When I began the Strategic Communication program five semesters ago, I thought that it would help me with my business as a birth professional. I hoped that I would learn ways to build my brand and gain new clients. That became even more important when I moved across the state just a couple weeks after starting the program. I also had a goal of creating a new doula program within Birthing As Nature Intended, the childbirth education program that I currently teach.
The fact is though, I have found a new passion. I love building websites, designing logos, and creating reports. The classes in this program really showed me that. I’ve also learned that I am good at this. I am a perfectionist, and this kind of work suits that part of my personality. I am finishing this program with a nearly perfect GPA, which should end somewhere around a 3.96. It’s not easy for me to boast about my accomplishments, but this is something that I have worked very hard for, and am extremely proud of. Mostly I am proud that I have faced some major life challenges during this program, and maintained high standards for myself. In addition to my move, I faced a significant health issue that included a trip to the ER, as well as the death of my stepfather. Life doesn’t stop, and I continue to move toward new adventures.
As I wrap up my Master’s Degree, I am looking forward. I’m looking forward to starting a new business. I am planning to launch a consulting business after graduation. I will offer website and logo design, SEO assistance, and marketing plans. Crisi Communication plans may also be included. I will likely continue to do birth work, because I love it, and I don’t think I will ever stop completely. But I want to move forward with this new passion. I am grateful for this program for giving me the skills to feel confident enough to move into this new field.
September 2015 was a crazy month for my family. We were living in Spokane, I had just started grad school, and my husband was offered a job in Everett. In a matter of two weeks, we found a new house, packed up, and moved across the state.
Back in April we had enrolled our twins in ECEAP preschool for the fall. We were certain that every site in our new area would be full, but when I called the Snohomish site Laura Lyon said, “We have space for both children in the afternoon class. When can you come fill out paperwork?” I was shocked that it was that easy, and Laura even went out of her way to get some of the paperwork from the Spokane site. So a week after we moved into our new house, my kids started their first year of school.
I could go on and on about how great ECEAP has been for my kids, but that’s not what this story is about. This story is how ECEAP helped me find my new village.
I had a strong village in Spokane filled with friends, family, and doulas. I also volunteered a lot, which made me feel connected to my community. So when my kids started school, I jumped right in with volunteering. ECEAP has a Parent Advisory Council (PAC) where one or two parents from each site meet monthly to learn more about ECEAP, and help guide policies that affect their children. I started attending as the alternate with Janell, who would become my first friend in Snohomish.
Janell and me with George Washington in the capitol building in Olympia.
In November, I was elected to represent our PAC at the state WSA meeting in Olympia, which also meant I would attend Advocacy Day to meet with my local legislators to tell them how important ECEAP is, and that they should increase funding for the program. The whole event was three days, and I learned so much and made several new friends. I also was invited into the Senate wings to watch a debate and floor vote, which is something I will never forget.
Throughout the course of the year, I have also been involved at the site itself. I have volunteered in my kids’ classroom, and taught a class to parents on how to make natural hand sanitizer and foaming hand soap. It was a simple way to share something that I enjoy doing in my spare time with many people.
Perhaps the biggest surprise to me though is the fact that the staff members genuinely have become people who I would consider friends. They care about what is happening in my life, and go out of their way to help me when I need it. I am often the last parent to leave after dropping off my kids because I love chatting with them so much. As the school year draws to a close, I am hopeful that they will remain in my village.
Childbirth educators have a unique position to be a strong influence on their students to make certain choices about their pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum experiences. One of those choices could make a huge impact on many parts of a birth and postpartum experiences if the educator chooses to focus on it: hiring a doula. Why is the childbirth educator such an important person in this equation? It’s because she is a credible source of information, an expert in her field, and she is someone that pregnant people can look to for up-to-date information (Pratkanis, 2007, p. 30-33). Childbirth educators are often true experts in their fields. They enjoy reading the latest research on birth outcomes, breastfeeding rates, and more. They know the impact that birth doulas have on birth outcomes, as well as postpartum doulas on maternal satisfaction after the birth is over. When she communicates this knowledge with authority and enthusiasm to her students, they are likely to listen and follow her recommendations (Pratkanis, p. 30).
Some educators have to be careful to maintain their trustworthiness while presenting this information, however. Many childbirth educators are also doulas. According to O’Keefe (2002), if an expert argues for an idea that appears to be in her own best interest, that could cause her to appear less trustworthy. However, if she argues for a point that is not in her interest, she would appear to be more of an expert and more trustworthy because she is advocating a position that goes against self-benefit (p. 187). The main way that she can strike a good balance is by being a true expert on how doulas help, and being genuine in developing a rapport with her students.
Unfortunately, there isn’t any data that shows how many people hire doulas after they take a childbirth education class. However, I have statistics from my own doula clients and childbirth education students over the last three years, which show that 31.25 percent of women hired a doula after taking a childbirth education class, 25 percent had hired a doula before taking a class, and 15.6 percent are unknown. While these statistics are not based on any clinical studies, this anecdotal evidence shows that this is an area that does warrant further research.
While certainly not all of my students have hired doulas, I do seem to be getting the point across. I’m always very upfront with my students, answering questions as they come up, but also admitting when I don’t know the answer. I also try to have very accurate information on the benefits of doulas, such as the fact that doulas can reduce the chance of a Cesarean birth by up to 40.9 percent, and that mothers who receive doula support have higher birth satisfaction rates (Kozhimannil, Hardeman, Attanasio, Blauer-Peterson, O’Brien, 2013). This is a skill that I have gotten better at over time. I was very nervous to talk about doulas when I first became an instructor, because I was afraid of it looking too self-serving, as O’Keefe warned. Now I am more comfortable talking about doulas because I am passionate about much they can help.
The fact is that birth doulas help improve birth outcomes, and postpartum doulas help improve postpartum outcomes. This is precisely the kind of information that people are looking for when they take a childbirth education class. The educators need to be comfortable sharing accurate information, and promoting doulas as the important resource that they are.
Resources:
Kozhimannil, K. B., Hardeman, R. R., Attanasio, L. B., Blauer-Peterson, C., & O’Brien, M. (2013). Doula care, birth outcomes, and costs among Medicaid beneficiaries. American Journal of Public Health, 103(4), e113-21 1p. doi:10.2105/10AJPH.2012.301201
O’Keefe, Daniel J. (2002). Persuasion theory & research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Pratkanis, A. (2007). Social influence analysis: An index of tactics. In The science of social influence: Advances and future progress. (pp. 17-82).
A successful doula is not afraid to love. A successful doula “can enter another’s space and be highly responsive and aware of another’s needs, moods, changes, and unspoken feelings” (Klaus, Kennell, & Klaus, 2002). Many would call these skills “empathy,” and yet I rarely use this term when I explain what a doula does, and I rarely hear other doulas talk about empathy, even though it is the skill that we use most often when we are serving a birthing person. According to Pratkanis (2007), empathy is an effective persuasive technique, so by highlighting our empathetic skills to potential clients, we could encourage more people to hire doulas (p. 36).
Doulas often describe the services they offer as “physical, emotional, and informational support before, during, and after labor and birth.” I’ve heard this same line from doulas hundreds of times, and said it myself. It’s a good one-liner, but what if we started framing our services more around the empathy (or emotional support) we offer? We may book more clients, and thus broaden our positive effects to more birthing people and their partners.
Birth doulas have a “doula bag” that they bring with them to births. Oftentimes, the more inexperienced a doula is, the more tools she has in the bag, such as massage tools, a rebozo, a fan, heat packs, and more. The more experience a doula gains, the more she realizes that the most important tools she has are her ears, eyes, and hands. Her doula bag may still contain a few items for the birthing person, like a rebozo and fan, but it mostly holds items for herself, like extra clothes, snacks, and a toothbrush. The reason is simply because as doulas gain more experience, they gain more confidence in their empathy skills, and they realize that by listening, holding space, and using their instincts to help a mother, they rely less on those “tools” they once did.
According to Klaus et al. holding space really means a number of things. First, a doula must be knowledgeable with normal birth to know when a birthing person is fine and when she is not. Next, she must be calm and confident to touch, comfort, and listen to the laboring person. She also will have an instinct to “mother the mother” by offering complete, uninterrupted support to allow the birthing person to let go completely in order to go within and work with her own body to birth her baby (p. 23-24).
So how do birth doulas revise the “elevator pitch” to focus more on empathy, and thus get hired more often? We can highlight the fact that our main focus while the birthing person is in labor is to “walk in her shoes,” and anticipate her needs before she says anything, and assist the partner in meeting these needs. This new focus on empathy could make a lasting impression, because according to Pratkanis, “empathetic concern for another person increases the likelihood of agreeing to requests to help that person” (p. 36). In other words, highlighting empathetic skills could increase the likelihood that the potential client will hire the doula making the pitch.
Resources:
Klaus, M. H., Kennell, J. H., & Klaus, P. H. (2002). The doula book (2nd ed). Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.
Pratkanis, A. (2007). Social influence analysis: An index of tactics. In The science of social influence: Advances and future progress. (p. 36).
Having a baby is like getting married. There is a lot of planning for one special day.
For a baby it’s birth classes, hospital tours, and doctor appointments. For a wedding it’s flowers, locations, and cake. But what happens after the special day? Has there been any planning for the life after the birth or the wedding? For some, the answer is yes, but for others, the answer is no. In my childbirth classes, I discuss the benefits of having a postpartum plan and a postpartum doula to make the days after baby’s arrival easier for the parents, just as couples who have gone through premarital counseling plan for the rest of their life together, and not just one day.
According to a study done by Stanley (2001), there is a 31 percent lower divorce rate for couples who have gone through premarital counseling, versus couples who have not. Going through the process of discussing the important issues of marriage, such as finances, conflict resolution, and parenting styles, is undoubtedly helpful.
There aren’t great statistics on postpartum depression rates, as it is up to mothers to self-report symptoms to their providers, and many do not. It is currently estimated by Postpartum Support International that one in seven mothers experiences postpartum depression. Western countries, such as the United States have much higher rates of postpartum depression than Asian countries, and many attribute that to the fact that western countries have virtually done away with recovery periods after childbirth.
American mothers are expected to feel and look better immediately after birth, and often have no one to help them once their partner returns to work. They are expected to care for the baby and do household chores, such as laundry and dishes sometimes only days after giving birth. In Asian countries, it is common for women to have 30-60 days to do nothing but recover and bond with their babies. Female relatives take care of everything else, including older children and cooking. Postpartum doulas are beginning to bridge this gap in the U.S. by nurturing bonding time between mother and baby, and taking care of light housekeeping duties in those first days or weeks after birth.
So what is the parenting equivalent to premarital counseling? Prenatal education, postpartum planning, and postpartum doulas. “‘Coming Ready or Not!’ Preparing Parents for Parenthood,” by McKellar, Pincombe, and Henderson (2009) is a study published in the British Journal of Midwifery that introduced a planner to parents to use during the prenatal time to plan for after their babies arrived. The results showed that “all first-time mothers and two thirds of first-time fathers, who received the booklet antenatally, used it to seek out further information” (166), which shows that parents do want plan prenatally.
The postpartum plan that I cover in my class is less about education, and more about the practical “day-to-day” things that couples will need to deal with once the baby arrives, such as how will they handle sleep deprivation, and who will do certain chores, etc. It’s designed to be a conversation starter for the couple so they really realize that life as they know it is nearly over.
Most of the couples I teach are married. I have no way of knowing whether they went to premarital counseling or not, but by using this metaphor I am using imagery that they are familiar with. Either they feel confident in knowing they went to counseling, or they relate to the unsteadiness that follows a wedding. Either way, it drives them to want to plan for life after the baby comes, rather than just the “perfect” birthday.
I have completed my final video project for COM 561, and of all of my projects this semester, this one is the one that I changed the least. I was very happy with my draft, and I took the feedback that I got from my peer group and professor, and made some minor changes, but the heart of it is the same.
