Doulas: advice on becoming one?

[Anonymous]

I’m looking for doulas who can shed light on what skills, personal qualities, background, etc. you think make someone a good fit to be a doula. What steps did you take to become one? Not sure it's realistic for me or what my commitment level is at this point, but I've developed a fascination about birth since I had my child and I think I could help people. TIA for any insights!

[Anonymous]

Did you have a doula when your child was born? If so, she would be a great place to ask these questions. All the doulas I've met seem to have become doulas by networking with other doulas. There is a certification process that requires attending a certain number of births, maybe with an experienced doula, before you're seeing clients on your own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you have a doula when your child was born? If so, she would be a great place to ask these questions. All the doulas I've met seem to have become doulas by networking with other doulas. There is a certification process that requires attending a certain number of births, maybe with an experienced doula, before you're seeing clients on your own.

OP here. I hired one back then but wasn't happy with the experience. I'm sure I can find another doula to ask IRL but first I'm hoping to try to figure out if it would even be a good fit for me.

[Anonymous]

I trained as a volunteer doula many years ago in another part of the country. We studied a lot, and attended births in teams to train. I didn't have time to continue, because I had no one to watch my toddler on a moment's notice. The hours are rough. A number of women I've known went into it because they believe that women can be supported through birth with fewer interventions. These women burned out very fast, trying to deal with medicalized births and hospital rules.

Your best bet is to talk to area doulas. I know when I was looking to hire one, she tried to talk me into coming to work for her.

[Anonymous]

Doulas are about supporting a person during a likely painful, possibly scary and stressful, medical event. It's not about birth in the abstract. Do it if you have a drive and skill for helping people cope in difficult circumstances. Not because you are "fascinated with birth."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I trained as a volunteer doula many years ago in another part of the country. We studied a lot, and attended births in teams to train. I didn't have time to continue, because I had no one to watch my toddler on a moment's notice. The hours are rough. A number of women I've known went into it because they believe that women can be supported through birth with fewer interventions. These women burned out very fast, trying to deal with medicalized births and hospital rules.

Your best bet is to talk to area doulas. I know when I was looking to hire one, she tried to talk me into coming to work for her.

Thanks. I've never even heard of a volunteer doula. Did you work with low income communities or something?

[Anonymous]

There are tons of women flooding the doula market because they become "fascinated with birth". The pay is not great on a per hour basis to start with, and it's becoming even more depressed because of volunteer doulas trying to break into the market. Very few can make a full time equivalent income and it's not even a family friendly job due to the unpredictable nature of birth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are tons of women flooding the doula market because they become "fascinated with birth". The pay is not great on a per hour basis to start with, and it's becoming even more depressed because of volunteer doulas trying to break into the market. Very few can make a full time equivalent income and it's not even a family friendly job due to the unpredictable nature of birth.

OP here. Oh, good. Hopefully the new doulas flooding the market will create more competition and drive out the bad eggs like the one I hired, who missed my entire birth because she couldn't get out of bed.

I'm open to other suggestions - I'm not even necessarily looking for a full-time career, just a way to use my knowledge and a desire to help people. Maybe some other kind of birth worker?