Herbal Allies for Doulas: Relieve Stress, Boost Energy, and Find Calm
by Donette
Being a doula is 1000% a laborious role, full stop. The work is love and community-centered, as all full spectrum roles are, however that doesn’t take away from the taxing effect it has on the physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual bodies of birth workers.
It actually means that you are more likely to be stressed and tired than your less inclusive (read: mainstream, birth-only-focused counterparts). That said, we can’t pour from empty cups! Nor does it serve the greater good of community care and mutuality we hope to contribute to!
Self-care as a doula is critical to maintaining a full cup so that when you give, it is from a place of abundance instead of lack.
By now, we have grown to understand the impact of daily stressors on our bodies.
Wellness is a booming industry that has been grasped by the hand of capitalism. There are products everywhere, capsules for everything, and a steady approach of addressing the symptoms instead of the root cause. That is an ideology brought over from the allopathic or “Western” medicine space into traditional, historically holistic medicine practices.
As a doula, it can be very easy to want a quick fix for energy (aka caffeine) without actually repairing and tending to your nervous system simultaneously.
The Impact of Doula Work
Interestingly enough, it is not as easy to find information about the impact of birth work on the doulas themselves compared to finding information on just how positive it is for doulas to exist in the world. Seriously, there are scientific studies!
Such a tremendous impact can also be costly. Burnout and compassion fatigue are two of the top reasons that doulas retire early in their careers. Psychology Today defines compassion fatigue with the following:
“People whose professions lead to prolonged exposure to other people's trauma can be vulnerable to compassion fatigue, also known as secondary or vicarious trauma; they can experience acute symptoms that put their physical and mental health at risk, making them wary of giving and caring.”
Being witness to a wide range of reproductive experiences can be beautiful, rewarding, and also challenging. As we offer support for birth, abortion, postpartum, and other full spectrum experiences, there is so often an impact—emotionally, spiritually, and/or physically.
While we know that is the nature of the job, there are ways to successfully support ourselves. This is where holistic herbalism comes in.
Building an Herbal Routine
Herbalism is an ancient wisdom, a practice that used to be found in every home as a way of life.
With that, it is not beyond your reach to practice self-care and include herbs as a part of your routine. Don’t get overwhelmed just yet! The goal is to also keep your routine as simple as possible so that it is easily integrated into your daily work. Let’s take a look at a few herbs and supplements to support you as a doula:
Electrolytes
Everything in the world starts with water, and our bodies are no different. If you're thinking “I drink 140 oz of water a day so I’m fine!”, I’d wager that you still find yourself thirsty all the time. That is because water still needs electrolytes in it to really hydrate our tissues, organs, muscles, etc.
Adding a clean (no chemicals, no sugars) electrolyte supplement to your water daily will improve your hydration by leaps and bounds. This is the first thing your cells need to repair and your body to maintain balance.
Adaptogens
This is the biggest category of herbs and plants that the wellness industry pushes. Without getting too deep into the weeds, an adaptogen is categorized as an herb or plant that will help your body manage stress on a physical level. It gives your body the strength it needs to cope, repair, and otherwise deal. All adaptogens are not created equal as some have secondary and even tertiary roles in the body that could be counterintuitive.
One accessible adaptogen that I often suggest folks explore is eleuthero. It was given to athletes in the 70s Olympics and not only supports you through stress, but also gives you some energy, mental sharpness, etc. All things beneficial to a doula. You can take it in tincture form.
Nervous System Repair
You know the saying “my nerves are so fried”? That is actually based on a real issue that can take place in your nervous system. The tips of our nerve cells can lose their protective coating, called the myelin sheath, due to stress. When the tip of that nerve is exposed, imagine how sensitive it is. Part of holistic care is to also support repair of your nervous system and the herb for this is simple: oats. However, not your store bought oats, but milky oat tops or oat seed. It’s the same plant, but the tops of it are harvested when there is a white, milky fluid present. This is a nerve tonic and taken over time will support strong nerves. In acute moments, it can be soothing.
Magnesium Glycinate
You could never make me hate her. In the U.S., our soil is depleted of a lot of our vital nutrients which means that our food is as well. Magnesium is one of the top minerals that our bodies needs that we can’t get from food any longer. There are several types, but magnesium glycinate is specifically going to help decrease inflammation from those long nights of labor support. Additionally, it supports mood regulation, digestion, sleep quality, and on and on. This can be taken in a capsule or if you feel like being fancy, the sleepy girl mocktails all over Tiktok are an option.
Immune System Support
When stress takes over, every single body system falls out of balance. Do you notice that when you aren’t rested or having ongoing high levels of stress, you get sick? Your immune system needs care too.
As you enter hospitals, homes, and other spaces where germs are imminent, you can stand to strengthen your system. Herbs like elderberry, echinacea, and astragalus are great immune stimulating herbs. They aren’t great when you’re actually sick though, so when you’re symptomatic, try antimicrobials like oil of oregano and thyme instead as well as nutrient dense foods to support getting well.
Tea
That’s right, just tea. The actual act of drinking warm herbal tea is very soothing to the body and can also be hydrating. There was a reason that in times of unrest or panic, our ancestors thought to put on a pot of boiling water for tea.
I would suggest herbs like tulsi, lavender, chamomile, passionflower, ginger, turmeric, rose, and mints. These are all soothing in their own ways to various body systems and will support you through various levels of healing. I encourage folks to do their own learning about herbs, their effects, and most importantly their contraindications. Plants are beautifully sentient. Explore what you feel called to!
Getting Started with an Herbal Routine
This list isn’t comprehensive, but I hope it can serve as an introduction.
Adding a few herbs and supplements into your self care routine can vastly improve your experience as a doula.
Even (maybe even especially) healers need to heal themselves. Rest and recovery are essential for remedying burnout, compassion fatigue, and the like. I know that self-care can feel like a second, third, or fourth job, but hopefully these steps are simple enough to mix into your already existing routine.
If you want to take it up a notch, I would recommend reaching out to a clinical herbalist who can support you in coming up with a comprehensive protocol. The process is typically simple and may go like this: you complete an intake form, meet with the practitioner for consultation, and then, schedule follow up sessions. This is one solid way to take care of yourself across all the various body systems.
While herbalism is a community practice, clinicians have been trained to work with you on a therapeutic level and can support exploration of more complex formulas, herbs, and nutrition.
Whether you begin with integrating some of the plants mentioned here or reach out to an herbalist in your community, the goal is still the same: take care and always seek balance.
Donette (she/they) is a doula student, spiritualist, and lead clinical herbalist at Honeybalm Health. She has been studying the use of herbs for medicinal and spiritual purposes for 10 years and is currently supporting clients for a variety of issues with an affinity for nervous system repair, PCOS, endometriosis, and more.
As a healer, Donette knows that it is a consistent journey through various types of care. She believes that the combination of botanical therapeutics and spiritual support yield the most effective results in a holistic healing journey. Whether it is herbalism or care for birthing people, being in alignment with a healing justice framework is the guiding star for her practice.