I’ve been giving a lot of thought to my doula pricing lately and I have come to the conclusion that I am very comfortable with my current pricing. I feel it fairly reflects my training, level of experience, continuing education, and skill set. When establishing what she will charge her clients, a doula takes a number of things into account. Her considerations might include the number of years she has been a doula, the number of births she has attended, the cost of her initial Birth Doula training, training material costs, her travel time, her locality’s cost of living, the cost to maintain her professional accrediting, childcare expenses, business expenses, her ability to make a living wage, and her continuing education work (this might include childbirth education, lactation support, comfort measures, massage therapy, herbal support, acupressure, postpartum training, postpartum depression support, optimal fetal positioning, VBAC support, aromatherapy, business training, etc.). Clearly, keeping relevant in the field of birth work must be planned for in terms of the commitment of time and finances. If your doula is worth her weight in salt, she will be well trained, have a vast amount of knowledge and experience, and be well versed in a broad spectrum of areas as it pertains to pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and beyond. That being said I also realize the cost of hiring a doula might be a stretch for some, but always keep in mind how much time and finances she has invested in getting her to where she’s currently at.
NOW, let’s consider what you are getting when you hire a doula.
When you sign a contract to work with a doula, you’re getting the support of a woman who is highly trained to deal with all things pertaining to pregnancy, labor, delivery, postpartum, and beyond — not to mention someone familiar with multiple hospitals (and their policies and protocols applicable to their labor and delivery units). Also, you’re gaining someone with firsthand or professionally shared knowledge of local OB/GYNs and their personal delivery stats regarding epidurals, C-sections, inductions, episiotomies, VBACs, forceps, vacuum extractors, and their use of other interventions, along with details about how those doctors operate under various circumstances that relate to childbirth.
She can tell you which hospitals/doctors are VBAC friendly, which ones have evidenced based practices, or which ones are all too reliant on their “toys” (otherwise known as interventions). She can tell you which nurses are familiar with supporting a non-medicated birth and which nurses you want to stay away from. In a nutshell she can tell you, with a great degree of accuracy, which facilities are conducive to the type of birth you are in the market for. The doula you contract with will support you in all of your choices with a judgement free posture regardless of her own personal preferences. That same doula will provide you with resources so that, as you are making these same decisions, you’re doing so with all the information needed to be well informed and comfortable with these decisions. This same doula that supported you in the decision making process will then faithfully support you as your delivery draws near and you have questions, concerns, problems, or false alarms.
Once labor has begun she will be by your side in less than 2 hours, and in most cases, less than an hour of your call ready to do all in her power to ensure you have a satisfying birth experience. Her level of expertise will allow her to detect if your baby might be in a funky position and needs help getting in an optimal position and she will advise you accordingly with positioning tips. As you labor, her hands will be a constant source of comfort as she massages different parts of your body, mops your face with a cool cloth, applies counter pressure to your back, works those sacral points with her thumbs, keeps those compresses warm for your back, and does those double hip squeezes that help you bear the pain of contractions.
She will stand by your side during labor as you moan, whine, fret, cuss, cry, and complain that you can’t do this anymore all the while reminding you to keep an empty bladder, relax, stay hydrated, breath deeply, and stay calm. She will support you through contracting, barfing, showering, vacillating between hot and cold, panicking, all manner of intimate bodily functions, and, finally, rejoicing with you as your reward is realized. She will also look out for your husband making sure he is eating, drinking, and resting, as well as providing suggestions to how he can best support you and alleviate your discomfort. And, need I mention the fact that she is doing all of this day or night for any length of time. She, by virtue of the nature of this profession, will drop whatever she is doing, whoever she is with, whatever day of the week, where ever she is, to be by your side, and she does so fully expecting that to be the case.
So, as you consider your choices in doulas and what you are comfortably able to manage regarding pricing, keep in mind ALL that you are getting in exchange for your payment. Also, keep in mind that saying, “You Can’t Put a Price on Peace of Mind” which is what you are in the market for. You’re looking for someone who can work with you to achieve the best possible birth experience and who will do all within her power to ensure that your delivery is free of all that you’re trying to avoid and surrounded by all that you are looking for. When looking back on your birth experience, you want memories that are filled with satisfaction and not regrets. And you can’t put a price on that.
