Doula Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a doula job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a doula. Feel free to use our doula job description template to produce your own doula job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a doula.
Who is a Doula?
The term “doula” refers to a trained companion who is not a healthcare provider and who assists another person (the doula’s client) through a significant health-related experience, such as childbirth, miscarriage, induced abortion, stillbirth, or non-reproductive experiences such as dying. The client’s spouse, family, and friends may also get support from a doula. To put it simply, a doula is a support person who offers non-medical assistance before, during, and after labour. A doula is sometimes referred to as a person who supports you physically and emotionally while you are pregnant and giving birth. Doulas are not licensed, medical practitioners. They don’t give birth or tend to patients’ medical needs. A certified doula has completed a training course and passed a test to become qualified to support expectant mothers and their families during this wonderful but difficult journey.
A trained, non-medical support person known as a doula helps a woman before, during, and after childbirth. A doula acts as a mediator between the lady and her maternity care professionals, offering support and advocacy. They also act as the mother’s “voice” and “helper” if she feels that she needs them to. During labour and delivery, doulas do not take the place of a woman’s partner, if she has one. To ensure that a lady has the best birthing experience possible, they collaborate with her spouse. A doula frequently has experience working with children or in the medical field. They typically have good listening skills, are respectful, and are aware of the gaps between their abilities and what the maternity-care professionals are offering.
Along with the function of the medical experts who give the client medical care, the doula’s objective and role is to support the client in feeling secure and at ease. Unlike a doctor, midwife, or nurse, a doula cannot give medical advice or administer medicine or other forms of therapy. Although training and certification procedures differ globally, it is advantageous to complete them to operate as a doula. Some doulas serve as volunteers, while others are paid by their clients, healthcare facilities, or other nonprofit or for-profit groups. Doulas have different levels of training, and they are all professionally different. There is evidence that doulas’ contributions to end-of-life care and reproductive experiences are beneficial to their clients. The likelihood of vaginal birth (as opposed to a cesarean delivery), the need for painkillers during labour, and the mother’s impression of the birthing process may all be improved by the presence of a birth doula. Less research has been done on the advantages of a doula offering other sorts of support, but it may enhance a client’s experience with medical treatment or assist a person in adjusting to changes in their health.
Types of Doulas
Labor and Birth Doula: This doula is also referred to as a labour assistant. The most popular kind of doula is this one. Doulas that specialize in labour and birthing accompany mothers and their families through the labour and delivery process, fostering a supportive and safe environment that allows the love and beauty of childbirth to shine through naturally. They offer support to women based on their labour and delivery or their interactions with others. They serve as mentors and coaches for new mothers. Doulas support families both emotionally and physically, tending to their needs whether they be a drink of water or advice on when to go to the hospital. When it’s time for the mother to give birth, the labour and birth doula offers supportive care regardless of whether she chooses to give birth naturally, in a hospital, or by C-section.
Postpartum Doula (After Birth Doula): The postpartum doula aids and promotes the family’s efforts to strengthen the bonds between the mother, father, and kid. With a newborn, breastfeeding, restless nights, and postpartum blues, new mothers may find it challenging to adjust. The doula’s role is to support the mother in managing these difficulties. A parental plan, a log, and finding time for oneself are just a few of the techniques she teaches the family.
Antepartum Doula: Antepartum doulas, also referred to as high-risk pregnancy doulas, look after the mother and her family while she is still pregnant. While less often, some moms desire the additional assistance that a seasoned doula and friend would provide. The doula can help establish a happy pregnancy by letting the mother know what to expect. Antepartum doulas assist pregnant women who are under stress because of problems with the mother or unborn child. Premature birth rates are higher than ever and complicated pregnancies are more prevalent than ever. While some expectant moms are required to stay in bed, others must see their obstetricians daily. Antepartum doulas provide emotional support, physical support, and assistance with any queries to help the mother deal with the additional stress.
Abortion doula: Doulas for abortions specialize in providing support during the traumatic abortion procedure. The work of an abortion doula requires a lot of sensitivity and openness.
Miscarriage doula: Doula for miscarriages is also known as loss doulas or bereavement doulas. They support women who have lost their unborn children. For mothers, losing a pregnancy is a sad experience. Being able to collaborate with women at this time is a blessing.
Adoption doula: Doulas that specialize in adoption serve adoptive families and birth mothers during the early postpartum period as well as during pregnancy, birth, and fostering. In my capacity as your adoption doula, you can rely on me to provide birth parents or adoptive families with unwavering support, nurturing, kindness, humour, candour, encouragement, and dedication throughout the birth and adoption process. To ensure a smooth transition for the birth mother, the child, and the adopting family, doulas who specialize in newborn adoption support work closely with each member of the adoption team and contribute their expertise. They do this by using a variety of specialized skills that no other adoption professional can provide.
Doula Job Description
What is a doula job description? A doula job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a doula in an organization. Below are the doula job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a doula job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
- Support the mother emotionally, physically, morally, and educationally, especially if the father or other close family members are not present.
- Provide the mother with the greatest guidance while listening to her worries and queries in a considerate, nonjudgmental manner.
- Attend prenatal meetings to get to know the mother and determine her preferences for the birth and other needs.
- Stay with the mother during labour and offer both physical and emotional support to her both during and after giving birth.
- Visit the mother at home after she has been released from the hospital and help with the baby’s care while the mother recovers.
- Offer the new mother advice and support in the form of organizing the nursery, running errands, and helping with breastfeeding and meal preparation after delivery.
- Research, networking with other Doulas and mothers, attending seminars and talks, and completing research can help you stay current on childbirth support, birthing methods, and pre-and post-natal care.
- Help in whatever way you can to ease the transition to parenthood.
