Help interviewing Doulas

skio

Hey ladies. I'm a newb around here because I mostly bump on mobile and just finally figured out how to get to this board on the mobile site, lol.

I'm planning a med free VBAC for this baby, due in June, and will be doing hypnobirthing and hiring a Doula to assist and support. I'm currently in touch with about four Doulas and will be meeting with them over the next few weeks.

Can those of you who have used or chosen a Doula suggest some things I should bring up? The backup Doula is an important topic for me and I plan to ask about their experience with VBACs, but I'm having trouble thinking of much else, and I know there's more I need to consider. I'm expecting to get the right 'feeling' when I meet the right one, but I can't rely on that. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Also, specifically for anyone who has experience with hypnobirthing and a Doula, did you find it important that your hypno instructor also be your Doula? Why or why not? This is an option for two out of the four I'm meeting and I'm wondering if having my hypno coach also be my labor support Doula would be especially beneficial or if going with separate instructors would be just as good.

tokenhoser

It's pretty easy to find a list of questions (check dona.org). Overall, the most important thing is just how you feel with her; talk about your previous birth, talk about how you want this one to go. Ask why she's a doula.

We also considered availability (which will probably be a problem for me again, as my due date is a long weekend in August) and price. Prices here ranged from $300 to $1200, and for us... $1200 was not happening.

cyprissa

I have zero advice about questions but want to reassure you that you will find one that is great. I waited too long to get a birth assistant/doula last time and only one who is approved to work with my midwives would take me. She was great on paper but at first, I didn't feel like I clicked with her and I was worried. In the end, she was great!

Celyn

Personally, I think it's important for the doula at a hypnobirth to be familiar with that modality.  It uses different lingo and has different expectations in many ways.  That doesn't mean it has to be your coach.  Hypnobabies has a hypno-doula program, but merely reading through your materials might be enough for someone supporting you to understand it.

Everyone has different needs for a doula.  Personally, I look for someone who has experience and confidence, someone I trust to know what's needed at any given time in my labor (or at least has educated guesses we can work with), someone with great hands (because I like massage in labor), and someone I click with well. 

aylafsu88

The big question I had when interviewing doulas was how she would handle me if I asked for pain medication because I thought I could no longer go natural.  She gave me a straightforward no nonsense answer.  Honestly, that sealed the deal for me.  I wanted a doula who would be strong and supportive of me even when I thought I could not go on. During delivery I did ask for some kind of narcotic to numb the pain.  She told me I was crazy and LO would be here in two pushes. For me, that was the type of thing I needed to hear.  It calmed me down and I did have LO without any medication. 

danuli8

My first question was "What made you decide to become a doula?" It's a very open-ended question, and the way each person (I interviewed 3) chose to answer it told me a lot about her philosophy and personality. I chose the woman my DH and I both clicked with the best.

emme+3

The way I found out the most info about my doula was asking her about the births of each of her children. Hearing why she decided different things with each of her kids, how she talked about it, and hearing how those made her want to become a doula gave me the biggest glimpse at her personality and beliefs.

Then I asked her a bunch of "what if" questions. They were based on my fears and concerns for my VBAC, like what would she do if the nurse insisted on me getting an epi, what if the dr on call isn't supportive, etc. I needed to know how aggressive she'd be, but also if she knew where her boundaries were. That ended up being very important because many of those situations arose.

I did Hypnobabies and she was familiar with it, but she wasn't an instructor. That was totally fine when I was in labor.