This is exactly how I feel also

I have to say that I'm really happy that I joined this site and clicked into this thread because so many fears and worries being posted are exactly what I'm going through right now. I'm worried that no one is going to want to use me as their doula, or that since I offer to refer them to other doulas (if we don't click) that people will just automatically choose another doula instead. I worry that when I get to my first birth I'll tense up and not be able to be the support system for the mom the way they need me to be. Oy.

Wow, I needed this. A place to record my worries where someone will understand. I just finished an English class where each class day we had to start by writing our preoccupations. I am mostly worried about making a living right now. I know times are tough for everyone so it seems that everyone must be tightening their belts as much as I am. I need to work but I long to serve. If I don't make a living at this I will not be able to do what I love for very long and I will need to go and find a job. It will already be difficult to work my doula services around my school schedule so working around a job will be out of the question. I am an aspiring midwife so I must continue my studies if I am going to get my training completed. The list of worries could go on and on. Finding births to attend for certification, organizing my schedule and my school work, finding the funds to pay for the courses needed for certification, getting support from my husband, working with hospital professionals, creating an online presence to direct clients to find me, and so on. I am never good at leaving my worries at work or at home so I need to find ways to leave them behind when I am performing services as a doula.

Being only 20 years old with no children, I seriously worry that once I'm done with my training through Birth Arts that women won't trust that I can do my job without really knowing what they are going through. I'm scared that my age will make women think I am not knowledgeable. I'm worried that my habit of starting and not finishing things will keep me from my dream of helping mothers and families have the births they desire. I also am worried that because my Fiance's family thinks my future job is a joke that they will always feel that way, even once I am (hopefully) making money from it.