April 2021 Moms
theblondebump
member
Doula
theblondebump
member
Hi friends! Wondering if anyone has any personal experience with doulas (or other advice as to pros/cons). We've begun interviewing doulas and I'm about to pull the trigger and hire, but I wanted to hear from you all first.
Re: Doula
@bbrahmbhatt yes, thankfully. When we first found out we were pregnant (in July), only one support person was allowed (so doula would have meant no husband). By about October or so, they opened things back up to allow doulas in the room at my hospital, in addition to one support person. So you can't have two support people (like husband and sister or something) but you can have husband + doula. And the policy of the specific doula I'm considering hiring is that if the covid rules change between now and delivery, she will come labor at my house with me until I'm ready to go to the hospital, FaceTime with me throughout labor/delivery if I want to, and then I can convert the hours she would have been in the hospital with me into post-delivery home visits for lactation, caring for newborn, etc.
That being said, I would probably pick a different doula if I could have one this time. She was fresh out of training, I was one of her first clients. She was kind of shy and so am I. I would prefer someone more outgoing/comfortable with the process.
If it's in your budget and they're allowed, I definitely think you should go for it.
I would pay for someone to support me laboring at home before the hospital, but my water broke before labor started last time - so I've never actually labored at home. I don't think that's super common, but is another reason why we're holding off for the time being.
In a nutshell: with #1 I had a vague idea of the kind of labor/birth I wanted, but never got there and didn’t really have anyone advocating for me in the hospital or with the doctors. Ended up being the polar opposite birth of what I wanted!! #2 and #3 were exactly how I’d hoped & it made such a huge difference to have someone there on my side, who knew the hospital, who even knew the nurses, etc. So so helpful to have her with me while I labored at home a bit before going to the hospital, etc. She was a resource to my husband too! With #2 I labored at home and she coached my husband through different things but was there supporting us too (peppermint oils for nausea! Suggestions of different positions to make laboring easier, etc). Doulas are just this crazy wealth of knowledge and I would SO absolutely recommend one, especially with your first. I am a reader and read tons and tons of books but it’s so different when you’re going through labor yourself.
If you have any doula questions I’d be happy to answer them!!
Re insurance - we did! So I called mine and asked and they were confused on what a doula was and said no it wasn’t covered 🙄 Well I went ahead and submitted anyway afterwards (post birth) and sure enough, they covered it 80%! So I would suggest asking...and then submitting anyway haha. What I needed from my doula was some kind of medical number (that they should have) & the invoice. Good luck!!