But what EXACTLY does a doula do?
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It can be really tough to explain what it is that a doula does to someone who doesn't already know. This is especially true when you start to talk about things like "active listening" and "holding space" which make perfect sense to doulas but can seem like really abstract and meaningless concepts to people who have never experienced them.
"So what exactly do you do then?"
"Well, you see.... I doula people. That's what I do."
Modern life is expensive, and babies can be even more so. Everyone wants to know what they're paying for; reassurance that they aren't pissing their money up the wall, and it can be hard to imagine what you're buying when your prospective doula can't really describe what she does. How do we put a monetary value on "holding space"? Or explain a charge per hour for "intelligent tea drinking"?
Our society has an obsession with observable external THINGS that we can point to and say "this!" and that doesn't often mesh well with the essence of doulaing. So, here is a list I've put together, of "things that I have done for clients so far". It is not exhaustive, but it is pretty comprehensive, and I hope it helps.