How are you working in the community?

DoulaMegz · 10-08-2009, 10:05 AM

A community doula forum! I'm very excited, and I hope I can serve you all well as moderator.

I'm interested to know how each of you is serving as a community doula. What program are you working for, and what services are available to your moms through that program? Tell us about yourself, and your program!

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I work for an organization called Everyday Miracles (www.everyday-miracles.org) which serves low income, at risk mothers in the Minneapolis and St Paul metro area. We provide prenatal education, car seats, breastpumps and breastpump education, birth doula services, post partum services to moms who do not get a birth doula, post partum education and support, lactation support, a swap closet, support groups, and community resources. We're currently getting ready to move in to our own space, a pregnancy center which is completely centered around doulas. It's really a benchmark organization in the twin cities. Our services are paid through insurance and through grant money, another benchmark. :-)

doulajamie · 10-08-2009, 08:35 PM

I work for a non-profit substance abuse treatment facility in Missouri. We are a gender-specific (women only) facility that focuses on pregnant and parenting women. We are one of very few facilities that allow mothers and children to be together while the mother participates in substance abuse treatment. We offer a short-term (21 day) residential service and outpatient services. In addition to substance abuse treatment, we provide mental health services, trauma groups, parenting classes, and child care services. The doula program is a year old and is funded by a HRSA grant. We provide childbirth classes, prenatal home visits, labor support and postpartum home visits. Due to the innovative idea of doula services, the state has approved women who are receiving methadone maintenance treatment through local clinics to receive doula and family based treatment serivices at our facility...this is a great opportunity!!!

Last month, we found out that we were awarded a grant by SAMSHA that would allow up to 20 pregnant and parenting women to live in one of our homes for up to 18 months. This is so exciting because it will allow our mothers a safe place to live and a chance for our staff to provide extended services. This should provide a significant support to our doula program as many first time homeless pregnant women will be motivated by the chance for a long term housing option.

I am looking forward to hearing what others are doing and how we all contribute to improved care for women!

Nicole E · 10-08-2009, 09:49 PM

Right now I have my second volunteer birth coming up in November. I contacted a local crisis pregnancy centre and said I was working on certification and was willing to do some volunteer births.

I am also a part of the birth collective here and we eventually want to provide free/reduced fee services (doula and CBE) to moms who need it, but the collective's money will pay for the doula (doula fees are a big part of some of the local doulas and they can't afford to volunteer their services).

Comfy · 10-09-2009, 08:42 AM

Some of us work at the local "Welcome Wagon Baby Shower" . We really do not get many clients from this, it is more about community awareness. I still cannot believe how many people do not know what a doula is. So basically it is a large gathering of couples gong from table to table ( baby photogs, cord blood org, Education funds etc) and we pay for a table , and pregnant couples get in free. We get around 150 ladies. At this event we hand out some doula information and also ask couples to sign up for a free "What's a Father to Do" workshop , which we hold about a month later.

The workshop is a free interactive fun evening getting Dad ready for birth and post partum. The feedback we get is all good. Again, we may not get any clients from this....but we are getting the word out about doulas. 2 or 3 doulas get together to do this.

DoulaMegz · 10-09-2009, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doulajamie

Last month, we found out that we were awarded a grant by SAMSHA that would allow up to 20 pregnant and parenting women to live in one of our homes for up to 18 months. This is so exciting because it will allow our mothers a safe place to live and a chance for our staff to provide extended services. This should provide a significant support to our doula program as many first time homeless pregnant women will be motivated by the chance for a long term housing option.

I am looking forward to hearing what others are doing and how we all contribute to improved care for women!

Jamie, I'm really escited to hear about this grant! What great news for the SISTER project!

golden pregnancy · 10-10-2009, 02:25 PM

I have done volunteer births, all contacted privately. There is no structured birth community here, and I'm hoping with the input I glean here, that will change.

mommadoula · 11-29-2009, 07:54 PM

I volunteer for a local hospital to be a "labor coach" for women from the womens prison...

Gwenna10 · 12-10-2009, 11:29 AM

Hi-
I created a program 4 1/2 years ago to provide free comprehensive services to at-risk mothers. At risk can mean drugs, alchohol, domestic violence, teen moms, homelessness, incarceration, mental illness, financial challenge and social/geographic isolation. I work in a high mountain, very rural culture. My program, Birth Partners, provides pre-and postnatal education, doula services, referrals, transportation, community connections, baby and maternity clothes, WIC connections, childbirth education and breastfeeding classes and support groups, infant massage, infant/toddler sign language classes and early infancy parenting education. We have an ASL interpreter and access to Spanish-language interpreters. All services are offered on a group or individual basis, in the home, hospital or classroom, including a 24-hour hospital or home response time for lactation issues. Myself and my backup doula are available 24 hours a day by phone for parents.
Susie

doulajamie · 12-12-2009, 12:44 PM

Gwenna:

I am curious, if you would be wiling to share, how you funding the services your organization is providing?

momofmany · 12-12-2009, 07:56 PM

I doula for the teens here. It is funded by a grant through the hospital.

Gwenna10 · 12-13-2009, 08:23 AM

Hi Jamie-
My program started out with a mini-grant from the local Children and Families Commission. In the beginning, I volunteered a lot of hours! Currently, we are funded by grants from Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and both state and federal child abuse prevention grants.
Susie

hothamay · 01-01-2010, 11:54 PM

Hi all,

Happy New Year! I am so happy I found this forum. I am working with a local hospital that is working on a multifaceted volunteer doula program. The first 2 parts are up and running (although funding has been pulled). We have a volunteer doulas that work with "high-risk" mothers - incarcerated, institutionalized, trauma victims, etc. The second group are volunteer doulas that any mother birthing at the hospital can request. We're limited only by the number of volunteer doulas we have (a number we need to increase). Finally, the last leg that we are trying to get off the ground is the a volunteer program that has doulas on shifts. This is an effort to get more doulas who want to volunteer but who may be unable to work as most doulas do "on call". This method certainly will have its challenges but we've already seen its positive impact.

And now for my question: We call the high risk doulas - Certified Chidbirth Assistants (CCAs). We are looking for a name for the "shift doulas". They are currently called "floor doulas" which isn't a name we're in love with. We don't want to go with "Volunteer Doula" b/c in hospitals it seems everything gets abbreviated and we don't want them to be the "VDs".

Any additional ideas/suggestions for a new title?

(Volunteer) Birth Partner
Shift Doula
On-Call Doula
Birth Assistant

Thanks!

chloe2326 · 01-06-2010, 05:59 PM

I've recently partnered with our local crisis pregnancy center. They've set me up as a mentor for the teen moms (not directly doula related but still pretty cool) and also with anyone who would like support whether prenatal, during labor, or postpartum. There is no birth community to speak of, and many of the moms have had horrendous experiences at the public clinic. I'm thinking about getting certified as a childbirth educator to contribute from that angle as well.

cali4niachef · 01-16-2010, 07:01 PM

I volunteer as a guest speaker monthly at a local teenage pregnancy school. I offer doula services for free or low cost to teens, I have gathered 5 other doulas willing to offer their services to teens also.

Im trying to start a doula apprenticeship/training program.

I've also started the state's first doula network. We have meetings every few months and training workshops.