Wanting to be a doula in the UK.

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Doula.Com General Discussion : One Thread

My name is Andrea, and i'm a mother of 5. I really want to become a doula, and have seen a few courses on websites on the internet. I have found that these are run by agencies, but I would prefer to be an independent doula such as yourself when trained. Do you have any advice? Are all the courses run in London? I would love to hear how being a doula is for you. I am an advocate of breastfeeding, as I have nursed all five of my children, as well as offering help and support to enable friends and family members to continue breastfeeding when it got difficult. I have also attended a few births as a friend/family member. I am in Shropshire, and I would love to introduce this service to the area. I know you must be very busy - thanks for any advice in advance,

~ Andrea.

-- Andrea Stone (andrea22_uk@yahoo.com), September 15, 2003

Answers

Hi Andrea

You may be interested in a network of doulas in the UK called "Doula UK" - I was around when they first formed in 2001 but have now moved to NZ (but I still maintain their website www.doula.org.uk). The group got together for exactly the reason you state - they wanted to be a community of independent doulas without connections to "agencies". When you join the network you are able to display your details as a doula on the "Find A Doula" pages of the website which are a free resource for parents-to-be/new parents (no agency fees involved ;o)) We are also currently trying to establish accreditation for doulas in the UK.

Have a look on the website and then contact some of the doula members to find out more!

Best wishes

Vida

-- Vida Rye (vida@doula.org.uk), October 05, 2003.


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