Doulas of the Roundtable

If you hang around doulas long enough and you'll hear it. Those two words that seem so innocent and inviting, doula sisters (or doula sisterhood). But take a closer look and you're likely to find that the notion of the doula sisterhood has a darker meaning and intent. How can you have a sisterhood when there are doulas who are excluded? Come join us as we break down the idea of "sisterhood" and discuss it's existence in our community.

In this episode, Eva and Angela along with their guest, Kelly Rutan, talk about postpartum support. We discuss the role a postpartum doula plays in a family's life. Kelly helps us take a closer look into what some postpartum families are dealing with and the different ways a doula's support can help. Join us and our special guest as we tackle this important topic.

In this episode, Eva and Angela tackle the topic of certification. We talk about things like is it important, does it matter, do client care, does our industry care. As doula trainers, we are passionate about helping new doulas thrive in their birth work, so it was only a matter of time before we tackled this topic. Join us!

Since the start of this podcast, we have wanted to do an episode on Male Doulas. There seems to be a bit of stigma and judgment surrounding male doulas and their role in birth work. Join us as we sit down with Kelly Carrington, a male doula, and discuss this topic. Male doulas may be in the minority but they have a place in this work and it is our hope to see more of them feel welcome to enter this field.

In this episode, we discuss informed consent & decisions and what a doula's role is in their client's journey through it. We tackle questions like how can we help & when is the right time to offer that help? Is informed consent & decisions more important to you or your client? How do you provide the information they want without bringing in judgment and bias? Join us as we discuss this important topic.

In honor of Cesarean Awareness Month, we discuss the ways to support clients through cesarean birth. We sit down with Christi Banks to discuss all the different ways we can support our clients through planned, unplanned, and emergent cesarean births. We still have a place on the birth team and there is still support to be had.

It's World Doula Week 2020! Join us in our discussion of how we plan to celebrate World Doula Week while we navigate unchartered territory that is COVID-19.

In the rapidly evolving landscape that is life in March of 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic as our reality, doulas across the globe are facing many hard choices. Come join us in this special episode as we discuss navigating our home and business lives amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supporting Loss: Join us as we welcome guest Annie Willems to discuss the tender topic of supporting clients through loss. In this episode, we discuss supporting families through expected and unexpected loss. As doulas it is important to identify our biases and triggers well before we are called to support our clients through the loss of their baby. Trigger warning: Due to the sensitive nature of this episode, it may be difficult to listen to. Make sure you take care of yourself and step away if needed.

Black maternal health is a hot and important topic in the birth community today. Join us and our guest, Samantha Griffin, as we discuss serving black clients, epigenetics, allostatic load and how it's entirely possible that doula care may not result in the outcomes that are hoped for.

We sit down with Aisha Fanning to discuss how to navigate parenting and doula work. The question of how one navigates their own children and their responsibilities of doula work is one of the questions that gets asked quite a bit. We asked Aisha to be on so that we could shed a bit of light on it can be done.

In this episode, we focus on two questions, "When will I make money?" and "How soon can I leave my other job?" We dive into both of these questions and peel back what it looks like to make money from our passion.

Welcome to Season 2! We kick the new season off with talking about shadowing and mentorship. When you are first starting out it's very easy to want to watch someone else do the work for jumping in yourself or have someone there to help guide you as you get hands-on. In the doula world that can be a little tricky and not always the best for the client. In this episode, we discuss the pros and cons of shadowing and mentorships and some of the alternatives that exist.

As we come to the end of 2019, we also come to the end of Season 1! In this episode, we look back on the episodes we have recorded, the impact we have seen, and then we shift our focus to Season 2 and 2020.

In this episode, we talk about writing birth stories and giving gifts. Why doulas do this, how it helps or hurts, and is it necessary to our success with our clients. It's a topic that comes up now and again and we wanted to chat about why doulas do this.

In this episode we discuss inductions. How our support can look, the feelings around inductions, and how to navigate medical professionals as well.

In this episode, we talk about Virtual Doulas. Someone who provides emotional and education doula support but are not physically present. We explore how virtual doulas fit into the doula world and the impact they have with clients.

As doulas, our role is to support. We support physically, emotionally, and educationally. Sometimes it can be tough to determine if the pain your client is feeling is emotional or physical. In this episode, we talk that through. We discuss the importance of keeping track of both of these types of pains and how to navigate them.

Doula Philosophies. What does that mean? Do you have one? Do you allow them to dictate which clients you support? In this episode, we talk about some of the philosophies that we know doulas subscribe to and the reasons why. We try to unpack the reasons why doulas support some clients vs. others.

In this episode we explore the partner's perspective with one of our own Tucson Doulas' clients. Join us as Jo Jo shares what he thought a doula was. What lead Jo Jo and his partner to hire a doula. How they found a doula to interview local to them. If you have ever wondered how to reach partners and help them see the value of hiring a doula for support through pregnancy and birth, this is the episode for you!

Interventions. We all know about them and we all have clients that use them everyday. In this episode, we explore the pros and cons of intervention use. We talk about why our clients get them, how one doesn't always lead to the other, and how we, as doulas, sometimes allow our biases to cloud the support we provide.

Business structures! Do you become an agency, an independent contractor, or do you strike out on your own and go solo? In this episode, we weigh the pros and cons of all of those options.

