Be a doula!

If you think you might have what it takes to help women during and after labour, then why not consider working as a doula? This extract from the book 'A Bit on The Side: 500 ways to boost your income' by Jasmine Birtles, published by Piatkus priced £10.99, shows you how

If you are a mother you are pretty much qualified to be a doula. Doulas are birth partners and post-birth partners - like surrogate mothers to new mothers - and any woman who has had a baby and wants to help other women get through it happily could become a doula.

How to do it

You will need to take a doula course with British Doulas (contact details below), who run four-day courses for women who want to become birth partners and post-birth partners. You do not need academic qualifications to go on the course but it leads to a City & Guilds Doula Profile of Achievement. The agency will place you in jobs around the country or you can get jobs on your own. If you do it yourself you will have to devote money and effort to advertising yourself, possibly getting a website designed and continuously marketing your service. You can work part-time or full-time as a post-birth doula, helping around the house, making sure the fridge is full, preparing food for the mother and helping her care for the baby. You can also work as a birth doula - either instead of or as well as post-birth work - in which case you will be with a mother when she goes into labour and throughout the birth, supporting her, making her feel confident and being her champion if she needs someone to speak up for her in the birthing room. Doulas also support fathers and the wider family during and after birth.

How much can you make?

Doulas in Britain make, on average, about £10 per hour for post-birth work and between £200 and £400 for a birth.

Costs

You will need to pay for the course. In addition you will need insurance and you will also probably want to read books on birth and babies. Apart from that the only real cost will be travelling to and from your jobs and maybe some household equipment.

Training and qualifications

You need to take the British Doulas course, and it helps to have the City & Guilds Profile of Achievement.

Pros

This is a great way of making use of your experience as a mother. Women of any age can do this job so long as they are strong enough. Some doulas are over 70 and still going strong.

Cons

Only women can do this job and it is certainly not for everyone. If you are at all squeamish or you don't like doing housework, it is not for you.