As a native New Yorker with a background in public health, Terry Wong always knew she wanted to make a difference in her community. Upon returning home to Brooklyn from Australia in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, an unlikely opportunity presented itself to do just that. Though she had never done it before, she began to help others by becoming a doula.

“Part of a doula’s job is to make sure people have the best possible birth experience,” Terry said. “My sister found love later in life and was deemed high risk for having her first baby at 39. After all my research, I learned that the best way to support her was to be her doula because it is non-invasive, evidence-based supportive care.”

Because Terry found the experience of helping her sister so rewarding, she was inspired to create her own business, Whoosah Baby. She has supported 28+ births both at homes and in hospitals throughout New York City.

But at the beginning, Terry had a problem – Whoosah Baby had no contracting in place.

“When you become a doula, you have to become a business person,” Terry shared. “When you have a business, you need contracts.”

In her search for assistance, Terry attended a virtual clinic held by the City Bar Justice Center’s Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project, which provides free legal support to microentrepreneurs. She met with a team of volunteer attorneys to learn about entity formation and business contracts. Terry knew that she wanted her contracts to include language about payment agreements, the scope of services, and timelines.

“Birth support is very time sensitive,” she said. “There is an on-call period: two weeks before someone is due to have their baby. Clients can call me at any time, 24 hours a day because babies can come at any time.”

Terry also wanted to make sure that the contract for Whoosah Baby birth and postpartum support issued a disclaimer to clients that doulas are not medical providers.

“Doulas help bridge the gap between medical and psychosocial support,” she explained. “A doula’s experience can empower clients through clear communication to ensure true understanding and support shared decision-making.”

In the time following the clinic, NELP connected Terry with volunteer attorneys from Latham & Watkins who were able to strengthen her initial contract, including stipulations that protected both her and the clients she was helping.

“The lawyers were really good at explaining things to me,” Terry said. “We went through the draft of the contract multiple times. I’m not a legal person but I needed to be able to explain the contract. I learned a lot.”

Many times, when people hear about entrepreneurs, their first thought is a small business or shop. But Terry’s business doesn’t include a physical storefront, and she doesn’t have plans to open one. She is committed, however, to expanding access to doula services and working with state programs to ensure that birth work and maternal health stay on the policy agenda.

“It was good timing to find NELP,” she said. “Being a doula and caring for people is not hard for me, but having a business is hard. I’m just thankful to have people I could trust to counsel me. It gives me confidence in everything else that I have to do.”

To stay updated on Terry’s business, please click this link.

Want to learn more about the Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project? Visit the project’s webpage.