Expectations and Guidelines for QCD Doulas

Purpose and Principles

Queen City Doulas exists to nurture families during the transformative seasons of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. You are an extension of our mission—to create calm, informed, and compassionate care experiences.

These Expectations and Guidelines define the professional, ethical, and interpersonal expectations for all representatives of QCD. It ensures that every encounter reflects dignity, discretion, reliability, and a deep respect for the families we serve. While retaining discretion over exact professional methods, these standards represent the brand promise QCD makes to its clients.

Foundational Expectations

1. Professional Presence and Reliability
   You are expected to arrive on time, well-rested, and appropriately attired for the work environment—clean, modest, and functional. Notify QCD and the client promptly of any delay or emergency. Reliable attendance is a cornerstone of trust between our organization, our clients, and our professionals.
2. Respect and Client-Centered Care
   Approach every family with cultural humility, sensitivity, and a recognition that each person’s journey to parenthood is unique. Listen more than you speak. Support client autonomy by providing unbiased, evidence-based information while honoring their decisions—even when their choices differ from your own preferences or training.
3. Confidentiality and Healthy Boundaries
   All personal, medical, and emotional details shared by clients must remain private. Conversations, photos, or anecdotes are not to be shared outside the context of professional supervision. Keep clear emotional and physical boundaries; this preserves the client’s comfort and your professional credibility.
4. Agency Representation and Communication
   Maintain courteous communication with clients, colleagues, and QCD leadership. Use QCD-approved channels for scheduling, documentation, and reporting. Every interaction—verbal, written, or online—reflects the professionalism of our organization.
5. Safety and Mandated Reporting
   If you ever feel unsafe, remove yourself immediately and contact QCD. You must also comply with mandated-reporter laws by reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or endangerment through the proper channels and notifying QCD management.

Labor Doula Standards

1. Prenatal Preparation and Continuity of Care
   Reach out soon after assignment to build rapport and review birth goals. Provide education on the stages of labor, comfort measures, and coping strategies. Encourage partner participation and emotional readiness. Maintain consistent, reassuring communication leading up to labor.
2. Labor and Birth Support
   Offer continuous, non-medical support during labor and delivery. Techniques may include positioning, counter-pressure, massage, breathing cues, visualization, or encouragement. Maintain calm, confident energy. Your presence should help stabilize the emotional environment of the birth space.
3. Professional Collaboration with Medical Teams
   Work cooperatively with nurses, midwives, and physicians. You may help clients articulate preferences but must never speak for them or interfere with clinical care. Do not perform clinical tasks such as fetal monitoring, vaginal exams, or vital checks.
4. Post-Birth Integration
   Remain for 1–2 hours after delivery to support initial bonding, lactation or feeding start-up, and the family’s transition home. Conduct one follow-up visit within 10 days and remain available for limited text or phone check-ins.

Postpartum Standards

1. Home Environment and Emotional Support
   Enter the family’s home with gentleness, respect, and attentiveness. Your role is to create a nurturing atmosphere where rest, recovery, and bonding can unfold naturally. Provide emotional reassurance and compassionate listening alongside practical help.
2. Infant and Parent Care
   Guide parents in infant feeding, bathing, diapering, and soothing techniques. Encourage rest and proper nutrition for the recovering parent. Observe for mood changes that might suggest postpartum depression or anxiety and refer concerns to appropriate resources.
3. Household Rhythm and Support Tasks
   Light meal preparation, bottle cleaning, baby laundry, and nursery tidying are welcome extensions of care. Complete each shift by ensuring the home feels settled, peaceful, and ready for rest.
4. Boundaries and Scope Limitations
   Postpartum doulas do not provide medical advice, administer medications, or diagnose conditions. When questions exceed your expertise, refer the family to licensed professionals.

Sleep Professional Standards

1. Safe and Gentle Sleep Guidance
   Provide education consistent with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ safe-sleep recommendations. Tailor your guidance to each family’s parenting style and values, emphasizing responsive, attachment-based approaches.
2. Implementation and Documentation
   Support families in developing sustainable bedtime routines and healthy sleep associations. Keep thorough records of sleep patterns, feeding intervals, and environmental adjustments. Report any safety or health concerns promptly to QCD.
3. Ethical Boundaries
   Never implement cry-it-out methods or separation techniques without explicit parental consent and prior QCD discussion. Always protect the infant’s well-being and the parent’s emotional state.

Lactation Professional Standards

1. Scope of Practice and Professional Competence
   Provide education and hands-on guidance within your credentialed scope (IBCLC, CLC, CLEC, etc.). Offer assistance with positioning, latch, pumping, milk storage, and feeding plans while recognizing when to refer to a medical provider.
2. Respect for Feeding Choices
   Support each family’s chosen feeding path—breast, chest, bottle, pumping, or combination—without judgment. Provide evidence-based information and affirm the parent’s confidence in their chosen approach.
3. Recordkeeping and Coordination
   Keep clear and confidential notes. When appropriate, communicate findings or recommendations to QCD so coordinated care can occur across disciplines.

Ethical and Legal Obligations

1. Inclusivity and Non-Discrimination
   Serve all clients with equal respect regardless of race, color, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, or income level. Strive to create an affirming environment for all birthing people and families.
2. Conflict of Interest and Transparency
   Inform QCD immediately of any dual relationships or personal businesses that could overlap with QCD clients. When additional professional services are needed, refer only to QCD-approved providers or disclose any external referral relationships.
3. Substance Use and Personal Well-Being
   Abstain from alcohol, recreational drugs, or impairing medications before and during service hours. You are expected to maintain physical and emotional wellness to safely support families.

Communication and Accountability

1. Keep QCD informed of schedule changes, certifications, or personal matters that affect your availability.
2. Participate in check-ins, trainings, and continuing-education sessions as invited; these maintain QCD’s professional standard of excellence.
3. Report ethical dilemmas, client complaints, or safety incidents promptly and privately to QCD leadership.