I started with my interview with Melinda Ferguson, a postpartum doula, and also the postpartum doula trainer who trained me, so naturally, I think she is amazing. She is certified with DONA International, so after my initial video idea had to be scrapped due to an actor being ill, I decided to go with this PSA idea instead of a promotional video for Birthing As Nature Intended.
My interview footage was over 5 minutes long, plus I took the video of her serving food to really show something practical that a postpartum doula does. I had previously taken the video of the baby for my original plan, but I was able to make it work (with the intro voiceover) that I had been planning. The baby is so cute, and I knew that he would be an attention grabber. It also worked to put the title text on that footage.
I imported all of my footage into Adobe Premiere, and began time-stamping the footage that I wanted to use, and cutting it with the “mark in” and “mark out” tools. I put them into the timeline as I created each one, so that I could keep the sequence straight.
The story of Melinda’s own struggle with being a new mother was really powerful, and I wanted to start out with her in that space, so that she would be relatable to new parents. I decided to make that a close-up to feel more intimate. I changed the scale of the frame to create that. I did the same thing at the end of the video when she is talking about giving families confidence. Her smile is so genuine there that I wanted it to be the focus. The other interview clips are wider shots that show more of her body. One I actually changed from a close-up to a wide shot because she was using her hands, and so I wanted to be able to see that. My peers thought that I should get a bigger variety of close-ups and wide shots, and I feel like this accomplished that suggestion.
I layered in the footage of the food while Melinda talks about the practical help that she gives clients. Having her voice over there is nice, as it gives us some variety in what we’re seeing, but still getting good information. There was also a gap in one place, so it worked well to add the slide defining what a postpartum doula is, because so few people actually have heard of them.
I only made two (what I would call) major changes. My professor suggested that I end the video with the “Confidence” clip, because the quote is so strong. After looking at the draft again, I decided that she was right. In the draft, Melinda talks about what research has found, and it was a bit dry, albeit good information, so I cut it out. This allowed me to add some time at the end to have the end credits roll longer than in the draft. They had been so fast that it was difficult to read, and didn’t fit with the flow of the video at all. The other major change was the music. I found a great song with a Creative Commons license. It is “Lullaby” by David Griffiths, and it fits this video so well. Originally I had it play straight through the video in the background. There were mixed reviews as to whether it made Melinda difficult to hear, despite having turned her volume all the way up in Premiere, and having the music faded down as far as was reasonable. So for the final, I decided to create a clip that cut out the crescendos, and play it on a loop. Now it is quiet all the way through and isn’t obtrusive at all.
I thought that it was really important to give Melinda’s contact information, as well as where people can find a doula if they aren’t living in the Puget Sound area, so I created the resources slide before the credits. I also wanted to include Melinda’s logo, so that is on the next slide, with a “stacking”effect that I really like the timing of with the music.
I also kept all of my clip transitions the same, using film and cross dissolves. I like the subtle differences between either interview footage or the “food” footage. I also used “dip to black” at the beginning and end. For my music I used a gradual fade at the end. I didn’t use a fade in, since the music is fairly quiet.
I am very happy with this final video, and I plan to use it on my business website, and I think Melinda does as well.
Storyboard
0:00:00
Title appears
Music begins
0.01.1
Subtitle appears
Intro narration begins over music; music fades lower
0.02.0
Baby appears
Intro and music continue
0.03.0
Title gone
Intro and music continue
0.12.20
Melinda appears: close-up
Interview begins; music continues
0.40.28
Title still of postpartum doula definition
Narration of intoduction to Melinda; music continues
When I set out to create my video for our unit using Adobe Premiere, I had a clear idea of a 5 shot movie I wanted to make. Unfortunately, on the day of the shoot one of my actors was sick with the flu. I spent some time regrouping on the fly, and came up with this PSA, interview-style video instead.
Melinda Ferguson was my Postpartum Doula trainer, and she is certified through DONA International. Because of this, I decided that it would be unethical to make the video about my project creating a Doula organization through Birthing As Nature Intended™, so a general PSA about the importance of postpartum doulas felt much better.
