As a brand new birth doula straight out of my DONA training in 2014 I couldn’t wait to get started serving families. Even before I went to my training, I had networked with other birth doulas already practicing in my area. I had a great grasp of the lay of the birth land here in Evansville, and I was going to change the world one birth at a time. Along the way, I made three big new doula mistakes that I hope sharing here will help you avoid replicating.
New Doula Mistake #1
My first mistake as a new doula was taking any client that wanted to hire me. I was so excited to get started and honestly so honored that anyone would want me to be there as they gave birth, that I forgot interviews are for both the clients AND the doula to interview each other. Trust your gut when it comes to new clients. You do not want to force yourself to support a family if it is going to be a bad fit for anyone. I learned the hard way that requiring partners to attend interviews is pretty essential too.
New Doula Mistake #2
My second new doula mistake was not keeping good records! This is partly because of my naivete thinking that I would remember all of the details of the births that I attended. Birth notes weren’t the only ones I neglected though. I wish I would have been better at tracking my mileage and expenses, especially because that really hurt when it came time to file my taxes the first time. There are great resources out there for helping small business owners get started, and having a business mentor has really helped me work smarter while making more income. I also keep copious client notes now not only for my own records, but also to share with my backup doulas in case I need to call them in to help.
New Doula Mistake #3
The third and probably worst mistake I made as a new birth doula was that I didn’t adequately protect my own time. New doulas are so excited about serving clients that they often forget to set aside time for themselves and their families. Birth doulas really have to plan their lives at least 9 months in advance, and part of holding your boundaries means holding your calendar no matter who calls. I felt heartbroken to have to pass on repeat clients initially, but I learned that saying yes to my clients meant saying no to myself or my family, and that was not a compromise that was going to make me happy in the long run.
New doulas, I know you want to serve families, but don’t forget to serve yourself and your business by making sure you are filling your own cup. Yes, that does mean having great self-care practices, but it also means setting up systems and a business that is sustainable. The average career span of a doula is 3-5 years; if you’d like to keep this job going, starting off in the right direction will seriously help. Learn from my new doula mistakes, and find impressive ways to make different ones for yourself. You and your business will never be perfect, but planning ahead for the common pitfalls might just help you avoid them.