We recently connected with Keeley Bruner and have shared our conversation below.

Keeley, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

A few months after my third child was born, I was having dinner at a friend’s house, who happened to mention that her nanny was expecting. Because the nanny’s partner was deployed, I felt she might be able to make use of several of the resources for parents in our area. After sending my friend 6-8 of these resources, it occurred to me that this might actually be a job, which it is. I wish I had known about postpartum doulas when I was facing my own recoveries after birth, but it has been incredibly rewarding to be able to care for families in this beautiful, challenging time. It has felt really significant not only to help them create and sustain their own new rhythms but to connect them with other community resources that can assist, just like I did with my friend before I knew postpartum doulas existed.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I like to say that postpartum doulas are like a Google who actually knows you. We are resources to ask about anything from baby sleep to breastfeeding to hormonal changes to caring for older siblings…but we get to know you and your family personally and can provide individualized care for your needs. For some clients that means that we simply hold and care for the baby while parents rest and recoup some sleep from the night before, or perhaps parents can make a phone call without being interrupted or grab a much-needed shower or bath. For some clients, it might be that we help prepare snacks and meals for the family so that they have ready-to-go options in the fridge and freezer for the rest of the week; we may even wear the baby, fold some laundry, and vacuum the living room while we’re at it. Basically we are another pair of hands to help in what can be a really overwhelming time–a really empathetic and knowledgeable pair of hands that will keep you supported for as long as you need it.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I would absolutely say empathy here. It helps that I have been through postpartum myself three times, but I think any postpartum doula is by nature compassionate and able to help someone else feel understood, affirmed, and validated as we listen to birth stories, answer questions about expectations or plans, and care practically for the families who reach out to us during this formative time. Being a good listener is absolutely imperative, and that means being able to hear what people aren’t saying, as well as what they can verbalize.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Like many careers, word-of-mouth referrals are so important! Many of us will trust the word of a personal friend before we’ll trust any number of online reviews, so although I am grateful for testimonies to share on my website I have found that just doing my job well has led to people telling their friends and helping to grow my business. Especially because we get to know clients in such an intimate setting, it’s important that we’re a good fit–and often this is determined best by personal referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.moonmusedoula.com

Image Credits
Heather Kirchhofer, Jason Bruner