Doula Meeting

Tonight was a great night. Tonight I hosted a meeting of local doulas at my house, and it was wonderful. There were 13 doulas here, one of whom is also a homebirth midwife and one of whom is also an L&D nurse, plus another midwife who catches babies at our local hospital. At every meeting (we have these every month), I always walk away with a renewed enthusiasm for birth work. The energy is so loving and positive. And we usually tell birth stories too. Some of these women are becoming my true friends. And one of them was at my birth with Alder.

Tonight's primary areas of discussion were advertising funds and hearing from the hospital midwife about doula relations with doctors and nurses. The advertising issue is really important to most of us, as this is how we primarily attract clients. With 17 doulas in Corvallis right now (and still growing), we can't all create fliers and have them sit on the obstetrician's desk. So the doulas of Corvallis came together and created a network that could advertise as a group and develop our own website. We have much greater power and influence as a group too. Since forming just 18 months ago, doulas have become much more accepted in our hospital. The word is getting out about the wisdom of having a doula.