How to Choose the Right Doula for You

How do you find someone to support you during your birth that will be the right fit for you? The first thing is to find someone within your budget or find someone who might be able to adjust their fee to fit your budget. It is heartbreaking to find a birthworker that you connect with who you just cannot afford. Sometimes, even though a doula cannot reduce their fees they may be able to work out payment plan that lessens the financial burden on you. Certified doulas are sometimes covered by insurance providers (Sunlife seems to be the most doula-friendly) but you may have to make several phone calls and a little bit of justifying to accomplish this.

The "best" doula for you isn't the one who is the most popular or the one with the most experience. She will be the one who makes you feel safe, respected, listened to and will give you an overall good feeling. Whomever you invite into your birthspace should be someone you know you can trust to be honest and empathetic. If you need someone to be your voice, let the doulas know, whom you interview that this means a lot to you. If you need everything that happens to you and/or your baby explained to you, in understandable terms, let them know.

How do you gather this type of information? Schedule a meet and greet via zoom or at a coffee shop to see if you like their energy. If you're Type A, you might not feel confident in a quiet, soft doula who might not be able to match your energy. The reverse is also true; if you are quiet, soft and introverted, a doula who has a lot of energy might make you feel overwhelmed and intimidated. So, finding the right fit is essential. Remember, this person will be with you on your whole birth journey and having confidence in their ability support you and feeling safe in their presence is so important.

As mentioned, a doula will accompany you through pregnancy, labour, birth and the postpartum period so find a doula who you feel you can trust; someone who responds to you quickly and is available to answer your questions and concerns in a timely manner. Further, to this, during your meet and greet, do not hesitate to ask if you will be able to contact them, at any time, regarding your pregnancy and labour concerns. Also, ask about their experience, their philosophy on birth and any other questions that might help you get to know them and help make your decision to hire or not, easier.

Here is a sample of questions to ask

• What kind of training do you have? Are you certified (a doula, technically, does not have to train or be certified to practice and if this is important to you then definitely ask)?

• Do you take part in any continuing education?

• How do you keep your personal biases out of the birth space?

• What is your opinion on medical interventions (pain relief, epidurals, induction, etc)?

• How would you describe your personal doula style?

• What lead you to this career path (outside of loving babies, birth and supporting families)?

• How do you, most often, support a labouring person and their partner?

• How many births have you attended?

• Have you attended births at my location and what have been your experiences?

• Do you have a back-up doula?

• What is your experience with VBAC's, complicated pregnancies or complicate births?

• How will you support/encourage/uplift me in a long, tiring labour?

Contact me if you have any questions about this post - I hope it helps!