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Hiring a midwife or doula OOP?

little_starslittle_stars
in Natural Birth
I'm delivering with an OB in a hospital. I'm leaning toward a natural birth and my insurance doesn't cover midwifes or doulas so I was considering paying for one OOP. I'm not sure if this is reasonable because I have no idea how much that would cost. Does anyone have experience or advice with this? Is it worth it? I know it varies regionally but If you don't mind sharing, how much did it cost you? Thanks!
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Re: Hiring a midwife or doula OOP?

  • tastyburgertastyburger

    it does vary greatly.  I interviewed one doula with a year experience (but other years' experience as an RN) that charges $450 and one doula with 15 years experience that charges $850.  We honestly didn't take the cost into consideration but decided to go with the first based on the connection I felt with her (and my H happened to know her from his HS days and liked her too, so that was great!) and just happened to luck out that she was in the "early" stages of her doula career and doesn't charge as much. 

    I know some VERY inexperienced doulas will do deliveries free in order to build their experience and "portfolio."  I would have considered that because I have no problems with people learning (I'm always the first to say "sure" when asked if a med student can draw my blood, perform an exam, etc.).  My dad, however, won't let a student near him in a medical situation due to his own fears and comfortability.  So it's up to you!

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  • pepomntpatpepomntpat member

    Well you typically have either a midwife or an OB. If you are going with an OB then you won't need a MW. If you are considering switching, you will want to talk to the MW. Some will work out pretty reasonable payment plans. I am glad our insurance will cover any licensed provider.

    Doula's vary depending on area. Around here they are around $500. We will have three prenatal meetings and she will be available for the entire labor. Our insurance doesn't cover a doula.

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  • nosoup4unosoup4u member

    Are you talking about homebirth midwives or hospital-based midwives? Because hospital-based midwives (usually) work with OBs, so insurance will cover them.

    As for doulas, we paid $700 two years ago in Michigan, and are paying $1100 this time around for a doula. But the doula this time has a lot of experience (trains other doulas, has been working for 15+ years, etc), so we're definitely paying for experience. Some of the paperwork she gave me talks about badgering your insurance company to cover it, and that sometimes they will...

    DS1 - Feb 2008

    DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)

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  • bandwifebandwife
    I am in a HCOL area and paid $1000 for my doula. She is very experienced - has been a career doula for almost 20 years. The fee covered two prenatal visits at our home and the labor. We paid the full thing OOP plus gave her a thank you for $100 post-birth. She was worth every penny.
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  • drakeedrakee
    imagenosoup4u:

    Are you talking about homebirth midwives or hospital-based midwives? Because hospital-based midwives (usually) work with OBs, so insurance will cover them.

    This.  If you are looking at your insurance website, don't even bother to look up if hospital-based CNMs are covered.  It's much easier and more accurate to contact the CNM directly and find out if she takes your insurance.

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  • ckettenbckettenb member
    In SF the fee for an experience doula is $1200 - $1700.  DH and I discussed it a lot and decided that, for us, it was worth it.  We bought a cheaper crib, are borrowing a breast pump from a friend, etc. etc. to make up for the cost.  It's all about priorities and what matters most to YOU.  It definitely can't hurt to interview a few... see if it's something that would be a priority for you.
    We said "I Do" on 9/27/2008!
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  • little_starslittle_stars
    Thanks so much ladies! I'll admit that I'm still in the early stages of figuring this out so it sounds like I'd need a doula, not a midwife. Your responses have been so helpful!
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  • Temp34783000004059Temp34783000004059 member
    If you're looking for a less expensive doula, you can always go through DONA (www.dona.org), which is a national professional association for doulas. They can help you find doulas who recently went through their training in your area, many of whom work for free or reduced fee to get experience. Where I live, doulas range from abour $400-$800, depending on location, level of experience, etc.
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  • Erin and DavidErin and David
    We moved recently to the Midwest and my doula, who will come to the house when I'm in labor and then accompany me to the hospital, costs $450 OOP. I haven't given birth yet but already I feel that it is worth it because I have a lot of peace of mind due to knowing she will be there.
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  • robyn2201robyn2201 member
    Our Bradley instructor decided to become a doula and is currently working on her certification, we were her first birth. We live in a HCOL and she charged us $200. We would not have been able to afford someone with more experience. After 12 weeks of Bradley classes, we felt we knew her really well and connected with her. She was awesome and we will probably use her again when we have a second child.
    Ivy: July 2010  |  Stella: Dec 2012  |  BFP#3: MMC at 11Wk's, July 2017 | Wyatt: April 2019 | BFP#5: Twin Girls due Sept 2020

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