Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Doulas of the Roundtable

Low amniotic fluid, or oligohydramnios, is a topic doulas are likely to encounter in our work with clients, especially during the third trimester. Doulas and clients often question what low fluid levels mean, how they are diagnosed, and the clinical considerations involved.

It is important for doulas to understand risks associated with low amniotic fluid, potential causes, and the treatment options care providers may offer. We also discuss how this diagnosis can influence birth plans and what doulas should keep in mind when supporting clients through these decisions.

Tune in for an in-depth conversation designed to strengthen your knowledge and help you better support clients navigating this complicated situation.

We're talking about business evolution: how growth, learning, and new services shape the future of your brand. Your doula business won't look the same in a year or two as it did on day one. But that's a good thing!

Your marketing should reflect every step forward, from your first client to expanding your services. Updating your website, social media, and printed materials is essential as your business evolves. A brand refresh, whether that's a new logo, a change in business name, updated colors, or a shift in messaging, is also likely as you grow.

Tune in for real-world insight on aligning your image with your current position so potential clients see the full value of all you have to offer.

Season 6 has been one for the books! With over 270,000 downloads to date, we are grateful for your support and participation.

As we close out the year, we're taking a moment to celebrate this milestone. Thank you for being part of our journey. We also want to invite you to help shape Season 7 by sending us your topic suggestions. Reach out to us on any of our socials with your suggestions. If you've attended a tough birth, worked with a challenging postpartum client or have encountered a topic you'd like to learn more about, drop us your suggestion! 

As we look ahead to 2025, we're focused on setting you up for success in your doula business. The key takeaway? To get the clients, you have to talk to anyone who reaches out to learn more about you and your business! Answering the phone is at the top of the list—because connection starts with that first conversation. Second on that list is being responsive and following up!

Join us for inspiration and actionable advice to kick off the new year with confidence. Here's to an even more successful 2025—together!

Let's talk about doula burnout. The average length of a doula's career is about 3-5 years. One of the most common reasons that doulas abandon their passion is because of burnout. It is important that doulas protect that passion from the start. We need people who have passion and drive to be in this field for the long term.  Doula burnout, fueled by poor boundaries taught as part of doula training. Or burnout fueled by a lack of support or a way to effectively process the things we bear witness to as doulas. Systems that are not sustainable and fail to create a structure for longevity. Come join us as we explore the causes and remedies for doula burnout.

The internal workings of the birthing body are often a mystery to both clients and doulas alike. Often the numbers and percentages surrounding cervical dilation and effacement are thought of as hard and fast. While dilation is often the one measurement that receives the most focus, it is not the only factor to be considered. There are 4 ways that the cervix will change in the weeks leading up to and during labor as well.  Come join us as we explore the many aspects of cervical change during pregnancy, labor, and birth.

As birth professionals, it is not uncommon to experience self-doubt as we begin working with clients. It is prevalent for birth professionals to feel the weight of imposter syndrome when working with clients we perceive as more educated—for example, doctors, nurses, or lawyers.  As individuals, we all have insecurities and self-doubt. Come join us as we talk about imposter syndrome and how to navigate the many challenges it presents and approaches to stepping beyond self-doubt and fear.

When it comes to supporting clients, there is no doubt that it can take a physical toll on our bodies. From hip squeezes to counterpressure the impact that these common comfort measures can take on our bodies can be extreme. It is essential that we find ways to adapt the care we give while providing support so that we can reduce the physical toll that it will take on our bodies.  Come join us as we explore the physical demands of birth and postpartum work and identify ways to help doulas mitigate the impacts.

Society often looks down upon teen pregnancy. There can be a lot of shame & judgment involved. For many teens, the doula can be viewed as just another adult who is trying to direct their birth experience. The key to supporting teens is to meet them where they are at. In this episode, we discuss how to approach supporting teen pregnancy, from how to conduct prenatal meetings, navigating parenteral or guardian involvement, to help our teen clients plan for their birth, and letting them lead the process.

