· Balancing doula work with family life as a single mom. 0:00
o Aspiring doula struggles with balancing work and family responsibilities as a single mom to young children.
· Challenges of being a single parent and doula. 2:09
o Single mom of a five-year-old faces stress as a primary caregiver and seeks support for safety net and community.
o Consider creating a childcare plan with a neighbor or co-op to support each other during late-night calls.
· Doula work, business tips, and bartering. 5:21
o Ravae Sinclair suggests creating a business that supports birthing and postpartum families, such as meal prep or childbirth education, to help balance work and family life.
o Denise Bolds adds that there is a growing market for nutrition and meal prep services, and that skills in areas like yoga or art therapy can also be applied to parenting and family development.
o Ravae Sinclair and Denise Bolds discuss the option of bartering as a way for doulas to receive payment for their services, but Denise notes that this is not a common practice in New York City due to the limited availability of doulas and the need for them to work independently.
o Both Ravae and Denise agree that paying doula services off in installments is a more common practice in their area, with families paying for services as they receive them rather than all at once.
· Contracts and exchanges in birth doula work. 10:53
o Ravae Sinclair emphasizes the importance of written contracts for exchanging goods or services.
o Ravae Sinclair discusses challenges with upfront payments for birth and postpartum work, including the risk of non-refundable contracts and PayPal refunds.
· Birth work excellence and virtual doula support. 13:49
o Start services ASAP to avoid losing potential clients.
o Denise Bolds and Ravae Sinclair discuss the importance of promptly responding to clients and providing clear instructions for the next steps in the onboarding process.
o They emphasize the need to be responsive and proactive in communicating with clients, especially when it comes to exchanging deposits and initiating the onboarding process.
o Ravae Sinclair discusses virtual doula support reducing C-sections by 60%, with a higher impact on Black women.
· Virtual doula work challenges and skills. 19:52
o Denise Bolds highlights the importance of assessment skills in virtual doula work, using her experience as a social worker to provide valuable insights.
o Virtual doula work has become more prevalent since the pandemic, with successful cases in various locations, despite initial skepticism.
o Ravae Sinclair discusses the challenges of virtual doula work, including disruptions from technology and lack of continuity in support.
o Denise Bolds emphasizes the importance of being able to see and read people's emotions and reactions in real-time, which can be difficult with virtual technology.
o Ravae Sinclair shares her experience as a virtual doula, navigating technical issues and preparing partners for birth while remote.
o Ravae emphasizes the importance of staying connected and consistent for virtual doula work, especially for inexperienced practitioners.
Virtual Doula (part 2)
Summary
- Pricing for virtual doula services vs in-person support.
- Ravae Sinclair discusses...