Boundaries in Birth Work: Work vs. Personal

Today kicks off our Boundaries series to avoid burnout.

How often does our work become our life? And all too soon, we are sitting at the dinner table with our kiddos disengaged from their excitement about their day and thinking about our next educational post, marketing at the upcoming events, social media numbers and shares, and checking our phone every ten minutes for new inquiries or to see if that mama that is three days overdue has texted yet. We aren't sleeping well because we are on edge about the next call-in. We are stressed about finding care for our kids while we are on call. And we are grabbing whatever is quickest and easiest when we are hungry or need a break.

Suddenly, we look in the mirror and notice the bags under our eyes, the lack of muscle tone, and the distant look in our eyes. We are exhausted. We are constantly feeling anxious and eventually birth work may even cause its own sense of stress. What we loved in the beginning is starting to feel like a heavy burden. Ever been there?

Healthy boundaries on when we work vs when we don't can be a challenge but also a life saver! Here are some ideas:

*Determine how many clients per month you can balance, and stick with it (even if the extra money looks tempting!)

*Set a time of day to check your email, and only check it once per day

*Have "office hours" when you return inquiry phone calls, texts, or emails (this can even be listed on your website)

*Communicate in writing with clients on how quickly you'll respond to each form of communication (example: "I'll respond to a text within 24 hours, and an email within 48. If you are calling for birth support, keep in mind that I guarantee my presence at your birth within a two hour response window).

*Set one day per week to do invoicing, receipts, social media, marketing, etc. (consider finding an office space away from home in order to keep focused)

*Involve your kids, if you'd like in ways that they may feel a part of your life (making up client gifts, writing notes, prepping marketing materials, etc.) but don't let it leak into family time.

*Consider a partnership model to allow "off call" time where you can give your family your full attention without risk of being called in.

Your efforts in putting up and maintaining boundaries between work and personal time will empower your doula work for years to come!

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