- Provide clients with information about prenatal care, labour and delivery, postpartum support, breastfeeding, newborn care, and baby CPR/first aid.
- Work alongside other healthcare professionals like nurses and midwives.
- Provide the client with emotional support before, during, and after childbirth.
- Educate the clients on the stages of labour, ways to cope with discomfort, potential difficulties, and postpartum care, to get them ready for labour and delivery.
- Establish a relationship with the client’s healthcare provider by assisting in their selection.
- Give the client physical assistance throughout the labour process by massaging her, holding her hand, or providing pressure to certain body areas.
- Give the labouring lady physical support by encouraging her to do breathing exercises, giving her water or ice packs, or rubbing her legs or back.
- Use a stopwatch or a chart to record the mother’s contractions and document her progress through the stages of labour.
Qualifications
- Extensive expertise with childbirth.
- Possession of relevant certification is necessary.
- A comforting and nurturing presence.
- Capacity for impartial advice and question-answering.
- A wealth of information about prenatal and postnatal care as well as childbirth.
- The capacity to multitask, remain composed and offer emotional support.
- Outstanding interpersonal and communication abilities.
Essential Skills
- Time management skills: Doulas frequently need to manage both their own and their clients’ schedules. Throughout the day, they might need to check in on their client to see how the infant is doing and to make sure they are both contents and have all they need. Doulas may also need to manage their clients’ time while they are in labour, urging them to rest when they need to and to push when it is appropriate.
- Medical knowledge: Another talent that might make you a more efficient doula is understanding medicine. Your clients’ options during pregnancy and childbirth can be better understood by using your medical knowledge. Knowing anything about medicine can also make it easier for you to comprehend the recommendations made by the medical specialists you work with.
- Communication Skills: Clear and succinct communication is the capacity to deliver information. You might speak with patients, medical staff, and family members as a doula. It’s crucial to have the ability to clearly explain the labour process, respond to inquiries, and provide information to everyone.
- Empathy: Understanding and experiencing another’ emotions is known as empathy. When a client is in labour or giving birth, doulas employ empathy to make them feel at ease. In addition, they employ empathy to help their patients comprehend any potential medical procedures they could require as well as any potential postpartum changes to their bodies.
- Non-judgementalism: Doulas frequently assist clients who are going through trying circumstances, like childbirth. So they can give their clients the assistance they require, doulas must be impartial. Doulas should be able to hear what their clients have to say without assuming anything about them.
How to Become a Doula
- Choose the Type of Doula You Want to Be
Birth and postpartum doulas are the two main categories. A postpartum doula assists with the baby’s care whereas a birth doula supports moms during labour by assisting them with breathing, positioning, and relaxation.
- Get an Education
To work as a doula, most people need at least a bachelor’s degree. Some employers favour a master’s degree. Numerous disciplines, like nursing, midwifery, public health, social work, and psychology, offer degree options for doulas.
- Fulfill the Requirements to Needed Become a Doula
You must take classes on nursing and childbirth, as well as witness a specified number of births if you’re interested in working as a birth doula. Normally, you must finish up to 12 hours of childbirth education, 16 hours of birth doula training, and two to five births. As part of your training, you’ll learn useful, hands-on skills as well as the advantages of doula care and why it’s so crucial for families. You must study home visits, baby care, and postpartum care if you want to work as a postpartum doula. In addition to supporting at least two women with postpartum assistance, this typically needs roughly 27 hours of training. Doula seminars also guide securing customers and launching your own company.
- Obtain Doula Training and Certification
The majority of doula training occurs on the job. A new doula will train under an established one to acquire the knowledge and abilities necessary to support clients. They will also learn about the many approaches and strategies they might employ when assisting a client. To learn about the various approaches and strategies they can use to assist a client, some doulas decide to enrol in a course. Additionally, they might learn about the various phases of labour and delivery and how to help a client at each stage. Through training programs and childbirth education groups like DONA International and the International Childbirth Education Association, you can participate in workshops and classes. The perfect program for you will rely on your birth philosophy, your financial situation, your schedule, and your academic requirements. Do you need to learn labour support skills, for instance? To aid with your decision-making, you may want to speak with people who have taken courses through a certain program or organization. Moreover, while some schools may charge extra for certification applications, others may include certification in the cost of the program. While certification is not a requirement to work as a doula, it can increase your credibility with clients and provide you with additional career prospects, especially if you want to work in a hospital or birth centre. To boost their income potential and demonstrate to customers their dedication to providing high-quality care, doulas frequently pursue certification.
Where to Work as a Doula
Most doulas commute from their homes to the hospital or birthing centre where each lady will give birth. Depending on their practise philosophy, they might also go to home births. Most doulas do their business from their homes and travel to the hospital, birthing facility, or client’s house to deliver the baby. Doulas frequently provide their services in patients’ homes, hospitals, or birthing facilities. To be available to their clients during labour and delivery, they could put in a lot of overtime, especially on the weekends. Doulas frequently have more than one client each month and typically work with one or two clients at once. If they are a member of a doula team, they may serve several clients at once. After the baby is born, doulas may also offer postpartum assistance to mothers and families. This assistance could come in the form of teaching new parents how to care for their infant, assisting with breastfeeding, and offering emotional support.
Doula Salary Scale
The International Doula Institute estimates that birth doulas in big cities like Los Angeles and New York bill between $1,600 and $2,000 for each birth. In general, doulas can earn between $15, 000 to $300,000 annually. The typical monthly salary for a doula in Nigeria is about 287,000 NGN. The pay scale is between 140,000 NGN and 400,000 NGN. Depending on their degree of education, years of experience, the kinds of clients they work with, and the location of their employment, doulas can earn a range of salaries. While some doulas may charge an hourly rate, others may offer a flat fee.