Hello!

I’ve recently been exploring the idea of making a career change and thought this might be a good place to get some insight :)

I’ve worked in early childhood education for about 12 years now. Primarily with infants through PreK. One of my favorite parts of working with infants though was building relationships with families, getting to know their little ones and helping parents feel more comfortable and confident along the way.

Lately I’ve been thinking about transitioning out of the traditional classroom setting, and postpartum doula work has really caught my interest! I love the idea of helping families adjust to life with a newborn, but I’m also really drawn to the maternal support side of things.

I’ve also been looking into becoming a newborn care specialist, although I’m still learning about both fields and what opportunities are out there.

I’d love to hear from anyone working in the field! How did you get started? Is there anything you wish you’d known beforehand? I’m based in NYC and ideally looking for something with somewhat predictable daytime hours, although I’m open to occasional overnight work.

Also very open to hearing about other areas of birth work or postpartum support that might be worth exploring given my background!

Thanks in advance :)

I’ve been really thinking about this one.

I have had several bad experiences in hospitals where physiological birth is ignored and consent is violated, then I am sent out of the room for challenging a provider. During a failed induction, water still intact, I asked my client if she preferred to labor at home for a while and come back and try again given there’s no decels or complications. The hospital pressured her into a c-section when she didn’t want one. I’m getting burned out from hospital births, to be completely honest, and I feel like I can’t give my best care in these cases due to pressure and stress.

I have attended a handful of birth center or midwife assisted homebirths. Patient autonomy is respected and doulas are seen as a part of the birth team. I can give my full support to my client in these spaces. I feel much more aligned with holistic care and physiological birth. I would absolutely follow a client if a transfer was necessary, however. My philosophy is that a doula is part of the village. I feel like I can’t show up and give someone my full spectrum of services like housework, meal preparation, or postpartum care (baths, massage, lactation support) to BE that village for someone in a hospital setting.

I don’t want to not be aligned with my clients. There are great doulas out there that support hospital birth but I personally feel like I need to step back from that world.

Any advice?

For Doulas with multiple specialties/certifications how do you list them on your website?

Do you say Certified repeatedly or give the general title? Do you affiliate yourself with your training programs?

For Context... I'm Postpartum Doula. I started in 2020 after being a nanny for 6 years (with a ton of infant and newborn experience). I signed up for a certification program through Bir and read all of the supplemental material but had to drop out for pandemic reasons. I had already worked with a couple of families, and after quarantine, I continued working as a postpartum doula. After 3 years, I decided to take a training from a different program that I only chose because my local agency requires it. While I completed the training and got the certification, I had a horrible experience with the trainer. Too much to go into for this post. So, while I got the certification, I don't want to be affiliated with said program or trainer who works in my city. Also, it was not disclosed to me that my certification would expire with my yearly membership. So, I guess technically, I'm not a Certified Postpartum Doula anyways.

From the end of 2023 to now. I have gotten the following credentials.

Certified Babywearing Educator- CBWS

Infant Sleep Solutions Certification- MaternityWise

Certified Breastfeeding Specialist- LER

These are all relevant, but repeating certified over and over feels awkward whether it's in a sentence or bullet points. I don't want to abbreviate because I find many parents don't know what they mean and don't want to take the time to look it all up (I wouldn't either, haha).

Also, some of these feel clunky like Infant Sleep. So I typically say I'm an infant sleep consultant, saying I'm a certified infant sleep consultant feel ingeniune to the specific course.

Listing some by job title and some by certification makes it sound like I only have training in the ones specifying certified.

Anyways, how do you guys do it?

Hi everyone! 🤍 I’m a newer doula, and I’ve been having a difficult time finding an agency willing to bring me on. I’ve also been struggling to figure out how to get my foot in the door with independent work.

I’m hoping to hear from doulas who have been in a similar position or who started their own practices!
Right now, my biggest priority isn’t pricing or making a profit. I genuinely want to gain hands-on experience, learn, and build meaningful connections with families. I have a particular passion for supporting low-income and immigrant families because I come from an immigrant family myself, and making doula care more accessible to these communities means a lot to me. 💕

I would love to hear about your experiences!
What was your very first step toward becoming an independent doula?

How did you find your first clients?
How did you build trust and gain experience when you were just starting out?
Did you volunteer, shadow other doulas, network, or use social media to get started?
What advice would you give someone who is struggling to get accepted by agencies?
Are there any resources or opportunities you wish you had known about earlier?

