Some of us offer a lot of handouts and resources to our clients. We can offer them in many ways. One way is printing out handouts for them as a visual guide that they get to keep. You can even send them as pdf's in email to save on paper. we even know some doulas who have documents saved and when something comes up in a conversation they can tap into them on their smart phone and send appropriate documents when they come up in conversation.
If you have created your own document that you are sharing with a client be sure to have your name and all of your contact info on there. Got a logo? Put it at the top.
If you are using a handout that someone else created be sure you have permission to use it and to give them credit. Some handouts are available to purchase on line too. We will blog about these later.
Our top 5 handouts that we think every doula should have ready to share with clients are the following:
1. Pre labor symptoms
2. What to pack in your birth bag
3. Local Resources (keep this updated with trusted referrals that you know personally and have gotten good feedback on)
4. Sample birth plan
5. Call Protocol (how and when to get in touch with you as their doula)