Doula Burnout: What Do My Number of Working Hours Have To Do With Burnout?
-
Kaely Harrod 0:01
Welcome to the Four episode series on causes of doula burnout. Today's question that we're asking is, what do my number of hours have to do with my welcome to doula Tips and Tips, the podcast where I answer one question about pregnancy postpartum, or lactation. This is a space where it's safe to have questions and we're gonna give you real answers. We're not going to beat around the bush or give you what we want you to know. We are going to answer in an evidence based way. I'm Kaylee Herat and experienced doula mama three lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I started this work in part because of my own lack of answers in my journey of pregnancy and birth. And I'm on a mission for families to be well informed and well supported through this time. This is a space where you will learn about questions that you didn't even know that you should be asking and have answers to ones that you're already asking. The whole purpose here is for you to feel a bit more educated and informed and competent in this journey that often feels very new, and a little bit disconcerting. If you have not already I would love for you to subscribe to this podcast so that you get updates when there are new episodes. or head to our website Herat doula services.com to subscribe to our email updates so that you get notifications when we have a new episode Episodes Episode out. Thank you for joining us today. Hello, and welcome back. So we are diving for the next two weeks, the next four episodes into doula burnout and what that can look like how that impacts your business. Okay. Now, the very first cause I'm kind of going to dive into four different causes, because I think these four causes are some of the main reasons for doula burnout. But I'm open to sharing things that you think are other causes of it, because I love that collaboration. So by all means, shoot me a message on Instagram. Tell me what another cause of doula burnout is that maybe I have not included in this little series. So today's today's kind of portion, today's cause of burnout is the number of hours that a doula works. Now, I will once again add a big ol fat Asterix right here and say that if you are a birth doula, you don't always control how many hours you work. That is not what I mean in this conversation. Okay, but that needs to be factored in to the rest of the time that you work. So let me just break this down a little bit. I know a number of doulas who do let's say Placenta Encapsulation, and prenatal services, maybe education or something else, and birth doula services, and day and overnight postpartum services. So all of that can get really easily to the point of a person working 50 to 100 hours a week. And I know that sounds insane. But as a doula as a birth doula, my craziest week at least of births was 112 hours of birth support in five days. And that's like, essentially, the whole time. Maybe it was it five days, I think it was seven days, because now I'm thinking like, Wait, that's only like six hours of sleep, which was very little, very little sleep for babies in a row. And so, so when you're thinking about having your own business, one of the lovely things about it is getting to pick your hours, right and work at a sort of speed that works for you and your life. The flip side of that is you can very easily completely overbook yourself. Right? And it's a little bit tricky and doula work because we're in this sort of fluid space. Sometimes that's like, I might go to a birth for 22 hours, and then be home and have a shift with a postpartum client. But do I keep that shift? Or do I reschedule that shifts so I can sleep? Or like, what does that look like? Right? Because we're also the ones in our own businesses kind of making up those rules. So the reality is, we need to have some kind of precedent set out for ourselves, to hold ourselves accountable to self care, so that we don't overdo it. Because when you're working a business that you primarily get paid for your face to face time with clients. It's really easy to be like, Oh, I could do a few more hours of face to face time because that is a little bit more money, especially if you're in a situation where you really need your business to bring in a bit more profit, right. And so aside from like for births In the same week kind of scenario, that's not super common for most of us, right? You should not need as a doula as a business owner to set your business up in a way that keeps you completely dead in terms of amount of work. Okay? Now this can look like a couple different things. One, it can look like blocking off a couple of days, like, I don't do postpartum shifts on Sundays, except for incredibly rare scenarios, like true emergency kind of scenarios like really, really rare scenarios. And that's just a day that I keep for my family. Now, I do occasionally teach classes on Sundays, but it's very occasional. And so that's the reason I kind of protect every other Sunday is that I, I do occasionally give them away. Also, of course, occasionally, babies come on Sundays and whatnot. But in terms of what I am scheduling into my life, I try really hard to keep Sundays open. Now, also, I have particular days that I usually do prenatal visits, and particular days, I do doula consultations and particular days that I do some admin work and things like that. Now, that has taken time for me to get to that point. And also, my schedule is unique to me, given the circumstances of my family, the circumstances around my business, right. So I'm not saying you need to do what I do, what I'm saying is think through how you can kind of look at your calendar and make your availability such that you honor the fact that you need boundaries, whether that looks like I'm not going to work more than X amount of hours in a week. And so I'm not going to schedule five overnights for the same week, because then I won't ever sleep and I have daytime stuff happening. Or if it looks like okay, if a birth comes, I'm always going to cancel the next day of postpartum clients because I need a day to recover, right? It can look like a little bit of both of those. Ideally, it is kind of a balance between various things, right? Because you really do want to be able to give yourself space to both like, have days where you're like, I'm exhausted, and I'm going to be no good to you if I come over and do a shift. So we need to reschedule. And also days where you're like, well, that birth was real fast. And so I could come today instead of tomorrow, if you need me, right. And that flexibility is part of the beautiful aspect of this work, both in the type of work that it is that many families are just like I am doing absolutely