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Motivational Interviewing

Communication is a topic that spans every profession and enhances every relationship. Effective communication is imperative for expressing thoughts and opinions in a healthy way. In the healthcare profession, good communication can be a matter of life or death. Motivational Interviewing is very well established and uses a series of foundational skills to accomplish favorable […]

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What’s in the Bag?

It’s a question that comes up at every doula training – “What do you carry with you to a birth?” On message boards and doula support forums, there are so many options and ideas and lists of suggestions for things that doulas may want to purchase or may need to carry to support someone in

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The Evolution of Breathing in Labour

1942, an age where birth had been overtaken by obstetrics and medicalization, Dr. Grant Dick- Read’s book, Natural Childbirth introduced birth in a gentle manner. Exploring the baby’s own experience and the theory that fear and tension induced more pain. At this time these concepts were seen as radical. The Bradley method was developed in

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Starting a Non-Profit Organization – It may not be as hard as you think!

What is a non-profit organization? A Non-profit organization is a business that has been granted tax-exempt status (501c3) by the IRS because it furthers a social cause and provides a public benefit (Kenton, 2020). Donations made to a nonprofit organization are typically tax-deductible to individuals and businesses that make them, and the nonprofit itself pays

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The Importance of Sleep in Pregnancy & How We Can Help Clients Optimise Their Sleep

Many pregnant persons say it’s hard to sleep because they can’t get comfortable, need to run to the bathroom constantly, have leg cramps, and are excited and anxious about their baby’s arrival. They often joke that it is to prepare them for things to come…the arrival of their newborn and more sleepless nights and sleep

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How to Teach Meditation for Childbirth Preparation

After teaching childbirth preparation classes and working as a doula for many years, I often ponder the question what do parents really need to know before birth? I’ve had so many clients come through my classes; some with notebooks and pens, some with stories from friends and family and some with such fear and anxiety

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Top Five Tips for Growing your Doula and Birth Business

Many doulas start their businesses with a deep passion and excitement for this incredible work! Doulas are often caring, loving, thoughtful, passionate and educated, but unfortunately not always business minded! This can become quite a challenge as many doulas work independently and need to find their own way in this field.  Although being passionate is important

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What’s Holding You Back? Fear of Failure and Imposter Syndrome

With ever-changing COVID restrictions, birth businesses are struggling. We can’t work the way we used to. The whole way we interact with society is in flux. But is the shifting cultural climate the only thing that’s holding us back?? Or is there something else? Let me share with you “A Tale of 3 Gyms”. These

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5 Reasons to Still Hire a Labor Doula – Especially During the Pandemic

If there is one thing we have learned since early 2020, it’s that things are ever changing with this pandemic. One thing that has remained the same: people are still going to have babies. At the beginning of 2020, there were so many unknowns with the virus, how it affects a pregnant person and newborn,

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Marketing Your Doula Business

Marketing is part of any doula business. Unlike yoga students or massage clients, our families use our services and then move on. Therefore, publicity, like laundry is never done. Do something every day to promote your business. Remember that every experienced doula was once an enthusiastic new doula, wondering where their clients would come from.

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Doulas on Bikes

For Vera Kevic, listening is a vital piece in how she practices as a doula. Beginning with the prenatal visits where new and repeat parents share their hopes, plans, concerns and fears about how they want their birth to go. Then continuing in labor when Kevic tries to get a sense of the room by

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Centering Pregnancy

I work as a hospital labor doula. I have done this work for 22 years. In addition to being a bedside doula, I also attend childbirth classes, centering classes, and lead expectant parent tours of labor and delivery. During these tours and class visits, I am able to answer questions about what a doula is

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Lactation Educator

How To Become A Certified Lactation Educator™ And Why It Might Be Right For You

CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator™, CLE® If you feel inspired to support people through lactation and breastfeeding/chestfeeding, you might have considered becoming a Certified Lactation Educator™. A CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator™, CLE® works with parents to offer unbiased, evidence based support. In order to determine if this profession might be right for you, you might wonder

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Certified Childbirth Educator

How To Become A Certified Childbirth Educator And Why It Might Be Right For You

CAPPA Certified Childbirth Educator Training If you feel inspired to educate and support families preparing for a pregnancy or experiencing a pregnancy, you might have considered becoming a Certified Childbirth Educator. A CAPPA Certified Childbirth Educator (CCCE) works with families and within the healthcare system to offer unbiased support. A CCCE provides families with encouragement

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How To Become A Postpartum Doula And Why It Might Be Right For You

If you become a postpartum doula, you will have the opportunity to provide emotional, informational and physical support to a new family during one of the most important, memorable periods of change. Have you ever wondered if becoming a Postpartum Doula might be right for you? If so, then you’ve also wondered how to become

