What is the avg cost to hire a doula?

Joanna O · June 2010

just wondering.... weighing my optiond. I just bought a book on the bradley method, but not sure if I can get my DH completely on board.

xnbride · June 2010

Around here it is about 500-600 for an independent doula, but our hospital also offers them free of charge (well it is included in the services rendered). You can request them when admitted so there is no pre/post appts.

CoastieWife08 · June 2010

$500-600 is also the average here in South VA.

pepomntpat · June 2010

Around $500. Our contract has payments spread out through the pregnancy too, so that really helps.

doxgirl · June 2010

Same here. It's around $600.

mechanicsgirl · June 2010

An experienced doula here quotes $500. My friend is a doula and is getting her certification, and she charges $400.

LindseyJW · June 2010

probably depends a lot on your area.

DC metro - doula's range between $600-$1000, depending on the services they provide and the length of time they are with you.

momofolivia · June 2010

mine is $650

mghnmouse · June 2010

My Doula usually charges $650, but she will also take nothing, depending on the family's situation, she's cool like that.

lesleytaylor · June 2010

I live in the baltimore area and our doula charges $495. Our also takes pics of us bonding with the baby directly after birth and puts together a timeline of our birthing experience and come to one postnatal appt. at our house to check in on us.

Fun2Dream · June 2010

Ours was $650. You can also find a doula-in-training who will do it for free, sometimes.

yeshuahamasshiah · June 2010

mghnmouse:
My Doula usually charges $650, but she will also take nothing, depending on the family's situation, she's cool like that.

THIS....

Mine is charging us $500 (her usual fee) though she works on a pay-grade scale (not sure if that is the correct term for it) ... so if you could not afford her fee she would work with you on the price.

She has attended several births pro-bono.

I live in central IL.

mzclaire · June 2010

Depends where you are (urban vs rural, etc). I just started looking into this, and I live in the SF Bay Area. I see prices anywhere from $500 to $1,400. I think a lot of it has to do with their level of experience and their level of involvement.

Some women do a "package deal" where they record the whole birth process (including photos) and write up your birth story, offer breastfeeding assistance, and do both post- and pre-natal visits. So you may not be comparing "apples to apples" with the prices listed. Many will do a sliding scale fee system, though. That seems pretty common.

d.cubed · June 2010

mzclaire:
Depends where you are (urban vs rural, etc). I just started looking into this, and I live in the SF Bay Area. I see prices anywhere from $500 to $1,400. I think a lot of it has to do with their level of experience and their level of involvement.
Some women do a "package deal" where they record the whole birth process (including photos) and write up your birth story, offer breastfeeding assistance, and do both post- and pre-natal visits. So you may not be comparing "apples to apples" with the prices listed. Many will do a sliding scale fee system, though. That seems pretty common.

I live in the SF Bay Area too and $500 - $1500 is pretty common. The sliding scale is also common. We put a $500 deposit down with our doulas and then we can decide how much to pay by 36 weeks. (I'm sure that we'll pay the whole fee, but it's nice to have the option of the "sliding scale!")

drewiekc · June 2010

We're in Kansas City and ours charges $600.

Just an aside, if you are seriously thinking about hiring one, I would get on it SOON. Most dont take birth clients close together, and since you're already 28 weeks, you might run into the problem of trying to find one that can take you. We hired ours around 15 weeks, which is pretty common for our area.

flyer23 · June 2010

With DD, we were living in the SF Bay Area, and our doula cost $900.

With DS, we were living in Dallas, and we interviewed four doulas who ranged in cost from $200 to $750. The one we ended up hiring cost $400.

If cost is a concern, definitely talk to potential doulas about that. Most of them are NOT in it for the money and will be willing to work with you if you really can't afford their services.

triumphantreturnofplanningbug · June 2010

I've found the average range here to be $400-900, depending on experience and what's included. Like PPs have mentioned, though, if you're truly not able to afford it, most either work on sliding scales or with bartering.

Pamela05 · June 2010

From what I've found in Houston they run about $600-800 for basic labor services. Some of the packages get more expensive if you include massages and classes.

mexicolombiana · June 2010

$650-$1,000 in Chicagoland I believe

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