Hiring a Doula?

Knottie1443924966 · July 2016

Hey ladies!!

Has anyone hired a Doula yet? I am so excited about having a Doula there for support but I feel so lost in the hiring process..please help

How did you find her?

What questions did you ask?

How much is she charging?

What does that include?

KRB22 · July 2016

I am planning to hire a doula, and have interviewed 2 already. I am also really excited about having the extra support, but am currently torn between the 2 and also debating whether to interview any more.

Would also love to hear from any STM + who have used doulas and if they have any specific advice, recommendations for choosing, etc.

I found both doulas via a list my midwives office provided. They have previously worked with and recommend all the doulas on the list, so I figured that was a good place to start. I then chose a few to interview based on their websites, bios, etc. Also had input from my husband.

Both doulas came to our house for the initial (free) interview. They gave their spiel about what they offer and their philosophies. We asked:

what sorts of things do they do specifically during labor, eg, for pain management

if they will make recommendations for things I can do to prepare for labor

if they've attended many births at our specific hospital

What sort of interaction they generally have with the midwives/doctors/nurses (I think this is an important question. I want to be comfortable that I won't get caught in the middle between the medical staff and my doula if there are critical decisions to be made. Both doulas said they will listen to anything the doctor/midwife says and help interpret for us if necessary, but will not speak on our behalf and will support whatever decisions we make).

The fees are $1650/$1700. I live in the NYC suburbs, so I wouldn't be surprised if this is more than what's charged in other areas.

Included (for both doulas I met):

2 prenatal meetings - 1 usually during 2nd trimester and the 2nd @37 weeks to discuss more specific plans for the labor and birth

unlimited access/advice via text/email/phone once they are hired

On-call 24/7 from 37 weeks on. Once labor starts they will come to my home whenever I am ready, accompany us to the hospital, and stay with us throughout the duration of labor and birth. They will stay a little while after the birth as well to make sure we're settled, help with breastfeeding if necessary, etc.

2 post partum visits at home

HTH!

moosette113 · July 2016

I am actually just starting the interview process now with a doula and a midwife (I live in Germany where OBs are really only responsible for ultrasounds and checkups up until the last few weeks, then midwives take over prenatal, birth, and postnatal care unless there are complications). I don't think my answers will be super helpful re: price and finding them, but I can tell you what questions I plan on asking since that should be fairly universal.

I think the most important thing to establish is that you have similar thoughts when it comes to pain management and interventions. It's important to me that my doula will be supportive if the time comes for a c-section (because I have a family history of pre-e that makes it somewhat likely that I'll need one), rather than continue to encourage a natural birth. But for you, you might be looking for someone to be your cheerleader when it comes to a med-free birth. So make sure to ask what their philosophies are because one of the main purposes of a doula is to be your advocate. Also ask what kind of comfort techniques they generally use.

I would also establish how many clients they take on at a time, what happens in they are unavailable (like if they have a back-up doula), when they would join you (at home, at the hospital), can they provide you with references, do they have any credentials, how long have they been a doula, etc. You could also ask if they provide any postpartum care, if that's something you are interested in.

Hope that helps a bit!

scgirl6113 · July 2016

I'm not considering hiring one but one of my top questions would be:

how many any clients do they accept with similar due dates/what would happen if two clients went into labor at the same time?

AriB08 · July 2016

How did you find her?
I actually have a 2 doula team, which I like and gives me security. I had tossed the idea around but mine actually found me on a FB group post. I was asking for suggestions about OBs and hospitals in the area since we just moved here and she PMed me with great info. Both from her personal experience and births she'd attended. She didn't make me feel like she was advertising to me but mentioned her role as a doula with relevancy to the convo and told me I could contact her if I found myself interested. Which, of course, I did.

What questions did you ask?
Luckily, I asked some questions before we met but when we did a consult they went over so much and I was left with little to ask on my own list. Some things I wanted to know that she covered were:
-How was their relationship with the drs (my hubby was nervous they might be "against" the drs and cause tension.)
-What role do they see for the husband and anyone else I wanted in the room? (I did not want my hubby or mom to feel "left out" in any way. I found they actually work for you and those in the room, too [getting food, giving tips and breaks from pain relief help, taking on support role so they can rest or leave if needed], which will probably actually take stress off my loved ones and me.)

How much is she charging?
We paid $850

What does that include?
-24/7 email, text, phone support throughout pregnancy
-Access to a huge learning library and willingness to purchase resources you are interested in
-Bradley "Influenced" Class Series (6, with a 7th optional class on cloth diapering and baby wearing) with topics on nutrition, exercise, pain management, unbiased/science backed data/info on various options and interventions that occur in labor/birth, etc.
-2 personal meetups before and close to labor to write and review your birth plan (for both vaginal and csection scenarios)
-Unlimited "false alarm" on-call visits (no extra cost)
- At least one doula to attend birth and stay the whole time with no extra charge for long labors
-Support, pain relief help (including massage, etc.) assistance with getting you things you need during, and advocacy
-Postpartum support and visit(s) as desired for help with new baby, after baby body, and breastfeeding

MaryNog · July 2016

Thank you for sharing your experiences, ladies! I'm still pondering whether to hire a doula- it might be very helpful, especially since my husband actually gets faint at the sight of blood. However, I really want someone who wont push me towards unmedicated childbirth. I have no interest in doing that. I live in the SF Bay Area and am guessing the majority of doulas here are hired by couples who want to pursue a drug-free childbirth. Have any of you had issues with doulas pursuing their own agendas?

susykat77 · July 2016

This is a great thread. I have contacted a doula but I have yet to interview her so now I have some good questions to ask! The cost for our will be $550 we live in a small town in Colorado.

KRB22 · July 2016

MaryNog said:

Thank you for sharing your experiences, ladies! I'm still pondering whether to hire a doula- it might be very helpful, especially since my husband actually gets faint at the sight of blood. However, I really want someone who wont push me towards unmedicated childbirth. I have no interest in doing that. I live in the SF Bay Area and am guessing the majority of doulas here are hired by couples who want to pursue a drug-free childbirth. Have any of you had issues with doulas pursuing their own agendas?

I think in general doulas are trained to support the mother and her partner in whatever decisions they make about labor and birth, and they should not push their own agendas. I'm sure there are some doulas out there who might stray from this philosophy, but you should be able to get a sense from meeting with them and discussing their approach if this is something to be concerned about. I'm sure you can also ask for references.

A good friend of mine hired a doula in NYC for her first birth a few months ago. She had thought about going med free but figured she'd probably end up having an epidural, and she was right. After laboring/pushing for several hours she also ended up having an emergency c section. She told me afterwards she was still happy she had the doula there. The doula was supportive of her decision to have the epidural and then the c section, and I know this is part of the reason my friend didn't doubt her decisions and was happy with her birth experience in spite of things not going as planned.

canavara · July 2016

@marynog Not in SF but the doulas I contacted specifically listed "epidural labors" in their services. A couple of friends of mine who have used doulas that weren't specific about that simply asked directly about it in their initial contact. You can usually get a pretty good vibe from first answer alone on how they'll approach the issue.

Knottie1443924966 · July 2016

@krb22 thank you so much for this it was very informative!!

Knottie1443924966 · July 2016

@mooset113

MaryNog · July 2016

@canavara @KRB22 thanks, guys!!

rdh33 · July 2016

We hired a doula earlier this week!!

My apologies for the long message. I'm very passionate about the role doulas play -- prenatal through postpartum.

1. I actually found her by calling about prenatal classes. I had gotten a review for another doula (no longer accepting clients) and thought this would be a good way to kill two birds with one stone: interview a doula; meet her before the class to make sure it would be a good fit. (It was a VERY good fit. Kismet, for sure.)

If you need a place to start, visit DONA.org. You'll be able to search for all of the certified doulas in your area.

2. Questions: First, have her come to your house-- it's important that you and your birth partner feel comfortable having this person in your home. The three of you will hopefully build an intimate bond. You should be able to glean quite a bit just by how it feels to have her there.

After she explained her practice, methods, and role(s), we had very few questions. (Why is she a doula? What's her role in relation to my husband? What's her philosophy of care? What was her education/training? How many other families is she working with around my due date? At what stage of labor will she start?) I think the main thing to remember when interviewing is that the doula's job is to be there to support you and your birth partner. (And, often, more him/her than you so that they can better support you.) Whether you wish to have a natural or medicated birth, that is your decision and should be carried out respectfully. For me, the most important thing was whether I clicked with this person. I'm only having my husband and the doula with me as support during L&D. It was essential that DH and I felt like we could all do this work together. I also really appreciated her approach to education, both for herself and her clients.

3. She has two options: the standard two prenatal visits, L&D, one postpartum visit for $975 and a more complete option with 3-4 prenatal and 1-2 postpartum visits (total of 5) for $1,125. We went with the second option.

(I live in Central Oregon, but the town itself has a higher cost of living than the rest of the area.)

4. In addition to the five visits and her support during labor and delivery, I will receive six herbal prenatal/postpartum products (teas, tinctures, bath salts), essential oils, a handmade rebozo (can be used to wrap and apply pressure to the hips during active labor, among many other things), unlimited support via email/phone during pregnancy, false start visits, 24 hr on-call in weeks surrounding due date, and access to lending library. Clients also get a discount (about 25%) off classes and other services.

This is from our contract: Her role during labor/delivery, includes (but is not limited to): supporting the partner in offering laboring woman the most comfort, supporting the laboring mom-both physically and emotionally, offering suggestions and techniques for comfort as needed, Helping to translate the info from your care provider, reminding you of your goals and wishes and the knowledge that led you to those decisions, running bath water, getting snacks, fielding phone calls, photography (with your camera), and informing family of your progress, and other skills and duties.

Good luck!

AriB08 · July 2016

@MaryNog I definitely think you're not the only person to think that doulas have a natural birth agenda. While, I think it is common that those planning to go natural use doulas more often, I don't think *most* are going to push you either way. It is probably more common for natural birth moms to seek a doula since they do offer pain management education and techniques, but I def don't think doulas are only useful in that scenario. My doulas are really big on a well-rounded education of options and supporting your vision of birth, whatever that may be. Just ask in your interview(s)!

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