Cheers!

Great post! I am a doula of 16 years of experience, and I too have never certified. I have been very turned off books that literally say doulas must have birthed vaginally. Who says you even need to have birthed at all?! Also, what if you’ve needed a C-section for complete placenta previa? You’re excluded from the club?! It’s messed up.

I have been training doulas for around 7 years, and my students are absolutely required, in order to certify, to volunteer for an organization which provides volunteer doulas to incarcerated women, women in hiding, refugees, women of financial need, etc. But they don’t need to BE certified in order to do this. and many of them just continue this volunteer work, because they love it. We teach about different cultures, ages, races, sizes, and gender identifications (or non identification). They need to be ready, willing, and able to support whatever arises, and whatever choices a woman makes.

I do, however, teach active non-violence. Doulas who are in aggressive verbal opposition to medical staff tend to not be respected themselves, for better or for worse, and in my experience that gives us less ability to get in there and make real changes. That’s just my two cents. I’ve attended around 400 hospital births and have experimented with both approaches. I get better overall results with diplomacy, and I’m looking for real change, not just an opportunity in the here and now to speak up.

Keep up the great work, Doula Sister,

Lesley Everest,
http://www.MotherWit.ca

As in almost every situation, there is always another side. I feel 100% confident in my certification through DONA because of who I was trained by.

i just found the blog a few days ago, and getting to this post is right on time…as i’m preparing for DONA workshops and certification starting tomorrow.

i’m not a doula, yet. i’m a partnered queer woman of color (qwoc) and worry about finding a doula and midwife that get us. my partner and i are planning our first baby, and in figuring out my own birth plan…a natural-at-home-in-the-water-orgasmic-birth…i thought, “dang, if i knew about this ten years ago i would’ve gone to midwifery school!” i talked to a co-worker about my feelings and she said, “why not become a doula.” my research began and i made my decision.

i do not intend to quit my job (teaching) to become a full-time doula. i recognize that quitting my job would force me to charge high fees for support, which would make it so that white upper-class women make up the bulk of clients. i want to be really clear…i’m neither anti-white, nor anti-wealth. however, the reality is that options are already abound in these communities. many american born/cultivated Q/WOC don’t even know what doulas are, or have no idea of the benefits of having a doula assist birth (in addition to having no idea how dangerous it is giving birth in a hospital!)…i want to work with qwoc, because historically we have fewer resources, less access and higher statistics.

so you can pretty much guess that reading about how DONA ignores issues of race, class, gender, etc…comes as a bummer. HOWEVER…i wonder if abstaining from being DONA certified is the best response to this issue. wouldn’t it be beneficial to become certified…become a trainer…and give affordable or free workshops in our communities to empower doulas of the future? or do the same and provide workshops outside of our communities that force folks to look at and grapple with these issues?

perhaps it’s my inexperience in the birthing community coming to the surface in my response…but in having dealt with other types of “fucking with the system”…i see that this may be an instance where you need to be in the system, if only for a minute, to fuck up the system. who knows, in 3 sundays i may have a different view

Anyway, interesting post!

You cannot know – from what it written here – what any individual knows & what their training may be
Go back – if you are so inclined – and carefully read what was posted.
The support spoken of here is support for what the BIRTHING WOMAN HERSELF CHOOSES.
If a Woman so chooses to have support for, let’s say, a “Free” aka “unassisted” birth or an herbal abortion, that is her decision and hers alone.
If she requests that her support provide some sort of care that includes trouble shooting a complication during labor, that is between the people involved.
It is not for anyone outside of them to pass a judgement on what is appropriate for them in any given circumstance.
Personal responsibility for what they need to know,
whether that be deciding to “Let the Universe provide” to getting so called “medical” training, is up to them.
What is now the “exclusive domain” of “Medical” intervention, was in the not too distant past, merely doing what needs to be done.
It does not take a doctorate in medicine to handle dystocia or revive a baby.
Hell, I’ve personally witnessed Docs imploy invasive interventions when dealing with a “stuck” baby, instead of just getting a Woman to change to more advantageous positions !!!

And let me say this…
I have very strong opinions – for instance, about “Free Birthing” and how to prepare for such –

but…

It is simply…
Not the issue, now is it.
Supporting a Woman in her birth choices by honoring her intention IS – by the very act of doing so -”Spiritual”.
There is no distinction between “emotional” or “physical” support being more or less “Spiritual”.
It is in fact, the blatant disregard for a Womans birthing intentions & lack of evidence based education & care that allow for pregnancy, labor & breastfeeding experiences, that can very well leave Women & Babies traumatized and in many instances physically damaged !!!
All in the name of “Modern Medicine” & “Sound Medical Care” !!!

It is a Doula “worth her salt” that will “jump into the fire” to provide support based on what is optimal & in accordance with the “Biological Blueprint”.
And there ain’t many of them Peta !!!
So…
No need to worry ’bout them NOT being widely respected.
The cooped Doula is alive & well & NOT makin’ ANY waves !!!