Becoming a doula in Maine involves a series of steps that include education, training, and certification. Here’s a detailed guide to help you get started:
- Research the Role: Understand the role of a doula, which includes supporting families before, during, and after childbirth. Doulas provide emotional, educational, and physical support, but they do not perform medical tasks.
- Choose Your Path: Decide if you want to become a birth doula, a postpartum doula, or both. Each has different training requirements and focuses on different aspects of care. Check "How Much Does a Doula Make in Maine?"
- Training and Education:
- Attend a Doula Training Workshop: Enroll in a doula training program approved by a recognized doula certification organization (ask certified doulas in Maine). These workshops typically last a few days to a week.
- Consider Additional Education: Some doulas also take courses in related fields like childbirth education, lactation consulting, or prenatal yoga to enhance their services.
- Certification:
- Complete Certification Requirements: After training, you’ll likely need to complete additional requirements to become certified. These can include attending a certain number of births, reading required texts, completing essays or exams, and gathering evaluations from clients and healthcare providers.
- Choose an Organization for Certification: Select one that aligns with your career goals.
- Gain Experience:
- Volunteer or Shadow: Gain experience by volunteering or shadowing experienced doulas. This can provide practical experience and help build your confidence.
- Attend Births: Begin attending births to meet the certification requirements, applying the skills you learned in training.
- Build Your Practice:
- Network: Connect with healthcare providers, join doula associations, and attend community events to network with potential clients and professionals.
- Marketing: Develop marketing materials like business cards, a website, and social media profiles to promote your services.
- Consider Working with an Agency: Initially, you might want to work with a doula agency to gain more exposure and client opportunities without needing to handle all business aspects yourself.
- Continuing Education and Recertification: Stay updated with the latest in childbirth support by attending workshops, conferences, and further training. Most certifying bodies require recertification every few years, which may involve proving you’ve continued your education and maintained a certain level of practice.
Each step will help you build a foundation for a rewarding career as a doula in Maine, providing crucial support to families during one of the most important times of their lives.
Doulas Who Found New Clients on Bornbir (Feb 2024 Updates)
Feb 26, 2024
- Brandi Kiesling, Postpartum Doula from Carlsbad, California;
- Liz Hoffmann, Birth Doula from Thibodaux, Louisiana;
- Matteah Cruz, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Granbury, Texas;
- Erica Holly, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Indianapolis, Indiana;
- Andzelika Bielawski, a certified birth, bereavement, and postpartum doula from Orlando, Florida;
- Samantha Saephan, a night nanny, trained overnight postpartum doula, and lactation educator counselor from El Cerrito, California;
- Dawn Bower, Lactation Consultant from Lancaster, California;
- Cheyenne Bell, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Medford, Massachusetts;
- Reihaneh Hadipour, Postpartum Doula from Irvine, California;
- Atija Byers, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Sacramento, California;
- Mia Willis, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Chicago, Illinois;
- Jalisia Williams, holistic full spectrum doula from West Milwaukee, Wisconsin;
- Deu Almeida, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Boston, Massachusetts;
- Julia Knight, Birth & Postpartum Doula from New York City, New York;
- Adara Parker, Birth Doula from Dayton, Ohio;
- Madison Gordon, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Salt Lake City, Utah;
- Tricia Alexander, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Minneapolis, Minnesota;
- Malika Frank, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Burlington, New Jersey;
- Abigail Stovall, Certified Full Spectrum Doula and Certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist from Waco, Texas;
- Michellee Valdez, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Elizabeth, New Jersey;
- Heza Litteken, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Harker Heights, Texas;
- Coralys Vargas, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Altamonte Springs, Florida;
- Nazma Noray, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Iowa City, Iowa;
- Michelle Humbert, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Chicago, Illinois;
- Karen Fields, Birth Doula from Aliso Viejo, California;
- Naima Bond, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Atlanta, Georgia;
- Amanda Echols, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin;
- Dominique Jones, Birth Doula and Certified Breastfeeding Specialist from Clinton, Maryland;
- Chelsea McShane, Birth & Postpartum Doula from Tuckerton, New Jersey;
- Jenn Randall, Birth Doula from Orlando, Florida;
- Gina Benson, Birth & Postpartum from Roseville, California
Feb 8, 2024
- Bridgette McQueen from Franklinton, North Carolina;
- Diamond Jones from Panama City Beach, Florida;
- Tara O’Neill is a certified professional midwife licensed in the state of Michigan;
- Janelle Moore in Mesa, Arizona;
- Jessica Meeds, a birth doula from Seattle, Washington;
- Tiara Grandison from Arlington, Texas;
- Christie Williams from Acworth, Georgia;
- Molly Campbell practicing out of Saratoga Springs, Utah;
- Karen Guthrie from San Clemente, California;
- Laurynn Howard from Charlotte, North Carolina;
- Veronica Hinojosa-Stang from Los Angeles, California;
- Tatiana Walker from Hyattsville, Maryland;
- Sage Herring, a birth doula from Tampa, Florida;
- Christian Cade from McKinney, Texas;
- Stephanie Hunt with her practice based out of Indianapolis, Indiana;
- Erica Green from Bel Air, Maryland.
- Brenda Allen is based in Livingston, Tennessee.
- Amanda Smith from Smithfield, North Carolina
- Jordan Fullow practices in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Jillian Barker is located in Youngstown, Ohio.
- Gabriell Garner from Bowie, Maryland
- Karriane Grow is based in Dayton, Ohio.
- Jess Kimball is from Jefferson, North Carolina.
- Gabriella Cole is from Wise, Virginia.
- Joanna Guzman from Wimauma, Florida
- Hailey Kinnear is a full-spectrum doula from Courtice, Ontario, Canada.
