We speak with doula Katy Kelley about her advice for new doulas, which centers around working as a team with all the parties and professionals involved in a birth. She reveals how her years of experience in healthcare have helped her to get accepted into the birth environment, why everyone has a part to play in the birth story, and why it is beneficial to avoid the tragic and fear-invoking birth stories online, but rather to trust the birth team and allow your own experience to come forward. Next, she tells us a bit about how she advocates for couples and educates them on the choices available in the moment, and emphasizes the immense value of working together as a team. During our second mini convo, we talk about the ways in which a doula’s permissions differ depending on whether it is a home or hospital birth. Katy tells us about the role of a nurse in administering pain relief and how she educates couples on what an honor and a blessing the birth experience can be, and how she uses essential oils to assist with pain relief, before bringing the point home that her role is to educate a couple that they do have choices! We hope you join us for these short episodes that pack a punch.
Key Points From This Episode:
Tweetables:
“For any new doulas coming into the profession as I leave it, [my] advice is: be a team player!” — Katy Kelley [0:00:01]
“There’s a lot of things online that are tragic or fear-invoking birth experiences, and I think by not reading too much, not expecting too much, and just allowing and trusting that this experience can come forward, and trusting the birth team.” — Katy Kelley [0:00:27]
“As a doula, I will advocate for that couple and support their wishes if there are things being suggested by a medical team and they are unaware.” — Katy Kelley [0:01:13]
“A big part of this is educating the couples on what an honor and a blessing this experience can be instead of approaching it fearfully.” — Katy Kelley [0:00:56]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: