Why become a Postpartum Doula? And if you do, should you hire a mentor?

Have you always liked babies? I LOVED babies when I was little. I would always offer to entertain my mom's friends' babies so they could get stuff done around the house (a doula in the making!?).

I volunteered at the church nursery for YEARS. I started babysitting at age 11 (lol, believe it or not!). And my first real job was at a daycare center working in the youngest class I was allowed. I always knew I wanted my own babies one day too.

Once I had my first baby, I was thrilled, albeit utterly exhausted, leaking from every orifice (sorry, but it's true) and struggling. I was still super excited - the journey was just....interesting. I had a hard time with breastfeeding, sleep, confidence, keeping the house even remotely in order, and taking care of myself. Oh, I don't think I actually started taking care of myself until my mid-forties. That's not really okay.

But, I digress.

This is about YOU. Does any of the above resonate with you? Have you always loved babies? Have you always been someone who takes care of other people? Did someone make a difference in your own postpartum experience and now you'd like to pay it forward? Or were you alone during your postpartum (even if you weren't technically alone) and you'd like to help other parents avoid that feeling?

There are many reasons why someone might choose a career in doula support. Think about yours. No matter where you're coming from, there are families that are a great fit for you based on your unique skills, qualities, experience and training. (and don't worry if you don't have any training yet).

Even if you don't have any experience in childcare, that's okay! Want to know a secret? Doula care is about the parents, not the baby! Do we take care of lots of babies? Yes. Do we learn all about babies so we can not only care for them but also guide our clients to do so? Yes. But, it's about the PARENTS. Postpartum Doulas are here for the moms, dads, birthing parents, partners, adoptive parents, primary caregivers of the babies. Baby snuggles are simply a bonus perk (an awesome one, yes).

So, you've started looking into this career and the doubt creeps in. What if I don't have my own kids yet? You have a more flexible schedule! What if my postpartum experience was awful? You lend a very empathetic experience! What if I'm the breadwinner and I don't think doula work can make enough money? I've got news for you! It does!

If you're having doubts or you're ready to jump right in, I'm SO excited for you! This is the truly the BEST career. This is my 3rd round at the ole career path. A winding road of event planning, catering, food buying and production, retail sales and customer service led me here. So, it doesn't matter if you've been in a completely different industry OR if you're just starting out in the working world. All of your professional and life experience informs your next steps.

But, there is NO need to reinvent the wheel either. I may have started from scratch, on my own, but I was never alone. I made sure that I met other doulas in my area who had more experience, training and expertise than me. I hired a mentor right after my trainings and went to every 'meet the doula' and birth worker event I could find! All of that connection? Priceless. Necessary. Incredibly helpful. And the mentorship? AMAZING. Unmatched. I am SO very thankful that I invested in myself and my business by working with someone who had come before. My mentor had been doing this work already for years. She had so much insight to share with me and it was so reassuring to know that I was never alone. And you know what else? It actually helped clients to have more trust in me as well. When I told them that even though I was new (yes, I was honest with them), I had a very experienced mentor who would be with me (with us really) all along the way, it increased their faith in me, and I was hired a lot more often. And? I ALSO had more faith and trust in myself. I knew I was worth hiring and I also knew that I was fresh out of my training. And though I had a lot of life experience, I didn't have DOULA experience.

Hiring my own doula mentor was one of the very best decisions I made during the launch of this career and business.

And I'm here to pay it forward to you!

I offer a comprehensive postpartum doula mentorship program that will answer ALL of your new business, new doula, new baby, new client, new career questions. And? If I don't have the answer, you can bet I know where to find it. Put your trust in a mentor and your clients will put their trust in you.

Together, let's change the face of the American postpartum experience, for parents and for doulas. Don't go it alone. I've got your new business needs covered.

Mentorship