Top Mistakes Doulas Make During Prenatal Visits (And How to Avoid Them)
Prenatal visits are a huge opportunity to build trust with your clients, guide them through pregnancy, and lay the groundwork for a positive birth experience. But even experienced doulas can stumble if we’re not careful. Here are some of the most common mistakes we see doulas make during prenatal appointments, and how to avoid them so every prenatal visit feels valuable, intentional, and client-focused.
1. Not Preparing Enough Before the Visit
Showing up unprepared is the quickest way to lose focus and miss important client needs. Some doulas wing it, hoping they’ll remember questions or topics on the spot. The result? Missed opportunities, rushed conversations, and stressed clients.
How to avoid it:
Review your client’s intake form and any previous notes before each appointment
Have a checklist or framework ready for each visit
Bring any worksheets, forms, or discussion guides already printed out (or if you want to save paper, email them to your client ahead of time)
Using a tool like our Doula’s Guide to Prenatal Visits can help you stay organized and intentional, ensuring every session hits the key points your client needs.
2. Talking Too Much, Listening Too Little
It’s easy to get caught up explaining the labor process, common procedures, or birth options, but if you dominate the conversation, clients may feel unheard or overwhelmed. This is particularly true for men.
How to avoid it:
Start each visit by asking your client what’s on their mind
Pause frequently to check in
Encourage questions and validate concerns
Engage them with direct questions and even physical activities
Listening first helps clients feel empowered, and your guidance becomes more relevant and personalized.
3. Forgetting to Tailor the Visit to the Client’s Needs
Every client is different—first-time parents, second-time parents, or high-anxiety clients all need something different. A one-size-fits-all approach can leave clients feeling ignored or confused.
How to avoid it:
Ask about preferences, past experiences, and comfort levels at the start
Adjust your topics, pacing, and depth of conversation based on the client’s needs or comfort level
Again, use your notes from previous visits to personalize each session
Your prenatal visits should feel like a roadmap built around them, not a generic template. This is truly where our guide linked above comes in handy as we have a multitude of activities and options to choose from that can help you tailor things.
4. Ignoring Emotional or Mental Health Check-ins
Doulas often focus on logistics, but prenatal visits are also a perfect time to gauge emotional and physical well-being. Ignoring stress, anxiety, fear, pain or other physical ailments can leave clients feeling unsupported.
How to avoid it:
Ask open-ended questions about mood, stress levels, and physical well-being
Normalize common fears or concerns
Provide resources or coping strategies when appropriate
Refer to a care provider or mental health professional if needed
5. Failing to Track Notes and Action Items
Prenatal visits often cover multiple topics and decisions, and will usually require some follow-up on the doulas part. Forgetting to record what was discussed and what resources you committed to sending your clients can invite frustration, confusion, or miscommunication.
How to avoid it:
Take notes during or immediately after the visit
Track questions, follow-ups, and goals for the next session
Set yourself a deadline for sending any promised resources (we aim to send them out within 24-48 hours of the prenatal visit)
Use our structured templates and checklists to stay consistent
Our guide includes worksheets, tools, and checklists to make this effortless, so you never miss a detail!
Prenatal visits are the backbone of the doula-client relationship. They help you establish a rapport and help your clients feel more comfortable with you in preparation for birth. When you engage your clients during prenatal visits by preparing, listening and personalizing these visits, your clients will feel more supported, informed, and confident. If you want a practical, step-by-step framework to make every prenatal visit more intentional and effective, check out our Doula’s Guide to Prenatal Visits. It’s packed with 22 customizable templates, 13 hours of content, engaging activities, and tips from seasoned doulas to help you to rock your client prenatal visits each time.