When I launched Doula Olivia, the first choice I had to make about my doula practice was the name – and that came pretty easily.
Second, something to set me apart: something quippy, something concise. This is how I became the You Do You Doula.
I chose “helping you do you (in childbirth)” because I wanted to convey a lot, in a little. I wanted to express encouragement (you do you!), ownership (its YOUR birth), and a little bit of sass. I wanted my business to feel familiar and friendly. But most of all, I want to start every relationship, with every family I serve, with the solemn promise that my only agenda is their own. I am not invested in which path your birth experience takes, as long as you feel like you’ve had your hand in that path. I believe that any birth can be a positive experience, as long as the parents are not made to feel afraid or ashamed.
I’m here to combat the idea that choosing a doula starts an unavoidable if/then domino effect.
If I hire a doula, then I must have an unmedicated birth.
If I work with a doula, then I must breastfeed.
If I secure doula care, then I must keep my placenta.
My hope is spread the word that this simply isn’t true. There is a doula out there for every family, whether you are planning a cesarean birth, or bottle feeding, or delivering in your home bathtub. And maybe that doula is me! Because what I’m invested in is YOUR ideal birth, nothing else. To say it simpler: I want to help you do you (in childbirth.)
And I mean it so seriously, I stuck it to the back of my doula-mobile.
