Whether you are a doula trying to set expectations for yourself and your clients or a pregnant family trying to determine what’s normal, today’s episode is for you! Doulas all function a bit differently, so as always there’s some nuance to today’s answer. When a doula joins their clients during birth depends on a number of factors.

It’s important to remember that there’s no magical way to know when the perfect time to join is. I wish it were that easy. In general, when a doula is joining super early it is often due to imposter syndrome and feeling as if you need to prove something or be overly validated. I do not say that lightly because I have healthy doses of imposter syndrome from time to time myself! 

Key Takeaways:

• Usually supporting virtually in early labor and then in person when things are more active is a good strategy
• This allows for the family to have optimal help during the most crucial times from a well-rested doula
• There are scenarios when a doula should consider joining sooner and those are highlighted in the episode! 
• A big part of this work is learning when to adapt your norm, and that’s important for this topic as well! 

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Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services

It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class

Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay

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