Question from 2nd tri: If you had a Doula, was it worth it?

robbie3982 · February 2009

DH and I are looking into having a doula with us for the birth. We'll be using the Bradley Method to try for a med free birth with as little intervention as possible. I tried to switch to a Midwife from an OB, but it's not going to work out. The midwife I wanted to switch to highly recommended having a doula if we stick with an OB. So, if you had one, was it worth the money? What did you feel was the most helpful thing that the doula did?

Thanks in advance! Your babies are all adorable!

iris427 · February 2009

My H and I both agree we don't know what we would have done without our doula. If you are trying to deliver med-free, I highly recommend one.

I used to work as a hospital doula, so feel free to page me if you have more questions.

kelbrian · February 2009

You should post this on 6-12 as well. Hippy would be able to give you a lot of advice.

robbie3982 · February 2009

Thanks, Iris! The group we're looking at has 3 levels of doulas. The top level is totally out of our price range. The bottom two levels are certified doulas and non-certified ones who are in the process of certification. How big of a difference do you think there is between the non-certified and the certified ones?

robbie3982 · February 2009

kelbrian:
You should post this on 6-12 as well. Hippy would be able to give you a lot of advice.

Thanks! I'll do that!

iris427 · February 2009

robbie3982:
Thanks, Iris! The group we're looking at has 3 levels of doulas. The top level is totally out of our price range. The bottom two levels are certified doulas and non-certified ones who are in the process of certification. How big of a difference do you think there is between the non-certified and the certified ones?

Certified doulas will most likely have more experience, but it doesn't mean a non-certified doula can't be really helpful. Usually, they have been through all the training and just need to get a certain number of births to get certified. So it's possible the only difference is that the certified doula has attended one more birth than the non-certified doula.

I don't know that I would pay for a non-certified doula though. How much are they charging you?

robbie3982 · February 2009

Certified Doula is $550, Non-certified is $350. To get the owner of the company who's been doing this for 25+ years is $850.

djandkellen · February 2009

My husband and I had a doula for our pregnancy and delivery! ?She was incredible! ?She pretty much acted as a liaison between the hospital staff and us, so we didn't have to worry about anything! ?She was an unbiased advocate for us. ?Also, she was a very calm presence for us. ?My husband was calm, but she had had the experience that we didn't have. ?We went natural and she was a great reassurance the entire way! ?SHe happened to be our "teacher" at our Hypnobirthing class, so we got to know her really well! ?Good luck with the natural birth! ?It's totally worth it and is very doable! ?Just remember to remain calm and relaxed and remember to breathe slowly and deeply - it'll help the muscles you need to be oxygenated stay that way!

GRKaters · February 2009

Our doula was more valuable than I can even begin to express here. Well worth the money, and then some. I'd use her again in a heartbeat.

InLovewSB · February 2009

Mine is a story. Let me start by saying doulas are provided "free" at our hospital.

I labored at home for many hours, well into my active labor phase. I had very bad back labor and suffered a good deal of pain in my lower back and hips with each contraction. I also threw up at the end of most hard contractions. We went to the hospital at 4cm, and I said I wanted the epi. My blood work came back that my white blood cell count was too high, which is a risk for meningitis if you opt to get the epi. So my only course left was a natural child birth (because I didn't want narcotics to make the baby lethargic). If it hadn't been for our doula, Breana, I would not have been able to cope with the pain. She was freakin' AWESOME and I will love her forever and ever and ever. I pray that she is available for my next L&D experience. She definitely makes my list of most influential people in my life (even though I only knew her for 15 hours).

ll3414 · February 2009

It was THE BEST $1000 we spent! I also used the Bradley Method - and don't think I would have made it through without her. I would definitely encourage it - especially if you stick with an OB.

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Question from 2nd tri: If you had a Doula, was it worth it?

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