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath and Death, and author of a book by the same title. You may be interested in reading Amy’s other book, Holding Space: On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go, as an accompaniment to the webinar.

Join us on Zoom
Passcode: 230867
Or call 646-558-8656 (Meeting ID: 845 9625 2431)

Favorite Blogs & Resources for End-of-Life Doulas

• Hospice works for you. Ask questions. Barbara Karnes answers a daughter’s question, “Is my mom being over-medicated?”
• Illinois approves a pediatric palliative care benefit (becomes the first state in the U.S. to do so).
• The Death Deck. Be the life of the party(?) with a game that lets you tap into stories and ideas you’​ve never heard from your friends and family about life and death.
• Dr. Ruth talked about sex in the 1980s. Now It’s time to talk about death.

Is the Covid-19 vaccine safe for pregnant women?

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Preliminary Findings of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons, reveals that when pregnant women are given Covid vaccinations during their first or second trimesters, they suffer an 82% spontaneous abortion rate. Though that result is not the headline of the study report, here’s a little help to understand the data presented in Table 4 of the study, showing that a total of 827 pregnant women were studied. Out of the 827 women, 700 of them received their first vaccine in the third trimester of pregnancy. Therefore, 127 women received a vaccine during their first or second trimesters. Out of these 127 women, 104 experienced spontaneous abortions before their pregnancies hit the 20-week mark.

Ever since the disasters of thalidomide babies in the 1950s and 60s, and the much-delayed realization of the harm done by the drug DES, given to pregnant women in the same time period (damage not identified until that generation came of childbearing age and the birth defects in the reproductive system were revealed), it has been considered unethical to experiment on pregnant women. Why has this changed in 2021?

Favorite Blogs & Resources for Birth & Postpartum Doulas

• Safe Sleep Seven for parents who co-sleep with their infants
• Trauma-informed care and consent in pelvic exams, podcast with Stephanie Tillman
• Anna’s Breastfeeding Story: Breastfeeding Twins podcast. It was not easy, but it was achievable with the right help and support.
• Position Statement of the Mexican Midwives on the Use and Transmission of Mexican Rebozo Wisdom for Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum. This is in response to a petition on Facebook demanding that doula trainers discontinue any teaching related to use of the rebozo. 
• How to Hire a Doula: A Consumers Guide.

Upcoming Members Only Webinars ~ Mark Your Calendars!

September 15 (Wednesday, 7–8pm EST)
NAVIGATING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS
With author ELLIE ATHERTON
End-of-Life Doulas often find themselves navigating difficult conversations with the dying and their loved ones. Ellie will facilitate a session focused on: 

• Techniques and attitudes that help build trust
• How to honor each person’s perspective when family members disagree
• How to respectfully advocate for the dying person’s expressed wishes
• Questions the dying commonly want to ask, and how to know when they are ready to have that conversation

Ellie is the author of Stepping Stones: Following a Pathway to End of Life now on our required certification reading list for end-of-life doulas.

Read about Member Benefits and Become a Member.

Join our “Top 5 Questions about Becoming a Doula” FREE monthly webinar!

Pre-register Now (to gain access on Zoom)
End-of-Life Doula Webinar, July 28 from 7:30-8:30pm EST
Birth/Postpartum Doula Webinar, August 4 from 7:30-8:30pm EST.

• What is an end-of-life doula and what types of services are offered?
• How is an EOLD different from a hospice volunteer?
• What is the difference between service packages offered by birth and postpartum doulas?
• How does the certification process work? 
• Do I have the right background to become a doula?
• Can I make money as a doula?
• How do I get started on my path?
• How to hire a doula
• Bring your questions!

Or, watch a recording of a recent webinar (scroll to bottom of page): 

• Top 5 Questions about Becoming an End-of-Life Doula  
• Top 5 Questions about Becoming an Birth or Postpartum Doula

A researcher is looking for birth doulas who . . .

 have been in business for at least 4 years, and who have an interest in expanding their offerings, to provide feedback on a new mobile app. This paid research study ($50 Amazon gift card) involves a 45-60 minute online interview. To apply, complete this survey before July 12.