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…

What to cover in Prenatal Visits When I first started as a doula, all of my clients came from the prenatal classes I taught. Back then we needed a captive audience to discuss what doulas were and how they helped ?  I loved that I…

Identifying our Ideal Doula Client It probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard the term “ideal client” or “target market”. It’s something ALL businesses talk about, a big part of every business plan, and has been discussed a lot recently in the doula community. Defining…

How to follow-up with clients As an agency owner I have the privilege of hearing the odd customer complaint. Admittedly we don’t get very many (thankfully!), but when we do one of the comments I hear is that the doula didn’t follow-up as promised. Types…

How to rock a consultation (interview) When I train a new group of doulas we always spend a fair bit of time on discussing consulations (many people call them interviews). This is where a potential client has expressed an interest in having you as a…

Getting our first few doula clients Over the past few years there has been so much talk about whether to charge for our first few clients after we’ve completed our training. My personal views see both sides of this argument. I say if you can…

Overcoming the Three-Year-Itch Written by Stefanie Antunes, originally published as a Featured Story in the International Doula, Volume 17, Issue 2 (2010) Every year, thousands of doulas, childbirth educators and midwives leave the profession.  While many may leave for family or financial reasons, a great number leave due…