July Doula Tips - Day 3 - Avoiding Contaminating Your Home

During the month of July we will be featuring a new 'Doula Tip' a day on Facebook.  Our Facebook fans will be giving their tips on each daily topic and we will publish them here.  At the end of July we will have a great list compiled here and on Facebook too.  I encourage everyone to join in the fun!

Day 2 - Avoid contaminating your home by leaving your doula shoes at the door. 

There was lots of great user input on this topic!

Stephanie Eckhardt Kinser I wear crocs for my doula shoes and everything goes in the wash.

Jill Snelson Shoes AND clothes get stripped at the door!

Lynn English Shoes go into a plastic bag and clothes get stripped off immediately.

Shauna Rich I change mine before I get in the car. They go into a shoe bag. I wear a smock if I'm at my normal hospital but if not I just go straight to laundry room & strip.

Tina Pursley Castellanos Shoes in a plastic bag in the car and also clothes in the laundry right away before anyone even hugs me :)

Christine Catherall Doula crocs get disinfected and clothing gets taken off straight away.

Lety Bullard Murphy clothes and shoes in wash, washed twice in baking soda/hydrogen peroxide if very dirty. Shower immediately!

Eileen Roberts I have 'hospital shoes' (covered Birks) that I put on when getting out of my vehicle and take off before getting in. (Unless the client arrives pushing...) I strip off in the porch and my clothes get washed immediately-alone. I go to the bath immediately.

Sonya Ferris used to wear crocs but too slippery when wet- after too many "glides" on wet floors I tossed em. I don't stress so much about them now, but like to wash everything fairly often/promptly

Katie Line Casey Straight to the washer and my shoes are crocs so they can be thrown in too!

Becca Gordon I wear Toms as my birth shoes of choice. I have a comfy pair of slippers that I keep in my car. Hospital shoes go on right before the birth and come off when I get to my car. When I get home, I strip first thing and everything goes in the wash while I go in the shower.

Tomecas Gibson Thomas Shoes and clothing off at the front door. I put them in a bag to wash later. In the shower I go.

Marissa Farrell I do as Tomecas does

Lacy Boyer Henderson Clorox wipes are my best friend! :-)

Nicole McKay If you are attending a home birth, do you do anything different?

Eileen Roberts At a home birth my regular shoes come off at the door. (I wear clean socks.) When I get home I strip off and wash all the birth clothes alone like I do for a hospital birth.