On shooting day, we started with the interview. I asked Melinda the following questions:
What is a postpartum doula?
Why are you a postpartum doula?
Why do we need postpartum doulas in our country?
What impact do you have after a birth?
What’s your biggest challenge as a postpartum doula?
She gave fabulous answers, and the footage was over five minutes, so I knew that I would have to cut it down. Once the footage was in Premiere, I got a rough timeline of the footage I wanted, and started creating the clips I wanted with the “mark in” and “mark out” tools. I put each clip into the timeline as they were created so that they would be saved properly. I decided to cut out the audio of myself asking the questions, and use transitions to create more of a seamless effect.
While we were shooting, I also shot her serving some food, as though she were working with a family. I tried to use the 5 shot method, but really only got three usable shots: hands, a close up of face, and a wide shot. Once in Premiere, I thought that this sequence would work well while Melinda was discussing the practical help she gives families, so I used her audio over this sequence. Between her interview and the “food” scene, I used film dissolves, and during the interview transitions, I used cross dissolves. The difference is subtle, but I like it.
I had shot the footage of a friend’s baby a few days before. I knew that I wanted that to begin whatever video I made, as babies really grab our attention.
I used several title frames in my video. I created the Title Frame with a cross dissolve effect into the footage of the baby. I also used the Iris effect for the title sequence. I had a big gap between Melinda’s own story about needing help and her next bit of interview. I recorded an audio introduction of her, and inserted a slide defining postpartum doulas. Since it’s a PSA, I thought that having some resources at the end would be helpful, so I included Melinda’s contact information, as well as a free website for parents to find doulas. This didn’t feel like a conflict since it’s free for parents and doulas to use. To follow that slide, I wanted to thank Melinda, and include her logo, so I did that with three separate slides to create a “stacked” effect. The last slide is rolling credits.
I found a great piece of music through Creative Commons for the soundtrack. It’s “Lullaby,” by David Griffiths. I didn’t change the music at all; I just replay some of it, as it was too short for the entire video. I may alter it in my final draft to cut out the crescendos, as they felt like they may be drowning out Melinda, despite me turning up her volume all the way, and really fading the music down as far as I could using keyframes.
I am really happy with this draft, especially after having to switch gears so completely. I am looking forward to feedback from my peers and professor. My storyboard is below.
Storyboard
Timestamp
Visuals
Audio
0:00:00
Title appears
Music begins
0.01.1
Subtitle appears
Intro narration begins over music; music fades lower
0.02.0
Baby appears
Intro and music continue
0.03.0
Title gone
Intro and music continue
0.12.20
Melinda appears: close-up
Interview begins; music continues
0.40.28
Title still of postpartum doula definition
Narration of intoduction to Melinda; music continues
Last week I created a draft of an audio project in Adobe Audition. I spent this week revising that project into what, I think, is a much stronger piece.
In my drafting phase, I knew that I needed to tell why I want to start a doula program within Birthing As Nature Intended. I decided to tell my own story about my journey to become a birth and postpartum doula, and my mom who died just before I did my birth training, and how that influenced me.
The raw audio I had after recording myself was over eight minutes. I ended up taking pieces from the beginning, middle and end. I used the razor tool in Audition to cut the parts apart that I wanted. Then I used the move tool to piece them together in the order I wanted them in. I had a bit of cleanup to do to get rid of superfluous words, like ums, ands, and likes. In my final draft, I used the razor tool to delete a section about “not doing the work for the accolades,” which feels better, and improved the time. I also deleted a very loud tongue “pop.” I wasn’t sure I would be able to get it, but I feel like I made it pretty seamless.
Once I had all these elements ready, I created a new Audition file and then imported all the audio files. I went through the process I outlined above for the interview. Then I cut the intro song with the razor tool, and placed it where I wanted it within the interview. I created fade-ins and fade-outs for each section.