I’m based in the Tampa Bay area, but I’d love advice from doulas anywhere!
Thank you so much for any advice or experiences you’re willing to share. I’m eager to learn and find my place in this community. 🥹🤍

I’m genuinely open to all advice, tips, dos and don’ts, mistakes to avoid, and things you wish you had known when you were starting out. Please don’t hesitate to share even the smallest piece of advice! I’m here to learn, grow, and make the most of every opportunity, and I’d truly appreciate any guidance this community can offer. 🤍🌷

The Chicago Sun-Times did a deep dive about how Illinois Birth Equity Act is being implemented.

TL;DR it’s a mess! But it does look like some Illinois legislators want to do something about it to make it easier for people to get insurance coverage for doula care.

Anyone else hear anything from people trying to use insurance for doula care in Illinois?

Hello DFW, trying to help a friend out not sure if this is the right place to post or not. If not, please point me in the right direction!

She is an incredibly smart black woman in STEM, a current pediatric emergency room nurse, and currently in school to become a midwife.

She is looking for a preceptor to follow for the months of January through March so she can graduate. She needs to complete 36 births in this time. Her current preceptor isn’t getting much volume to where she thinks she can complete this in time to graduate. Let’s be honest who’s having kids anymore? Lol

She said she would love to follow a hospitalist or an OBGYN.
It’s a long shot but I figure stranger things have happened on Reddit lol anyone know of anyone willing to help?

My first labor was 33 hrs. I went to the hospital around 9 hrs into labor because I met the 5-1-1 rule. I was 4cm when I arrived. I’d like to labor at home longer this time, but I know second labors are often shorter. Is there a different rule I can follow that would work? I ended up taking the epidural around hour 19 as well bc I was only 6.5cm, so I’m not sure what the entire labor process feels like either.

Hi doulas! Maybe some of you are feeling this way too but here’s where I am at. I started this work three years ago and did a mix of postpartum days and nights from the beginning. Over time it’s become mostly nights because that seems to be where the demand is in my area and seems to be what actually makes meeting my income goals possible. But I’m getting to a point where I cannot keep going with them. I’m starting to feel the effects on my body, and my health is not something I am willing to compromise. And it also feels like they are taking me further and further away from what inspired me to do this work to begin with, which was to care for mothers. I know that my families value night shifts so much, but it just doesn’t fulfill the more tender, nourishing pieces of care that I love to offer like meal preparation and menu curation, emotional debriefs, and eduction.

I really want to transition back to days and put together some packages to offer, but I just cannot live on 5 hour shifts at $40.00/hour. How do you all structure packages to focus on days while meeting your income goals (respecting that everyone has very different income expectations of this work and different capacities). This is my livelihood and I need a full time income!

Thanks for any input!

In Westchester NY/ Farfield CT

Hi! Caption pretty much sums it up. I am located in North Carolina, but I’m totally fine with someone who can do so by just answering my questions and guiding me . For context, I am a new doula that does not have any kids and has moved to a new city/state in the last 6 months. I am just feeling all over the place with getting everything figured out. If anyone has any connections, advice, or suggestions I am more than open to all. I feel as though I need a doula in order to be a doula lol. Just need an encouraging voice that understands. <3

Hi! I'm a first time mom, and my husband and I hired doulas from a local agency to come save us and be our temporary village lol. We will have one during the day time for 4 hour shifts, and and then a nighttime doula for 8 hour shifts. 3x a week, then slowing going down.

Things I'm planning on doing: tour of the house, free range of the fridge and kitchen, a guest bedroom with fresh sheets, pillows, comforter for them to rest.

I have a meet and greet coming up. But what type of questions should I ask of them? Ive never had a doula, or nanny, or even a home-helper, so not sure what to mention, expect, notice (green flags vs red flag). The agency said most important thing is we click/vibe, but I'm so anxious.

Hello! I am wondering what people use for their doula bags. I have two births under my belt with my 3rd coming up in November so not completely great at gauging what I definitely want to bring over what I probably won't use. So far, I have been using a diaper bag I had on hand but just curious if anyone has a bag that they love for doula work.

Hey yall! Been thinking for a couple years about becoming a birth doula. I was also thinking about postpartum doula. Is that actually something people are interested in - the postpartum doula?

Thank you💚

Hi folks, has anyone used aftermarket replacement pads with the Elle TENS2? I need to replace pads quickly and can’t wait for a shipment. Hoping other pads would work here.

Hello! I am very interested in birth photography and am considering offering it in my off season from weddings. I photographed a birth 10 years ago for a friend and midwife herself. It was one of the most life changing and beautiful moments I've had the honour to be part of.

I'm trying to research how much people charge, and it's kinda blowing my mind how LITTLE people charge... anywhere from $700-$1500 is what I'm seeing. For reference I'm near Vancouver BC, Canada.

Can anyone here confirm or offer insight?

