Questions You Should Ask While Interviewing Doula’s
What is a doula?
A doula is a non-medical professional that you invite into your birth space. It is typically a woman who may or may not be certified through an agency. Prior to COVID, many women chose not to get certified so that they didn’t have to be tied to a particular agency, especially one that didn’t align with her beliefs. Post-COVID, many doula’s aren’t allowed into hospitals without a certification. A doula provides emotional, physical, and spiritual support throughout pregnancy, into labor and delivery, and into your postpartum.
Like I mentioned, she is non-medical, so she does not do cervical checks, catching babies, or anything related to mom/baby health. So, now that we have a basis on what a doula actually does, let’s get into why it may be valuable to hire one and some interview questions that might help you to decide on whom to choose!
Why a doula might be valuable to your birth space:
You’re a first time mom
You’re trying for a VBAC
You’ve suffered from prior birth trauma or had a hard past birth
You don’t have adequate support or you feel like you’ll need extra support
You want the peace of mind having an extra professional in the room
You want somebody to be attentive to your needs while in labor
Many moms who birth out of hospital believe that the midwives will take over the doula’s role. While some midwives are more hands on, many are not. Their job is not to emotionally or physically support you. They are there for the well-being of mom and baby. Hence why a doula is valuable both for hospital and out of hospital births.
When searching for a doula, you might be overwhelmed with options or underwhelmed. First things first, think about what you want out of your experience.
Do you want an emotional companion?
Do you want her to be knowledgeable of different positions to utilize?
Do you want to have a rotating collective of doula’s?
How far away are you comfortable with her being from your place of birth?
Do you want her to have the same morals/spiritual beliefs as you?
Once you’ve thought about what you want, it’s time to get your search on. Local moms groups, natural birthing, and VBAC/Cesarean groups on Facebook are the best way to get started. I would specifically ask for recommendations from other moms, otherwise you will get a lot of doula’s promoting themselves (which is also totally fine depending on what you’re looking for!). I recommend narrowing it down to three doula’s to interview and meet with. Check out their social profiles and websites to see who you are vibing with before you even meet them. Meeting with doula’s in person will give you a much better feel for their personality than a phone or zoom call.
The most important questions to ask during the interview:
“How long have you been a doula?”
“What was your most favorite birth you’ve attended?”
“Which was the most challenging birth you’ve attended?”
“When do you come to my birth space and how long do you stay?”
“Who are your backups?”
This will give you a great start. Notice I didn’t put “how many births have you attended?” The reason for this is because every doula is valuable regardless of how many births she’s attended. The most important asset a doula can bring into your birth is her heart and her hands.
I’m going to finish with price. Every doula has her price, especially if she is private practice and owns her own business. Some doula’s offer a Medicaid discount. Others have an HSA/FSA code that you can submit to insurance for reimbursement. The price of doula’s in the DFW Metroplex ranges anywhere from $600-$2,500. Newer doula’s will be on the lower end, while doula’s who are more experienced, have higher backend costs, and offer more services to you will be on the higher end. There is a doula for every budget, so make sure to include your budget if you end up making a Facebook post. Keep in mind that majority of doula’s offer payment plans or discounts if you choose to pay in full.
I know this was a lot of information, but the goal is for you to make an educated decision. Remember that intuition is your best friend during pregnancy and birth. If something feels off to you or you no longer feel safe, change directions! If you have any comments or questions, feel free to write them below!
