I wanna be in the room where it happens.
Aaron Burr in Hamilton
Doulas are a very hot topic right now in the conversation about maternal health here in the United States. Decisions are being made now about whether or not doulas should be covered by insurance companies. I have been invited to participate in the meetings where these discussions are taking place. Right now laws are being drafted, debated, & voted on regarding doulas. Because of my experience and education, I’ve been asked about how these laws might affect doula care and business by lawmakers. My Ph.D., experience, and willingness to be outspoken and public about doulas and the difference that we make to the lives of the families that we serve have all opened doors for me to be invited to comment when these topics are under review. When our local hospitals were drafting doula policies, they called me to ask what different types of policies I had seen around the country and which I thought was the most effective. That spoke volumes to me about the bridges I have been able to build here locally as well as the respect I have earned based on my knowledge and experience.
Our doula organization, DONA International, needs to be not only in the room where it happens but should be the point of contact for people when decision-makers think about doulas. Why are we not being invited into these discussions as an organization? Why are we not pushing a public relations campaign about doulas? If DONA International is already doing this, how are we making sure our members know about it? What is our agenda with regards to that and why has our leadership been effectively silent (or silenced) when it comes to communicating these things to the membership?
As doulas, we are on the front lines helping families during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We can bring insights about individual-level perspectives from our clients, and also about how systems are actually functioning on the ground level. Our knowledge and experience are valuable in all types of conversations, and as an organization, we should be extolling the value of our members more broadly.
As a leader in DONA International, I would propose both a public relations campaign and broader public outreach regarding doulas. We need a simple but effective grassroots campaign that all doulas can get behind and amplify. DONA should be the leader when it comes to any discussions about doulas and always the first call when people are thinking about inviting doulas to speak. As part of the grassroots campaign, I would propose a social media push for DONA doulas in multiple steps and include a competition to encourage broad participation. We have amazingly talented social media strategists and influencers already in our organization, and their talents should be highlighted! With a little support and a lot of ingenuity, we doulas can direct the conversation about us. Our leadership needs to be out front championing doulas all over the world and rallying each of us to do the same in our own corners. Such a campaign would be one of the pillars of my leadership within DONA International.