Big news for this month was that I was able to doula at my first official birth! I don't have a release to do a whole birth story, but short story is that the VBAC client went into labor with spontaneous rupture of membranes (after an accupuncture appointment that morning) three days before her due date and 5 days before her scheduled repeat c-section. We had a great experience with the hospital staff and Mom was happy with her birth and didn't end up with another c-section. I feel pretty good about how I can apply my skills. There is no magic pill, just being present and doing whatever Mom needs at that moment. My biggest problem with that birth was fatigue. I didn't follow my "go to bed at a reasonable time" rule and ended up with only 1 hour of sleep before I got the call. I was in rough shape by the time I got home. Although, I feel like I recovered pretty well after one really good night of sleep.
I'm still on as a back-up/primary during the day for the December couple. We had two prentatls with them this month and I really like this couple too. I'm a little worried that I might not make this birth. I go on-call on Sunday this week, but next week at school I have can't miss presentations on Wednesday and Friday, a SIM on Monday, and an exam on Friday. Then Grace is having a sleep-over birthday party on Saturday and I have a final on the following Monday. I really hope they wait until I finish up finals, so I can be sure to be there.
I had a prental appointment with my January couple and it went well. I'll be seeing them again mid-December and on-call by the end of the month. She'd love to go before the end of the year and I'd love to have that one done before school starts back on 1/3, so I don't have to worry about missing any week 1 of class stuff.
Even though the being on-call and scheduling stuff is more stressful than I expected, I'm trying not to get uptight. Things will work out as they are supposed to and I will make it to the births I'm supposed to be at.
My midwifery class is winding down and has been quite pleasant. I have enjoyed the discussion board format and debating some of the major issues in the profession. Sometime in December I'll find out my clincial placement for next quarter. I'm crossing my fingers for an L&D or post-partum assignment.
I'm sure I could have written much more about the birth and stuff, but I don't want to give more info than I've been permitted to disclose.
Showing posts with label clients. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clients. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Update for September 2011
I promised I'd be back! I have been enjoying my long break from school and have used that time to spend alot of time being a doula, so this has been a busy month for me.
First of all, I have clients! The couple I mentioned in my previous post was a good fit and they have hired me for their birth in January. I also have booked a birth in November that I will be doing as part of a team with my friend and fellow doula Samara. She had been hired by them already, but then was offered a long-term substitute teaching position for the fall. Since she has a Masters in Education and is going to try to go back to work next year, she couldn't turn it down. So...now with her limited daytime hours, she asked me to step in as a front-line back up. Basically, I'll show up to the birth regardless, and if it's during a time she can come, we'll both be there. I got to meet the couple and we all seemed to like each other, so I feel good about that one too. I may be doing a scheduled c-section birth in November also. I still need to have a real discussion with the Mom, but she may be willing to do the prental and postnatal visits and let me be with her at the hospital, so I can get that 3rd birth in and get the certification completed sooner.
Other "getting clients" news...I put together a couple hand-outs for people planning a pregnancy, currently pregnant, or new moms and dads for our church Health and Wellness bulletin board. The coordinator is also letting me post a flyer and business cards on my doula services. That will be the October health focus for church. Today, I dropped hand-out size flyers and a stack of business cards in the mail to a couple of the practices in towns where midwives deliver and a couple OB offices that I saw with good reviews about supporting natural childbirth here in town. Hopefully, they'll set them out for patients and not send them straight to the trash. I still plan to take some flyers and business cards to the big maternity store, Babies R Us and Whole Foods to see if I can post them or leave a stack. I haven't quite mustered up the courage on that one yet.
I put together my doula bag with just a few more items needed to have it ready to be "on call." I also created a list of what to pack for the hospital that I can share with my moms. For my January mom I also did some research on a variety of topics. So now I have some good articles scanned and printed so I have information to provide as part of the "Informational Support" role of being a good doula. I also read the Belly Mapping Handbook which gave some good ideas and a resource should I have a mom that has malpositioning issues.
