If I have a doctor, why do I need a doula?
Doulas are all about YOU and your family. We are a personal resource guide to community and nationwide organizations and companies. It is proved that having a doula will lower your birth risks. Doulas work alongside medical staff to provide additional support for you, but we do not speak FOR you. We can assist you in decision making by helping to explain options and risks the medical staff may not take the time to or explain in an unbaised way. Doulas provide support to your partner as well.
My partner is a great support for me. Why would I need a doula?
That is AMAZING for you all and is SO helpful! My husband is jokingly called "the male midwife" as well because for my first birth, I didn't have a doula, but he knew JUST what to do! This was my first birth and I was nervous. There were a lot of things I did and didn't want. A doula would have by-passed all of the time I took "coaching" my husband in that area. We know what is typical for a birth and what is protocal so that we can educate you ahead of time on what will happen routinely so that you can do some research to see if that's something you want or not. Then, we help you write it in your birth plan and we will be there to help you implement what you want to happen. We work in L&D regularly and that can be to your benefit.
How does a Doula differ from a Doctor or a Midwife?
A doula is a non-medical assistant who is experienced with and knowledgeable about the process of childbirth. We provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support during the pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum phases regardless of outcome. We go with you where ever you birth. If you have a planned hospital birth, we can show up to your house and stay with you during your drive or just come to the hospital, that's up to you. If you have a planned home birth and have to transition to the hospital, we will go with you. We don't check to see how much you are dilated or do vaginal exams or anything medical "to" you. We are accept your life path, culture, decisions, and the way you want to go through pregnancy, the way you want to birth, and the way you want to raise your baby. We take the time to listen to what you want and make that happen. If you need help coming up with a plan, we can help you do that too.
You nurses at your OB/GYN office or maybe if your midwife has a nurse, they probably take your weight, height, blood pressure, urine sample, and things like that for your doctor or midwife. At the hospital, they will also have nursing staff to do these things for them. They don't typically help with comfort measures. Doulas do. They don't typically show up to the birth until the baby's head is coming out.
The difference between a doctor and a midwife is the education they receive. Yourchildbirthguide.com describes them well: "An obstetrician is a doctor that specializes in pregnancy and birth. He or she has gone to medical school and is trained to do surgery. Obstetricians don’t attend home births. A small few attend births at birth centers. A midwife is trained in all things related to pregnancy and birth, but does not go to medical school. Although midwives don’t carry the title of doctor, they are no less competent to provide care for pregnancy and birth. In fact, countries where midwifery care is the norm have the best outcomes for both moms and babies. Some midwives only do home births and some only do hospital birth or birthing centers."
You can read more about the different kinds of midwives and models of care here.
You nurses at your OB/GYN office or maybe if your midwife has a nurse, they probably take your weight, height, blood pressure, urine sample, and things like that for your doctor or midwife. At the hospital, they will also have nursing staff to do these things for them. They don't typically help with comfort measures. Doulas do. They don't typically show up to the birth until the baby's head is coming out.
The difference between a doctor and a midwife is the education they receive. Yourchildbirthguide.com describes them well: "An obstetrician is a doctor that specializes in pregnancy and birth. He or she has gone to medical school and is trained to do surgery. Obstetricians don’t attend home births. A small few attend births at birth centers. A midwife is trained in all things related to pregnancy and birth, but does not go to medical school. Although midwives don’t carry the title of doctor, they are no less competent to provide care for pregnancy and birth. In fact, countries where midwifery care is the norm have the best outcomes for both moms and babies. Some midwives only do home births and some only do hospital birth or birthing centers."
You can read more about the different kinds of midwives and models of care here.
Can hiring a Doula contribute to the outcome of my birth?
Research has shown that a doula being present during labor and birth can lead to a 50% decrease in caesarean sections, a 25% reduction in length of labor, a 60% decrease in use of forceps and a 30% decrease in use of pain medication (Klaus, Kennell and Klause 2002).
This depends on what YOU want. I had a mom recently labor for 30 hours before the decision to have a c-section was decided. The doctors and nurses all listened to what she wanted. They were communicating with her the whole time on what they were doing to bring baby along. She was in the decision making process and she wanted to make she sure did everything she could do ensure the vaginal birth she wanted before resorting to surgery. When she tells people about her birth story she gets one of two responses: "That is so awesome that they didn't immediately rush you to surgery when it wasn't an emergency!" or "That is terrible that they "made" you labor that long! They shouldn't "do" that to anyone!" So I think the answer to the question if a doula can contribute to the outcome of your birth is personal.
