5 Tips to Level Up Your Doula Business

It’s the start of a new year and it’s time to level up! Leveling up means moving from one plateau …

Scope of Practice vs. Code of Conduct

According to the American Medical Association, Scope of practice “Scope of practice refers to those activities that a person licensed …

10 Yrs Ago, We Had a Baby!

In the realm of compassionate support and empowerment, a decade ago, a journey of remarkable significance began. We conceived! Ten …

Working for a Doula Agency

Being a doula is an incredibly rewarding career. However, running a doula business doesn’t exactly have the same charm for …

A Pregnant Black Woman

Way back in the late 1900’s, I was a 19 year old pregnant black woman. My plan? I would go …

Canadian Doulas Scammed

Imagine being so desperate for connection, validation, and compassion that you fake not one but countless pregnancies and losses so …

Breastfeeding – A Mental Health Hazard

I never realized that the second hand on a clock made so much noise until shortly after my son was …

woman getting approved for financing doula training

Financing for Doula Training!

One of the biggest barriers faced by individuals seeking to become a doula is the upfront cost of training. At …

Group Childbirth Classes Are Dead

The world wide web has taken over CBE, and families, particularly millennial families, have no time or use for group …

When I Was a New Doula – Part 1

When I was a new doula, I learned about attunement. Let me take you back to the beginning. I was …

What is a Doula Prenatal Visit?

Don’t let the doula prenatal visit overwhelm you! You’ve taken your doula training and you’ve found your first client! Excitement …

Economic Privilege and Doula Certification

The quote in the image attached to this article came across my feed the and caused a ripple in my …

Happy Father’s Day! This is All Normal

In light of the pandemic, the world is an especially scary place. For many expectant families, how, where, and with …

Sounds of the Pandemic

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

Support for Doulas During Covid- 19

At ProDoula the health and well-being of our fellow birth professionals, their families, their clients and their businesses are our …

Doula Support and COVID-19

Providing doula support during the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing some new challenges for birthing families and in turn, the doulas …

Confirmation Bias; A Detriment to Doulas

Let’s talk about confirmation bias. Confirmation bias plays a big and unfortunate role in the doula community. Its existence often …

Well Informed Pregnancy Caused Anxiety and Panic

We all know that well informed pregnancy can lead to great decision making and an empowered birth. After all, the …

Umbilical Cord Milking – Brain Bleeds

A study out of the Sharp Mary Burch Hospital for Women and Newborns in San Deigo points to umbilical cord …

Preeclampsia & Long Term Heart Health

As doulas, we have learned that preeclampsia can be a very serious condition that can impact our clients pregnancies. One …

Doulas, Rockstars, and Back Stage Passes

Time and time again, doulas say, “My client was an absolute ROCKSTAR during their birth!” and the rest of us …

When Should You CALL Your Doula?

You’re having a baby and you’ve hired a doula. Good for you! You likely hired that doula to mitigate as …

Fear of Success and Fear of Failure

Fear of success and fear of failure have been the culprits for a long time. We’re all familiar with them, …

ProDoula membership Benefits

ProDoula Membership Benefits : 1. Your public profile (including your photo, a link to your website and contact information) displayed …

Are Doulas HIPAA Compliant?

As a ProDoula trainer and certified birth professional of 20 years, I am often asked the question, “are doulas HIPAA …

Can I Shadow a Doula, Is That a Thing?

As a seasoned doula and doula trainer, I hear it asked all the time… Can I shadow a doula, is …

A Day in the Life of a Doula

It’s 4am when the phone rings and you assume it’s the alarm. Wait, the alarm clock? The fire alarm? Your …

The Loss of a Child…

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Maternal Mental Health Emergencies – Doulas, Are You Prepared?

Maternal mental health emergencies. I am a postpartum doula, not a birth doula. So my phone usually doesn’t ring at …

Doula Speaks Out, Doula Speaking Engagements

More doulas than I can count find themselves in a full panic at the idea of speaking publicly about the …

I’m A Doula – How Do I Find Clients?

The #1 question a new doula asks is… how do I find clients? You’ve heard that old saying about when …

Ambulate in Labor? What the Heck is That?

If you spend a lot of time reading birth related blogs and facebook posts, you might occasionally come across a …

Amniotic Sac? Bag of Waters? It’s Plural?

The human body is a fascinating thing. Not only do we have the capacity to grow another human being, we …

Episiotomy: CUT IT OUT!

The E word can make a grown woman cross her legs and cringe in revulsion. Pregnant women are often terrified …

What’s in Your Doula Bag – Let’s Break it Down

The “What” of Your Doula Bag: This mysterious, ever present item/idea/tool carrier, called your doula bag, that we have long …

Doulas destigmatize “Eyes and Thighs”

Eyes and Thighs and Parent’s OH MYS! When I was a new doula, I brought a lot of preconceived notions …

Prolactin & Oxytocin: The Build Up & The Let Down

As doulas, we have probably come to expect certain things following birth. The feeling of welcoming new life into the …

Doula Support: What No One is Able To Teach You

Most of the time, doula support descriptions involve visions of loud or conspicuous actions: Significant position changes Noticeable actions like …

Water Birth: What’s in the Water?!