As for loose ends on certification requirements, I'm trying to knock as many of those out as possible, so after I get the births in, I'll be ready to send in my materials. I keep putting off the writing of the Value of Labor Support essay, but I do want to finish it before school starts in a week, so I'll get to it. The biggest accomplishment that I've made is the development of my resource list. The requirement is at least 45 resources in 30 categories. I have 71 resources in 25 categories. I have 32 categories total, but some are still empty. I then took some of the key categories and put them on a resource page on my website. That took much more time than I expected, but I feel really good about it. I finished reading the Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth, so only one book left on the reading list. I also took a 3-hour online breastfeeding class as required.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with how things are going. I had hoped with my training in June that I'd be ready for certification this year, but things seem a bit slow to start. I like that I have 2 on the calendar and at least a lead on the third. I'm also hopeful that some of the local things I'm doing will have an impact. As of right now, I think I'd love someone due late December, so I could do the birth without missing any school. Other than that, I could be available for a February or March. I'll be precepted for clinicals, so it won't be as big of a deal to reschedule them if I need to miss (and if I already miss a day for the January birth). I also could do a couple births during Spring quarter, as I won't have clinicals at all while I'm preparing/taking the NCLEX. Eric is supportive of this and even though scheduling can be tough on him, he knows this is good for me and my eventual career.
Next update in October!
First of all, I have clients! The couple I mentioned in my previous post was a good fit and they have hired me for their birth in January. I also have booked a birth in November that I will be doing as part of a team with my friend and fellow doula Samara. She had been hired by them already, but then was offered a long-term substitute teaching position for the fall. Since she has a Masters in Education and is going to try to go back to work next year, she couldn't turn it down. So...now with her limited daytime hours, she asked me to step in as a front-line back up. Basically, I'll show up to the birth regardless, and if it's during a time she can come, we'll both be there. I got to meet the couple and we all seemed to like each other, so I feel good about that one too. I may be doing a scheduled c-section birth in November also. I still need to have a real discussion with the Mom, but she may be willing to do the prental and postnatal visits and let me be with her at the hospital, so I can get that 3rd birth in and get the certification completed sooner.
Other "getting clients" news...I put together a couple hand-outs for people planning a pregnancy, currently pregnant, or new moms and dads for our church Health and Wellness bulletin board. The coordinator is also letting me post a flyer and business cards on my doula services. That will be the October health focus for church. Today, I dropped hand-out size flyers and a stack of business cards in the mail to a couple of the practices in towns where midwives deliver and a couple OB offices that I saw with good reviews about supporting natural childbirth here in town. Hopefully, they'll set them out for patients and not send them straight to the trash. I still plan to take some flyers and business cards to the big maternity store, Babies R Us and Whole Foods to see if I can post them or leave a stack. I haven't quite mustered up the courage on that one yet.
I put together my doula bag with just a few more items needed to have it ready to be "on call." I also created a list of what to pack for the hospital that I can share with my moms. For my January mom I also did some research on a variety of topics. So now I have some good articles scanned and printed so I have information to provide as part of the "Informational Support" role of being a good doula. I also read the Belly Mapping Handbook which gave some good ideas and a resource should I have a mom that has malpositioning issues.
As for loose ends on certification requirements, I'm trying to knock as many of those out as possible, so after I get the births in, I'll be ready to send in my materials. I keep putting off the writing of the Value of Labor Support essay, but I do want to finish it before school starts in a week, so I'll get to it. The biggest accomplishment that I've made is the development of my resource list. The requirement is at least 45 resources in 30 categories. I have 71 resources in 25 categories. I have 32 categories total, but some are still empty. I then took some of the key categories and put them on a resource page on my website. That took much more time than I expected, but I feel really good about it. I finished reading the Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth, so only one book left on the reading list. I also took a 3-hour online breastfeeding class as required.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with how things are going. I had hoped with my training in June that I'd be ready for certification this year, but things seem a bit slow to start. I like that I have 2 on the calendar and at least a lead on the third. I'm also hopeful that some of the local things I'm doing will have an impact. As of right now, I think I'd love someone due late December, so I could do the birth without missing any school. Other than that, I could be available for a February or March. I'll be precepted for clinicals, so it won't be as big of a deal to reschedule them if I need to miss (and if I already miss a day for the January birth). I also could do a couple births during Spring quarter, as I won't have clinicals at all while I'm preparing/taking the NCLEX. Eric is supportive of this and even though scheduling can be tough on him, he knows this is good for me and my eventual career.
Next update in October!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Update as of August
A busy course load this summer has me neglecting this blog, but no worries, I haven't been neglecting the new business! I belive my last update was right after I finished training. Since then I have got some business stuff done. I finished some more of the required reading. I still have 1 1/2 books left and plan to read them during my summer/fall break in a couple weeks. I will also be taking my breastfeeding course during that time. I have done some paperwork. I have put together my discussion outilnes for my inital meet & greet meetings with potential clients, and what to cover during our 1st and 2nd prenatal meetings. I ordered a Rebozo shawl and some position cards for labor/birth positions and Rebozo techniques that I can throw in my doula bag if I get stuck during a birth. I also ordered a belly mapping workbook and plan to spend some time going over that during break, so I can help any clients with malpositioning issues. I now have beautiful business cards and have created a nice one-page flyer that I could post on bulletin boards or leave at businesses. During break, I'm going to work on distributing them with some cards to hopefully get my name out in the community.
