Doula?

Question

For those of you using a doula how did you find her and how did you pick the right one? How much (roughly) should I expect to spend? I'm in northern NJ.

If you didn't go the doula route who did you have in the room with you?

I'm trying to decide if my husband and I would appreciate the help or if it would not be that helpful given the cost. I don't want our mothers and I don't have a sister. My closest friend lives too far away to be there.

TIA!

Answer

I heard some insurances cover a dula. Will be calling my insurance to find out.

Answer

In San Franscico, so things are expensive here. An experienced Doula costs anywhere between $1200 -$2500. The one we picked end up being $2000.  I went online and asked around for recommendations and a few names keep coming up. Interviewed 4-5 of them and basically felt I could go with anybody (I am pretty easy going) and just picked the one that we had the most connection with.  I believe there are also doulas staring out their career that will charge a lower fee but i wanted a more experienced one and particularly has experience at my hospital.

Answer

We found ours on doula.net

Answer

I'm in CA Bay Area so our costs are pretty high. I used yelp and other online resources to find one or two doulas that seemed promising. Then those doulas provided me with additional recommendations - so in total I probably contacted 10+ doulas to see if they were available. I set up meetings with about 5 people, and when I met with my doula I just knew she was the person I wanted supporting me and my husband. Everyone says you know who is right for you, and I thought that seemed ridiculous, but I definitely did. Her whole attitude and history really melded with ours. And so I hired her and canceled my remaining interviews. Plus our doula does birth photography so we will get photos of us seeing our baby girl for the first time which I think is pretty priceless.

Answer

We hired our doula through a local group (actually they work in teams to help assure one will be there no matter what). We spent about $900 but we want to have a natural birth and considering all the positive stories we've heard and statistics on reduced c-sections etc. it seems worth it to us. For example the cost of an epidural is estimated around $750 so if the doula helps me make it through without that it almost pays for itself (depending on insurance etc). If we decided to be cheap and not get the doula and then had a bad birth experience I know I would regret my decision. On the flip side feeling like we wasted a few hundred bucks in the grand scheme of things I just don't think we will regret as much.

Answer

I'm in Alabama, so I know the price will be different, but my doula is $475. I found her through googling. I found a doula co-op in my area and she's part of that co-op. Plus I then joined a Facebook group for "crunchy moms" in my area and asked for recommendations. You can also search for doula co-ops or go on doula match.com. Or check out te DONA website for doulas in your area :) most will work out a payment plan for you!

Answer

I'm in the same predicament as you I really want a doula the cost for a skilled doula I've been getting was between 500-1200 for a doula in training the going rate I've seen was less then 400

Doula?

Let's Glow!

The Top Baby Tracker App: Embrace New Beginnings with Tender Care

The Top Fertility Tracker App: Your Path to Achieving Pregnancy

The Top Pregnancy App: Nurturing Your Journey to Motherhood

The Top Period Tracker for Empowering Your Menstrual Health Journey