Doulas... Did you have one?

MRSVELA07

*Lurking from the first trimester board

I'm 9 weeks pregnant and am starting to look for a Doula. If you had one during your pregnancy, when did you book her? What type of services/support did she provide, how often did you see her and what were her rates?

I found one Doula that I really like but I'm a little ignorant to it all as this is my first pregnancy.

Thanks ladies! 

Deannabee78

I had a doula for my birth and she was wonderful! I didn't necessarily plan for a natural birth but just wanted to see how far I could go on my own without the intervention. I did end up getting an epidural once I got to 8-9cm due to back labor. She was able to help me then too. My doula was also a yoga teacher and masseuse so she could show me different labor positions and was a great help during labor by massaging my back, etc. Loved my experience and really wish I had had one for my first birth. I ended up hiring her at the last minute (around 37 weeks). I highly recommend one...it was well worth the money ($500)!!

tbmadeamistake

I did have one, and she was a help in a lot of ways.  I ended up needing an induction and epi, so it was not the natural birth I had planned but she was a huge help with the contractions and pushing. 

That said, make sure you know what you're getting.  I got unlimited meetings/phone calls, my labor, and a couple PP meetings. Other doulas I talked to were much stricter on the number of meetings/phone calls.  I paid 750, which sadly is cheap for the Boston area.  

I got mine at the beginning of second tri.

Good luck!

RioG1978

I had one, and sorely regret spending the money.

 My plan (and why I hired her) was for a natural birth, and I wanted the Breastfeeding support for afterwards.

At 39 weeks I found out baby was breech, and was advised to get a c-section.  I was disappointed, but came to terms with it, and found the silver lining (there always is one).

 Doula, on the other hand, after being informed of my decision and initially being supportive, decided to lecture me the day before my scheduled c-section, saying that mothers who deliver vaginally are better mothers, that I should wait 2 more weeks (to 42 weeks) to allow baby to turn on her own (we had tried an external version, it didn't work).  She also felt the need to tell me the mortality rates for mothers in c-sections is still "extraordinarily high". 

I was pissed, to say the least.  I hired her to support me, not to ONLY support me if my birth met her qualifying criteria.

I was blindsided because until that point she seemed perfect.  So I would just ask some very pointed questions about all possible scenarios (including those you don't think will ever happen - it never occurred to me I would ever be having a c-section!)  My pregnancy and birth were absolutely perfect except for her at the very end.  

Congrats on your pregnancy and good luck!

kdjudd

I thought about having a doula, but they were just SO expensive. Also, my hospital only allows two people to be present during the birth and I wanted my sister and husband both to be there. I don't think I'll even consider one for my next birth. My husband was absolutely amazing! He worked so hard to keep me as comfortable as possible. I don't think anyone could have done better!

Zilelabelle

I had one, she was kind of expensive, but totally worth it. I ended up having a total natural water birth, probably because she was so supportive. Her expertise at moxibustion, acupressure, and other such things were a godsend during labor. Just make sure when you interview your doula that she will support your decisions no matter what. As for expense, you can try to find a doula that just completed training and needs a few births under her belt before she can hang out her shingle. Those can be really inexpensive or even free!

strawberrytree

My doula was still doing her training so she was much more affordable than the others in our area (800$+). I hired her pretty late, around 35/36 weeks. She was awesome- she had tons of books and videos I could borrow (which I didn't take full advantage of since I hired her late and DS came at 38 wks), but she was wonderfully supportive during the birth. She suggested positions and techniques for me to try, and she also took lots of pictures for us and made notes so she could write a birth story for me. I also get post partum support for 6 weeks so she has come over to help with BF, throw laundry in, watch DS while I nap, etc.

EMOmamma

I hired one for this baby, unfortunately she missed the birth.  I had to be induced due to HELLP and it took 22hours to get from 1cm-4cm and just 1 hour to go from 4cm-10.  She was there earlier but had left to take a break since it was going so slow.  She would have cost $700 but we didn't have to pay the whole amount since she missed it.  

Make sure you have a signed, written contract of what her services include and what happens in the event of pre-term labor, scheduled c-section, back up in case she's unable to make it, etc.