Haven Bereavement Doulas may live on-call lifestyles for clients who are pregnant or recently postpartum, but we also do bereavement doula work that does not involve being on call. So, if you’re considering becoming a bereavement doula but life on call doesn’t sound like it will work for you right now, know that bereavement doula work may still be for you.
One of the major roles we as Haven Bereavement Doulas play is the role of advocate. In our training, we talk about different ways to fulfill all of our roles; in this blog post, I want to share with you just a few ideas for advocacy work that don’t involve being on call:
- Start a bereaved parents community group in your area.
- Host conversations about death or perinatal loss in your community (maybe even specifically for birth workers).
- Help put together a Wave of Light, Memorial Walk, or other event to commemorate little ones who die young (this may especially be tied to October’s observance of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month).
- Create a shared resource list for your area of bereavement support providers and grief-informed folks.
- Write blog posts or social media posts about loss and loss support.
- Write grants for bereavement support in conjunction with your local non-profits.
- Write to local non-profits about the need for financial support for loss families in your area. (i.e., ask the Knights of Columbus to consider creating a perinatal loss funeral fund).
- Advocate for better workplace policies around bereavement leave.
- Work with local artists to do gallery shows or art fairs in honor of little ones who have died.
- Help your local hospital raise money for a Cuddle Cot.
- Organize a peer support group in your community for loss parents.
- Speak in your community about perinatal loss.
- Invite a speaker to give a presentation to your community about perinatal loss.
- Equip other providers in your area to be more grief-informed, perhaps through helping them to take a Haven Bereavement Doula training (lactation consultants, photographers, keepsake jewelry makers, nurses, OBs, chaplains, other doulas, etc.).
- Work with your local library to increase the number of grief support books they have available. Sometimes, you can donate a book, but you can almost always recommend a purchase.
- Here’s an example of how to recommend a purchase: How to ask your library to buy “A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss” – Catholic Bereavement Doula
- And keep in mind that the HCBD reading list is a great place to get started! The HCBD Haven Certified Bereavement Doula Reading List
- Offer to speak with clergy and spiritual leaders in your area about the spiritual needs families may have after loss.
Do you have more ideas? Comment below!
Are you ready to jump into this work? Sign up for a training now!