Client Resources

loveslabor · 09-24-2005, 03:47 PM

So I thought it might be interesting to start a thread of things you tell your clients- websites you refer them to, organizations you recommend, books, things to help them through their pregnancy, etc etc etc....

Kalamazoo Doula · 09-25-2005, 12:50 AM

I like to suggest to my clients that they look at the spinning babies web site. This has a great amount of awesome information! I suggest having them read 'The Birth Partner' by Penny Simkin, which I used to loan out my copy until I had it signed by the author! Needless to say, it no longer leaves my possesion

! I also refer my clients to LLL.
I can't wait to see other's answers!

loveslabor · 09-25-2005, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalamazoo Doula

I like to suggest to my clients that they look at the spinning babies web site. This has a great amount of awesome information! I suggest having them read 'The Birth Partner' by Penny Simkin, which I used to loan out my copy until I had it signed by the author! Needless to say, it no longer leaves my possesion

! I also refer my clients to LLL.
I can't wait to see other's answers!

It looks GREAT. Very to the point and I like the little drawings.

Kim Trower · 09-25-2005, 12:49 PM

One constant is always referring THe Thinking Womans Guide to A Better Birth, refer them to www.birthyear.net (our local informed choice support group of sorts), then give them handouts on particular topics they are interested in, I also have tons of other books I loan out if they want to read more.
I also always give them the Optimal Fetal Positioning handout.

raspberrymoondoula · 09-25-2005, 06:19 PM

i also refer out thinking womans guide, and penny spimpkins comfort measures for birth video.

09-26-2005, 12:00 AM

Has anyone looked at babycenter.com?? You don't have to subscribe to look at most of their info but if you become a member they have a video library that has all the great clips to watch from all the really expensive videos. Shows a live c-sect, birth positions, live births, waterbirth, and epidural placement.
It is a little mainstream but there is a lot of good stuff. Very hospital oriented but had some cool handouts and things. Check it out

tlcdoula · 09-26-2005, 09:07 AM

I also like Lamaze - they have some great information for parents concerning inductions, breastfeeding, positioning, and much more. In fact I printed them out and have them in a binder for my clients to look at if they want to.

What I have done is find resources that are created by reliable sources (lamaze, CIMS, etc) and then I print up their information (giving credit of course) and put them into a binder. Then I borrow the binder to my clients so that they can read the information. My clients love it, and I love it because then I don't have to print it up every single time for my clients. Instead I borrow them the binder and then they return it for my next client.

susan1 · 09-26-2005, 11:33 AM

I like the idea of having a binder for clients so I don't have to make copies all the time.

Susan

tlcdoula · 09-26-2005, 11:59 AM

Yes, I love it. I also put into my contract that if they lose it or choose not to return it that they must pay for the replacement just like any other supplies I borrow them. I used to print up about 50 pages of stuff for each client (including the pages for their file) and now I don't. It is so nice to just grab the binder and go knowing that everything is already organized.

09-26-2005, 03:23 PM

Hey that's a great idea!! I'm over here printing my brains out, running out of ink and makeing my family crazy. I can make one very nice copy and have the binder all dolled up and be done with it!! That's awesome... thanks so much. Wisdom from other doulas I love that. Thanks Michelle. I really needed that one after printing all morning!!

tlcdoula · 09-26-2005, 07:12 PM

Awww, sorry to hear you were printing all morning. Hopefully you will have time to buy some binders and get them bound so that you can just borrow the information to the moms. I have made three binders and keep them with me so that I can borrow them out and thankfully so far I have borrowed them and gotten them back rather quickly so I haven't needed more than three. In all the time I have been doing this I only lost one of them and the mom paid for it - which shocked me because this was a mom who wanted me as her doula, paid me, bounced the check, had all my stuff and kept telling me she would pay me later. Never did and it finally came down to me saying that I could work something out with her, but her husband was mad that she bounced a check and he didn't want a doula - huge mess - he didn't want the baby either. In the end she aborted and didn't want me to know and she moved. Then about six months later I got a check in the mail for the lost binder - very strange.

09-28-2005, 10:29 PM

ok. That's just weird. Why bother ya know??? oh well. At least you recooped a little bit. lol

susan1 · 09-30-2005, 10:08 PM

Hi,

I am putting my binder together (well I was trying) and I now don't know what to put in it.

I need some good infor/ideas to put in my binder. Does anyone have any ideas?

susan

Kalamazoo Doula · 09-30-2005, 10:51 PM

Susan,
I liked the idea so much myself that I'm currently putting my binders together too! I also was wondering what Michelle put in hers. I thought that I would section them off in five sections. 1) Pregnancy info, nutrision, exercise and ect. 2) Labor and Delivery info, positions, comfort measures, list of stuff to bring with you to hospital or to get ready for home birth and ect. 3) Postpartum recovery information 4) Breastfeeding information and referrals if there is any problems 5) Basic Baby Care
I'm certified through DONA, so I have info about doulas that will go in the pregnancy section. I put DONA's position paper, a article about doulas and dads, basic definitions and differences of postpartum, birth and antepartum doulas, what doulas do and don't do and birth plan suggestions and tips. I'm thinking of putting a list of suggested reading materials, web sites and classes to be researched by the parents.

Michelle, what do you put in your binder? I would really really really apperciate the insider tip LOL!

tlcdoula · 10-01-2005, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mumandme2

ok. That's just weird. Why bother ya know??? oh well. At least you recooped a little bit. lol

As far as why bother. Your guess is as good as mine. This was a bad, bad, bad marriage. She wanted to keep the child because she had aborted another baby a few months back. They already had a toddler, and I think mom's thinking was that a child would make it better, and I know dad's thinking was that a second child would ruin the marriage. When I met him he told me all about how he grew up in a house where his father never let him forget that a second child ruined the parents marriage. It was horrible - seeing this poor woman who wanted her baby so badly, but a husband who didn't. I had truly hoped she would find the strength to leave this man, but that didn't happen in the time I was involved. (Of course, I never told her that is how I felt, but man I hated this man - thankfully he was only EVER at our first meeting).