Mother’s Day Sale on Doula Training! May Newsletter

May 3, 2022|Patty Brennan|Newsletters

Announcing a Mother’s Day GIFT for You! (See Coupon)

Important things I learned from my mom:

how to stick up for yourself in the face of poor treatment by retailers
the art of flower arranging (it’s May, so this is really important right now!)
how to parent as a team and never undermine your partner’s authority
how to prepare fresh fruits and vegetables for family consumption
how not to deal with a child who is a fussy eater
how to wrap a present
how to carve out time to nurture your own spirit as a mother
how to respond to teasing
the value of a regular family dinner around the table
the importance of an adult Saturday night out (even if, or more accurately, especially if you have five kids)

SAVE $100 off your choice of our Doula Business Builder Training bundles or SAVE $50 on any one doula training. Coupon Codes = Mother100 or Mother50. Offer good through May 8.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Are you hearing “the call” to become a doula?

For many drawn to the helping professions, the doula role is a great fit. Professionalize your natural skill set with Lifespan Doulas’ comprehensive online training.

Become a Birth Doula (upcoming June 25 workshop)
Become a Postpartum Doula (upcoming July 16 workshop)
Become an End-of-Life Doula (upcoming May 14 &15 OR June and July workshop dates available)

Interested in more than one specialty area? We have discounted training bundles available: Doula Business Builder Training Packages. All trainings offer a 100% self-paced study option as well.

Grief and Holidays

Easter, Mother’s Day, 4th of July … with each holiday family gathering, our missing loved ones make their absence felt and a fresh wave of grief rolls over us. This quote from Edna St. Vincent Millay pretty much sums it up:

“The presence of your absence is everywhere.”

Since the absence is a presence, I think it’s best to acknowledge that presence with a toast, a memory, a prayer, or all three. Remember, by acknowledging a loss, you are never reminding someone of their pain because they carry that loss always. Rather, you honor them and the memory of their loved one.

Medicare Regulations & Quality of Care

“When you have one cup and 2/3 of that cup is filled with regulations, you are left with only 1/3 of the cup for patient care.” This is a quote from a blog by hospice pioneer Barbara Karnes, writing about the challenges faced by hospices today. She is echoing sentiments I hear from any number of hospice professionals who have taken our End-of-Life Doula Training. These nurses, chaplains, and social workers (especially the nurses) voice frustration with bureaucratic regulations that eat up more and more of their time, limiting their ability to provide heart-centered care. Many are turning away from these constraints to forge their own path, enthusiastically embracing the role of the doula as a more flexible approach to providing unrushed, holistic support to the dying and their families. Here’s what nurses have to say about our doula training …

“Very informative and comprehensive training. I am currently employed as a hospice RN case manager, and much of what was covered I wish I had learned prior to starting my practice.” —Victoria Wenger, Jenison, MI

“I just want to express to you my thanks for providing an excellent course! As an RN with over 40 years’ experience in a variety of settings, I truly learned so much!” —Debbie Finger, Millville, DE

“With a background as a nurse practitioner and a PhD in psychology, involving much grief therapy, I learned much much more than I ever anticipated.” —Shirley Kirby, Jupiter, FL

News & Resources for Birth & Postpartum Doulas

BIRTH DETROIT will be the first community birth center in Detroit and the first Black-led birth center in Michigan. Watch a short video to learn more. Fundraising efforts are now underway. You can support this option for Detroit families by purchasing a t-shirt.

Doula Participants Needed for Study. Doula Jesse Remer has partnered with Stork Club to help make doula services more accessible to birthing mothers and also make it easier for doulas to get reimbursed for their services. As a kick-off to this effort, she is conducting a study and needs doula participants (stipend included!). If interested, please fill out this application. You can find additional information here.

Cesareans & Placenta Accreta. A history of prior cesarean is the most common risk factor for developing the pregnancy complication known as placenta accreta. Obstetrician Neel Shah, MD and the National Accreta Foundation are bringing attention to how cesareans have become the most common surgery in the U.S, and how this has affected rates of placenta accreta. Watch The Rise of the Unnecessary Cesarean.

May Members Webinar: The Role of the EOL Doula in Pediatric Palliative and Community Death Care

Our next Members Webinar will be held on May 18 (Wednesday, 7:30-8:30pm EDT) and features end-of-life doula Toula Saratsis who will present on the need for information, networking, and advocacy for the pediatric population at end of life. Toula will share practical insights from the unique perspective of children and their essential support systems. Become a member to take full advantage of all our webinars and webinar archives, directory listings, and other benefits.

Toula Saratsis is a bereaved parent, a certified end-of-life doula, and a home funeral guide. She specializes in perinatal and pediatric palliative care, end of life, and after death care support. She was called to this work in 2016 after her daughter Angelica’s anticipated passing from a life-limiting condition at nearly seven years old.

Do you have questions about becoming a doula?

Meet doula trainer and author Patty Brennan and get your questions answered! Register for our upcoming May webinars (FREE):

Top 5 Questions about Becoming a Birth/Postpartum Doula (Wednesday, May 11, 7:30-8:30pm EDT)
Top 5 Questions about Becoming an End-of-Life Doula (Tuesday, May 17, 7:30-8:30pm EDT)

Or, watch a recorded webinar and let us know if you have any questions that weren’t addressed. We are happy to have a private conversation with you as well.

Patty Brennan

Patty is the owner and visionary force behind Lifespan Doulas. For 40+ years, she has been a doula, midwife, educator, author, nonprofit executive, and entrepreneur. Patty has personally trained over 3,000 people to become doulas. She is the author of The Doula Business Guide: How to Succeed as a Birth, Postpartum or End-of-Life Doula, 4th Edition, and accompanying Workbook.