The Four Pillars of Doulaing

I want to share something with you that may shift your perspective if you have been holding back on training as a doula, or starting your doula business.  

I’ve had many conversations with people recently where they say something along the lines of...

I don’t know enough yet to be a doula

or 

I’ve got a lot more to learn before I can be a doula

I want to get curious about those statements.  What do you need to learn?  What are you telling yourself you need to know?  

Doulas are not educators.  We are not there to tell people what to do.  We are not there to give medical advice, nor do we need to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of what every different perinatal issue is.  

So what do we need to be able to do as doulas?  

On our courses we talk about the four pillars of doulaing – the things that will bring the most support to a person or family.

1) Listening -  Really effective, some describe it as active, listening is an art form and it is surprising how few people are skilled at it.  On our courses we really explore what it means to listen well to our clients – what the challenges and pitfalls can be and how we can improve how we listen to our family, friends and clients.  

2) Validating feelings – reflecting back to someone what they have shared and how they feel is powerful.  It often helps people recognise what action they want to take next, without any advice-giving happening. 

3) Holding space – both of the above fall into this category, but it goes further – environment is so crucial for new families in terms of physiology, bonding and connecting.  

4) Signposting – we are all about options at Nurturing Birth.  It isn’t about knowing the information – it is about knowing where to go to find the information so that people can make decisions from an empowered place, knowing that they are accessing the most up-to-date research and resources.  

How do you feel when you read the above?  

I wonder if it brings any relief?  

If it does then I invite you to jump on a call with me to talk about whether starting your doula journey is right now.