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Identify your own boundaries
You have the right to set limits in your working life. Under what
circumstances will you work with a doula? What do you see as your role with
your clients? How comfortable are you if your client seeks a doula's
support, or makes choices that are
not what you would recommend?
Communicate
Discuss your
views and requirements candidly with your client and with the doulas you
work with. Open communication helps everyone have a clear sense of what to
expect from others, and helps everyone avoid making assumptions that can
complicate things later on. Listen to the ideas your client or the doula
raises and decide whether they fit in your comfort zone or if you're ready
to push your own boundaries a little on any particular issue. If you have a
problem with something the doula is doing, or with the effect it is having
on your relationship with your client, address it directly, right away.
Build a professional relationship
Meet briefly with a doula before she attends a birth with you for the first
time, or speak on the phone. Set the tone for your relationship, and open
the avenues for communication.
Make the most of the benefits
Doulas benefit medical professionals by
helping to reassure women and their partners, by reducing time spent
covering basics and on unskilled support, and by referring women to your
practice or facility. Keep in mind that the time spent building a
relationship with a doula can be more than compensated by the time and
effort her work with your client will save you.
Remember not all doulas are the
same
If you have had a negative experience working with a doula, read our page on
solving common problems.
Do your part to
ensure high professional standards among the doulas you work
with
Just as in any profession, there will be a range of training
backgrounds, professional proficiency, and practice of professional ethics.
See our page on what medical professionals can do to foster professional standards.
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