All posts tagged: doula career

The Top Three Reasons for Doula Burnout

March 6, 2024 Kathryn Keener
The Top Three Reasons for Doula Burnout

In preparing to speak at the DONA International annual conference last year, I polled an online doula community about what factors either threatened, or ultimately led to, their burnout. Three main areas presented themselves:

  • Income Related Reasons 
  • Stress/Quality of Life
  • Isolation/Lack of Support

The income-related reasons had a lot to do with how hard it can be to anticipate income. Postpartum doulas are tasked with finding new assignments every few months, with potential gaps in between, and birth doulas may find the number of births per month varies and can’t always be known very far in advance, for example. There’s also sometimes trepidation about charging “too much,” either because there’s a culture that says doing this kind of work shouldn’t make you a lot of money (that’s for a whole other blog post) or because a doula is afraid of not being hired if their rate is too high. Many doulas also don’t account for the amount of unpaid time that is required to run a business.

Stress and quality of life are also contributing factors to burnout for a number of reasons. Sometimes doulas commit to a bigger workload than is sustainable for them, in part due to the concern about unpredictable income, or sometimes due to difficulty and discomfort with setting boundaries. (Have you ever had a family book 3 nights/week, which let’s say is your max… and then convince you to add more nights when you know from experience that 3 is your limit?!) Many doulas also reported that they thought they could work a certain number of overnights/week to make a certain level of income, or take a certain number of births per month… and then learned it was too hard on the body (whether that be the overnights/sleep deprivation, or the on-call lifestyle and irregular hours). In our previous blog post, we shared some tips (and a free download) for setting boundaries and preserving your quality of life while doing this important work!

A lack of support is another challenge to the longevity of doulas in the field. First, being a good doula does not mean having all of the know-how to run a business, and therefore many doulas report feeling overwhelmed in that area, without a reliable resource for the myriad of questions they have. Second, doula trainings can only prepare a doula for so much, and can only cover a certain percentage of possible scenarios they will encounter, and so there is a lot of “on the ground” learning that has to happen, that leads to a need to process with peers and mentors, seek feedback, and feel a sense of camaraderie. Without this support, the likelihood of a doula learning and growing in order to thrive is diminished. 

Knowing these potential traps and challenges can benefit a new or aspiring doula, and help them to enter on a career path with realistic expectations, and strategies for making this work sustainable for them. We’re passionate about helping doulas prevent burnout – to benefit them, and all of the potential families they may serve along the way! For this reason we’re offering a free webinar, How to Succeed as a Postpartum Doula – Without Burning Out! with many more tips about setting up for success and preventing burnout. Click the link to find out when it’s offered (typically at least twice a year, in March and August). We really hope to see you there! 

Kathryn KeenerThe Top Three Reasons for Doula Burnout
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Preventing Burnout for Doulas and Newborn Care Specialists

February 21, 2024 Kathryn Keener
Preventing Burnout for Doulas and Newborn Care Specialists

Doulas tend to naturally be giving people. We’re drawn to this work because we want to make an impact during a time of need. Being in a caretaker role can be rewarding… and draining. Many doulas and newborn care specialists have to go back to their own families between shifts and continue in some sort of caretaking role there, as well. And yet they’re reluctant to set the boundaries and put the conditions in place with their work to make sure they can continue in this field without burning out, because it’s tempting to be able to meet whatever accommodation a family might need. That, unfortunately, is not always possible or sustainable. Preventing burnout needs to be a central focus of doulas if they’re going to continue offering their deeply valuable services. 

Detachment 

The word “detachment” can seem cold or unfeeling, but if we want to pull from some ancient wisdom, in the Buddhist sense it actually has more to do with not holding on to things you can’t control. It’s important for doulas not to see themselves as the solution, or the savior for a client’s stress or challenges. A doula is a source of information and yes, empowerment at times. But you won’t have the perfect brainstormed solution for every client situation, not every tip or trick will be the “aha” you might hope it would be,… or be received in the way you hope. If we’re too attached to that outcome, the families feel it, and it comes with a pushing or forcing energy. If we need that outcome to prove our worth – or we need to stay constantly “busy” accomplishing tasks to feel we’re doing our job – we may be setting ourselves up for burnout. Now, I’m not going to lean on the overused term and say all we need to do is “hold space.” Our role does usually need to provide a mix of hands on support, household tasks, emotional support, and education. But not trying to be “everything to everyone,” at all times, is important. Which leads me to…

Balancing time during a shift

Not only is our insight not always the “salvation” the client needs… but breaking our backs to prove the value of our time with a client will lead to burnout as well. It’s okay if you’re not hustling the entire postpartum shift, or physically active during the entire time at a birth. Of course we want to add value, take tasks off their plates, increase their quality of life. These should be high priorities. But if as a postpartum doula you’ve taken care of some laundry and dishes and tidied up, helped to make a meal or a healthy snack, gotten the baby down for a nap, and there’s some down time… that’s okay too. You can ask if there’s anything they’d like you to research for them while you wait for baby to wake… or anything they want to discuss… but you can also explain (ideally in advance!) that you take advantage of those lulls to hydrate, have a snack, use the restroom… take a breather. If you’re there for an overnight, you can set realistic expectations about what parts of the shift are used towards what tasks (perhaps laundry at the beginning of a shift, but not in the middle of the night, for example), and normalize for them the importance of getting some rest when you can, in order to make your schedule sustainable. It should be clear in your intake conversations or interviews if this is your approach. 

