I'm the doula lol. I have been trying to get clients for a very long time. I love the work and just never seemed to have the right connections. Three times I've gotten calls from potential clients... but couldn't take them because we had moved :( Plus, before we moved a friend said she was said because she wanted to have me doula for her at her next birth.
Now I live in a city in Texas where there is not a functional natural birth community. There are two practicing midwives. One who gets all the business because she's been here forever (and won't return my calls or texts, even though she said she was excited to meet me) and another who only gets a couple of births a year and works full time as a nurse (who did meet with me and seemed like a cool lady, but has such a slow practice...). Eventually I want to become a midwife... it's not gonna happen here unless I just start attending births and don't register (apparently Texas is a voluntary registration state for midwives). Not comfortable with that.
Apparently there are other doulas... I have had a hell of a time getting a hold of any of them. One called me, but I was driving and couldn't talk. Pulled over, told her I'd call her back, forgot until it was the evening, left a message and haven't heard back. Left a second message, STILL haven't heard back.
The hospital still routinely separates moms and babies for hours after birth, among about 123423467368 other policies that are directly contraindicated by evidence.
It's seriously terrible. I left all my connections, all my opportunities, all my friends and the only place that has felt like HOME in a long time in Arizona, and moved into a shit storm of a birth community. On a plain. Without mountains lol. Which seems like a small thing, but I have lived in the mountains all my life. It makes me home sick to look out into the distance and see nothing.
I'm so disappointed, disheartened and frustrated. All I want to do is help moms have better births and it seems like this whole area, this whole move, is working against me. I have zero prospects. I have zero hope of getting an apprenticeship. I have a hospital that makes doulas sign a form stating they won't do their job (help mom advocate for herself)... it's seriously terrible.
Le sigh :(
WOW I cant believe they have doulas sign a waiver like that..seriously strange
Quoting TattoodMommy19:
Where in Texas? Im in lubbock
We're in Amarillo.
Quoting tabi_cat1023:
WOW I cant believe they have doulas sign a waiver like that..seriously strange
That's how afraid they are that women will stand up for themselves. It's terrible.
Come to Northeast Ohio. We have a lot of Baby Friendly Hosptials and home births. :)
Quoting Mrs.Salz:How frustrating. Have you thought about starting your own birth network/group to educate and hopefully build your practice? Maybe your local LLL group would be a good place to look for a few like-minded moms.
I thought that was weird. Is that common practice among doulas? Because they are all like that here. Like no one is comfortable with homebirth.
Is it possible...?
- AtiFreeFalls
on Feb. 28, 2013 at 10:22 AM