Saying goodbye?

ilovemycarrots · 02-02-2007, 04:26 PM

does anyone else have a hard time saying goodbye to PPD clients? i try not to get attached, but it is part of who i am and part of the job - how do you ladies do it?

tlcdoula · 02-02-2007, 05:02 PM

For me I have only really done pp care for moms in crisis and so I was only there a day or two so no real chance to get very attached

elang99 · 02-02-2007, 06:37 PM

I am not sure and am wondering the very same thing - I am doing pp doula work for a client 2x a week for 3 hours each day for 4 weeks! It is hard to keep it 'business', and I am sure that we will keep in touch afterwards, but the last day will be interesting! Not sure how I will handle it.. would love to hear anyone's suggestions also!

tlcdoula · 02-02-2007, 07:10 PM

So, even though I haven't done long term pp care I think I might do the same thing that I do as I do with my labor doula clients - I would probably make them a baby blanket and leave it with them on my final day. That is what I do with my labor doula clients - I give them a blanket when it is time to say goodbye and they love it.

Amydoula · 02-03-2007, 12:16 PM

YES YES YES! The people I really like are very hard to leave. I don't give out gifts, I have so many clients I really can't afford to but I keep up through email/phone with the ones I like for awhile, I usually let them scale it back when/if they want too. I'm still getting updates though on some babies that will be 3 this year.

PostDoula · 02-04-2007, 03:18 PM

I've had PP clients that I've worked with for several months. And some have become friends--it's VERY Intimate and personal work we do....Often we are privy to aspects of their lives that no one else is.
Honestly, I've had a few that I knew I would miss working with. But somehow at the end it feels right and that it's time for all of us to move on. Many keep in touch on and off via phone or e-mail. I've returned to visit clients later on, usually bringing my daughter so the kids can play. I've also been invited to their kids' birthday parties, etc.
I don't usually give a good-bye gift (although I give samples, etc. in the beginning) but I do send each of them Mother's Day cards and holiday cards, and when I can, their baby's 1st BD cards.
There's always the next client to look forward to!

heidi · 02-04-2007, 06:02 PM

I'm exclusively a postpartum doula, and yes, it is so hard. I've kept in touch with one in particular that we became super close, due to a tragedy. I'm sure years from now I'll be checking in with her. You're not alone.

sacredma · 02-04-2007, 06:33 PM

i never get too attached to my clients, although the time that i am with them, i feel very close to them. i think what i like about pp work is that there is always a new client, that keeps it interesting for me. i actually had one pp client who i still babysit for, he is now 2 1/2. it's nice to be able to see all the changes he has gone through, from infancy to toddlerhood. we are very close.
i think sometimes our clients get very attached to us, as you said we are involved in some very intimate parts of their lives. i think it would be hard for me to leave a job, as i get very close to the babies, but there is a part of me that does stay detached, i guess that is what protects my heart.

1stimestar · 02-04-2007, 07:43 PM

I'm not a pp doula normally but I do get very close to many of my clients. Like Miss PostDoula said, it is very intimate work we do. I miss them once they are gone but really don't have time to keep track of everyone very well. I solved my problem by creating a yahoo list for all my clients. They are welcome to join before birth as well. It is a pretty slow group as far as messages go but they can always post birthday announcements or special playdates or sales around town for each other.

elang99 · 02-16-2007, 02:29 PM

Today was my last day with my PP Client - I took my daughter with me to this visit b/c she has been saying that her son (who is 2 yrs. 3 mos.) is really rough and she needs another kid to put him in his place - and my daughter will be 3 in April and she definitely sticks up for herself - PLUS her son isn't saying any words yet! The kids had fun playing - the little boy had lots of time outs b/c he kept pushing my daughter, but she wants to get together once in a while for play dates. Her daughter is 5 weeks old now, and mine will hopefully be born in 3! So, we didn't really say goodbye - I just said, I have your number and we can definitely do play dates in the future! So, I am happy that she was happy with everything I did for her. Her friends went together and bought 24 hours of PP care for her as a baby gift. What a great gift!! She said that she doesn't know what she is going to do next week!!

arlenesro · 02-26-2007, 03:11 PM

I believe once a client, always a client and let my clients know I am a phone call away. I am business friendly and close. 90% of my clients keep me up to date on what's happening and send pix.