nothing but hanging out at home with a newborn all day. And also in the fact that the work that we do is not super defined by hours, right? Because there, there's this unpredictability to both needs in the postpartum time and also length and timing of labor. That requires some level of flexibility from us, okay. So I really recommend that you kind of settle on what you want ours to look like for you, whether that is time of day, whether that is which days you want to work and not work, whether that is how many hours per day, or how many hours per week. And then again, go back to this last the last episode, we're talking about pricing. And think through, okay, if I'm only going to take four clients for postpartum shifts in a week, but I need to make like $1,000 a week, well, my postpartum clients are only going to equal paying me about like $350. So how do I get to the point of increasing my prices, so that my needs match on both sides, right, so the number of hours and clients that I want to need to have matches up with the amount of money that I need to earn or want to earn because those two things have to work together. Right? As solo entrepreneurs, sometimes we sort of function in this space of like, like our, our, our work is sort of like a jigsaw puzzle. That's, that's, like partially put together. And then there are some pieces that are like, in the vicinity of where they go, but not actually connected, right. And I know that maybe sounds silly, but how many of us are like, Yes, I need to talk about that thing on this platform, but I haven't done it and I, like have this thing, but I haven't posted it and I, you know, have this person that I need to reach out to but I keep forgetting. And that is a result of having all these moving pieces that don't actually connect to each other. Right? They're not functioning as a functioning hole in your business. And that really matters long term in terms of burnout and sustainability. Okay, so I want to just end this episode by telling you about something super excited. I'm really pumped for.
Kaely Harrod 9:58
I have a brand new Will class for you for a new doula. It is happening on March 7. So you have a little bit of time to enroll to sign up for it register for it. It is a free class. And it's talking about the three aspects of a doula business that makes it sustainable and successful. Because a doula business has to be both successful and sustainable. Right? It needs to be both of those things in equal parts. So I would absolutely love to have you at this class. It's happening on February or February, no, not February, it is happening on March 7, at 12, Eastern Time, 12 noon, Eastern Time, and you can invite friends to it, you can come for free, there will be a replay for about a week because, you know, doula life, none of us really have schedules that are predictable. And so please do come and learn three aspects that I think are vital, absolutely vital to your doula business being both sustainable and successful. And you setting yourself up with the right foundation to actually make that a reality for you. So I'm including the link to register for the webinar or for the free class in the show notes. I'm super, super excited to have you there. And I will see you then on March 7. Until next time, I wish you well informed consent filled do like. So all of this information is intended to be educational and entertainment. Please use it as such. And if you have questions about your own medical health, or need recommendations from your own provider, please do speak to them. This is not intended to replace them in any way. We are so happy that you are here joining us in this walk through pregnancy postpartum and lactation. Please take a second to like and subscribe, leave a positive review. That is how other families get to hear about us and get to learn from all the answers that we have here on this podcast. As always, I would really love to connect with you. I love answering questions. I know that you know that because you are here, but I would love to hear what your questions are. So if I have not yet answered them on the podcast, I would love to add them to the list of questions to be answered. please do reach out to me on Instagram or via email Kaely at Herat, doula services.com so that I can answer whatever question you have, and so that I can hear the feedback that you have about the podcast. Until we meet again, I wish you well informed consent filled birth and postpartum experiences
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Doula Burnout is a hot topic. There are many articles that say various amounts of time, but for sure most agree that burnout is a career that has an incredibly high rate of burnout and many doulas don’t stay in business beyond a few years. One major way to avoid burnout is to know the possible reasons for it and working to buffer those with prevention as much as possible.
Today’s episode is the first of four talking about burnout. It’s diving into overworking or giving too many hours away to your work and clients. We have all done this, and still do sometimes. The reality is that if you’re attending births there’s not a ton you can do about how long/frequently you’re there. But the other hours you have and the rest you take intentionally can be something you build in.
Key Takeaways:
Ask yourself these questions:
How many hours do you want to work?
How do you wish your life looked?
If you work for yourself, what is your ideal work/life balance?
Does that match your current client load?
Does your pay accommodate for those hours and desires?
Join us in the New Doula Masterclass Just for YOU! This masterclass goes into the 3 steps for both success AND sustainability in your doula business. Spots are limited so be sure to grab your free spot today!
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/doula-mentoring-masterclass
CONNECT with Kaely on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
This podcast is hosted by the Birth Prep Blueprint - comprehensive Childbirth Education for expectant parents to feel calm, prepared and confident about labor and birth. Podcast listeners (that’s YOU!) get 10% off! Use the link below and coupon code PODCAST
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/birth-prep-blueprint
** The Birth Prep Blueprint is offered for only $20 to anyone who qualifies for any kind of social services (meaning that a family has a lower income to the point that they would qualify for WIC or SNAP or Medicaid, etc.). No need to disclose your income, just which service you qualify for and the link can be sent right over. Just email kaely@harroddoulaservices.com to learn more.
If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me @harroddoula
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
