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.”
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.
All Catholic doulas are asked to take the Pro-life pledge (see link). If you are a non-Catholic doula - we can modify to a certain point as long as it respects life (please ask admin if you are non-Catholic thank you so much). If you decide our course is not for you and it was not on sale then we can offer a refund up to 7-days after enrollment and you are leaving because of this pro-life reason - minus $100 admin fees. Thank you.
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). Defining abortion doula - a doula who actually attends an abortion, helps a mother obtain an abortion.
Note: If you are called to help with only abortion recovery - this can be done in a pro-life way -so please let us know if this is your interest.
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.
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.)
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! (With covid times you may not be allowed into the room - so find out what is allowed at your local hospital.)
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.
If going to a birth center or home birth, respect the midwife and her area.
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!
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. In fact we think that is more important. We are not controlling what you wear - just suggesting to be modest is important. We accept the fact that jeans/pants are part of today's "fashion" - however, being accepted as standard - you can dress yourself in modest ways that will less likely bring a man's attention .
If anyone has a grievance and you need a go-between, please contact us and we would be happy to help.
Make your contracts clear and concise. This way your mother will be happy with results and understand any refund policies. Bereavement support - if a mother has a miscarriage or still birth then you should offer a refund.
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.
Course survey is now part of our classes - please tell us how to improve any student/teacher relationship or curriculum. We appreciate the feedback.
Postpartum doulas will follow DONA guidelines until we create our own. Thank you.