Month: May 2020

Doula Training During the Pandemic

Posted on: May 26, 2020 | Become a Doula, Doula Business, Doula Certification, Doula Inspiration, Doula Training

Doula Training During the Pandemic? Things feel so uncertain right now… Industries have changed, recommendations on seeing friends and family have shifted, children are home from school, and every morning feels a little heavy.

Up until this point, you wanted nothing more than to check off that big life goal on your list: become a doula!

But then Covid- 19 happened and you hesitated. You felt unsure. You worried about how to provide face-to-face support. In-person doula trainings halted and moved to a virtual format. And so you froze. You looked at that goal and asked yourself:

Should I become a doula during the pandemic?

Is a pandemic the right time to become a doula?

Here’s one thing I can tell you: this pandemic won’t last forever. And while it is going on, the desire for expectant parents to have professional doula support during birth and the postpartum period hasn’t stopped.

Doulas are resilient.

During this time of unknowns and hospital policy changes they have found new ways to meet the demands of doula support from families in their communities. While the way in which doula support is provided during the pandemic, it certainly hasn’t stopped. Doulas have simply adjusted course.

Doulas are flexible and they know how to navigate uncertainty.

You can do the same. You can choose doula training during the pandemic, or you can let this deeply rooted passionate dream of yours fall to the wayside…

So, is it even possible to start your doula training during the pandemic? The answer is a resounding, yes! Doula training during the pandemic is happening and hundreds of people just like yourself are saying YES to getting started! They are saying YES to restarting after the pandemic as a Certified Doula, and YOU CAN TOO!

This is a great time to complete the doula training and certification process!

At some point we will see things reopen and we will go back to some semblance of normalcy, and when that does happen, you’ll able to confidently step into the role of a doula because you spent this time focused on preparing for it.

Take advantage of the time you have now.

Unfreeze yourself, shift your focus, adjust your course, and meet the goals you laid out for yourself. People, like you, who choose doula training during the pandemic are going to be ahead of their peers who wait to train when the pandemic ends.

You will be proudly supporting clients while the procrastinators are just getting started.

So, how do you take a doula training during the pandemic?

1. Register for a live, interactive, virtual ProDoula training.

Doula trainings haven’t stopped! They’ve simply adapted to the current safety guidelines. You’ll still receive the same detailed manual, interactive training, and incredible support from this organization. And even better, as a ProDoula member, when trainings shift back to an in-person format, you’ll be able to take that same training again at no additional cost to you!

2. Complete your open-resource online exam at your own pace.

When your training is complete, you will use your time at home to complete your online exam. This exam is a continuation of all the knowledge you gained during your training. Once successfully complete, you’ll be a proud Prodoula Certified doula!

3. Work on building your business.

Now is the exciting part: building your business and working with clients! Have no fear, your training will teach you how to approach this so you have a clear vision for how you want to spend this time curating the business that gains you clients and provides unbiased support to families in your community.

You had this desire to become a doula for a reason. You understand what it means to make it through difficult seasons of life; it’s what will make you such an incredibly compassionate doula.

Now is the time to put those skills to use and focus on how to make that dream of becoming a doula a reality.

Authored by: Lacey Bauer, Owner at Hampton Roads Doulas

Sounds of the Pandemic

Posted on: May 4, 2020 | Doula, Doula Inspiration

My senses are heightened by the sounds of the pandemic. I’m on high alert. The intensity of it all literally throttles me.

I can only compare it to what an overstimulated infant might feel. To an infant, the world must seem huge, and comparatively, they are so small. Not just small but helplessly tiny.

Nothing seems to bring peace or calm during over stimulation, including the things that always bring peace or calm during over stimulation. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly have times of acceptance. I know we will come through this and we will find our new normal, but the sounds of the pandemic, all of them, are what cause me the most anxiety.

I hear the sirens of the pandemic.

They’re loud and as alarming as they’re intended to be. My heart races. I imagine a human being gasping for breath as Covid- 19 disables their ability to fill their lungs. A team of first responders is rushing them to the nearest emergency room, as they risk their own lives to save another. I can’t unhear this. I won’t allow myself the privilege.

I hear a lonely broken child scream in pain.

Fear. Terror. The violence of ongoing attacks from the person who is intended to protect them. The child no one can see during the pandemic. The child who hides alone in the space of their attacker. The rageful animal who dominates them with angry words and physical torture. I can’t unhear this. I won’t allow myself the privilege.

