In this video blog, Stefanie goes over the most common pitfalls and mistakes people make with their certification documents. She reviews the birth reports and all the terms included in them to help you fill them out correctly the FIRST time.   About the Author…

I had the privilege to spend time this past weekend with the amazing Jenn Fontaine. She’s a DONA Birth Doula Trainer, but also is one of THE busiest certification package reviewers for DONA International. When you complete all your requirements and you send in your…

One of the things brought to my attention a few years ago was how “white” and “middle class” the doula profession was. It’s something I have spent a lot of time thinking about the past few years. As I learn more and more about the…

Have you ever wondered what you’d say to your younger (or less experienced self)? I’ve had an amazing opportunity this past year to do something of the sorts. Here’s how my story begins… A couple of years ago I was doing a birth doula training…

How to launch (or grow) your doula practice I’ve spent the past 6 months preparing a program to help doulas (and other birth workers) to grow their practice. After years of not making enough through my birth work, I decided to stop the excuses and…

How to end the doula client relationship I’ll start by saying that I suspect if you asked 10 different people this question, you may get 10 different answers. But here are some thoughts for you to consider around setting appropriate boundaries and ending the doula-client…

How to provide great postpartum support As birth doulas we provide two types of postpartum support. That immediate support right after the delivery and most of us also provide at least one in-home visit as part of our package. We’re going to discuss the in-home…

How to live “on-call” When I was a new doula I was stressed to the max the first few times I was on-call. It was like at any moment of the day or night the phone would ring and I would have to go screeching…

How do I know I was helpful at a birth? Sometimes a doula will call me to discuss a birth. There’s a feeling that something feels “off” but they can’t pinpoint it. This is usually the time when you need to process a birth. “Processing”…

What to do when a partner doesn’t want to be involved I got a call from a new doula recently after one of her first few births (story used with permission). She mentioned she’d done two births so far and both had been quite different…