Doula Interviews
> When you go to
interview with a mom/couple, what do you do? What do
you
> bring along? And how
long do you typically stay?
The answer depends on where
the couple is at in their choice of a Doula, and on where she's at in her
pregnancy.
Initial phone contact:
Before I meet them in person, there's usually been a 15 minute phone call where
we cover stuff like: when she's due, where they're birthing, what the general
birth plan is, and why they're looking for a Doula, and a little about my experience
and style of assistance. Sometimes during this phone call, I offer to mail them
a brochure and a sample contract to review. Sometimes in this phone call, I
point them to my website, where I have my brochure information, and my
contract, and also a pretty extensive set of birth education materials (I also
work as a childbirth educator, and have written up all the material I cover in
class and put that up on the web... other Doulas are welcome to point clients
toward this information if you think it's helpful... my website is http://transitiontoparenthood.com To skip past my Doula info, and go straight
to the birth ed stuff, send them to birth ed resources cover page http://transitiontoparenthood.com/ttp/birthed.htm
)
Doula interviews: If it's
early in the pregnancy, and they're interviewing multiple potential doulas,
then I do a short interview (30 minutes maybe?) where I find out a little bit
about them (why they want a Doula, what kinds of help they're looking for),
then spend the majority of the time telling them about me and about the
different kinds of things doulas do, and which of those things I feel like I do
well. I usually only bring a brochure and a business card to this type of
meeting... and sometimes a sample contract. (if I
haven't already sent these. If it's really late in her pregnancy, (like a
recent client who interviewed me and another Doula on the same day, because we
were less than two weeks from her due date!) then I do a full prenatal at this
point, so if they use me I have all the data available. If they choose not to
use me, then I got some extra practice interviewing. If I've been interviewed,
then I usually would only do one prenatal visit after that. Unless it's months till the baby's due...
Prenatal appointment(s),
once they've decided to use me as a doula:
The two appointment option;
each lasts about an hour to 90 minutes. If it's early in the pregnancy (more
than 1 or 2 months till due date) then I do an initial appointment where I
cover big picture stuff: get the big picture of them and their plans/hopes for
this birth. I find out a little about their relationship history and what role
this baby plays in that; I find out about their reproductive history, and
include a couple of openings for them to share things that might affect the
birth (any abuse history, history of abortion, that kind of thing. I don't push
this question, but make the opportunity for them to share what they want to
share.) I find out some of their fears about the birth, and their hopes about
the birth, and get a summary of what kind of birth experience they are hoping
for.
I tell them about me and how
I work during a birth. I talk to them about what their normal coping mechanisms
are, and what kind of things they normally find reassuring and nurturing. (I
ask the mom: when you're sick, or when you're really tired, or really
frightened, what helps? If you could ask anything of your partner at those
times, what would you ask him to do for you. I ask the
dad: when you feel out of control, or feel scared, or feel like you need to do
something to help, but can't figure out what to do, what is helpful to you?)
The purpose of all of this is to begin building a relationship where we will
work well together, and to have them start thinking about what their needs are
and what is helpful to them. And start building the perspective that labor is
hard work, but that I have every confidence they will succeed and achieve a
positive birth experience. Then 3-4 weeks before the due date, we meet again,
to talk in a lot more detail about the birth plan and comfort techniques, and
really talk more concretely about how things will happen. I take more formal
notes during this appointment.
The one appointment option:
All that stuff gets squeezed
into one meeting. Takes about 2 hours.
I don't bring a lot of
things to appointments with me, unless they have specific questions about
something... Sometimes, especially when I'm dealing with people without a lot
of education about the birth process, I will bring and/or mail them handouts
(mostly from the stuff on my
website) that address specific
concerns they have, or specific issues that we have discussed. I do have an "intake
form" I take with me to appointments to remind me of what I want to cover,
and to take notes on, then usually when I get home from the meeting, I write up
the notes from that into a clearer summary (I work with a backup Doula, so I
send her this summary on each of my clients in case she ends up having to
attend the birth)