What are the positives of being a doula?

12 Reasons I love being a doula!

Is it your time to become a doula? It's an incredible calling!

1) I get to contribute to dreams and help make them a reality. Doulas can be a part of a family's life even before conception, pregnancy, birth, and well after birth. Being able to witness births and work with babies is such a fulfilling job to do. There literally isn't any better profession in this world in my opinion

2) Immediate feedback. In my former professional life, I'd sometimes work for months on a project before getting any feedback. That was always tough for me to wonder for so long if I was getting it right. As a doula, I can usually see very quickly how my support makes a difference. For example, imagine a postpartum client trying to master laid back breastfeeding. When she and her baby make it happen, we celebrate her little ones' remarkable instincts and this new, comfortable nursing position. Yes! They did it! Or during a birth, whenever I'm able to find just the right spot on a client's back to ease the pain, or when I help a birth partner get comfortable in their role, I can see right away that I've made an impact.

3) It humbles me. To witness life's rawest moments is fantastic. Birth is very unpredictable and can throw you with curveball you didn't expect. Yet it is those experiences that make you an advanced or experienced doula as time goes by.

4) The hours and business structure are flexible. I love working for myself. Being a doula gives me the flexibility to decide how much work I'd like to take on and when. Are you a postpartum doula who only wants to work between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.? That's doable! Or maybe you're a birth doula who wants to take four clients a month, ten months a year? You can make it happen! I've shared call time with a partner doula when it fits best with my life, I've and worked as a solo doula when that felt right instead. We can work on our own, in partnerships, in groups, agencies, and collectives. Every doula gets to choose! Now for sure, the exact time a baby arrives isn't wholly predictable, but I've found that being a doula allows a surprising amount of flexibility.

5) Lifelong learning. Every day teaches me something new. And often, that learning leads me to some curiosity that I want to explore even more. There are SO many additional training available to doulas, giving you the excellent opportunity to become unique in your field.

6) Building your connections with fellow doulas and your surrounding community... Being a doula has brought diverse and exciting people on my path. I can't help but admire every personal characteristic of each doula and client I have come in contact with. Your people skills will surely be put to the test and develop as you grow in your business.

7) See "your" babies grow. See the little ones who help so earnestly into the world evolving into little busybodies surely makes me extremely happy! Be a part of the most critical event in a family's life is soul-fulfilling!

8) Endless professional opportunities. You might not be thinking so far ahead, but more than a decade into this career, I can tell you that it has blossomed in ways I never expected. I'm an antenatal doula, birth doula, postpartum doula, childbirth educator, birth doula trainer, and I also provide business training for doulas. Being a doula is a fantastic career in and of itself, it opens up so many possibilities to follow your passions in countless directions. How will your journey evolve?

9) Normalizing what use to be abnormal or looked down on. As a doula, you quickly learn what your voice is and what type of "activist" you want to be. for instance, I am a VBAC and breastfeeding activist and always encourage it to be seen as an everyday, natural occurrence that should be praised.

10) Getting to know yourself in an entirely different way. When you go through the grinding training of becoming a doula, you realize who you indeed are. These encounters can be quite challenging but rewarding in essence. Your opinions will change or become more vigorous. Experience will contribute to the type of doula you will be.....an endless see of possibilities awaits you.

11) You call the shots in your business. You make the rules, and you can do practically anything you want. You can easily work from 11h00 to 13H00 if you wish to, or only work three days a week. It's all up to you.

12) Learning every day. Each birth is different and sometimes surprising. You will see different types of syndromes, placentas, beliefs, religions, and cultures, as well as learn different body cues.

Being a doula truly is an exciting and fascinating thing to be a part of, which is an enrichment to anyone's life.

What are the negatives of being a doula?

Just like any other career, being a doula does have some challenges.

Here are some obstacles I came across in the decade I have been a doula.

1) Being on call most of the time- as you may know, labor is pretty unpredictable as well as due dates. As your client reaches a certain gestation age in her pregnancy, you will be waiting for that new call, "I think I may be in labor." Labor can happen from 37 weeks to 42 weeks of pregnancy, that's 1-6 weeks of waiting and not being able to travel very far. Being a doula can be a bit restricting at times, and it has caused me to miss a few life events such as weddings and family gatherings.

2) Dry months- You will have to realize that you are going to own a business, meaning that you will not have a 'boss.' You will be your boss, and that means that you are responsible for getting yourself out there and gaining clients. Each month may differ from each other. You may have two clients for one month and 4-6 the next. Your max client intake is entirely up to you. Sometimes your income can be higher the next moth or lesser. Budgeting is one of a doula's strongholds.

3) Professional jealousy- This is an unfortunate reality within the obstetrics field. You will always find that one person that doesn't like you, or that may try to do you harm (as is in any other job setting).

4) Being a doula can be physically and emotionally exhausting- Taking in the long hours, you will have to work continuously to build your own business, additional education, self-study, and sometimes working well over 18 hours in a day; it takes its total on you. Spacing clients is of the utmost importance.

5) You will encounter death somewhere as you grow in the years of being a doula - pregnancy, labor, and birth can be very unpredictable and sometimes present unfortunate outcomes such as miscarriages, stillbirths, mother or infant birth-related complications, or death.

6) You may miss a birth- Some births happen extremely fast that may lead to you not being there in time for the delivery. You may also not be available for a client or birth-this is why doulas have back-up doulas.

7) You won't be able to work in every hospital or birth unit- Each hospital and unit has a set of rules (protocol) they have to abide by- these protocols may hinder access to doulas.

8) Your views and beliefs will be tested and sometimes looked down upon- In today's generation, there are many different religions, cultures, and beliefs. You will have to work within the patient's comfort domain without insulting or voicing your own opinions and ideas regarding religion, politics, and controversial topics.

As a doula, you will learn what unbiased support means and how to set certain boundaries to protect yourself from liabilities as well as emotional scars.