How do end-of-life doulas fit in with hospice?

How End-of-Life Doulas Overlap with Hospice ~ April Newsletter.

Many people inquire how end-of-life doulas fit in with hospice. The chart available for download below shows, at a glance, how doulas may fill in hospice care gaps, demonstrating the doula’s value as a member of the support team. Doulas think in terms of complementing services provided by the hospice team rather than usurping their roles. One of the primary differentials between the two is Time. Due to extensive Medicare reporting and other market forces, hospice providers are more constrained to deliver services within time limitations that do not bind the doula. Download the chart now.

Healing 

I’ve been learning about healing. Healing from knee replacement surgery and multiple deaths in the family. Luckily, I never had a major surgery before. Nor had I ever lost someone I wasn’t (sadly) ready to lose. But this left me somewhat unprepared for the recovery period I now find myself in. I am reminded of my own past words of (newly hard-won) wisdom: “Healing is a process; it takes time.” How many of us demand to be in the result phase of healing and skip the rest? We want to “feel better.” Normal. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts when it comes to healing. We are recovering parts of ourselves, knitting the pieces back together. So now, I am reminded about the patience phase of healing, trying to simply stay in the moment, and keeping faith that the desired result will manifest in due time. Doula-ing myself, day by day (with lots of help from family and friends). 

Are many of your birth doula clients having their labors induced? 

The ARRIVE trial reported that low-risk first-time mothers would undergo fewer cesareans and their babies would be slightly better off if they underwent routine induction at 39 weeks compared with expectant management. Read Henci Goer’s critical analysis of the study results published in the LAMAZE International blog: Parsing the ARRIVE Trial: Should First-Time Parents Be Routinely Induced at 39 Weeks?
Plus three more articles for perspective:

• The impact of the ARRIVE trial on elective inductions at a tertiary academic center
• Refusal of Medically Recommended Treatment during Pregnancy, by ACOG.
• The Ockenden Report: Are we making natural birth a scapecoat?

Study results may not apply to your client if:

• If she wants to wait till her body goes into labor naturally
• If she would not choose an elective induction before hearing about this study
• If she is planning no epidural 
• If she is not birthing at a hospital that participated in the ARRIVE study
• If she is planning on choosing her own birthing position
• If she does not want continuous fetal heart monitoring
• If freedom of movement is important to her
• If she is not in her early 20s
• If she has not given birth before

Share with Clients: Henci Goer’s great infographic from the Lamaze blog cited above covers each of these points and more.

Are you hearing the call to become a doula?

Many of us find ourselves engaging in the work of the doula without ever having a name for what it is we do. We feel comfortable in those spaces where many where others do not. Birthing, healing, dying, times of challenge, times when big changes are on the horizon or well underway. We intuit what is needed to support others as they undergo these major life transitions.

Professionalize your natural support skills by becoming a doula and turn your passion for helping others into a career. Your ONLINE TRAINING begins shortly after registering, as you gain access to comprehensive self-paced, interactive study modules. Complement these with an (optional) workshop for camaraderie and an opportunity to process what you are learning with others.

• Become a Birth Doula
• Become a Postpartum Doula
• Become an End-of-Life Doula

Interested in more than one specialty area? We have discounted training bundles available: Doula Business Builder Training Packages

Do you have questions about becoming a doula?

Meet Patty Brennan and get your questions answered! Register for our upcoming April webinars:

• Top 5 Questions about Becoming an End-of-Life Doula (Wednesday, April 6, 7:30-8:30pm EDT)
• Top 5 Questions about Becoming a Birth/Postpartum Doula (Tuesday, April 12, 7:30-8:30pm EDT)

Or, watch a recorded webinar and let us know if you have any questions that weren’t addressed:

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

News & Resources for Birth & Postpartum Doulas 

Top free breastfeeding resources for parents

• Kellymom.com is the best site out there for evidence-based, digestible information on all breastfeeding topics. 
• All Things Breastfeeding Blog & Podcast with Barbara Robertson and The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor. So many topics covered!

 In the news:

• The Mayor of New York City is moving forward with a promise to provide doulas for all first-time parents giving birth, especially targeting neighborhoods with high health needs. Read more.

Of interest:

• Women left in the dark when faced with a breech birth.

Events & Resources for End-of-Life Doulas

After Death Planning Guide by Seven Ponds. Checklist for what to do when someone dies.

The Pediatric Path: The End-of-Life Doula Approach for Grief & Bereavement. Lifespan Doulas who have attended our live online trainings may have already met Toula Saratsis who often participates on our EOL doula panel. Now she is offering an online class to share her expertise in pediatric EOL care. Nursing CEUs available.