becoming a doula?

[Hther]

i really really want to be a doula but......

i don't drive

i don't have an au pair to look after children at short notice if i am called out

it is so frustrating anyone else been in this position

Learn to drive, buy a car, see how long the training is and how much older the children are by the end of it.

You know, I really want to be a rich Holywood actress, but I'm not tall, beautiful, have perfect teeth or live in LA.

If you 'really want it'' then you need to find a way to overcome at least the not driving thing. Sheesh.

hther, sympathies, I also would love to be a doula but just not possible with 2 young children.

However, have a look at the doula uk website as they give details of the training courses and all the information you need.

Is there anything else you could do in the meantime? What about being a postnatal doula for the time being until your circumstances change?

I'm training to be an antenatal teacher & have decided to look at the doula training once both ds's are in school!

Good luck x

guys, I have 5 children and with very supportive friends, I manage. Tis hard work but doable.

Good luck

Contact

Nurturing birth

liaghen, Nurturing Birth was the course I considered doing, yours is the second recommendation I've had for them!!

here's your third recommendation for nurturing birth, they are excellent!

i trained when DD was a toddler and DS was at school.

you need friends and/or family to help at short notice, i had a list of people who would be prepared to help, and i found a childminder who would take DD at short notice.

it worked out, i never missed a birth !!

it is hard and i would say, for me the most stressful part was my own childcare ! everything else was great, really a wonderful and exhilerating job, happy and sad, tears of joy and pain and just so amazing

i hope to train as a midwife when the DCs are a bit older again

I have 5 children. I don't drive. I'm a doula and I love it.

do you rely on taxis and hope there is one available when you need it?! or do you have a husband or someone to give you a lift?

learning to drive is not likely to be a possibility for me.

by the way, are doulas going to be affected by the ISA vetting and barring scheme?

Hi Hther -

I'm a doula and single mum with no car, but amazing friends, family and the number of a good taxi service.

I trained with Relaxed Birth & Parenting and loved the course. It taught both antenatal teaching and doula training - wasn't doula UK registered, but covered by FEDANT.

Good luck with it, it is totally possible if you really want to do it

x

I have a good local taxi firm and they always come when they say they're coming and even better they're always happy to pick me up when I need to go home.

I can highly recommend the Doula UK courses. One of the benefits of belonging to DUK is the support network, the advertising and the fact that you are covered by an umbrella organisation with its own self regulation. Plus they have a forumI've never had to advertise outside of DUK and I'm always busy.(Can you tell I'm biased?)

thanks everyone, can anyone answer my vetting and barring question. I want to do birth doulaing not postnatal. I had social services involved, they're not now but think that would be taken intoa ccount in the ne vetting process

Hi Hter -

Not sure to be honest - from my understanding it just applies to 'employees' as does the CRB check (as it's function is to check the signed statement that you've never committed a criminal offense). It's not very easy for a self employed person to get a CRB check as it has to be requested by an organisation.

I would imagine that if it was to be the case that new regs would affect doulas, then DoulaUK and FEDANT would be able to ask for CRB checks on our behalf (possibly at a cost) and this would meet ISA standards, proving that you're not on any of the barred lists.

This is just what I've gleaned from their websites and not anything that's actually been told to me. Personally I'd welcome the chance to be CRB checked as I think it'd be reassuring for mums I work with to know I am not on any of these lists and am a suitable person to care for them and their children.

Hope this helps.

hi, i know it does apply to volunteers and self employed as well as employees just don't know as we are not with the children alone, whether it applies

A lot of doulas are alone with kids in postnatal work... it's tricky! Where did you read it applies to self employed? Is that when working for an organisation or an individual? If you have a link I'd be interested! Thanks a lot.

i think it was on the ISA's own website

Yes - found it now! Hidden away, it says:

"If you are self-employed ? as a childminder, for example ? you will need to apply yourself. You will be able to do this through the website as the ISA vetting service is phased in."

I am guessing you would probably need to do this, probably a good idea to speak to Doula UK or FEDANT yourself though and see what they would advise. Thanks for flagging that up.