ProDoula and my professional dedication.

I have been a doula for 14 years. Of those 14 years, I was only certified for 2 (from 2002-2004)... Until this past April when I decided to certify with ProDoula. 

I have served hundreds of families and have hundreds of very happy clients.

Of those hundreds of clients and additional hundreds of consultations I have gone to, less than five percent of those famlies have ever asked if I am certified.

For many years, I didn't think that being certified was important because no one ever asked... and after all, it's just a piece of paper, right? I've done this 14 years, I'm not going to 'learn' anything from an organization.

It was. I was only ever a peice of paper to me...until I certified with ProDoula.

I had an awkward situation with a client recently whom for reasons unknown to me decided not to complete a contract. She paid my full fee and used me for delivery and was very, very happy with the service she recieved.  When I called her to set up her other visits, she declined.

I called Randy Patterson, one of the owners of ProDoula.... I told her about the client and the situation and what I did about it and even though it was a little uncomfortable for me to talk to her about, she smiled on the other end of the line and told me to write a blog post about it.

She was proud of me because what I decided to do in the end was sit down, write a thank you note to my client and ask her to contact ProDoula and let them know if there was anything I could have done differently for her. I supplied a phone number and mailing address for ProDoula for any grievances or complaints.

I had ABSOLUTE confidence that ProDoula would handle anything she brought to them with absolute professionalism. I had ABSOLUTE confidence that ProDoula would communicate with me and help me be the best doula I could possibly be. I have ABSOLUTE confidence that I am providing the most professional service possible because I have an extra layer of accountability for my actions through my certifying organization. 

It felt really good to have that ability to give a resource to my client (who may or may not have been happy with my service) the ability to have the closure she needed without having to confront me personally. 

Giving families I serve the ability to communicate with ProDoula directly about me is incredibly freeing for me and just as liberating for them. I am proud that I am a part of ProDoula. I am proud to be certified. I am here to say that my certification with ProDoula is more than a piece of paper. It's professionalism and accountability. 

I will ALWAYS choose to be certified with ProDoula. It's important to me and even if my clients never realize it, it's important for them. 

I'm so proud to be a part of this amazing organization. <3

Abbey Robinson
Fort Worth Doula
DFW Postpartum​