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labor doula

How To Become A Labor Doula And Why It Might Be Right For You

If you feel a call to help families during pregnancy, labor and birth, you’ve probably also wondered what it takes to become a labor doula. Alternately, perhaps you’ve wanted to be a birth doula for years, but weren’t quite sure how. At CAPPA, we refer to a birth doula as a “Labor Doula” and offer

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The Importance of Building Connections for Success

Have you heard the old saying “We are Better Together?” There is so much truth in this statement when it comes to connecting with other doulas and educators in our arena. After working as a doula for nine years, I truly believe “Building Connections” is the single best thing you can do to set yourself

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Updates to Our Postpartum Doula Scope of Practice

Laura Nance – CPD, CLD, CLE®, CCCE, CPFE, Faculty, Senior Program Advisor CAPPA recently made changes to the Postpartum Doula Scope of Practice.  These changes reflect the needs of postpartum doulas and the work they do with families. First, let’s talk about why a Scope of Practice is even necessary.  It comes down to two

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The Subtle Impact of Interference

As labor doulas and childbirth educators, we prepare our clients with information about routine interventions. We go over the benefits, risks and alternatives to these interventions, equipping parents to make the best decisions for themselves and their babies. But no one has to place a needle in an arm to alter the course of a

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Supporting Single Moms by Choice

As a labor and postpartum doula, I have supported a number of single moms by choice, helping them navigate the challenges of birthing and parenting without the benefit of a partner.  The unique needs of these clients can sometimes be challenging both emotionally and physically for anyone supporting them during this life changing time. First

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Helping Clients Understand the Impact of Labor Hormones (Plus a Teaching Activity)

Early in my doula career, I remember working with a family who knew they wanted a doula to support them through their pregnancy and birth. This particular mother had a previous birth that she felt didn’t go well and felt like she was pressured into unnecessary interventions. She was nervous about going back to the

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Reframing Cesarean Birth ( Submitted by CAPPA Member Colleen Goidel )

When a person gets pregnant, they unconsciously develop an internal vision about how they expect their birth will unfold. Their personal history and beliefs, their birth team, their coworkers, friends and family, and the media all influence this expectation—which causes the birthing person to make assumptions about what is true. This is especially so with

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Newborn Stem Cell Preservation FAQs for CAPPA

Why do families preserve newborn stem cells? Both cord blood and cord tissue are rich sources of newborn stem cells. Stem cells are the body’s “master cells,” helping to build organ tissues, blood, and the immune system. Cord blood predominantly contains hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which form the blood and immune systems. Mesenchymal stem cells

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Do Patients Really Have to Choose Between Delayed Cord Clamping and Newborn Stem Cell Banking?

Parents face many decisions while planning for the birth of a baby. Deciding whether to delay cord clamping – and for how long – can be a tough decision because medical recommendations are evolving, and it’s easy to find contradicting information about the risks and benefits for both mom and baby. No wonder parents are

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5 Ways Postpartum Doulas Can Achieve Marketing Success Without Instagram

We all know we have to have a social media presence these days to market ourselves. It is a great way tell the world about us and the services and support we offer. There are many experts that will attest to this and please listen to them to get your presence felt. If you are

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Love Triumphs Lactation

Lactation education is in higher demand than ever. Social media has allowed for mass promotion of breastfeeding. This visible acceptance and saturation on the web, coupled with continued public health agencies echoing the importance of breastfeeding has families searching for high-quality, available classes in their areas. Breastfeeding can be the great equalizer. It is imperative

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Instagram: The Marketing Tool You Need

One BILLION users!  That is the number of people using Instagram.  Approximately 60% of those users are aged 18-29 and are heavily influenced by businesses on Instagram.  About 58% of users identify as women.  With the average age of birthing persons being 26, this gives us a clue as to why this platform can be useful for birth workers.

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Shifting the Philosophy of Care to Support Dad and the Non-Birthing Parent

Traditionally the scope of practice for doula support whether prenatal, labor or postpartum has been emotional, physical and educational support for mom and her family. “Mothering the mother” is an outstanding obligation giving women among other things a voice, empowerment and education assisting them in having the best birth outcomes possible.  How would birth outcomes change

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My Visit with a Birth Visionary, Jenny Smith, UK Midwife

On a recent trip to London, one opportunity that, I had hoped to have, was to meet well-known UK midwife, Jenny Smith. I became acquainted with the work Jenny has done in the field of maternity care, through a YouTube video about the natural caesarean (aka family-centered caesarean) protocol. I have included this video in

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The Defeated Doula: 3 Things You Can Do to Conquer Self-Doubt

