The Wild Life of Using Your Child Life Skills as a Postpartum Doula with Veronica Burns

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Veronica Burns, about her pivotal career shift to become a thriving postpartum doula and infant mental health specialist. 

Veronica's journey reflects what many professionals experience—the desire to apply specialized healthcare knowledge in settings that better honor their unique strengths and circumstances. After becoming certified in 2018 and briefly working in child advocacy, health challenges and insufficient workplace accommodations prompted her to explore alternatives. Rather than abandoning her training, Veronica discovered postpartum doula work perfectly complemented her child life foundation.

The parallels between these fields are remarkable. "Being a child life specialist is kind of like a thermometer, you're changing your temperature to fit what's going on in the room," Veronica explains. This adaptability serves her tremendously while supporting families with newborns, particularly those with NICU graduates or traumatic birth experiences. Working overnight shifts, she provides evidence-based education on infant cues, sleep patterns, and sensory needs while empowering parents to trust their instincts.

For professionals of color, Veronica's candid discussion about facing microaggressions and systemic barriers within traditional healthcare structures offers important perspective. Her successful transition demonstrates that professional value isn't limited to one setting—especially when those pathways present inequitable obstacles. Now running her own business and booked eight months in advance, her story highlights how child life education creates transferable value that can thrive in adjacent fields.

Could your child life skills open doors to unexpected opportunities? Listen as Veronica shares how to explore doula training, apply developmental knowledge in new settings, and potentially discover your perfect professional fit beyond traditional paths.

You can follow Veronica on Instagram and TikTok as @veronicathedoula.

Track: Odessa — LiQWYD & Scandinavianz [Audio Library Release]Music provided by Audio Library PlusWatch: https://youtu.be/jNy-Dp3lgcgFree Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/odessa

Chapters

• 0:00 Meeting Families Where They Are
• 4:24 Veronica's Journey into Child Life
• 10:35 Pivoting from Child Life to Doula Work
• 18:28 What a Postpartum Doula Actually Does
• 24:36 Applying Child Life Skills in Doula Work
• 35:15 Building a Successful Doula Business
• 38:28 Advice for Child Life Students & Professionals