Working as a doula and a new mama

[Pixie T]

Hi ladies -
I know I've seen a similar few threads on here, but can't seem to find them!

I am getting calls now for September, which is when I hope to start back to work! I can't wait to start seeing clients again, but am stuck on how to sort out home while working.

How do you/have you managed breastfeeding/cosleeping babes while working? My son will be a year when I go back to work, and I will be taking a max. of two births/month. I just can't fathom how you do it, if you have to be away from home for 24 hours. I'm getting a lot of the "just give him a bottle" response but I really am hoping to avoid this. Any help would be so appreciated.

[aetrusty]

It really depends on how many solids your child is eating at a year... You could always give breastmilk in a sippy cup and avoid the bottle altogether, give solid foods while you're gone as well as sippy cups of breastmilk/water/cow's milk or whatever else you'd like to give and then it won't affect nursing as much.

You pump while you're gone to keep up your supply and be sure to not give sippy cups and always nurse before solids while you're home so that nursing is the most important nutrition source while you're together.

I think if you do those things and the baby is secure with whoever is babysitting, you should be just fine.

[AmandaB]

maybe do births close to home and make provision with your clients that you need to go home at certain times to nurse. Maybe hubby can bring him up to you .... Just some thoughts rolling around in my head. I don't know if they would work in practice but we could talk about it next week!

[Beautiful Birthing Doula]

I wonder this very same thing. I'm glad to see someone else worry about this. My first client is due the end of September, and I currently have a 7 week old daughter. I am afraid of stepping away from a client to pump, I'm worried about my daughter not nursing for 20-30 hours... I am a bottle of nerves, mostly over bf'ing. I love nursing, so I'm not planning on weaning any time soon.

I guess I need to discuss this with my client. Explain that I'll need to step a away breifly to pump. Anyone run into a client that disagrees with this?

[Rachel G.]

I have really wanted to start working again Aziz will be 7 months next week. Just started to do massages again and looking forward to Babies R Us baby fest next month. So I guess I will have to wait a little longer for the doula work. Has anyone found working or helping at a Birth Center a way to work as a doula?????

[helpinghands]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macyllehub I wonder this very same thing. I'm glad to see someone else worry about this. My first client is due the end of September, and I currently have a 7 week old daughter. I am afraid of stepping away from a client to pump, I'm worried about my daughter not nursing for 20-30 hours... I am a bottle of nerves, mostly over bf'ing. I love nursing, so I'm not planning on weaning any time soon. I guess I need to discuss this with my client. Explain that I'll need to step a away breifly to pump. Anyone run into a client that disagrees with this?

I think it depends on the needs of the client and ultimately, you can discuss it before hand but who knows how she will feel once she is in the throes of hard labor? It also probably depends on where she is laboring, who else is part of her support team, etc..

As a new mom myself, (my fifth baby is now 3 months old), I don't know if I want to have to make these decisions right now so I have chosen to delay accepting clients until I am comfortable with leaving my youngest for a time. There is so much unpredictability with births that for myself, it isn't fair to me, my baby, or the laboring mama to put so much to chance.

It is a tough issue.. hope you can decide what to do and have it work well for you, your baby, and the new mama to be.

[LParks]

My dd is 14 mo and a boobie adict! lol She doesn't like a bottle. she will drink out of a sippy cup and eat plenty of solids to keep her happy if I have a 24 hr birth. She'll miss nursing if I'm gone, but it's not gonna hurt her. kwim?

[blessedbirthdoula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beautiful Birthing Doula I wonder this very same thing. I'm glad to see someone else worry about this. My first client is due the end of September, and I currently have a 7 week old daughter. I am afraid of stepping away from a client to pump, I'm worried about my daughter not nursing for 20-30 hours... I am a bottle of nerves, mostly over bf'ing. I love nursing, so I'm not planning on weaning any time soon. I guess I need to discuss this with my client. Explain that I'll need to step a away breifly to pump. Anyone run into a client that disagrees with this?

My lactation consultant always reminds me that the best thing that I can do for a mom is to emulate the loving, caring relationship that I have with my children by putting them first. In order to teach my clients that type of love and selflessness for their children, I have to practice it in front of them. I set up before the birth that I will be taking regularly scheduled breaks to pump for my baby and if they do not want to hire me because of this, well then it's meant to be.

Danielle
A Blessed Birth Doula Services

[Ayla]

I'm in the exact same boat, Pixie T. My baby will be 1 in September and I want to start taking on clients from January next year, taking 1-2 clients per month. Not sure how I'm going to handle it!