What does the community at large need to know about doulas being on call?
As an essential part of healthcare, doulas can expect being on call for births
It's important to hold empathy and compassion for the doula on-call lifestyle
Being on call can be/is a challenging and an important component of being a doula
Being on call means being flexible - plans or activities may have to be canceled at a moment's notice and be rescheduled
What are some of the realities for of being on call as a doula?
You need reliable childcare
You may feel that clients are taking primary attention versus family/kids
You need reliable transportation
You will have to get up in the middle of the night or loose sleep while waiting on a client in labor
You will have unpredictable scheduling, for example, being on call for the holidays or having to leave a special event or gathering abruptly to be with a client in labor
You may feel anxious about being called to a birth
You will have clients not following instructions on when to contact their doula
You will have clients not calling the doula for the birth or not having good reception at the hospital, therefore not sharing updates with the doula
It's important to fill your cup in order to support others
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