Doulas all over the world!
The role of a doula is similar in each country. However, because
doulas are relatively new to many regions, there may be some
reluctance for caregivers to support doulas. Initially, if you
are living in a country where there are few doulas, much of your
work may be in building relationships with caregivers and
promoting the role of a doula to the pregnant population.
Having a certification and evidence of training can help to
build your credibility. We have many students working all over
the world and each of them have been successful in building
their doula business and increasing awareness of the doula role
- even in countries where they are the only doula!
Students in different countries often find that the level of
intervention used in childbirth is very high. This is
particularly true in non-Western countries. Finding a caregiver
who is supportive of natural birth can be challenging. Options
are often limited for the women they are working with and
frequently practices are used that are not evidence-based. For
many international doulas they find that increasing awareness of
research based care and passing on basic knowledge about birth
forms a large part of the work they do. For this reason, they
find it beneficial to incorporate childbirth education as part
of their doula practice.
Language and cultural barriers can sometimes seem to reduce the
chances of a doula finding work if she is living in a country
that is not her homeland. However, much of the work we do as
doulas is about touch and reassurance through body language.
Even if you do not speak the same language your role can still
be invaluable. Doulas living in foreign countries may work
within the expatriate community, providing support for women who
are living a long way from home without the usual family support
network. Husbands may travel frequently within this community
and women may feel isolated. A doula's presence is particularly
beneficial to this group.
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How
does CBI cater for international doulas? |
The CBI team is an international one. Our trainers have lived in
a variety of countries themselves and are based all over the
world. Many of the group have lived as expatriates and
understand the special challenges that can be faced by doulas in
countries outside the USA. If you are living outside the USA,
you will be assigned a trainer who has experience of living
internationally. In most cases we can provide a trainer who is
from your country, or lives in a country nearby.
CBI student materials are all evidence-based. The research we
have used in creating the student manuals has come from a
variety of sources and we have ensured that data from different
countries has been used to reflect the international flavor of
CBI. Where medical terminology may differ because of regional
and language differences, we have explained this in the student
texts. We also use a variety of external readings that provide
perspectives from different parts of the world.
In
order to support students in different parts of the world, the
chat sessions are made available at different times each week.
This ensures that a chat is available on your time
zone so you
have the opportunity to talk to trainers and other students if
you would like to.
We
feel it is important to have an understanding of cultural
differences when supporting women through pregnancy and birth.
Because of this, we spend time in the student manuals discussing
cultural differences. Trainers will often provide a cultural
perspective when answering questions on the student
discussion forum. Students from different parts of the world are encouraged to
share their experiences to enable everyone to learn from each
other and gain insight into how birth happens in different
places.
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