When do you start calling yourself a doula?

[kaycigurl]

When do you start calling yourself a doula? I think I read that DONA says you can after you attend training, but I am wanting to go through CBI which is a distance program. I haven't started the cert process yet, but I have started devouring the required reading list. Did you wait until you were a certain amount of the way through your cert, or at the beginning, or before? What about those of you who aren't certified? Did you start calling yourself a doula as soon as you knew you wanted to be one or after your first birth or at some other point?

[FLLucinda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaycigurl When do you start calling yourself a doula? I think I read that DONA says you can after you attend training, but I am wanting to go through CBI which is a distance program. I haven't started the cert process yet, but I have started devouring the required reading list. Did you wait until you were a certain amount of the way through your cert, or at the beginning, or before? What about those of you who aren't certified? Did you start calling yourself a doula as soon as you knew you wanted to be one or after your first birth or at some other point?

I think opinions vary on this but I called myself a doula in training going in for my certification births.

[earthgirl]

I said I was a doula after I completed my workshop, and attended my first birth.

[motherscomfort]

When I went to school to become a massage therapist, they told us our first night of class to start calling ourselves massage therapist. Energy follows intention and if you set the intention that you are a Doula now, then everything you do and say will bring you to your goal so much faster. If you start to believe in yourself as a Doula right now, then everything will fall into place to support you in that thought. If it is truly your intention to become a Doula, then I say you should start calling yourself one now

[DL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by motherscomfort When I went to school to become a massage therapist, they told us our first night of class to start calling ourselves massage therapist.

...but you had started your schooling on that first night.

I considered myself a doula once I had attended my training. Before that, I was an aspiring doula, but I didn't consider myself a doula yet since I had neither training nor experience. Just my

[DL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleValleyDoula Not until I had my first client. Even after training I still hadn't even attended a single birth so it didn't really feel right. For sure after the first client though!

I could see that. I might have worded my reply more like you had I not already had a birth lined up. Right after my training (like 2 weeks after), I was giving my first prenatal for my client due 3 months later. I had a doula-client relationship going on with the prenatals and all, so that's why I considered myself a doula right after my training.

[Supermomma]

I still consider myself a doula in training, but when people ask what I am i say a doula. I've done 6 births, and attended my training, but since I am not yet certified, I explain all that to potential clients. After all, I don't think we'll ever stop learning in this profession, so I'll forever be in training LOL! But, I've considered myself a doula after my training, and I had already done 2 births by then.

[kaycigurl]

Thanks for the input everyone! I can't wait to really start training, so I can at least call myself a "doula in training" haha. Right now I'm just a wanna be

[Cherylkind]

I think you could call yourself an aspiring doula now, then a doula after you either do some training or have a relationship with a client.

[DL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cherylkind I think you could call yourself an aspiring doula now, then a doula after you either do some training or have a relationship with a client.

"Aspiring" sounds more serious, like you have plans. "Wanna-be" mainly just sounds like a wish that may or may not happen. At least that's how they sound to me.

[Cherylkind]

yep- plus aspiring is just such a positive, uplifting word. calling yourself a wanna-be doesn't seem at all positive to me.

[kaycigurl]

Yes, "aspiring" is much better. The wanna-be remark was a joke

[earthgirl]

Well, I have to go back on my answer a bit. I recall doing my first prenatal, and my client calling me her doula....so I guess after I trained, my doula hat was on and doing lots of educating and building a relationship. Even though I hadn't officially supported a laboring woman.
I ran into my first client this past weekend, and she was still calling me her doula! She still remains grateful for my presence. That felt good.

[BabyStepsDoula]

I found that calling myself a doula was a huge step in opening up the intention of being a doula. After training, I called myself 'doula in-training' as CAPPA Canada suggests is most appropriate until certification is done. But I found myself stagnated there, with no clients and I felt stumped about what to do. Then I thought back to my readings of 'Power of Positive Thinking' and 'Secret'-esque type thinking, that we create our own possibilities as well as our own limitations. Once I made this connection, it was clear as day that what was needed was a mind-shift. Damn it, I am a doula... this is what I trained to do, this is what I see myself as, I just needed to let it in. So from that point on, I knew that I AM a doula. This seemed to do the trick for me, I got my first three clients, yup all three of them, within a week of making this commitment to myself.

So, I'm no philosopher, or evangalist... but it did work for me for whatever reason. So, yes, I support doulas calling themselves doulas as soon as they feel that commitment is there and that they are ready and willing to serve in that way.


In the doula spirit,

Gina Merlin
near Ottawa (Mountain, ON)

[amommysfriend]

I consider myself a doula even though i am not certified yet. I have done 21 births and by no means am an expert but i feel comfortable being called a doula. All my clients know i am DONA trained but not certified.