Hey there, creative readers! I could use your help. My plan to become a doula is moving full steam ahead, and the more I learn about the field, the more excited I become. The women in this profession are about as calm and empathic as it gets, so I feel more relaxed about paving a new career path than ever before, thanks in large part to their guidance.
Becoming a doula will be the easy part for me. The trouble is I do not have the entrepreneurial spirit. I’m an idea girl, to be sure, but somewhere along the way I tend to lose steam from the obstacles I encounter, and I haven’t figured out how to mount the hurtles. I wish I had it in me to take great risks, but as I often say about myself, at the end of the day I’m a paycheck gal.
Sometimes, my brain becomes attached to one thought, and then I can’t get The Big Idea (or even The Small, Ridiculous Idea) out of my mind. Does this happen to you? This is my current affliction when coming up with a name for my soon-to-be doula business [n.b.: Even the funny title of this post came from a friend, who suggested the also-hilarious “Ninja Doula” as a second option…in jest, of course].
Take this morning, for instance, when I woke up pondering Bob Marley’s song that goes “Don’t worry about a thing…” You know the one. I guess I was thinking about it because the lyrics remind me of the service a doula gives a mom-to-be. Turns out the song’s called Three Little Birds [n.b.: If you haven’t seen the Nick Jr. version of this song, you’re missing out!]. I spent about an hour thinking “What a cute name for a doula service!” Then I spent the next hour thinking “What a dumb idea. No one will understand the connection but me,” and then I spent the next hour trying to wipe the idea from my brain. Three hours gone, and still I don’t have a good idea.
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| Image Credit: Hello, Good Gravy! |
Here’s where you come in. I’ll give you the parameters for the kind of name I like, then you brainstorm and come up with the fantastic idea. Are you with me? Coolio. I love the word “mama,” so it would be fun to have it in the title, but not a requirement. It probably goes without saying that a lot of doulas put birth or baby in their title, so that’s another option. I should also probably mention that I might want to take my business into other aspects of parenting, so that’s one reason I’m leaning more toward “mama” than “birth.”
My mom suggested “Doula Decisions” and “Doula Dame,” and I like where she’s going with those; after all, alliteration is an always admired attribute. My cousin chimed in with “Birthwise Doula Services,” which I love but is basically trademarked by the “Babywise” book series and by a bunch of midwifery schools. I could ultimately choose something that’s been taken by others as long as they aren’t in my city, but I’d love to have a domain name all to myself.
My other favorites, “mamawise” and “mamasource,” have already been taken, so here are some synonyms I found that I like:
Wise: smart, sage, sensible, savvy, clever, bright
Source: dawn, rise, spring, start
Thanks for your help! You’re the best.
Smooches,
~J