For the second song I wanted it to be more of a “soundtrack” for the second half of the interview. To create that, I did a fade-in, then lowered the volume level during the speaking. Once the speaking was over, I raised the volume back up and did a fade-out to the end. The end result of my draft was 2:57.
My classmates and professor all gave me great feedback to improve. Everyone was in agreement that my speaking parts were far too quiet. To rectify this, I set my computer speakers to a mid-range, so that I would get a good level. I also needed to adjust my intro music; it was too long.
My professor suggested that I begin with one of the ideas that I presented at the end that is really thought provoking, so I recorded a new piece of audio to be an intro. I started it right with the intro music (“On Axis” by PC-ONE*) to make it pop. I also used this song for an interlude. I loved the line about turning away from the love loss. It felt perfect for talking about my mom’s death, and having it fade in and out gives a sense of disruption, much like death does.
Another suggestion I received was to educate listeners on what doulas do. I didn’t want to come right out and say, “Doulas do XYZ,” since people who are looking to certify will already know what doulas do. So instead, I recorded a new piece of audio where I talk about what I do as a doula, and why I do it, in a way that makes sense within the story that’s already there. By adding this section, I was also able to add another song, “Golden Ocean” by Nicolai Heidlas,* that I found and loved, but wasn’t able to make work in my first draft. At the word “transition,” in my piece, I transition into this song, and I like the effect of the fast fade-in, and then lowered volume to serve as a soundtrack.
I wanted something happy to end on—that would show I am making something positive out of the negative. That’s when I talk about Birthing As Nature Intended. I found the song “Sweet Promise” by Nicolai Heidlas.* I also use this as a soundtrack at the end. After the final word, I bumped the volume up to really make it fun. I love this song!
I also really wanted to contrast these two “happier” sections, and that’s why I chose to have the music feel so different than the beginning.
With all of the changes I made, I am happy to say that I actually made my final project shorter than my draft! I am a fan of brevity (you’d never know it by my long blog posts, but it’s true!) So a final time of 2:43 is fantastic to me! I hope you enjoy it too.
This week I have been working on my draft audio story in Adobe Audition. I have never done this kind of work before, so I was a little nervous going in. But after spending some time with the program, I am really enjoying it.
I first had to decide what story I wanted to tell within a 1-3 minute time frame. I knew that it needed to be about doulas, and why I want to start a doula program within Birthing As Nature Intended. I thought about interviewing a friend who had a postpartum doula, but her baby got sick, so I couldn’t get the interview done in time. I spent some time thinking about my own journey to become a birth and postpartum doula, and my mom who died just before I did my birth training. I decided to tell my own story.
I recorded myself talking about my journey, and that raw audio was over eight minutes. I had to decide then what to focus on, and what I would cut out. I ended up taking pieces from the beginning, middle and end. I used the razor tool in Audition to cut the parts apart that I wanted. Then I used the move tool to piece them together in the order I wanted them in. I had a bit of cleanup to do to get rid of superfluous words, like ums, ands, and likes.
Before I started in Audition, I went to Soundcloud.com to find some available audio to use under the Creative Commons license. I found a couple of songs that I really liked, and were available. “On Axis” by PC-ONE is the song that I used for my intro and interlude. I loved the line about turning away from the love loss. It felt perfect for talking about my mom’s death. Then I wanted something that sounded happy to end on—that would show I am making something positive out of the negative. I found “Sweet Promise” by Nicolai Heidlas. It is perfect. If I ever have a podcast or something like it, this will be my theme song. I love it!
Once I had all these elements ready, I created a new Audition file and then imported all the audio files. I went through the process I outlined above for the interview. Then I cut the intro song with the razor tool, and placed it where I wanted it within the interview. I created fade-ins and fade-outs for each section.
For the second song I wanted it to be more of a “soundtrack” for the second half of the interview. To create that, I did a fade-in, then lowered the volume level during the speaking. Once the speaking was over, I raised the volume back up and did a fade-out to the end. The end result was 2:57.
One thing I learned was that using headphones isn’t a great idea. I had everything almost done when I listened to it without headphones, and the volume levels were all wrong, and I had to redo them. Now I know 🙂
My final logo is completed. I am amazed at the journey that it has taken from my first draft. It is SO much better. Birthing As Nature Intended’s doula program is going to get off the ground with (what I think is) a great logo.