Many doulas are curious about the types of doula partnership structures that exist. From life as a solo doula to life as an agency owner. To the life of an independent doula and an independent contractor working for an agency. We explore the many options that exist today for structuring a doula business.

Many doulas come to birth work after having their own birth experience. When it comes to serving clients, the question that typically arises is, "To share or not to share?" The truth is, it depends on the situation, and the client. It also heavily depends on the doula. Come join us as we discuss the many considerations, options, and alternatives to sharing our own birth experiences!

April is Cesarean Awareness Month! We often hear discussions about supporting a client through a cesarean birth. Yet we don't often hear about how to support our clients after a cesarean birth. In this episode, we discuss the many ways that labor and postpartum doulas can support their clients who give birth via cesarean.

One of the most common questions in doula forums is, "What's in your doula bag?" What isn't as readily talked about is our individual psychology. Those psychological & ideological things we carry in our mental doula bag. Our life experiences. Implicit & explicit biases. Work ethic. It is essential to learn how to peel back & get comfortable with the uncomfortable feelings that may arise when working with families. Come join us as we discuss the many complexities that exist when unpacking your doula baggage.

When it comes to the options for how a family can approach feeding their baby, the options feel infinite. Regardless of their approach, decision fatigue is a very real experience for many families. While the choice for how to feed the baby is often made before the baby arrives. The real-time process of infant feeding begins at birth. A time where the birthing parent is often tired, sore, and otherwise experiencing the after-effects of the birth process. Come join us as we discuss the many considerations for infant feeding and how we can best support clients through the challenges they may face.

As a labor or postpartum doula, one common conversation that can often be overlooked is a discussion surrounding the options available for immediate postpartum care. Specifically, the options surrounding immediate newborn care. Come join us we discuss the options that birthing families may want to consider as a part of their immediate newborn care plan.

A client's desire to want to learn more about their doula is a natural part of the getting to know your process. However, as a birth professional, you may feel that some topics are off-limits. In this episode, we discuss how to navigate these oftentimes controversial topics. Come join us as we discuss how to set your own conversational boundaries with clients.

Prodromal labor is one of the most misunderstood aspects of normal, physiologic labor. 

Far too often prodromal labor is defined as an abnormal process. Something that needs to be fixed and is best avoided.

Come join us as we dive into what prodromal labor is. What it means, and how to support clients through the process.

It's not uncommon to hear those involved in birth work say that change is needed when it comes to the practice of obstetrics. While this is true, very few doulas are taught how change tends to happen. In this episode, we discuss the catalysts of obstetrical change and the influences that drive them.

Twenty-twenty has been a year, yet here were are at the end of Season Two! Join us as we reflect back on this past year's episodes, talk about your favorites, our favorites, and give some teasers to our upcoming Season Three!

Some clients hire a postpartum doula before their baby is born. Others seek postpartum support once their baby has arrived. Regardless of when you are hired, an important step to supporting postpartum families is to understand their preferences and help them explore their options. In this episode, we explore the different approaches that a postpartum doula may utilize to help their clients feel empowered and educated.

A common question in the doula community is, "Can I doula part-time?" For some, they are looking to transition into doula work from a full-time job. For others, they simply want to support families during their free time while working in another field. In this episode, we discuss the many approaches to part-time doula work and the various paths that doulas may take

Supporting clients who are planning to have a vaginal birth after a previous cesarean can be a rewarding and challenging experience. Developing an understanding of your client's previous birth experience is a vital first step to providing compassionate and non-judgmental support. Come join us as we discuss the various facets of supporting clients through vagina birth after cesarean.

Understanding breastfeeding challenges is crucial for providing effective support to new parents.

Nipple soreness, cracked or bleeding nipples, and engorgement are common challenges. Inverted nipples and delayed milk production also cause difficulties. Cluster feeding and growth spurts add to the stress. Together, these issues can make the early weeks of breastfeeding overwhelming.

Understanding why these issues happen, how they can impact the breastfeeding journey, and, most importantly, what you can do to help is an essential part of your support. In this episode, we cover practical tips and real talk about when it's time to call an IBCLC or another breastfeeding expert. 