I hear the anguish of a lonely elderly woman.

She is frightened and alone. She is compromised and imprisoned. She relies on her community to bring supplies, and she is grateful for the relationships she’s built that remind people to check on her. Her neighbor, Elise is not so fortunate. Elise’s husband of 52 years was her provider until Covid- 19 took his life 2 weeks ago. And now, shattered and alone, she waits to join him. I can’t unhear this. I won’t allow myself the privilege.

I hear the frustration of a man who can not go to work during the pandemic.

His is paid hourly and his check feeds and houses his family of 6. He is angry. He knows his worth and how well he can provide, but is literally stuck. Unemployment is slow coming and he spends his days fighting with his computer. He is kicked off line each time he tries to submit for benefits and he is worried about when the first check will arrive. I can’t unhear this. I won’t allow myself the privilege.

I hear an overwhelmed mom beating herself up.

She is working from home. She has virtual meetings and workflows to maintain. Deadlines have not changed and she must continue to meet them. She is keeping her family’s spirits up, food shopping, coordinating meals, cleaning the house, staying up on the laundry AND homeschooling the kids. She is struggling. Badly. She feels like a failure and she compares herself to others. She always falls short… She calls herself names; ugly ones, ones that sting, the kind that impact self-esteem and negatively last for an entire lifetime. She mentally beats herself up and drinks more wine than she wants to admit. I can’t unhear this. I won’t allow myself the privilege.

I hear the heartbreak of losing a loved one due to the pandemic.

Both parents within a week of one another. An uncle, and 2 cousins. A lifelong friend. A brother. A grandmother. A wife. A husband. A lover. A child… The pain is forever. The loss is tremendous. The physical pain of loss. The emotional exhaustion and defeat of loss. The need to touch, kiss and speak one last time. The devastation… I can’t unhear this. I won’t allow myself the privilege.

I hear the cheer of the people as they applaud the heroes of the pandemic.

The gratitude roars from the streets of New York at 7pm and 7am each day. Hospital shift changes prompt New Yorkers to open their windows and thank healthcare workers for their service. It is a sign of unity. A sign of appreciation. A sign that we are alive and well and have not lost touch with humanity. The hearts are pure and the voices are loud. I can’t unhear this. I won’t allow myself the privilege.

I hear the outcry of a doctor who has lost another patient.

She is furious. She feels defeated. She can not believe how powerless she is. She cries. Not just for the patient who has passed, but for all of humankind. I can’t unhear this. I won’t allow myself the privilege.

I hear the grief stricken voices of the black community.

The black community who once again is on the broken side of the system. Who is suffering the largest loss of all demographics, and whose voices are proven right again and again through statistics that don’t lie. I can’t unhear this. I won’t allow myself the privilege.

I hear the fear instilled in a person as they prepare to birth their baby during the pandemic.

A person bringing a child into a world with a faceless enemy destined to destroy it. A person who is alone. A person begging for their partner’s supportive embrace. A person who must journey through an unknown process during a time of increased unknown. A person whose fear is clear and with good reason. A person terrified to usher in the next generation. I can’t unhear this. I won’t allow myself the privilege.

I hear the sadness of postpartum (and new baby) loneliness.

Welcoming a baby amidst a pandemic. Alone. Isolated. Without the expression of in-person joy. Without the flow of loving, helpful, visitors. New grandparents forever missing the opportunity to hold their infant legacy in their arms. Quiet sadness. Depression. Anxiety. I can’t unhear this. I won’t allow myself the privilege.

The sound of my own guilt.

My frustration with the circumstances that put 6 feet of distance between my children and I is followed by the recognition of my own privilege. I have food. I am financially stable. I am safe from abuse. I am healthy. And I am riddled with guilt… I have the privilege of these things and I do not take them for granted.

The sounds of the pandemic can only be relieved by the sounds of love an laughter.

The sounds that reassure us. The sounds that affirm us. The sounds that bring us joy and lessen our pain.

I want to invite you to say yes to that phone call from a friend. To answer the text message. To brush your hair, get dressed and say yes to that video call.

I promise that you’ll feel better, even if just for a moment.

Seeing other people, at a 6 foot distance, or through a computer screen is connection. The voice on the other end of the phone is connection. Answering that text message, and saying, “I’m struggling”, is connection.

Now, more than ever, humans need connection.

Stay safe, stay healthy and stay connected.

Randy Patterson, ProDoula CEO