Services to Add To Your Doula Business Today

Every doula is passionate about their work, whether it is supporting parents as they bring a baby into the world or working with them in the postpartum period. While that work is extremely rewarding and is more than enough for any business, many doulas choose to offer additional services to their clients. Offering even one other service is a great way to increase your income, expand your marketing reach, and maintain connections with your client for a longer period of time.

There are endless ways to expand your doula business- below are just a few.

Placenta Encapsulation and Services

It is becoming increasingly popular for families to make use of their placenta, rather than discarding it like most people have in the past. Doulas are able to take the placenta from the site of birth and can offer a range of services, including making art prints with the organ or potting it to be planted alongside a tree. The most common service, though, is placenta encapsulation, in which it is freeze dried and turned into pills for the new mother to take during the postpartum period. Placenta pills have been shown to decrease the risk of postpartum mood disorders and restore iron levels after birth.

With a certification and the right equipment, you can include placenta encapsulation as a service and deliver the capsules at your postpartum visit.

Lactation Consulting

Most doulas, especially postpartum doulas, find themselves offering breastfeeding advice and support. However, that doesn’t make them lactation consultants- this certification comes from the IBCLC, or International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners, who train and certify people in the skills necessary. Because so many women seek help from a lactation consultant, this certification can mean you don’t need to refer your client out, but can instead help them on a deeper level.

Lactation consulting can be one-time or an ongoing series of appointments, leaving a lot of opportunity for growth as well as the ability to serve the community outside of your doula clients.

Prenatal Massage

Everybody loves a massage, and they can be particularly beneficial in pregnancy. However, there are also special techniques that can both ease pregnancy symptoms and avoid any complications, which you learn when training in prenatal massage. These techniques could come in handy with clients before their birth, as well as during labor and even in the postpartum period. Offering massage as a part of your doula package may also be a way to build trust and intimacy with your clients.

Car Seat Installation

One of the most important things you can do for a child’s safety is to use a car seat that is installed properly. While most car seats are fairly simple to use, concerned parents often want the guidance of an expert, or a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST.) With this certification, you will be able to properly install a seat, as well as help parents to understand how to properly restrain their child and other safety guidelines for the use of them. This is again something that could be done at a prenatal visit, a postpartum visit, or even virtually.

Belly casting and belly binding, henna, photography, writing birth stories, and childbirth education are other examples of common services, and there are many more. If you choose something that you will enjoy and be passionate about, your business can grow as much as you desire.

If you do choose to add other options to your business, Birthbase allows you to create and customize packages within the app, so that contract creation is a breeze no matter what you include.