becoming an ayurdoula

[Guest guest]

Hello all!

 

So today I was in an indoor playpark/gymnastics center with my little baby Kai

(now 19 months, time flies)I noticed a woman that was across the room and it

seemed as though her energy was just outside herself. I am no intuit or

anything so this was strong. When I got closer I noticed she had a little baby

carrier/carseat with a baby that looked like she was JUST born. Well it turns

out that mama had the baby 4 days ago. She could barely stand and here she was

out in this crazy playpark with a gizzilion kids running around. She was there

with her hubby and their 3 year old daughter. I talked with her for a bit and

she mentioned that they weren't getting any sleep due to " colic " and of course

her pediatrician gave her useless information saying to cut out dairy and dose

the baby with mylicon. Brilliant.

So I have been thinking about how to help this woman all day, and I plan on

cooking some of the amazing recipes that Ysha and Sonya made for me during my pp

period.

 

Ok so now my question. How did all of you decide to become ayurdoula's? Was it

an overwhelming sense to help these women and the new beautiful beings? Did you

begin with other forms of doula training or midwifery? How long is the training

to become a very well versed ayurdoula? Are there any in Arizona?

 

Sorry that was more than one question, but I feel like this path might be

calling to me, but with 2 kids, one under the age of 2 I'm not sure if it is a

realistic one right now....

 

Thanks for any info!

Betsy

[Guest guest]

Dear Betsy!

 

Oh my, it is so sad when moms this early feel they have to be out, and so

inspiring whenever sharing like yours begins to happen. You might want to see

the little 55 page recipe collection available now at the

sacredwindow.com/the_shoppe in addition to whatever you remember about your

care, and send her there too! The recipe collection includes in the back,

several pages on foods to favor by which weeks postpartum, to be sure the weak

digestive fires and other needs get cared for appropriately.

 

If you and she like the idea (sounds like a good plan for her), we can do a

three way call/consult also and you can begin to see how we work together, and

we can better determine what she most needs now, and ways you may be able to

support her best if she is open to it. She is very fortunate to have your

loving gifts of any meals, for sure. Perhaps working with her to create a food

chain amongst her best friends can be started - I've a page on the website also

called YOUR VILLAGE which may give you and her some ideas.

 

For your own interests towards the training, it would be wise for you to start

some basic Ayurvedic and Postpartum Ayurvedic reading - even if you can plan to

take the 6 day part 1 program in October somehow in Boulder (?) You would want

to get much of the reading done beforehand. Materials avail same place as the

recipes. RMIYA requires a good intro to Ayurveda and herbs (45 hours) THeirs is

now way too intensely scheduled for any mothering time.

 

Yes, if Baby is showing signs they call colic at 4 days postpartum, it isn't

even likely to be food based (unless formula feeding) even though that may be an

issue too. Good discussion in the Nourishing BAby chapter of that AFPPCC unit.

As Janel Miranda so well explained in an earlier post on this forum, birth

stressors and cranio-saccral disturbances are usually the problem in immediate

onset. Dietary sourced in a breastfeeding mom (?) colic builds up over about 3

weeks by our experience, and does take some time to turn around also.

 

Janel's website is a wealth of info thereshe needs distilled for her, into

nearby resources like polarity therapist or cranio-saccralor chiropractic

specialists in infant care if not in the techniques taught by her teachers.

(take care for this mom, with her screaming hi/excess vata, it may be info

overload to sort)

 

More important is for this mother to welcome the support to stay in and inward

for a few weeks, rebuilding her strength, her agni, protecting her and baby's

wide open super-sensitive aura. Teach her self-abhyanga, plus warm oil infant

massage when the cord is off, tips like that will be in your notes easily

accessed and learned. ANd offer her the hot milk tonic, if she is from any

heritage genetically that is accustomed to dairy! Just serve away from

lunch/dinner type tastes and properly prepared.

 

> Ok so now my question. How did all of you decide to become ayurdoula's? Was

it an overwhelming sense to help these women and the new beautiful beings? Did

you begin with other forms of doula training or midwifery? How long is the

training to become a very well versed ayurdoula? Are there any in Arizona?

 

Love it, Betsy! I think most of us had such a desire...for me perhaps linked to

some really rough experience that even broke up a marriage over ignorance around

the postpartum time with my daughter, traveling when we shouldn't have, and many

other things. YOu can begin with the AyurDoula home study materials, though

some basic ayurvedic terminology/concept is needed. Email me privately for an

options sheet for different avenues of entry.

 

Basic POSTPARTUM doula training is required for those wanting to earn the

Ayurvedic doula certificate also, doesn't have to be done first. I " m sure they

come thru Flagstaff or nearby from time to time to do their 3 day intensive

weekends - CAPPA, DONA, ALACE and other groups nationally certify and do it

well. DONA and ALACE are my preferred, more homebirth oriented.We purposely do

not cover material the regular postpartum doula trainings do well already.

THere are other ways to qualify for that material, such as midwifery, nursing,

lactation consultant, CBE, or if you don't want certification, reading and

direct experience are fine of course. BIRTH doula training is different from

POSTPARTUM doula training, and is not preparation for postpartum Ayurvedic doula

training.

 

The postpartum ayurvedic doula training as taught at RMIYA in Colorado, is a 250

hour certificate; 165 direct class hours, plus your internship phone

consultations precepting your practicals in addition to homework and tests.

 

There is much you can do from a distance, to be able to really help people like

this. If you want the correspondence/plus version of learning, you might make

the 5 hour drive over to Albuquerque this summer for the hands on skill training

after submitting some of the tests - saving you time away from your family.

Sometimes a client is happy to have reduced rate help with me in form of a

student, who pays the difference to have the direct learning experience. And be

in touch by phone around your home clients.

 

Let me know if this makes sense to you and how I might help get you going in

this precious work!

 

Love to see you and your family again.

Ysha

 

 

Well it turns out that mama had the baby 4 days ago. She could barely stand and

here she was out in this crazy playpark with a gizzilion kids running around.

She was there with her hubby and their 3 year old daughter. I talked with her

for a bit and she mentioned that they weren't getting any sleep due to " colic "

and of course her pediatrician gave her useless information saying to cut out

dairy and dose the baby with mylicon.

 

I feel like this path might be calling to me, but with 2 kids, one under the age

of 2 I'm not sure if it is a realistic one right now....