Hello and welcome to the Developing Doulas Postnatal Course Materials. Kick off your shoes and get comfy!
This place will be accessible to you forever, and is, in effect, your course manual. We are constantly amending and adding to this content as we develop (in true DD style!) so do check back regularly throughout your doula career.
You will see that at the bottom of some pages is an audio file – we are slowly going through and speaking the written content in order to make this more accessible to those who prefer to listen.
We are so pleased you’re here and we do hope you enjoy reading and watching this content.
There are places in this online content where we refer to activities you will be doing with your cohort of trainees. If you are reading this before your course starts, just skip those bits and carry on. There are no expectations that you finish working your way through this stuff before your sessions with your cohort begin. Work at your own pace – this is your journey, to tailor make as you see fit.
We hope you’ll enjoy the course. We know what a leap of faith it is to embark on a doula course and we promise to work hard on making sure that faith is justified! If you have any worries or questions during the course, do feel you can talk to your course facilitator.
During this course you might have preconceptions, opinions or prejudices challenged. This might be painful or inspire regret, anger or defensiveness. Remember, this is a safe place to express those feelings, either in the group or privately.
So let’s get started! Dive in and enjoy! Once you’ve completed a section, just click on to the next bit.
It goes without saying that the content you’ll read and watch in this course belongs to Developing Doulas (apart of course, from the external links to other resources). We trust that you will not take this material and present it as your own, or plagiarize it in any way. You are welcome to quote things from the course, just please, please remember to credit Developing Doulas. This is practicing kindness, consideration and the ethical behaviour we expect of high quality doulas.
So it all starts here. Once the placenta is born and the cord is cut, the postpartum begins!
But parenting started the moment your clients got pregnant! They have been making decisions, exploring their options, weighing up pros and cons and dreaming of their future for months now. Hopefully they had good support during their pregnancy and birth and have spent some time preparing for parenting. Perhaps they have a postpartum plan and have had a straightforward birth. Maybe they are in a loving, supportive relationship and surrounded by friends and family. But perhaps they have none of these things.
Whatever the circumstances – optimal or filled with challenges – having a doula in the early weeks of parenting can be hugely beneficial. From increased breastfeeding rates to less mental illness, doula support really can make all the difference.
During this course we will explore the many-facets of the doula role in the postpartum period. Whilst a birth doula will essentially have one or two clients, a postnatal doula has 3 or more! Caring for the whole family, balancing their needs and holding the space while their whole world and sense of identity shifts to make space for the new baby takes sensitivity and skill.
So welcome to the wonderful world of postpartum support. We know you’re going to make a wonderful doula!
Dive in and enjoy, and remember that the DD patreon and facebook group are there to support you. If you haven’t joined yet, why not hop over and say hello.
DDoula Love, Maddie, Laura, Katie, Aimee, Becky and Zara x