Moan and Tone.  You know the sounds…the ones that tell you it’s a good time to get your client in …

The Peanut Ball: A New Snack or A Tool for Birth?

Peanut ball? You’re a doula so there’s a good chance you are familiar with what a birth ball is. You …

Vernix: I said hold the cheese!

This conversation may make things between you and your morning bagel awkward and I’m sorry for that, but there’s no …

VBAC & TOLAC, Same or Different?

Ahh… The ever confusing acronyms associated with birth… VBAC and TOLAC, they’re sisters but not twins. …

Making Multiples – Know Your (Double) Stuff, Doulas!

Twins and higher order multiples are on the rise. Between 1980 and 2009, the birth rate of twins rose over …

Pssst… New Doula, I’m Talkin’ to You

I hear it all the time. New Doulas doubting themselves when they talk with me, because I have been doing this …

Labour Denial

Labour Denial: The act of being in labour yet not actually believing you are. The following is an example….

Perineal Repair – Numb or Not?

The baby came out through the vagina, the placenta passed through shortly after, and now there may be a need …

“New School” Doulas: A Paradigm Shift

I’ve been a doula for a long time. During my 19 years in this work, I’ve taken trainings from a …

Men, Grateful Jolly Giants?

I am, through and through, a woman’s woman, in the same way that the Brawny paper towel guy is a …

I Question Your Support

WHO, WHAT, WHEN OR WHY? Imagine how much we could learn about our clients if we asked them to put …

A Hospital Bed – The Best Place for Birth

The hospital bed is the most under-used piece of equipment in a labor room. Check out this video to see …

The Self Care Crisis

“Little Johnny has an appointment.” “It’s my only day to get groceries.” “The dog needs to go to the vet.” …

I Was Really a Doula!

Once upon a time I managed an amazing and flourishing OB/GYN private practice. It was there that I met this …

The Man Who Supports You, May Not Always Be Your Partner

When people find out I am a doula, I generally get one of two responses: You’re a what-uh? Or, guys actually …

Randy’s Closing Words

What are you conditioned to believe? Today we end the Share The Vision 2016 ProDoula Conference year and we begin …

Becoming A Doula… A Postpartum What???

When I began my career as a doula 19 years ago, no one I met knew what a doula was. …

When You Let Me Hold Your Baby

It’s Mother’s Day and I am honored to have supported you as you birthed your baby. Your baby was presented …

When You Become a Doula, You’ll Understand

“I’m sorry honey, but I can’t do this anymore.” My partner was sitting next to me in the car. We …

What Kind of Doula are You?

What is a doula? A doula is a trained person without an emotional attachment to the family, offering supportive services …

Become a Doula but Get Over Yourself… It’s Not About You

This week I had the opportunity to speak with a very seasoned doula from another doula certification organization. We had …

Kung Pao Placenta

As a male and a culinary professional spending time in the ProDoula office required a period of adjustment and education. …

12 Hour Language

Would you work for 40 hours for the same rate of pay you would 12? I wouldn’t either. In fact, …

I Am a Doula and Sole Provider

I am a doula. A pretty damn good one, I might add, who’s been integral in bringing this profession to …

Hospital “Credentialing” For Doulas? Yea or Nay?

Where do I sign? Agreeing to hospital standards does not prevent me from providing physical, educational and emotional support to …

Don’t Hire Randy Patterson as Your Business Consultant

That’s right, do NOT hire me… If there is any chance that you will quit! Do not give me your …

Decisions. Research. Opinions. Judgments.

It is the doctor or midwife’s priority to focus on “healthy mother, healthy baby. It is the doulas priority to …

Postpartum Doula? What? Why? And How to Become One.

Randy: So Debbie, you came into doula work in I think, sort of a unique way. Why don’t you share …

I Say Postpartum, You Say Depression…

Stranger: What kind of work do you do? Me: I’m a Doula Stranger: Oh like you help with birth? Me: …

Doula Business Advice… Where Do You Turn?

In the last couple of years, many doulas have realized for the first time ever that the work they do …

She Made a Hell of a Meatloaf…

When asked what I do for a living, sometimes I say I’m a doula and sometimes I describe what a …

Don’t Puke Birth on the Ones You Love

Last week you were not a doula and this week you are. You had a deep desire to become a …

Why We Call Our Clients “Rock Stars”

Let’s start with what we don’t mean! We don’t mean that while you were birthing your baby, you wore black …

What You Should Know Before You Become A Doula

Becoming a Doula 101 Become a doula and when you tell people what you do for a living, you’ll get …