Rerun: Working as a Doula When You Have A Full-Time Job
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Transcript
Hello and welcome back to Doula Tips and Tits. This is our first summer episode of repeat episodes. Now this summer in most of July and August for about the next month, we're gonna be re -releasing old episodes that are some of the highest listened to episodes, some of the most impactful episodes we've ever had.
So these aren't just any old episodes, they are some of the favorites. And we are gonna be releasing them so that you can learn from them again. We're also re -releasing them because I am trying to take some at least of July off so that I can hang out with my kiddos, spend some quality time with my family and just have a rest, just have some time off.
And so that is part of why you're getting this lovely series of repeats. Expect this from about this episode until the middle of August and then we're gonna be releasing some episodes that are guest episodes.
We're gonna be talking about trainings and things that I recommend you doing, things that I recommend you looking into in terms of what you should learn. And that is gonna be just a really, really awesome experience.
So to get us started, today's episode is talking about working as a full -time employee and working as a doula. So this is for those of you who are thinking about branching into doula work full -time but you currently have a full -time job outside of doula work or for people who are kind of juggling the back and forth of on -call life and having other set hourly things.
So I hope that you find this just as helpful as you have in the past and I look forward to hearing from you on Instagram what your thoughts are. Enjoy. Welcome to doula tips and tips. This podcast is a place where we answer one question about doula work, both to support you and to help you support your clients.
I'm Kaylee Harrod. I've been supporting families in this perinatal space since my oldest was born, 12, nearly 13 years ago. I am a birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, La Leche League leader, and a doula coach.
I love guiding and supporting doulas as they work out their doula business. It is a tremendous joy to be trusted in this way. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Hello and welcome back. Thank you so much for being a wonderful solid listener of this beautiful podcast.
I am diving into this question today of can you work as a doula if you also work another job full -time? Now the short answer is yes, but it also depends, right? So if you work a full -time job that has some flexibility in your hours or if you're able to work remotely entirely or if you can work at hours that are a little less conventional or something like that, then yes, it is something that lots of doulas do.
Many people have this as sort of a part -time side thing. However, there needs to be a good deal of flexibility in your full -time work in order to make this doable. In part because doula work is unpredictable, right?
So especially if you're going to work as a birth doula, then you really have to factor in the fact that you're on call and you need to be available kind of at the drop of a hat to attend a birth. So that is a huge factor.
Another thing that you wanna just like consider when you're making this decision is what kind of doula work you want to do because some doula work is actually much more scheduled than birth work is. Also, you don't have to make it look like everyone else makes it look, right?
So I know doulas who do like mainly texting support during a birth where someone hires them just to be able to ask questions as they go through the process but not to ever physically be present. So that's work that you could in theory do during another job, right?
So it really does depend on how you want this to look and kind of how it should play out for your desires. We'll be right back after this short message from our sponsor. So one thing to consider if you're working full time but also branching into doula work is how to make it sustainable for you.
Now, I do know some doulas who are working towards being full time in doula work but until they are, they have to continue to be full or part time at their other employment. If that's the case for you, then think about really emphasizing either things that are going to get you to the point of being more financially stable faster or things that you can kind of scale and sell at a larger, larger like volume.
So consider things like classes or postpartum hours or, um, virtual services, like things that do not require your, um, being on call for one thing, especially if you work a job that you have to physically be present during certain hours, um, and also think about things that are a part of your business that you can easily kind of grow on the side without it being you working two full -time jobs, right?
Part of this work that is unsustainable is if you work it in a way that actually makes you do a ton more work than any human being should do in any given week. Um, but when you work for yourself and you kind of set your own hours, then it's really easy to just give, give, give, give, give, and not have really solid boundaries around sleep and things like that.
So you really want to be cautious if you're doing this work on top of another job that you're not kind of overworking yourself. Another thing to think about that some doulas do is to be a birth doula in a partnership where you have certain times that you're on and the other doula has certain times they're on that can work well for having solid breaks or, um, for having like days that you're like off call, right?
Like that, that kind of takes away some of the unpredictability of the on -call life as a doula, and also allows you to share the burden of business with another doula or friend. So that's something to also consider.
Um, I do think things like teaching classes or having postpartum hours, those can be a much easier way to get started if you are working a full -time job as well, I hope that was helpful. Um, and I would love to hear what your questions are so I can answer them for you on one of these awesome episodes.
Um, until next time, I do wish you consent filled, well -educated birth and postpartum times. Thanks for joining us for this episode of the doula tips and tips podcast. If you learned something today or had an aha moment, we'd love for you to share that on Instagram and tag us at hara doula so we can celebrate alongside you, if you found this podcast helpful, we would so appreciate you taking a second to leave a rating and a review on your favorite podcast app that helps other doulas find us as we do this work together.
This podcast is intended as educational and entertainment. It is not medical advice or business advice. Please consult your own medical or legal team for your own needs around your health and your business.
We'll see you again soon.
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Doula Work, especially Birth Doula specifically, is an on-call job in most cases. That means it comes with a good deal of unpredictability. When someone is branching into this work as a part time venture or as a second career, it can be hard to do this work alongside another job that has specific hour requirements.
However, it is absolutely possible to be a doula and also work a part time or full time job elsewhere. In fact, I know many doulas who do that. In the coming weeks we’ll discuss various additional services a doula can have in their business in addition to serving clients as a doula. Those services often are less on-call and therefore easier to do when you have additional employment.
I mention the ability to book coaching calls with me. Those can be found below:
30 Minute Coaching:
https://calendly.com/harroddoula/doula-coaching-30-minutes?preview_source=et_card&month=2024-06
60 Minute Coaching:
https://calendly.com/harroddoula/doula-coaching-one-off?month=2024-06
CONNECT with Kaely on TikTok or Instagram
https://www.tiktok.com/@doulacoach
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
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