When I began this project, I started with sketching out some leaves. I knew that I wanted to use a leaf, because that is the only color element of the original BANI
The original Birthing As Nature Intended logo that served as inspiration.
logo, and I was very drawn to it. The original logo was hand-drawn, and it is well loved, so I wanted to create something that could build upon that logo. But because none of the leaves in the BANI logo are a close-up view, I began with a Google image search. I knew that I wanted my leaf (which became leaves) to be heart-shaped. I found this as an inspiration. I liked the shape and the veins.
In my first draft, I used the polygon tool to make a triangle. Then I used the curvature tool to morph the triangle into an upside down heart. Straight lines were created to make the stem and center line. I then used the arc tool to create the veins. I wanted them to stretch upward to look like arms outstretched. I created the left side arcs first, then reflected each one to create the right side arcs so that they would match perfectly. I added different stroke effects for the veins, outline, and stems. I created a radial gradient to create a glowing effect that I likened to a mother’s glow. Then I added the words “BANI DOULAS.” I wanted to match the font in the original logo, and “Marion” was the best match. I adjusted the kerning between letters to keep the spacing more even, then I centered the words on the leaf.
I received great feedback from our TA, as well as from my peer group. It was pointed out to me that my leaf shape was not very natural looking. I also received a suggestion to make the stroke white to work with the negative space, which I did, and love the effect. A couple people suggested turing the leaf upside down, and one person suggested reworking the placement of the words “BANI DOULAS.”
Before I even got any feedback, I was thinking about how I wanted to revise my logo. I went back to the internet for inspiration and to make sure that there weren’t any logos out there already that I might inadvertently be copying, since I intend to use this for a business. I found an image of a leaf wreath that I was really taken with. I knew that I wouldn’t create this many leaves, nor use the Diwali symbology, but the inspiration was there. I knew at that moment that I wanted my logo to have more than one leaf.
As I said earlier, creating a more natural-looking leaf was a major goal for me in my revision. I started over completely. I used the curvature tool to create half of a heart. Once I had something that looked right, I copied, pasted, and reflected that segment and joined them together. I created the veins and stem (which I later deleted) in the same way that I had in my first draft. In the beginning I kept the black stroke, because I had not yet received the advice about changing it to white. I kept a radial gradient, but changed the color and severity of it to make it more natural.
After I had one leaf that I liked, I copied it and pasted it three times, so I had a total of four leaves. I rotated each one either 90 or 180 degrees to get them facing each direction. I connected them all at the stem at first. I liked it, but it wasn’t quite right. So I moved them closer together, and deleted the stems. I worked the position of each leaf with bringing forward and back to create the layered look. There was always one corner of one leaf that was off, so I used the shape builder tool after reading this link on how to get the effect I was looking for. This is when I changed the stroke to white. I then played with the placement of text, and settled on the lower right corner. I also converted the text to outlines.
This was a very long process for me. I spent many hours trying to get a logo that I can use in a professional way, and I believe that I have it.
When I began the Strategic Communication program five semesters ago, I thought that it would help me with my business as a birth professional. I hoped that I would learn ways to build my brand and gain new clients. That became even more important when I moved across the state just a couple weeks after starting the program. I also had a goal of creating a new doula program within Birthing As Nature Intended, the childbirth education program that I currently teach.
As I wrap up my Master’s Degree, I am looking forward. I’m looking forward to starting a new business. I am planning to launch a consulting business after graduation. I will offer website and logo design, SEO assistance, and marketing plans. Crisi Communication plans may also be included. I will likely continue to do birth work, because I love it, and I don’t think I will ever stop completely. But I want to move forward with this new passion. I am grateful for this program for giving me the skills to feel confident enough to move into this new field.
Childbirth educators are often true experts in their fields. They enjoy reading the latest research on birth outcomes, breastfeeding rates, and more. They know the impact that 
Tyana Kelley 