Real-Life Communication
As an independent doula, you must drum up clients on your own. Unlike
most people in business for themselves, you lack the time and resources to
make proper use of the Internet and papers to advertise.
In your case,
you must sell yourself on the board at the local YWCA. You are new to the
doula game. Having received your certification last week, you decide to jump
right in.
"Doulas often are involved in promoting their work via community
agencies," says Cathy Larson, a doula from Kennewick, Washington. "We [can]
provide information to clients that help them determine their birth plans."
The
YWCA has a childbirth seminar for expectant mothers the day after tomorrow.
It's a perfect opportunity to break in -- and just enough time for you to
write out your business card. Here are the facts you have to work with:
- You are a certified doula
- You will work any hour of any day (around the clock)
- There is a 50 percent reduction in Cesarean rates when using a doula
- There is a 25 percent shorter labor duration when using a doula
- There is a 30 percent reduction in the use of analgesia (pain relievers)
when using a doula
Remember, despite all the information you may want to use, quite
often the most effective postings are those with the fewest words. Often,
a little goes a long way. Feel free to use as much or as little of the above
information as you wish.