Knowing your limits 

Another key ingredient to preventing burnout is to know your limits. So many doulas take more shifts/week – or more births/month – than is ideal for them, because it’s what the client wants and they have trouble setting boundaries, or because they want to take advantage of the opportunity to earn now to buffer against slow times. That’s a real consideration, but overbooking yourself is extremely likely to backfire later. Figure out what number of shifts (or hours) per week, or births per month, is sustainable for you. If you make an exception (say, taking 5 overnights shifts/week when your ideal max is 4) put a limit on how many weeks you’ll make that exception for. If you’re afraid of not getting hired because you can’t offer their ideal schedule, consider partnering with another doula to meet that family’s needs. 

For more tips on preventing burnout, download our FREE GUIDE: Preventing Burnout for Doulas and NCS’s.

And, check out our next blog post all about the top three reasons we see doulas burning out!

 

Kathryn KeenerPreventing Burnout for Doulas and Newborn Care Specialists
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Thinking of Becoming a Postpartum Doula? Make Sure You Have These Four Things in Place

April 6, 2021 Kathryn Keener
Thinking of Becoming a Postpartum Doula? Make Sure You Have These Four Things in Place

We’ve been recruiting and mentoring doulas for over 6 years, and fielding questions from people who are curious about becoming a postpartum doula. If that’s you, start here to make sure you know what to expect and how to set yourself up for success!  

Relevant Background

This work is great for someone who has a background in a relevant field such as early childcare, nursing, nannying, childbirth education, or other caretaking professions. If you don’t have much hands-on experience with newborns, we’d encourage you to dive in with that however you can to build confidence – help out some friends or family, volunteer at a hospital/NICU if you can (these opportunities can be hard to come by),… and if you lack in-person opportunities, start to watch some how-to videos on YouTube (regarding bathing, swaddling, soothing, etc…) Perhaps you could even attend a Newborn Care Class meant for new parents, or a breastfeeding support group, if the instructor and group would permit that. And while newborn care is a critical part of the role, we would ask you to think carefully if you’re getting into this work only for your love of babies – you are there to support the whole family, and your role is infinitely more complex than just baby care. 

Here are some videos to get you started! 

Bathing baby

white newborn baby in bath tub

BabyCenter Video Link

Swaddling baby

Right Temperament

You need to be able to adapt to each family’s needs, as well as their widely varied styles and preferences. The goal is nonjudgmental support, so you’re going to need to be able to let go of strong feelings you may have about the “best” ways to do certain things. You’ll have to feel out (and ask!) whether they’re wanting input and information, or whether they just want things done a certain way. Families generally want someone who can “read the room,” and know when it’s a good time to engage, vs a good time to quietly find tasks that will help to support the needs at hand. They’re not always going to want to feel like they have “company” and sometimes they don’t want to have to come up with things for you to do, so taking initiative – with their consent – will be important. Some new parents will have a lot on their minds, will be looking for a listening ear… and you’ll form a close and intimate relationship. Others are more private, and you’ll have to figure out how to communicate with them while respecting their space. As you can see, communication skills and an ability to adapt are critical to having the right temperament for this work!

Appropriate Training

We hear from aspiring doulas that they feel an immense pressure to choose the “right” doula training. Here’s some good news about that – we really feel you should not pick just one. Start with one, of course. Then build some traction with your business. Once you have earned some money, and have some paying clients lined up… consider taking another training (perhaps a year later). You’ll gain some insight and learn something new at each one. 

A main consideration for training is choosing between in-person, pre-recorded, or live virtual trainings. We tend to lean towards in-person or live virtual trainings because they are more dynamic, provide more opportunities to ask questions and learn from the participation of other attendees. That said, you know your learning style best, so take that into consideration as well. Then, there’s the mission and brand of the training organization you will want to get a feel for. We talk about this more in our workshop, Career 101 for Postpartum Doulas (more information below!)

Realistic Expectations

Too many people get into this work without truly understanding what it takes to make it work, or how to set boundaries to avoid burnout. You need to understand that due dates are unpredictable, so many of your plans will be tentative (What will you do to best accommodate the family if the baby comes early and overlaps with another client or other plans? What will you do if baby comes late and has a NICU stay, delaying your income by a few weeks?) If your availability is very limited and rigid, you may not be a good fit for this work or will need to at least understand that many families will want to select a doula who has more flexibility. At the same time, having some clear boundaries is important. 

Questions you will want to consider:

Will you offer day shifts? Night shifts? A combination? What’s your ideal number of hours per week and is there room for that to fluctuate, given that some families want to start with more support and scale back, or vice versa? Will you need backup support? What will your arrangement be with that person? Does joining an agency make more sense for you?

Families’ needs will often shift and change, and you will benefit if you have explained clearly in advance, both in your interview and your contract, what changes you can and can’t accommodate – and what that means for the financial commitment they have made to you. It’s a balance to strike, offering some flexibility to the family while still being able to accurately predict your income over a given period of time. 

Once you’ve reflected on these four areas, you’ll be much more prepared to start this career path with your eyes open and your doula feet nimble! We go deeper into these considerations, as well as other issues such as scope and scheduling, in our Career 101 Webinar!  

Kathryn KeenerThinking of Becoming a Postpartum Doula? Make Sure You Have These Four Things in Place
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About the Author:

Kathryn Keener is a postpartum doula and owner of One Moon Doula Services in San Diego, CA. She previously worked as a mediator of various types of disputes for almost 15 years. Both careers have given her a unique glimpse into the personal lives of people in the midst of life's changes and life's challenges. Here on her blog she muses about parenthood in the United States, including issues such as sleep deprivation, changing roles and identities, work/life balance, policies surrounding birth and postpartum, and forging our own communities and support so we don't have to go it alone.

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