Today we’d like to introduce you to April Kline
Hi April, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The BWS Doula Agency is an off-shoot of the Birth With Spirit Doula Certification Training Program which was founded in 2019 by April Kline, Masters of Midwifery, Certified Professional Midwife, IBCLC Lactation Consultant and Craniosacral Therapist. Dr. Jodi Cunningham, a public health practitioner with a focus on community engagement and maternal health attended a BWS Doula training in Cincinnati in 2019, along with a diverse group of resident peer leaders working in affordable housing, massage therapists, midwives, nurses, Cincinnati Ballet ballerinas, etc., and immediately knew she had found a calling. She pitched the idea of a doula agency to April in 2022 as a way to meet increasing public interest in having doula support throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum… and the idea became reality. Since the launch of the BWS Doula Agency, we have seen exponential growth and, watching trends in healthcare in this country (the United States is 55th for maternal mortality worldwide according to the WHO and UNICEF), we believe the demand for highly trained and experienced doulas will only increase from here.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Surprisingly for a small business, this has been a pretty smooth road. Both of us have owned multiple businesses, so startup procedures are pretty run-of-the-mill. And because the idea was such a clear and obvious one—ask the Birth With Spirit-trained Doulas if they would want to work within an Agency that would provide all the marketing, back office, and 24/7 information and support—everything seemed to flow naturally as we went from startup to full-fledged business.
But the quick success of the business began to be overwhelming for us as we both are busy with jobs, other businesses, and our families. So one of the most interesting aspects of this business has been building out the client-facing collateral and getting it all as automated as possible. It has been a game changer for us to map out all of the little steps involved in each aspect of our client interactions—from initial outreach to last “thank you” email—streamline it, make it beautiful, and make it as automated as possible while still keeping a very personal touch.
That process went so well, and saves us so much mental capital, that we applied the same process to our internal processes and procedures. Big companies invest in their businesses this way, but small businesses mostly seem to wing it—so busy with the urgent things that demand attention now, that they don’t make the time to build the infrastructure. This infrastructure has helped us triple our business in the 1.5 years since we began!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have been a massage therapist, doula, homebirth midwife, craniosacral therapist, educator, deep nutrition counselor, and lactation consultant for 23 years. I love the way these roles have helped me develop a true whole-person approach to providing care. The hallmark of my practice has been unconditional support, meaning that I help my clients find all the information they need from excellent sources, helping them make the best decision for themselves, and then fully supporting them—even if their choice is different than the choice I would have made.
Unconditional support creates the best opportunity for people to find their own truths, and their power, in situations that often lead to feelings of disempowerment. Dr. Jodi lives these same principles, both in her personal life, and in her work. And this is the principle that forms the foundation of both the Birth With Spirit Doula Certification Training and the BWS Doula Agency.
The things that we hear about our doulas are that: They are always available and responsive. They provide excellent resources and evidence-based information. They are unconditionally supportive. They help our clients advocate for themselves in an appropriate and powerful way—not speaking directly to careproviders unless there is something harmful or dangerous but, instead, encouraging clients to find their own voices. And one thing we hear over and over, is that our doulas are happy to be available from whenever a client needs them clear until they do not need them anymore. Unlike some doulas and doula agencies, we do not work “shifts” and go off duty when that time is up. We also do not swap doulas in and out during a long birth. If you hire a BWS Doula, you have YOUR doula with you throughout.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
BWS Doula Agency was started after the Covid-19 lockdown, but that time period definitely has impacted the work we do: Doulas were barred from most area hospitals during the lockdown, so we had to become creative in how we supported birthing people during that time. We learned the incredible importance of what we call “stacking your cards for a normal, boring birth.” There is SO MUCH MORE you can do prenatally that sets you up to have the very best chance of having a straightforward birth. We learned that the first week postpartum sets the tone for mother and baby from then on. There is an old saying in the birth world that “How a mother is treated during her birth and immediate postpartum, is how she will mother her baby.” This is very true. So being there to support in all the ways before, during, and right after the birth and throughout that first week or two is extremely important. We also learned how to fully support clients virtually—by Zoom or phone. It is a high-level skill to be able to form a bond of trust and respect virtually, and those skills transfer directly into providing in-person care at a totally different level than most people ever get to experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bwsdoulas.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/birthwithspirit
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/birthwithspirit
- Other: https://birthwithspirit.com