It’s a common occurrence that, after Doula training, the energy of the last few days is excitedly stirring. Your mind is racing a mile a minute and all of the tasks you want to achieve are running circles through your thoughts. You set a plan of action and tell yourself, this week I am going to

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12 Ways to Respond When Your Client Asks for a Discount

Everyone who owns a business of any kind will be asked this question at some point: “Can I get a discount?“ What makes our business unique is that we know the crucial difference that our services make to families’ physical and mental health, and we don’t want anyone to miss out on them! So, how

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Applying the Foundational Attitudes of Mindfulness to Your Doula Practice

Mindfulness meditation is one of the fastest-growing health trends in the United States, according to the CDC. But what is mindfulness, and why might it be helpful for your work as a professional doula? Mindfulness is “The awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, in Purser, 2015).

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Teaching and Activities for Baby’s Development 0-12 Months

Although our roles as educators and doulas don’t typically extend for the first 12 months, I’ve found that parents LOVE learning about what’s coming, what to expect, and how to support their baby’s development.  Here is some information about physical, emotional, and cognitive development in the first year.  In 12 short months, there are leaps

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Understanding Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex and Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding Aversion and Agitation

As a mother, I enjoyed tandem breastfeeding my toddler and child…most of the time. Toward the end of the weaning process, I began to struggle when my toddler fed at the breast, especially when he would “tweak” my other nipple. It started as an itching sensation in my mouth and a resentful rage in my

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Protecting Yourself and Your Clients as a Postpartum Doula During the COVID-19 Pandemic

These are unprecedented times as there has not been a serious health situation such as coronavirus/COVID-19 in recent history. This has left many postpartum doulas wondering how to handle in home support for clients. As evidence-based professionals, we want to follow the guidance of the most recent and relevant information; this could include the CDC,

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Supporting Labor Clients During COVID-19 Pandemic

Your CAPPA Labor Doula Faculty team would like to share some ideas for supporting your clients if hospitals are not allowing doulas to provide support during labor. Please remember that it is your professional responsibility to follow CDC recommendations including staying home if you have any type of illness symptoms, following proper hand washing protocols,

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Your Badge of Honor

How many births have you attended? Your badge of honor. The one piece of information that proves to your clients that you know what you are doing as a birth doula. I have been reflecting on this maxim, do the number of births a doula has attended equal her value as a professional? And how

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The Juggle

As childbirth professionals, we specialize in mastering “the juggle”. We juggle clients or classes, or in many cases both, trying to make sure we don’t over book/schedule, yet at the same time ensuring that we have enough business to make a living. As if that juggle weren’t challenging enough, most, if not all of us,

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Our Heads, Our Hearts, and Our Hands Need Support Too 

As labor doulas, we often say that our favorite and essential things we bring to births are our heads, our hearts, and our hands.  We bring our heads which are full of wisdom, information, and knowledge pertaining to birth to help in each unique birth setting. We bring our hearts as caring advocates for our

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Adjusting in the 4th Trimester—All Hands On Deck!

As a doula agency owner, I have the privilege of speaking with 30 or more new and expecting parents each week.  I hear their stories, their struggles, their excitement, their worries and a slew of myths and lies that they have been told and believed.  The lie that gets me every time is: EVERYONE DOES THIS ALONE! 

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Sitting the Month – The Chinese Confinement Period

As a Malaysian postpartum doula of Chinese origin, a large proportion of my clientele are Asian (Chinese).  I have supported quite a few Asian clients who observed the traditional practice of sitting the month or Zuo Yue Zi or Zhor Yuit. I am sure a lot of postpartum doulas are aware of this tradition, but

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25 Tips for Labor Doulas from Hospital Nurses

I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with hundreds of nurses during my career as a labor doula. Whenever we have a blend of professions like Labor & Delivery Nurses and Labor Doulas, it can be a tricky situation to navigate. I truly believe everyone has the client’s best interests in mind, however sometimes

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Running in Pregnancy

The number of people who run is continuing to climb, so more and more we find our clients are asking if it is ok to continue to run during pregnancy.  The answer to that is twofold.  As a pregnancy fitness educator, personal trainer, running coach and birth professional the basic answer is yes; however… In

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The Hustle Culture

“Don’t stop when you’re tired. Stop when you’re done.”  This philosophy has become more and more acceptable when it comes to work ethic.  There is a misconception with entrepreneurs that you must be working at all times or you won’t be successful, you won’t get ahead, you won’t beat out the competition. But at what

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Type A Personality and Becoming A New Mom, How Does That Look?

Many women in my birth classes are self-admitted Type A personalities.  Often, these highly driven, uber-organized, and very detailed planners, express their concern about how they will be able to manage with a deficit of sleep when baby arrives. Some of the qualities of a Type A personality can make it harder to make a

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