We continue the view of birth in my backyard! This client's experience is wildly different from our last guest. Amanda Hamilton is the mother of two and an accomplished social worker. I was honored to be her doula for the birth of her second son: a planned-for VBAC that turned emergency C-section. Amanda generously shares her birth story and speaks very highly of how doula care positively impacted her high-risk pregnancy. Smash down the expectation that doulas are only helpful for 'natural' birth. Doulas make a difference for everyone!  Sign up for Doula Well Mentorship Community at a lifetime founders' rate of $59/month: https://motherwelldoula.com/doulawell  

Get a view of birth in my backyard! I thought it would be wonderful to speak to some of my real-life clients (with their permission, of course!) about their experience having a doula. Jessie Jones is drama and English teacher and I've been her doula twice! First, through the pregnancy and birth of her firstborn son. And, at the time of recording, through her second pregnancy with twins! Hear Jessie's unmedicated birth story, and how I am technically responsible for her failing the hospital drug test...you don't want to miss this one! Sign up for Doula Well Mentorship Community at a lifetime founders' rate of $59/month: https://motherwelldoula.com/doulawell

We continue our series of conversations with birth workers who have made a mark in our field. Today’s guest is Dr. Amy Gilliland! We have a wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation about how doulas relate to each other, a doula’s scope, the medical system, and more! Dr. Gilliland is an independent PhD researcher and educator. She is the author of ‘The Heart of the Doula’ and a forthcoming book specifically about doulas and how we relate to one another. 

Doula Well Podcast Season 3 has dropped! I'm shaking a few things up and the theme of this season is simply 'Conversations'. The next 10 episodes or so of the podcast will simply focus on talking to movers and shakers I want to hear from! (While I'm at it, I'll have a more chill episode release schedule, too!) This allows me more freedom to pour myself into a very exciting upcoming project: Doula Well, the membership! Learn more at motherwelldoula.com/waitlist.

What if our conventional ways of doula support actually hinders our clients in their parenting? That sounds harsh, but this conversion with Dr. Britta Bushnell is anything but. With her warm, inviting, and wise spirit, Dr. Bushnell gently points us towards a practice model that honors new parents in their role. I’m so excited for you to hear this interview! As the author of the widely accalimed book Transformed by Birth, Britta introduces ways to focus our client interactions on solutions. Plus, you’ll have to listen to the very end to find out which high-profile celebrity has endorsed her work! Learn more about Britta at brittabushnell.com.

There are times when the doula needs support…and a lot of it! In this episode, I chat with Tracey Abney all about doula’ing through hard births and health issues. With refreshing vulnerability, Tracey shares candidly about certifying as a doula through her own repeated pregnancy losses, managing a bustling business through maternity leave, and pivoting her business through baffling health conditions. Tracey is the owner of Rocket City Doulas, an agency in the Huntsville, Alabama area for 14 years. She is certified through SBD, HBD, and ProDoula (PPIC Elite, and CDL Elite). In addition to running Rocket City Doulas, and serving in birth and postpartum work, Tracy also loves reading, traveling, hiking, and being outside with her family.

When our clients face loss, it can be a shock. What should doulas consider when their clients miscarry? How does support look when a client’s baby receives a fatal diagnosis? How do you process the immediate trauma of a lost heartbeat in the labor room, while still showing up for the family? With grace, compassion, and skill Dr. Abby Jorgensen offers guidance to birthworkers supporting clients through loss. ​​Dr. Abby Jorgensen is a professor of sociology and health care ethics at Saint Louis University in Missouri, USA. She is an expert in family sociology and methods with focuses in health, politics, and culture. Dr. Jorgensen’s credentials include: Ph.D.(Sociology), LCCE, CD(DONA), and CD(ProDoula). Dr. Jorgensen’s first book ‘A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss: Compassionate answers to difficult questions’ is in out April 2024.

Is there any legal liability a doula could have as a birth attendant? Could a doula ever be sued or deposed? Just when you thought you were feeling confident…there’s a whole host of dicey situations a doula may find themselves in! Birth Injury Lawyer Marlie Willer can help! Following Marlie’s work has honestly given me such hope and clarity concerning birth justice. Marlie focuses her practice on medical malpractice, with a particular emphasis on obstetric negligence. She has successfully litigated hundreds of brachial plexus cases across the country. You don’t want to miss today’s episode! It’s so relevant for our profession! Follow Marlie's practice, here: https://www.lirowillerlaw.com/

As we continue discussing ‘on-call life’ as a primary source of burnout for doulas, I am so happy to share a conversation with a birthworker who’s found an innovative way to still serve families and avoid on-call burnout. Kyleigh Banks burst onto the scene with her Instagram account ‘Autonomy Mommy’ which currently boasts over 27K followers. Kyleigh runs a highly successful doula training and business coaching program, as well as Birthworker.com and is committed to providing doulas around the world with the resources and support they need to ditch their 9-5, stay home with their kids, and start living life on their own terms (even without being on call for births 24/7!) Tune into our conversation to hear how Kyleigh runs a sustainable and profitable doula business!!

“Unless I’m at a birth.” Every doula feels - or has felt - the tension of being on-call in their careers. And ‘being on call’ is one of the most-cited reasons for doula burnout. That’s why I wanted to dedicate several episodes regarding the on-call life in this season tackling doula burnout. I could think of no better place to start than this vulnerable, honest, and enlightening conversation with Sara Pixton! Sara Pixton, a birth doula, Applied Linguistics master’s student at UMass-Boston, and mom of three believes there is a synergistic energy when her two passions—birth and language—come together. Sara harnesses the power of positive words to benefit the birth experience in her podcast, Birth Words. She currently serves the greater Salt Lake City, UT area as a doula at Summit Birth Utah. And she has recently embarked on her journey as a Student Mental Health Therapist. You can follow Sarah’s work at summitbirthutah.com and birthwords.com.