Having a doula will NOT benefit you if:
-you want to do whatever is easiest for the nurses and doctors
-you don't care to know what they are doing "to" you or you feel comfortable communicating with hospital staff or are
knowledgeable about what normally happens during childbirth and you know what to expect for the most part
-you don't care how your birth goes, you just want a healthy mama and baby
-you don't need help with getting comfortable and working with the pain of contractions (even before the epidural) or you have another support person to assist
-you are familiar with what is available in your community to assist you
-you have someone who can support you during birth who is familiar with what is protocol and what is typical for birth
-you are prepared for the postpartum time by having someone available to assist with making freezer meals, running errands, helping with the baby while
you eat, rest, and shower as well as being educated about questions you may have with caring for a newborn and possibly breastfeeding.
This depends on what YOU want. I had a mom recently labor for 30 hours before the decision to have a c-section was decided. The doctors and nurses all listened to what she wanted. They were communicating with her the whole time on what they were doing to bring baby along. She was in the decision making process and she wanted to make she sure did everything she could do ensure the vaginal birth she wanted before resorting to surgery. When she tells people about her birth story she gets one of two responses: "That is so awesome that they didn't immediately rush you to surgery when it wasn't an emergency!" or "That is terrible that they "made" you labor that long! They shouldn't "do" that to anyone!" So I think the answer to the question if a doula can contribute to the outcome of your birth is personal.
Having a doula will NOT benefit you if:
-you want to do whatever is easiest for the nurses and doctors
-you don't care to know what they are doing "to" you or you feel comfortable communicating with hospital staff or are
knowledgeable about what normally happens during childbirth and you know what to expect for the most part
-you don't care how your birth goes, you just want a healthy mama and baby
-you don't need help with getting comfortable and working with the pain of contractions (even before the epidural) or you have another support person to assist
-you are familiar with what is available in your community to assist you
-you have someone who can support you during birth who is familiar with what is protocol and what is typical for birth
-you are prepared for the postpartum time by having someone available to assist with making freezer meals, running errands, helping with the baby while
you eat, rest, and shower as well as being educated about questions you may have with caring for a newborn and possibly breastfeeding.
Does a Doula make decisions on my behalf?
no, never.
A doula does not make decisions for clients or intervene in clinical care. We encourage you to be your own advocate in pregnancy and birth. It is ultimately your responsibility to make choices concerning your body and your baby.
Like a wedding planner, a doula has no interest in making decisions for you. You *might* happen to get someone who might suggest it is *better* to do something a certain way or who implies that you *should* do something because that is what they feel is best- just like a wedding planner may suggest something that is common, in style, or something they like or did, but they is not the norm and you can find a new doula at any time if you are not compatible.
**you may still have a contractual responsibility to pay the doula for the services they already provided.
**most doulas do a "Free Consultation" to see if you are a good match before a contract is signed
A doula does not make decisions for clients or intervene in clinical care. We encourage you to be your own advocate in pregnancy and birth. It is ultimately your responsibility to make choices concerning your body and your baby.
Like a wedding planner, a doula has no interest in making decisions for you. You *might* happen to get someone who might suggest it is *better* to do something a certain way or who implies that you *should* do something because that is what they feel is best- just like a wedding planner may suggest something that is common, in style, or something they like or did, but they is not the norm and you can find a new doula at any time if you are not compatible.
**you may still have a contractual responsibility to pay the doula for the services they already provided.
**most doulas do a "Free Consultation" to see if you are a good match before a contract is signed
Do you accept insurance?
I do not. I would suggest to contact your insurance company and ask if you can be reimbursed. Some have flex payment plans that will now reimburse you for doula services and occasionally you can find out about billing codes that your insurance company will accept. You can also ask if your HSA can fund a doula.
Do you support clients who plan to use pain medication?
Absolutely! Doulas support a woman’s right to choose how THEY wish to birth. The includes supporting a laboring woman who chooses to labor unmedicated or medicated.
Is a doula worth the money?
