1. A Doula shall always respect other students, teachers, instructors, guest speakers. If you need more time or need to take a break, please just let us know. We respect that you are a busy person and may need an extension. Usually, we do not charge if you are staying within a reasonable timeline of finishing the class. Respect us and we will respect you. “Treat others how you wish to be treated.”
2. A doula shall also respect the mother and her unborn child. The doula will treat the mother with the utmost respect. If you find that you are not able to continue care because of personal differences, please offer the mother a partial refund (if you had already spent a lot of time with her) or a full refund (if not as much time). This will go a long way to showing that you care about others.
3. All Catholic doulas are asked to take the Pro-life pledge addressed in this module. If you cannot see this as part of your doula career then we will only consider a refund within 7 days of signing up for our programs and the refund will be partial for admin fees. Thank you for understanding.
4. A catholic doula cannot be an abortion doula – so if this is your desire – please do not go any further in our class. Any doula in our classes who graduates and changes their mind of being pro-life and wants to help the abortion industry will have their certification revoked. (This is the only reason we would do so).
5.  A Catholic Doula acts as an advocate for the mother. Our personal desires are not to be considered. If a mother wishes to have an epidural, for instance, then that is what she wants for her birth and we must accommodate her.
6. Clear communication with clients is necessary. (If you miss a phone call, offer to call another time, etc. Find out what is missing and help your client get what they need, etc.)
7. Do not get in a doctor’s way. Always respect the staff at a hospital, etc. Even if you do not agree – you are there to give the mother support and   informed consent. You do not want to be banned from a hospital! Be nice to the nurses too!
8. If attending an unassisted birth, you are to act as a doula, not as a doctor. Let the couple catch the baby and care for the baby’s needs. They hired you to do unassisted as a “comfort person” and “birth keeper doula” – not as a doctor or midwife. If you do not feel comfortable doing an unassisted birth, that is fine. We are just stating that we allow this.
9. If going to a birth center or home birth, respect the midwife and her area.
10.  If an emergency comes up and you do not know what to do, always call 9-1-1. Life and death situations should be handled by experts, not a doula!
11. Always dress in a Marian modest way. We let you decide what that is to your level. If you want some guidelines, we can send that to you. Also, acting in a Marian way and not getting angry in public is a good thing to practice. Also, watch your tongue, a Catholic doula should not be cursing or using bad words (try to refrain from doing so please). This is part of modesty.
12. If anyone has a grievance and you need a go-between, please contact us and we would be happy to help.
13. Make your contracts clear and concise. This way your mother will be happy with results and understand any refund policies. Bereavement should be a total full refund.
14. Offering virtual support is the same as in-person – you must follow the guidelines above and communicate well. Knowing when to offer virtual support is important (their should be no texting during a birth!) So, ask the couple what they expect and lay down what you offer.
15. If you need any other help, we recommend our book “Doing Business the Doula Way” as an expert way to get started as a doula!