WHOOP WHOOP!!! Your prospective client signed the contract and paid the deposit. You’re hired!! Your birth doula business is moving and grooving!!!

NOW WHAT??

I want to share the exact welcome packet that I send to clients before our first prenatal appointment!

My doula welcome packets include:

• a handwritten thank you note from me
• a branded sticker perfect to display on a water bottle, laptop, or car
• a rackcard of related businesses or relevant promotions
• a hardcopy of my birth doula client workbook!

I’ve been a certified birth doula since 2015, and am nearing 100 families served. Back when I got started, I remember feeling so overwhelmed at the number of details I wanted to go over with clients. Doulas are like trail guides, right? We literally thrive on making sure folks have information and options.

However, for our clients who are brand new to the wonderful world of birth, all of that information can feel like they’re being knocked over by a relentless contraction. Just like we would offer a rice sock and a position change for relief from painful back labor, we owe it to our clients to provide some relief and guidance through the ‘labor’ of slogging through the endless parade of birth resources.

To better support my clients (and myself!) I created a resource that revolutionized my prenatal appointments. I’ve culled through dozens of handouts and synthesized piles of information into a 40-page bite-sized workbook.

Revolutionize your Doula Welcome Packet with the Birth Doula Client Workbook Template

The backbone of my doula welcome packet is the Birth Doula Client Workbook. It’s 40-pages of goodness I use in every birth doula prenatal appointment!

Before I created this workbook, I had a very clunky system for managing prenatal appointments and information.

“I want to make sure we cover pain relief options and their preferences.”

Then, after a few births. “OOF. We really need to talk about birth visitors, communication, and boundaries.”

Then, after some unexpected outcomes. “Oh shoot. I really didn’t prepare those clients well for the eventuality of a c-section.”

As soon as an issue would come up, I would scour the internet for a handout to stuff into an already overcrowded folder. Or (worse!) I relied on jumbled notes in a Google Doc to remind me of what I needed to mention.

There had to be a better way — and there was!

A few years ago, I sat down with my Canva account and a vision to incorporate all the prenatal talking points I needed to cover with doula clients. Then, after weeks of creating and tweaking, I had a copy of the Birth Doula Client Workbook that I was proud of. Our local printer provided a gorgeous, full-color sample and I could have cried with relief. Finally! A better solution.

Check out the Birth Doula Client Workbook!

I love sending a physical copy of this workbook in the mail to my clients, as well as a digital copy to their inbox when they sign. That way, those who are eager to dive in can get a head start. Those who plan to focus on birth planning when we meet will already have their supplies. And I know that when our appointment time comes, I don’t have to worry about remembering to take copies with me.

Our appointments aren’t rigid, nor do they move at a break-neck pace to make sure everything is covered. With the workbook, I know that if we spend more time on one element of birth planning, I can easily assign a few pages as ‘homework’ so clients can get the information. (And remember those folks who are eager to get going? Appointments are so much smoother and substantive if they’ve already had a guide for forming their thoughts!)

Make a Memorable First Impression

Other ways I like to create a memorable first impression are by sending along a Mother Well sticker (the name of my doula practice) and including a handwritten thank you note. This probably comes from my very proper grandmother who believed in the power of handwritten notes. This is one part of my doula business I would never outsource. Why? Because nothing compares to being able to individually thank the folks who trust your expertise and have invited you into their birthing space. Clients are literally putting food on my table – supporting my family as I support theirs. A thank you note is more than appropriate!

If you wanted to really spruce up your birth doula welcome packet, here are a few other gift ideas that would fit in a flat envelope:

• samples of tea or pregnancy-safe supplements
• affirmation cards, either a few that you created or a handful purchased from another source
• a themed watercolor print
• a small notebook or pregnancy journal and pen

Did this post get your wheels turning? Doula client welcome packets are so rewarding to send out; it’s a win each time! I encourage you to check out my workbook template to use in your own practice. And feel free to use the images below to share this post on social media.

May you doula well!