Join us as we discuss ways to help you navigate these early hurdles and support families with confidence and care.

When working with postpartum families, the choices they may make about the care and keeping of their baby and their families can be a challenge for postpartum doulas. As postpartum doulas, our role is to help families identify their available options, without judgment. In this episode, we discuss some of the common challenges postpartum doulas may encounter and provide information for ways to navigate these often difficult situations.

As the number of COVID-19 cases begin to decline in certain areas, hospitals are revisiting their visitor policies. While many have re-opened their doors to doulas, the landscape of requirements for the doulas has also shifted. Come join us as we take a look at the shifting requirements placed upon doulas to support their clients through birth at the bedsite.

Let's talk about free doula services. Providing free or low-cost doula services. For many years the discussion centered on doulas with financial privilege serving birthing families for free and low cost and how that impacts other doulas. More recently an awareness that this conversation must also include serving at-risk communities, including the BIOPIC communities through funded programs. In this episode, we take a look at both sides of this "Free Doula" conversation.

As birth professionals, we are aware of the power of language. This is especially true when it comes to the language used surrounding birth planning vs birth preferences. A birth plan can often be viewed as a pass or fail endeavor. While creating a list of birth preferences can open the door to communication and flexibility. Join us as we discuss the nuances of the language surrounding how we help a client identify and express their desires for how their births may unfold.

Here's Part Two of developing your doula voice. This episode we discuss ways to work around the fears and concerns and share some tips on what helped us feel more comfortable and confident in our work. Join us as we talk more about developing your doula voice. 

As you navigate your doula career, you begin to develop your doula voice. This development often requires you to identify and confront the fears and concerns surrounding birth work.
In this two-part series, we start by identifying some of the fears and concerns, and then in part two, we will be giving advice on how to overcome these fears which will allow you to grow your own authentic doula voice.

Empathy and compassion are two of the foundational elements of birth work. Both can have a positive and negative impact on birth workers and their clients. In this episode, we discuss the difference between empathy and compassion and the potential benefits and drawbacks of each.

COVID-19 UPDATE: Birthworkers, how are you holding up during this pandemic? Is your business at a standstill? Are you struggling to find clients? Or is your business booming? Come join us as we discuss how to make money and network during the pandemic to keep your business relevant in your community.

As doula trainers, we see people from all walks of life interested in becoming a doula. Over time a pattern seemed to emerge. Come join us as we discuss the most common reasons many individuals come to doula work and the pros and cons of these reasons.

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.

Decision fatigue surrounding pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period can have a profound impact on expecting and new parents. The mental load of constant decision-making can be exhausting. Doulas play a crucial role in easing the burden of decision fatigue. We provide clients with the tools and resources to make informed and confident choices. This includes breaking down complex information into digestible, easy-to-understand pieces and offering evidence-based options tailored to each client's unique values and preferences. Doulas can also help streamline the decision-making process by prioritizing what's most important and guiding clients through each step with reassurance and clarity. These strategies empower clients and help them feel clear-headed and more in control during a time that can feel overwhelming. At the same time, doulas may unintentionally contribute to decision fatigue by overwhelming clients with too much information. Whether you're a new or seasoned doula, this episode will provide insights on navigating these challenges to create a more supportive and balanced experience for your clients. Tune in and learn how to strike the perfect balance, helping families make informed, confident decisions without feeling overwhelmed.

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. 

Virtual doula services emerged very quickly due to the pandemic in 2020. Necessity dictated that families who wanted the support of a doula when hospitals limited visitors receive that support virtually. Now, four years later, some doulas are still trying to build a business solely on virtual support.

Doula support, whether in person or virtually, is beneficial. Virtual support is not optimal. In season one, Episode 18, we discussed virtual support months before COVID hit. Yet today, many of the same drawbacks exist for doulas providing virtual support in 2024. 

Join us as we revisit virtual support following the events of the COVID-19 pandemic, what we learned, and the drawbacks that can exist for doulas, clients, and providers.

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.