Remember it is far better to market to people who ALSO market to pregnant women, than to simply market to the moms-to-be only. You can reach MANY, MANY more expectant women this way and build your practice exponentially.
Who should you target (for lack of a better word.)
- Midwives in my area the midwives are generally very pro-chiropractic and very natural. There are medical midwives out there who tend to shy away from the natural approach…so choose who you work with wisely. Midwives are present for the entire active labor, delivery and immediate postpartum period.
- Doulas – Remember that there are 2 kinds of doulas. Birth doulas and postpartum doulas. Find a doula near you www.dona.org
- The birth doulas helps mom cope with labor and make decisions while she is in labor. Doulas are great especially when mom is using an OB because the doctor isn’t there until it’s time to push. The doula can keep mom calm and comfortable and helps with meditation and relaxation, etc.
- A postpartum doula helps after the baby is born. They can live with the family or stay for hours at a time and provide assistance with baby care, mom care and often do cooking and cleaning so mom can recover and care for herself and baby.
- Childbirth educators – there are many childbirth classes available ALL over the place. I generally focus on Bradley instructors as they are EXTREMELY pro-chiropractic. You can locate a Bradley Method instructor in your phone book or online at www.bradleybirth.com . or call 1-800-4-a-birth you may also look under the heading of The American Academy of Husband based childbirth.
- Massage Therapists- there are many M.T.’s out there who claim to specialize in pregnancy and labor massage. Go out and find them and start cross referring.
- Ob/Gyns - There are some OB’s out there who are very open to alternatives and some who aren’t. Keep in mind that all certified nurse midwives must have an MD for a backup in case of emergencies. These MDs are generally more open because they agree to work with midwives. For me, the MD’s that worked with “my” midwives were extremely receptive and curious about us and even sent their wives to get adjusted. The other thing to remember about MD’s is that they can charge more for a c-section than a vaginal birth. Some doctors may not care if the baby turns or not based on finances alone. Midwives, however, typically lose money if there needs to be a c-section because they have to share the insurance payment w/the surgeon.
This list is by no means inclusive of ALL people with whom to start a cross referral relationship. We talk about this constantly in the Premier Pregnancy Practice.
Do want to talk about how to start the conversation about a cross referral relationship? Book a free strategy session and let's figure this out!
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