Become a Doula – The Importance of your Birth Professional Community – Savvy Doula – Darlene MacAuley

The Importance of your Birth Professional Community

Jan 31st, 2010 | By Darlene MacAuley | Category: Building Connections, Savvy New Tip, Social Media, Starting Your Biz

Image by blmurch via Flickr

I am a really lucky birth doula. Why? I live within a wonderful birth community, with lots of caring, wonderful, smart women who offer support, suggestions and resources when I really need it.

This week, I sent an email request to two of my favorite doula-related Yahoo Groups, asking about a hospital procedure that I was unfamiliar with. Within hours, I not only got answers to my questions, I was educated about a few things and received more options that I could suggest to my clients. What seemed like a hurdle to overcome became a sigh of relief. I feel so much appreciation today towards my birth community, both locally and internationally.

The point of all this is to encourage you to reach out to your fellow birth professionals whenever you have questions, need a new resource, or a shoulder to cry on. Where can you find this support?

Do a search for doula (or whatever your profession is) email lists on Yahoo Groups and subscribe to the list
See if there is a doula or birth network in your community
If there is not a network, think about creating one yourself
Visit Alldoulas.com
Find birth professionals to connect with on Twitter and Facebook

In so many instances, more minds are better than one. You can benefit from the experiences of others and get support when you need it. You don’t have to feel alone as a birth professional, especially if you’re in a community with only a few.

If you are connecting with professionals online, however, please be mindful of client confidentiality and the information you put out online. Be professional, and know when a conversation should be taken offline. If you’re not sure, you may want to connect on an individual basis to get your questions answered.

I’d like to know how you get support from your birth community, and the ways in which you support one another. Add a comment below!