This is a Doula Byte do you do not want to miss! CAN SOMEONE WHO LACKS EMPOWERMENT IN THEIR OWN LIFE EMPOWER ANOTHER? We recognize that birth as an individual's sacred moment. An experience that lasts and lifetime. A powerful experience where there are no do-overs. It's a story that they will tell again and again. Yet when a birth worker is carrying trauma from their own experience they can't effectively help another have an empowering experience of their own. If you are dealing with your own past experience, you can't be fully present for the client that you are serving. THERE IS A TENDENCY AMONG BIRTH WORKERS TO NOT OWN OUR POWER AND KNOW OUR WORTH, AND ULTIMATELY WE LEAD LIVES THAT WE DON'T INTEND TO LEAD. There are two things that the majority of birth workers have in common: We want to contribute to the empowerment of women/birthing people. We want to leave birth better than we found it.

Insurance for clients, insurance for doulas. We talk about it all in this episode. Can clients use insurance to cover the cost for doula services? Will it ever be a widely accepted? How about insurance for you as a doula? What ae the pros and cons of having insurance as a birth worker?

In this episode we discuss doulas attending unassisted births. We talk about the pros and cons for both the client and the doula.

In this episode we discuss creating professional and personal boundaries. We discuss social media practices and pitfalls, reaching out to other doulas for help, and the importance of creating these boundaries for yourself.

Do you provide non judgmental support? In this episode Angela and Eva sit down with Kristyn Blocher to discuss the ways that doulas can provide true non judgmental support. We look at the language we use, the actions we take, and the biases we bring into our client's lives and how we can provide better support.

In this episode Eva and Angela talk to Lacey Bauer about doing this work without having children of our own. How that impacts us, do we do anything to compensate, and how our clients and colleagues feel about it.

In Episode 6, Angela and Eva dive into the reality that is being on call for our clients. There can be a lot of ups and downs with being on call as well as different things to navigate. We give some tips and tricks to help, but mostly we discuss the truths of being on call.

In this episode Angela and Eva sit down with Mona White-Ortega to discuss grandparents and other support persons in the birth rooms. Mona teaches a Grandparents class that helps grandparents navigate the birth room and helping their child through the birthing process.

In this episode Angela and I sit down with Lacey Bauer and discuss all things Infant Feeding. How do we support our clients with breast feeding, bottle feeding, pumping, the physical and emotional stresses, as well as the joys, and so much more? Sit down with us and let's have a conversation!

Self-Confidence is the feeling of trust in one's abilities, qualities, and judgment. It can hold you back as well as propel you forward, and it is up to you on what you allow it to do. You are the only one who is in control of it. In this week's episode, we talk about self-confidence as a doula. How self-confidence can holds us back and how to overcome that. It's not about having all the answers, it's not about attending every kind of birth scenario, and it's not about knowing all the things that have to do with birth, babies, and families.

Let's talk about placenta encapsulation! There's no denying we love the placenta in all its glory. It's a magnificent organ that facilitates a wonderous process of supporting life. Yet the fascination and power of this organ can lead some who encapsulate placentas into a false sense of security when it comes to the potential dangers of the encapsulation process. In this episode we discuss common attitudes towards the placenta and the hidden dangers that can exist in such a belief system. Does where the placenta is encapsulated really matter? What are the safety concerns that families considering encapsulation should consider? We sit down with Kristyn Blocher for a placenta chat. Take a listen and share your thoughts on our FaceBook page.

Welcome to Episode One!! In this very first episode Angela and I sit down and talk about the differences between how we viewed this work when we first came to it. With a difference of 18 years experience we look at what has changed and what needs to change. We also, discuss how this topic can potentially be controversial. We have seen that there seems to be a divide in the doula community with doulas that have been doing this work for a long time vs the those who are new to this work.

When thinking about entering birth work, there are many different paths to consider. In this doula byte we discuss the many paths available to supporting growing families, and the considerations that an individual may take when choosing the path that is right for them.

In the birth community there seems to be two sides when it comes to the idea of competition and collaboration. Some believe that collaboration should always trump competition. And others believe that competition is healthy and pushes us to do better. In this Doula Byte we discuss the idea of collaboration over competition and share our ideas, beliefs, and viewpoints on this divided topic.

Welcome to our Doula Byte Session. These mini sessions are snippets of discussions we have behind the scenes. We wanted to give you some insight into the conversations that we have that may or may not result in a full episode, but are a important, controversial or funny none the less. This is the first episode in this mini series and our topic is Birth Bags. There's a lot of discussion amongst doulas about what to pack in their birth bags. We explore why doulas feel the need to carry a birth bag, common items that are carried and explore the idea that clients should be encouraged to build their own bag.

In Episode 0, we explore who we are, why we created this podcast, and a bit of information on our launch episode which will be released on March 22nd 2019! Grab a seat and let us explain why we are so excited to bring this podcast to you!

Welcome to Doulas of the Round Table! We are so glad you are here and we look forward to having you along for the journey. Our podcast was born through a series of late-night talks between two doulas on opposite ends of the experience spectrum. Through a series of discussions while searching for the perfect title for our podcast "Doulas of the Round Table" was born. A play on the Arthurian "knights of the round table concept". A place where each seat at the table has an equal voice. This is a place for open discussions on the topics that impact us as birth workers. A place where all opinions are equal, knowledge is shared and hard topics are talked about. Our late night chat sessions helped us to discover that we came into this field from two totally different perspectives. As a result, many interesting, inspiring and hard conversations were born. Conversations that we wanted to share and engage in with a larger audience. We are so glad you are here. When you're ready, pull up your chair and let's get started!