If you are thinking about becoming a doula, you have more in common with singer Erykah Badu than you might have realized.
In addition to being a ground-breaking recording artist, did you know that Erykah Badu is also a doula? In fact, she has even changed her name on Twitter to ErykahBadoula. Although her life is much different from many people who are considering becoming a doula, her passion is very relatable.
Becoming a doula is often fueled by a passion we didn’t know we had.
In a recent interview, she talked about the crossroads between making music and becoming a doula: “it’s all love. I think they all come from the same place, all of the work that I do: music, being a doula, being a parent. It all comes from a place of sincerity.”
She referred to being a doula as part of her “creative work”. In 2001, four years after the release of her first album Baduizm, she discovered her enthusiasm for birth work. Badu stayed by the side of her close friend for the entirety of her 52-hour labor. After it was over, she realized that working with laboring women was something that came naturally to her. From there, she became a certified doula and began to study midwifery.
“Most of our true gifts are really natural to us,” Erykah Badu, on becoming a doula.
Badu’s story may sound familiar if you are thinking about becoming a doula.
We often hear stories from our students about why they decided to pursue becoming a doula. So many of them are very similar to Badu’s. Although doulas are becoming more sought after, “doula” still isn’t necessarily a household word. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to learn what a doula is until after you’ve supported someone during their birth. What a wonderful revelation that is! As Badu put it, becoming a doula is “like being the welcoming committee.”
The first step to starting this rewarding career is to get certified with the International Doula Institute. We’ll help you learn how to turn your passion into a career.
Author: Aliza Juliette Bancoff
Aliza Juliette Bancoff is a well-known doula and doula trainer who has been providing doula services to families for over a decade. She is the founder of Main Line Doulas, a doula group providing doula support in the great Philadelphia area for the last decade, the International Doula Institute, which provides online doula training and lactation training and certification programs and the International Breastfeeding Institute which provides lactation training and certification. She is the co-founder of United Birth, a company devoted to increasing access to doulas across the country to make the perinatal time safer both physically and emotionally. “Every birthing person deserves access to quality doula support. And we are working to make that a reality across the country. The work we are doing to get doulas to every birthing person will decrease the black infant and maternal mortality rate significantly by 2030.” Says Bancoff. Aliza is known for her compassionate and empowering approach to doula work, and she has been featured in numerous media outlets, including United Nations Maternal Health Report, Parent Magazine, CafeMom, theBump and many more. Aliza's journey into doula work began when she gave birth to her first child and felt a strong calling...
[…] she counts model Slick Woods among her clients. Having shared her passion for childbirth with the International Doula Institute back in 2001, Badu believes all of her passions stem from “a place of love” and feels her role […]