As for school, the summer quarter was not focused on anything birth related, but my clinical hours were 12 hour shifts and high-acuity patients. I think learning how to deal with the long hours is good and now I feel better under pressure dealing with either really sick people or emergency situations. Hopefully, not many of those to come with doula clients, but still a skill that I will hold onto! I will be looking forward to fall when I am taking "Conceptual Framework for Nurse-Midwifery Practice" as one of my classes along with Community nursing and Psych/Mental Health nursing.
As for clients, I've had some ups and downs. I booked my first client due August 15th. She happens to be one of my very best friends and lives out of state. So, the logistics was going to be challenging, but I made whatever arrangements I could and the weekend of her baby shower did our prenatal meeting and started getting ready to go "on-call." However, at her 36 week check-up, her blood pressure caused her doctor to do some additional bloodwork and send her over to the hospital labor and delivery. We chatted and they wanted to do some additional bloodwork in the evening, so we weren't sure if a c-section was imminent or if she'd have a few more days/weeks. We found out around 9 p.m. that she was showing symptoms of early HELLP syndrome, so they went ahead with the c-section right away. So, unfortunately, I wasn't able to join her for her birth. Thankfully, both she and the baby were fine and are doing great now, so I still call that a successful birth!
About two weeks ago, I was contacted by someone through my website who was due in October and we set a meet-and-greet for the next day. We seemed to hit it off and she said she wanted to hire me, so we set up our first prenatal meeting for last week. However, before the meeting date came, she told me she changed her mind. She was looking for a primary support person and planned a medicated birth. I think after talking with her family and doctor they convinced her she could do an unmedicated birth without extra support. I wished her luck, but still hope she might reconsider before October.
So, then last week I was contacted by a new couple who may be interested in hiring me. This one due in January. I am meeting with them tomorrow to see if we're a good match. I'm hopeful that soon I'll have someone booked.
I am encouraged that without doing a whole lot to put my name out there yet, I've had a couple of inquiries. Soon, I'll be hooked up with the right family and it will be great. Hoping that my work over my break will get me some bookings as well. I feel ready to go to a birth and I think I'll do a great job.
So, unless I have time in between, I'm now planning to update the blog once a month, so look for an update in September!
As for school, the summer quarter was not focused on anything birth related, but my clinical hours were 12 hour shifts and high-acuity patients. I think learning how to deal with the long hours is good and now I feel better under pressure dealing with either really sick people or emergency situations. Hopefully, not many of those to come with doula clients, but still a skill that I will hold onto! I will be looking forward to fall when I am taking "Conceptual Framework for Nurse-Midwifery Practice" as one of my classes along with Community nursing and Psych/Mental Health nursing.
As for clients, I've had some ups and downs. I booked my first client due August 15th. She happens to be one of my very best friends and lives out of state. So, the logistics was going to be challenging, but I made whatever arrangements I could and the weekend of her baby shower did our prenatal meeting and started getting ready to go "on-call." However, at her 36 week check-up, her blood pressure caused her doctor to do some additional bloodwork and send her over to the hospital labor and delivery. We chatted and they wanted to do some additional bloodwork in the evening, so we weren't sure if a c-section was imminent or if she'd have a few more days/weeks. We found out around 9 p.m. that she was showing symptoms of early HELLP syndrome, so they went ahead with the c-section right away. So, unfortunately, I wasn't able to join her for her birth. Thankfully, both she and the baby were fine and are doing great now, so I still call that a successful birth!
About two weeks ago, I was contacted by someone through my website who was due in October and we set a meet-and-greet for the next day. We seemed to hit it off and she said she wanted to hire me, so we set up our first prenatal meeting for last week. However, before the meeting date came, she told me she changed her mind. She was looking for a primary support person and planned a medicated birth. I think after talking with her family and doctor they convinced her she could do an unmedicated birth without extra support. I wished her luck, but still hope she might reconsider before October.
So, then last week I was contacted by a new couple who may be interested in hiring me. This one due in January. I am meeting with them tomorrow to see if we're a good match. I'm hopeful that soon I'll have someone booked.
I am encouraged that without doing a whole lot to put my name out there yet, I've had a couple of inquiries. Soon, I'll be hooked up with the right family and it will be great. Hoping that my work over my break will get me some bookings as well. I feel ready to go to a birth and I think I'll do a great job.
So, unless I have time in between, I'm now planning to update the blog once a month, so look for an update in September!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)