Hi Delena, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started as a volunteer doula for low-income families in Jacksonville, FL, after training with Dona International. It was something I did on the side for a few years. I’ve always been fascinated with birth and being in the field of birthwork really became a passion of mine. So much so that I decided to quit my job and move to Atlanta to start my doula business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. It was a tough decision to quit my job because my business hadn’t been bringing in much but the problem was I couldn’t take as many clients that I needed to sustain my business because I had a full-time job. Birth isn’t the kind of thing you can put on a schedule and employers aren’t exactly keen on your business interfering with their business so I chose my business. Also, two months after I moved to ATL, COVID hit and really put a halt on my plans since doulas weren’t allowed in the delivery room. Now there are two hospitals that allow us in, along with the Atlanta Birth Center. I’m also getting more inquiries for home births so it’s starting to pick up.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m primarily a birth doula. I’m certified with DONA international. I’m also trained in postpartum work but birthwork is my jam. I’m completely fascinated with the experience of being a human so being able to watch life come into this world is such a privilege for me. I’m most proud of the strides my business is making. I’m continuing to expand and grow into more areas of birth work and as a business owner. I’ve partnered with other small businesses in the area to offer services that are beneficial for women during pregnancy but necessarily within my scope of practice, such as chiropractic services, meal prep, residential cleaning, event planning for baby showers, prenatal yoga, and photography.
How do you think about luck?
Even with everything that happened this year, it seems like the odds have still been in my favor. So I won’t call it luck, I’ll say it’s favor. I was able to be on CNN this year to discuss how my business had been affected by COVID. I never in a million years saw that coming. I’ve also met some amazing people in Atlanta who seem to want to see me win and are really trying to help put me in a better position. It was tough at first but it feels like things happened the way they were supposed to so that it could play out the way it is now. It was all working in my favor.
Contact Info:
- Email: sanderdelena@gmail.com
- Website: www.delenathedoula.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delenathedoula/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DelenaTheDoula/
Image Credits
Atlanta Birth Doulas Raegan Jackson
