Anyone used a doula?

BeanieWeanie

If so, how did you find her? And would you recommend her?

My first birth wasn't a good experience and I think a doula would really help next time around, so any recs are very much appreciated! TIA.  

laura3462

I went through Birthways and the person I had was ok. She was a little all over the place and had to take several personal calls during my delivery but ask for someone with more experience. I went with a newbie because I could not afford a more seasoned person.

mmks

We used Valerie Wezran https://www.bellylovedoulas.com/ and liked her.  We also interviewed SouthSideDrea's doula and know we would have liked her too.  It was a tough choice between the two. 

https://doulamatch.net is also another good resource to use to look up doulas

good luck!

DoulaSamma

As a doula myself my best advice is interview multiple doulas and interview doulas in similar price ranges so $$ isn't the deciding factor. Many times when I hear people had a bad or so-so experience with a doula it is usually when they only interviewed one or two people or decided based on price. Interviewing lots of doulas gives you a good view on who is out there, because we really are very different and the perfect doula for one mom is not the perfect on for her friend.

And I have to second that Valerie is an AWESOME doula. She and I do backup for one another and she rocks. 

Besides doulamatch you can check out certifying organizations like DONA, ToLabor, CAPPA, BirthWorks and Childbirth International. They list their certified doulas on their websites. 

MC&JQ

First and foremost I would say take a childbirth class, we learned a bit and also got to be around other parents to be!  Even if this is not your first baby, you are wanting a completely different experience, so a class could help!  We used Chicago Volunteer Doulas, and the way it worked was that they set us up with a doula and then we met her-could have changed if it wasnt a good fit...She was great to have with us, took some pressure off my hunny, and she was able to suggest things to try for my unmedicated labor, but just remembering to breathe and breathe steadily (and the jacuzzi tub!) worked great for me, tho my labor was relatively short-6.5hrs from first contraction to birth!  Good luck!

edeather

I agree with taking a childbirth course!  I am a childbirth educator and have classes both in Chicago and Homewood.  I teach a Brio Birth class that helps prepare you during pregnancy to stay healthy and low risk so that you can have a more effective labor.  We cover a lot and we definitely highlight how a doula can help.  I also have a resource that can get you in touch of Chicago doulas.  If you are interested and have questions please email me at lizbowen99@yahoo.com.  Congrats!