Anyway, I want to do maybe max 2-3 births in a winter. Honestly not really to make a ton of money, just very interested. From what I can tell, the general way to do about it is:

- On call from 38 weeks

- Coverage starts in active labour through to immediately post birth for golden hour

What other things do I need to consider (emergency c section, scheduled c section, best practices and hospital ettiquite, etc.)

Thank you!

Are there any programs to train in order to become a doula trainer that don’t require you to certify with them first? I’ve been certified since 2019, practicing since 2021, I took a very comprehensive online course as well as an in person training, but my training program has shut down and no longer exists. I don’t really feel the need to take a new training again just for the sake of it, but I’d love to be able to bring more doulas to my area bc we desperately need it. What I’ve seen so far (not super deep research) it looks like most programs want you to be trained or cross trained through their certification program before you can embark on a trainer cert. I’m experienced, and would rather save the money and time on training again if possible!

Has anyone tried new beginnings doula training? What did you like about it ? How long does it take to complete?

Hi, I know y'all talk about programs in here enough as is, but I am hoping to find someones input that has completed coursework from one of the trainings below. I've been looking at several doula programs, and have about 20 tabs open comparing and contrasting. Its came down to:

1. Elemental Birth School with Amapola Pacheco and Aya Maria Maldonado.
2. INNATE Traditions with Rachelle Seliga
3. MaternityWise/Bebo Mia , and then eventually taking a secondary/complementary immersion training with one of the above for further study.

I really hope to find training that covers all things postpartum as well as somatic bodywork that could be therapeutic for PP. I would also hope that said training and $ could teach me something of running a business and possibly even include curriculum and materials I could offer on my own website. Anyone whos completed work thru these programs, please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions. If there is any other programs out there similiar to the above, please feel free to share those too. :) TIA!

Hello everyone:)

I hope its OK to share it here. If not please let me know where I could share it 🙏

I’m a trainee psychologist working in the NHS Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Intervention Service. I’m currently looking for pregnant participants for non profit study on wellbeing and anxiety during pregnancy. This is an important area of maternal mental health where more research is needed. The findings may help us better understand the psychological factors linked with antenatal anxiety and how mental health support during pregnancy could be improved.

The study has received sponsorship and ethical approval from the University of Edinburgh.Ethics Committee Reference: 25-26CLPS111

The study involves completing a short, anonymous online survey which takes around 20 minutes. If you would like to take part, please click the link below:

https://edinburgh.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dmrLWMfpa4aV4Kq

If you have any questions, you are more than welcome to email me at [M.Domka@sms.ed.ac.uk](mailto:M.Domka@sms.ed.ac.uk)

Thank you so much for supporting pregnancy and maternal mental health research 🌷🙏

Before having my baby earlier this year, I never even thought about getting involved in the birth world. But like many people, the experience was a transformative one, and I am now so passionate about birth, infant feeding, and helping families during pregnancy and postpartum!

I am currently on maternity leave (I'm in Canada, so I get about a year) and have been putting any spare (haha) time to use by taking a prolonged doula training program and a breastfeeding support course. I cannot get it out of my head that this is what I want to be doing. I think about that every day and have been desperately trying to figure out a way to make it work. With each live class and module, I just want to do this even more, so I don't think it's a passing hyper fixation or something that I'm going to forget about. I also did not register for the class on a whim, I carefully researched for a couple months to get an idea of what doing doula work was like before I even signed up for one, and then it was over a month between registration and the first class, and now I've been in the class for a month and a half.

I am just not sure how I am going to make it work with a little one of my own, not living super close to family or trusted caretakers (they're close enough to help sometimes, but not close enough to drop my child off every day or to rely on them for on-call childcare), and my husband working a job that is not very flexible (and, is going to grad school next year, full time- this is really the best thing for our family and part-time isn't an option for the program). We'd also like to avoid daycare before preschool if it's possible, but if finances are tight enough for me to be going back to full-time work, it probably is not time to be starting up my own doula gig.

My husband is in full support of my dreams and thinks I'd be good at it, we just don't know how it can fit our family at this time with our circumstances.

Suggestions and personal stories would be welcome! Do I need to wait until my kids are in school before I pursue this? Can I start the work sooner than that? What was your stage of life and circumstances when you started to attend births? Would it be silly for me to start networking now with no set business plan and ability to commit to backup services?

Thank you all in advance!

Hi fellow doulas! I am debating between "Hypnobirthing International The Mongan Method" and Hypnobabies Academy. I know The Mongan Method is highly revered. However, it requires you to be available for live online sessions, and it is very expensive. Hypnobabies Academy is self-paced and significantly cheaper.

If anyone has experience with either training, I would love to hear your experiences.

Thanks