Gifts for doulas and midwives aren't just for the holidays but a lovely gesture to say, "Thank You" for their support. Doulas and midwives love hearing from the families they have supported and seeing where their new journey is taking them. Here are 10 extra thoughtful gifts for doulas and midwives that really show insight into the role a birthkeeper has.
Hand Written Card
You can't go wrong with a card. Whether it's an e-card or purchased one, the words you add on the inside mean the most. Tell your doula how much she meant to you and talk about how you and your family are doing. Add in a family photo or photo from your birth and give permission (from you and the photographer) to use the photo in an album shared with future clients.
Plants, with Roots
Flowers are lovely, but flowers and plants with roots are lasting and make great gifts for doulas and midwives. Whether it's a cutting flower, window herbs, potted plant for the clinic, grape vines, cherry tomatoes or a bag of heirloom seeds - plants make any space charming and some can live on for years. My great grandmother had plants that were gifted to her and they always told a story. What story will your plant tell?
Box of Honey Sticks or Healthy Snacks
Think birth bag. Honey sticks and [healthy] snacks are compact items to carry to any birth. If your doula or midwife used this in your birth, you know how helpful they can be. Healthy no sugar no soy low processed snacks, like the Go Raw line of products, can be really pricey (but so worth it) and as a gift they can really help a doula that is logging a lot of hours and needing energy along the way. Great addition to a hand written card!
Herbal Blends
Think adrenal and stress support. Maybe the right gift is the doula's favorite roasted coffee from the quaint shop down the road, but let's go less caffeine here and support the adrenals. Doulas and midwives work a lot of long high-energy-need hours and often at night. The stress that comes along with birth work is real. Don't get me wrong, it's a good kind of stress - but it is taxing on the adrenal and nervous system nonetheless. Include a glass-lined tea and fruit infusion cup to go with it for easy on the go infusions. Whether you blend your own herbs, check out the adrenal support blends and infusion glasses from the Esali Shop, or visit your local herbalist - teas, bath blends, and tinctures make a very useful option for gifts for doulas and midwives.
Audible Gift Card
Doulas and midwives log a lot of miles traveling to and from prenatal appointments, births, and postpartum appointments but don't always have time to cosy up with a good book. Audio books make great gifts for doulas and midwives for the car rides for both entertainment and self improvement. Another great compliment to a hand written card.
Music Gift Card
Doulas and midwives love music just as much as you and I, and also love to have playlists ready to go for birth. iTunes or Amazon Music gift cards can make a simple gift for personal and professional use for doulas and midwives. Another great compliment to a hand written card.
House Cleaning Gift Certificate
Doulas and midwives are sometimes away from home for days at a time. While their families must be supportive of this lifestyle, and many have routines to fall into to make this kind of thing work, there are a lot of prenatal and postpartum visits between the birth that fill up even more time away from taking care of the basic tasks of running a house. Having a gift certificate to cover cleaning the main areas of the house can make those days of resting, and time spent with their family, so much easier to attain.
Handmade & Homemade
Do you have a special skill? Share it! Handmade (or gathered from your farm) items make very thoughtful gifts for doulas and midwives. Everyone loves knitted scarves or lathe-turned bowls. Maybe you gather grapevines in your woods and weave them into table centerpieces. A painting or even a pot of soup once you're into a groove with your new family and you know your doula is resting up from attending another birth.
Charm to Remember Your Birth
You've probably seen the cute stamped pendants that say, "Got Midwife" or have a pair of baby feet chiseled beautifully into a silver circle. But let's get a little more personal with these options for gifts for doulas and midwives. Think of the grandmother birth stone rings that were once ever so popular, and jazz it up a bit. Get a pandora charm, bangle dangle, or gem stone that has your baby's name or birthdate or gemstone on it for your birth team's memory. Maybe your doula doesn't have a charm holder - start one special just for her client memories! Floating charm lockets make great birth bag flare or beautiful keychains.
Testimonials and Reviews
Word of mouth will go further than any sales tool for bringing in new clients. There is still no better platform for business growth beyond a positive review from happy clients. Providing permission to share your thoughts or taking a few moments to add a review to Facebook or Google can be a tremendous help to the doula or midwife, as well as providing insight for future clients as they choose the birth team that is right for their family. Providing thoughtful words and insight into the skills of your doula or midwife is one of the best gifts for doulas and midwives. It is encouraging to their heart and useful in so many ways. Providing them with these thoughts helps them in ways tangible gifts can't compare.
Social Media Tags
Similar to a testimonial and review, social media tags are wonderful ways of sharing the love and attesting to the skill and wisdom the doula or midwife provided you. If you're sharing a birth story, photos, or videos be sure to tag your doula or midwife (remember their business page and commonly used hashtags) so others can link back to those services and let the wisdom sharing continue. If you received a lot of support through education, mentoring, guidance, and love - tag that person when sharing those thoughts with friends, family and social media followers. If you have a photo of the doula or midwife you're sharing, be sure to tag the image with their business or personal profile.
Photo (or video) of the Doula or Midwife Providing Support
One of the best gifts for doulas or midwives is a digital copy (with usage rights from you and the photographer/videographer) to photos and videos of your birth - especially when they contain the doula or midwife within them. A visual image of the doula at work can be used for marketing material, website imagery, social media sharing, and providing potential clients with an insight into how that person practices. These imagines are personal providing tools that are more impactful than stock images that anyone can purchase and use.
If you're a doula or midwife, what were some of your most memorable gifts received?
