Working Online As A Doula During The Pandemic

27 Mar

The world has changed in a couple of weeks and now we all need to figure out how to physically distance ourselves from each other whilst still socially supporting each other.

Psychological impacts of quarantine are worst for young women, particularly if they are pregnant or have one baby and quarantine lasts more than 10 days. My heart is breaking for all the lonely and scared mums around the world right now. Please keep working to support new mums online or in any way you safely can.

I’ve pulled together a bunch of video lessons showing you how to move your postpartum work online. They are pretty rough and ready, but I’m sure they will answer a tonne of your questions including:

What microphone, lighting and camera to use?
What speed internet do you need?
What actual work can be done online?
Creating pre-recorded content in addition to live content including webinars, mums groups and 1:1 consultations.

And so much more!!

Like many of you, I have all my kids home now and life is pretty chaotic, so these lessons are not up to my usual standard. But like all of you, I am here to serve, not to be perfect! Please use these rough and ready resources to get on with supporting Newborn Mothers around the world today - like some of my brilliant students already are.

“I just taught my first Mama and Baby Yoga and Massage circle via Zoom and I’m feeling on top of the world. It was so great and the mums were so appreciative of having a way to connect with other mums and feel a part of something. So if you’re hesitating in getting your circle up and running via zoom... just do it! Mums need us now more than ever 💕” - Melissa Field

Creating Online Content

(Not Live Content)

A Few More Equipment And Software Suggestions:

Dimmable Diva LED Ring Light is another simple, inexpensive lighting option.

I no longer recommend Mailchimp - if you want free software, I now recommend Mailerlite which is free.

Otter is a free alternative to Rev for making transcripts.

I also now use Loom for quick and free sharable videos of myself and my screen, for feedback and tutorials.

For eCourses, I use and love Simplero. (Affiliate link!)

Mobile network (for example 4G) often has better connectivity than broadband in Australia.

Podcasting

This is a live and spontaneous lesson I did in our Private Facebook Community, it is all about podcasting and is in response to some questions we had from our members. If you are considering creating a podcast this is a great place to start.

Here Is What You Will Learn:

Topic, Format And Schedule
Sound And Editing
Hosting And RSS Feed
Title And Artwork
Intro And Outro
Reviews And Subscribers

In the video above I don't mention it, however, I use Zoom to record my interviews.

I hope you enjoy this additional bonus content!

Online Mothers Groups, Webinars And A 1:1 Consultation

A Few More Equipment and Software Suggestions:

Loom - For creating face to video and screen sharing videos.

Zoom - For Online Mother's Groups, webinars and a 1:1 consultation

Confirming I did get a registration confirmation email after I finished the video, that allowed me to add all the dates to my calendar.

Here Is An Example Of One Of Our Digital Doulas From Newborn Mothers Collective

An Actual Online Mothers' Groups

(In Case You Can’t Picture How We Can Connect Deeply Online!)

Learn More About Working As A Doula >>> Pricing During The Pandemic and What COVID-19 Means For Postpartum Care Work.

Online ServicesCorona VirusPandemicDigital Doula

Julia Jones

Julia is the founding director and lead educator at Newborn Mothers, a global postpartum education business. She has worked in postpartum care for fifteen years, trained thousands of postpartum professionals worldwide and written a bestselling book called Newborn Mothers — when a baby is born so is a mother.