I like to give this analogy: is it possible to plan your own wedding? yes. Is it easy? no. If you hire a wedding planner, they can save your time and money by explaining what venue is available in the area and give you the cost of all of them so that you don't have to do all that work. They can do that for flowers, cake, food, literally everything! Do they make decisions FOR you? no way! They help give you lots of options so you can make the decision easier! They can give you tips like not so spend your money on sparklers for your big exit if your reception will end at 5pm in the summer, because it won't even be dark yet. They know of companies may be hard to work with and food that might not be worth the price. They are EXPERTS in the industry. A doula is much the same.
How much do you charge?
Doula rates can be all over the place depending the most on location, of course. In bigger cities, a doula is seen more as a luxury item. People hire doulas because that's what their friend did. A luxuery item is state of great comfort and extravagant living and adds comfort or pleasaure that isn't necessary to one's life. A doula is a non-medical assistant who is experienced with and knowledgeable about the process of childbirth. We provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support during the pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum phases regardless of outcome. A postpartum doula is defined as a professionally trained person who can provide informational, physical and emotional support for a new family. It's especially important for both mother and baby during the first few weeks of motherhood. Shouldn’t a postpartum doula’s role be an essential part of recovery and transition into motherhood instead of a luxury?
Medical professions are super busy. They don't always have the time to listen and answer questions. If you experience a baby loss or diagnosis, they may use medical terms and again, not take the time to assist you emotionally. It is common for parents to not see the same health care provider from appointment to appointment. Medical personal don't always have the same "outlook" on birth as you might have. They may view it as a "process" instead of a "transformation." The impact of this support can be life-changing.
Price also depends on how much "service" you want. You can get a doula to help you with just the birth or just after you have the baby (postpartum) so both! As you may have noticed from my website, I am also a bereavement doula. This means I help care for the familes who are suffering from birth loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, life-limiting dignosis, maternal postpartum processing, and other areas.) I never charge for these services. I charge $300-$400 as a birth doula and $30/hour for 3-hour blocks of time for postpartum care. Birth doulas can sometimes run around $1200 for just the birth.
What doulas charge also depends on if they work individually (self-employed), with an organization (may have to share their profits or pay overhead for an office, etc), or a collective (self-employed but work together to promote the industry, support and encourage each other, and use each other as backup).
Price may also vary depending on their certifications and training. There are LOTS of added certificates doulas can add to their toolbox.
I will say, I've never heard a mother who had a doula say anything negative about the cost compared to the care that was received. MOST doulas are not in the industry to "get rich quick." They are willing to work with you on payments, barter, and maybe even conduct services by donation.
Medical professions are super busy. They don't always have the time to listen and answer questions. If you experience a baby loss or diagnosis, they may use medical terms and again, not take the time to assist you emotionally. It is common for parents to not see the same health care provider from appointment to appointment. Medical personal don't always have the same "outlook" on birth as you might have. They may view it as a "process" instead of a "transformation." The impact of this support can be life-changing.
Price also depends on how much "service" you want. You can get a doula to help you with just the birth or just after you have the baby (postpartum) so both! As you may have noticed from my website, I am also a bereavement doula. This means I help care for the familes who are suffering from birth loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, life-limiting dignosis, maternal postpartum processing, and other areas.) I never charge for these services. I charge $300-$400 as a birth doula and $30/hour for 3-hour blocks of time for postpartum care. Birth doulas can sometimes run around $1200 for just the birth.
What doulas charge also depends on if they work individually (self-employed), with an organization (may have to share their profits or pay overhead for an office, etc), or a collective (self-employed but work together to promote the industry, support and encourage each other, and use each other as backup).
Price may also vary depending on their certifications and training. There are LOTS of added certificates doulas can add to their toolbox.
I will say, I've never heard a mother who had a doula say anything negative about the cost compared to the care that was received. MOST doulas are not in the industry to "get rich quick." They are willing to work with you on payments, barter, and maybe even conduct services by donation.
I need help communicating with my friend/family member who is experiencing pregnancy and infant loss. Can you help me?
Of course! I wrote this page especially for you! Sometimes we have good intentions and we want to know, but we don't know how. Take a look at this page.
I am a doctors/nurse/midwives/doulas/health department staff/clinic worker/OBGYN staff/NICU staff and I regularly work with families during wanted/unwanted pregnancy termination. Can you help me better serve these people?
Of course! It is SO nice to see you learning how you can better at your job. I wrote this page for you.