Any Doulas here?

Re: Any Doulas here?

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  Temp34783000004059 member

  November 2010

  1. I have two kids, who are 3.5 and 1.5 yrs old. My husband is a teacher, I work FT at my 'pays the bills' job and I only take a few doula clients a year. Lucky for me, all my births so far except 2 of them have fallen on the weekend when I can just leave the kids home with the hubby. One fell on a weekday, and I was gone from 1-6 am, ran home to shower, and took the kids to daycare. The other weekday one I wasn't going to make it home in time to do drop-off, so my mom (who is retired and close by) watched the kids until I got home. The harder part for me is that being a doula is more 'hobby' than work for me, so I have to worry about balancing it with my 'real' job.

  2. The demand where I live is decent. I don't seek out clients, so I can't speak too much to how many interviews I get a month or anything. But I DO know women who doula exclusively for income, or mix being a doula with childbirth, breastfeeding, etc classes.

  3. I work alone, but I have a back-up every time.

  4. I'm charging $400 right now. I'm not certified, though I have enough training and births to be. It includes unlimited prenatal contact, a minimum of 2 prenatal meetings, help with the birth plan, help with prepping for appointments, talking about comfort measures, unlimited time for the birth and 1-2 hours after (including establishing breastfeeding if mom desires), a visit a few days after, and help for up to 2 weeks post-baby via phone. I've also taken pictures at several births if the parents desire and it does not interfere with the work I am there for. I guarantee availability for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after the due date.

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  AJM796

  November 2010

  1. My daughter is 2 and I work a full time job. I can usually count on my husband to be around to take care of things if I am called out for a birth.  I have a few babysitters I can call if I really need them. Unfortunately, I don't have any family around so I can't really count on that type of help but my husband so far has been able to really help out.2. In my area, I would say the demand is high. I truly depends on the area. I could stay super busy if I was willing to get more involved in the birth community then I already am. I teach Bradley classes, have my name on doulamatch.net, and a few other listservs in my area. I also have a website that has been pinged and I've gotten clients from.3. I have a few backups. One is a fellow Bradley teacher and took my doula training with so we are pretty aligned in how we feel about things. Also, being on the listeservs helps if I know I am going to be out of town and need a backup.4. around $400 and that includes two prenatals, one postpartum, on call/24 hour support from two weeks prior to due date until baby comes, phone/email support throughout pregnancy.

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  SageBeginnings

  November 2010

  1. If you have young kids at home, how do you balance being 'on call' and finding quick child care when someone is in labor? My husband is a bartender and works his own business on the side. This allows him enough flexibility that he is normally home or able to be home for births. OTOH, we have two 'emergency' back up babysitters that don't mind being on call for when I go to births. Before I moved to TX, I worked in a cooperative where we were on-call for emergency babysitting OR for doula back-up for one another.
  

  2. How is the demand for Doulas? If you wanted to, could you stay really busy? Or can it be tough to find clients? I can find around 2-3 clients a month very easily. They tend to come in waves, some months are completely cricket-like, while others, at times, I need to turn them away.
  

  3. Do you work alone or with another Doula or two? I am part of a doula cooperative of myself and 3 others. We work by doing community outreach workshops about birth options in our area, monthly meet the doula workshops, and are on a back-up rotation for each other.
  

  4. Hope this isn't too personal, but what do you generally charge clients, and what does that include? $650. 2 prenatals, the cooperative community workshops, abdominal massage at 38 weeks, access by phone/email 24/7 in the last month, 2 hours postpartum assistance, and a postpartum visit including mom and baby massage.

   

  good luck!
  

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  mommyndoula

  December 2010

  Sawyerplus1:

  
  

  1. If you have young kids at home, how do you balance being 'on call' and finding quick child care when someone is in labor?

  I have several childcare options that range from family to friends to actual babysitters. I give them as much advance notice as possible, but admittedly, this can be a challenge. 

  2. How is the demand for Doulas? If you wanted to, could you stay really busy? Or can it be tough to find clients?

   This varies by region of the country (in EVERY country). For a new doula it CAN be very tough to find new clients. Depend on what your purpose is (hobby, career or somewhere in between), starting ANY new business can be a challenge and it can take anywhere from 1-3 years to have a steady flow and consistency. Some doulas never, ever have a steady flow.

  3. Do you work alone or with another Doula or two?

  I work alone but have several back up arrangements. 

  4. Hope this isn't too personal, but what do you generally charge clients, and what does that include? 

  This is regional. HCOL areas doulas charge more, in LCOL and areas where doulas aren't a household name, doulas tend to charge less. I recommend looking at as amany doulas as you can in your general region and similar COL around the country (and the US) to see what the going rate is. As a new doula, I wouldn't try to put yourself up with the higher end, very experienced doulas, but rather find something competitive that doesn't under pay yourself. Packages also vary doula to doula depending on the skill set. A good doula trainer will give you some business basics and what is normal to offer in a package.

  Despite all the 'oh, find a student doula, they're free' posts here... it is VERY expensive to be a doula, to have a business and no matter what your skill set you deserve to be comp'd appropriately for your time and dedication. 

   

  ALSO, join https://www.alldoulas.com/forums/index.php?referrerid=2938  it's a great place to ask these types of questions and learn more about being a doula. Use the search feature to find lots of previous topics that can and will be useful on your journey 

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