Connections in doula work are vital. Networking for doulas is about fostering community, expanding your knowledge, and reaching more families. Networking for doulas is vital part of a doula’s journey.
At the International Doula Institute, we strive to help you build connections through our student group. However, we also want you to understand networking for doulas so you can build connections in your local community.
Networking for Doulas: The Power of Connection
As a doula, you play a vital role in birth support. You have an important skill set to offer physical, emotional, and educational support to growing families. However, if you are not able to connect with growing families, you aren’t able to use your skills to support people in your community.
For doulas who are not serving with an agency, the role can sometimes be very solo. This makes networking important. Connecting with other birth experts and those who serve growing families ensures you can reach more families.
When you network, you build a platform to connect, collaborate, and help your serving thrive. Taking time to connect with businesses and people is vital. The power of connection is that your name gets out there, you build a reputation, and you also have less isolation in independent serving as a doula.
Learning, Growth, and Continuing Education
One of the most significant benefits of networking for doulas is the opportunity for continuous learning and growth. By connecting with fellow doulas, attending workshops, and participating in conferences, you can stay up to date on the latest research, techniques, and best practices in birth support.
Networking through continued education provides a two for one benefit. You need to participate in continuing education to remain a certified doula. However, it also provides you with a fun and engaging way to connect with other doulas and birth experts.
Given the nature of not having day to day colleagues, trainings and workshops provide a chance to connect with local birth experts. It is also a chance to connect with doulas near and far. While I am in the greater Philadelphia area, I recently received a referral by way of Chicago. A new transplant to my area had a connection with a doula friend in Chicago who knew about my support.
Similarly, I attended a workshop many years ago and connected with a few doulas in the Washington D.C. area. Over the years, I have referred several families to them. We got a chance to improve our skills at these workshops while also networking and connecting with other doulas.
Networking For Doulas: Increase Referral Network
As mentioned above, learning at workshops and events expands your knowledge and your potential referral network.
It’s important to connect with other doulas. However, it is also important to connect with other experts. Being intentional about connecting with midwives, chiropractors, OBs, family doctors, pediatricians, lactation consultants, etc., is important.
When you connect with professionals, your ability to collaborate and receive referrals increases. Building collaborative relationships can be very beneficial for growing your network and your support for families.
Networking for Doulas Reduces Burnout
Many people dive into doula service to turn their passion into a new path. For those serving as independent doulas, the lack of natural community and colleagues can lead to burnout.
Being intentional about networking offers you a sense of community and support. Building connections with other doulas can improve burnout by offering you relationships with people who understand your work. Being on-call has its challenges. Difficult births need to be processed. Connections through networking can help you stay in birth support long term.
Strategies for Effective Networking
As you’ve read, networking is important. But how exactly do you network? These tips can help:
- Join expert organizations: Stay certified with IDI and maintain community support in our student and doula network. Consider joining local doula organizations as well.
- Attend workshops and trainings: As a doula, continuing education is required to maintain your certification and best support your clients. However, a bonus to attending workshops and training is you have a chance to connect with other doulas and birth experts.
- Use social media: In addition to our IDI student group, joining other doula and birth expert groups can help expand your network. Follow fellow birth experts on different platforms and make it a point to interact with their posts.
- Build collaborative relationships: Connect with other experts in your area. For example, perhaps there’s a childbirth educator in your area. You could connect to offer support in her classes.
- Host a meetup or study group: Having trouble finding places to network? Create an opportunity! Lots of doulas want to connect and meet with others. Take initiative and schedule a meetup or learning session.
Networking is an essential aspect of doula support, offering practitioners opportunities for learning, growth, collaboration, and community support. By actively engaging with fellow doulas and birth experts, you can enrich your service, and expand your referral network.
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...