How to Hire a Doula

How to Hire a Doula:

Doula Questions & Answers
DONA, the largest and best known doula professional association, lists questions on their website (http://www.dona.org/) that you can ask a potential doula to help you determine if she’s the right doula for you. Here are the responses from the Get Babied! doulas: Amy Nevland, Janet Jones, Stephanie Scott, Dawn Baton, Margaret Burns and Ame Shillington. Feel free to ask us for more information about any of this, or anything else!

Stephanie doing the double hip squeeze

1. What training have you had? (If a doula is certified, you might consider checking with the organization.)

We are certified with DONA (http://www.dona.org/ - Ame, Dawn and Steph), and TOLABOR (http://www.tolabor.com/ – Steph).  Janet is a certified lactation consultant through IBCLC (http://www.ibclce.org).  Amy is a certified teacher with the State of Texas, and a certified ESL teacher.  Margaret, Amy and Janet are trained as birth doulas with DONA, have completed all of the educational components and are finalizing apprenticeship for their certification.  Steph and Janet are trained breastfeeding educators, Janet through IBCLC and Steph through the Texas Department of State Health Services. Steph is a licensed massage therapist with certification in pregnancy massage; she specializes in pregnancy massage and massage for labor.

2. Do you have one or more backup doulas for times when you are not available? May we meet her/them?

Because we attend births on a rotational on-call schedule, one of us will always be available, 24/7, every day of the year. Please come get to know us at our free monthly Meet The Doulas Night! We host this event on the last Monday of every month at 7:00 pm at our office at 3823A Airport Blvd. You can come get to know Amy, Janet, Steph, Dawn, Margaret, and Ame, have snacks and chat with other moms-to-be, and learn more about our practice. Then, stay for a brief seminar at 7:30 on a topic of interest to expectant and new parents. Please see the Get Babied! blog (http://www.getbabied.com/blog) for more information and upcoming topics.

3. What is your fee, what does it include and what are your refund policies?

We have three packages to choose from:

Get Doula’d $299
Get Babied $419
Get Pampered $729

If you opt to have an apprentice doula present at your birth, the package prices are reduced by $150.

For details about what you get with each package, please see the Services section of our website (http://www.getbabied.com/services). We offer a lot of perks in addition to just labor assistance, including massage, free books, and classes in things like breastfeeding, childbirth and baby care. Payment plans are available. If you decide in advance that you don’t want a doula present, the fee will be reduced by $299 (a full refund).

4. What is your philosophy about birth and supporting women and their partners through labor?

We see our role during labor as doing whatever is necessary to help you have as ideal a birth as support you in that and do all that we could to help you throughout the experience. We’ll do the same if you want a completely natural birth.

5. May we meet to discuss our birth plans and the role you will play in supporting me through birth?

We would love to meet with you! A prenatal appointment is included with the Get Babied and Get Pampered packages, and Get Doula’d clients are welcome to add an a la carte prenatal appointment. Please call us at 512-5-BABIED  or email us at doulas@getbabied.com to schedule an appointment. You’re always invited to our free monthly Meet The Doulas Night, as well (see #2, above).

6. May we call you with questions or concerns before and after the birth?

Absolutely. You can reach the doula on call by phone any time day or night at 512-5-BABIED. You can email the seven of us at doulas@getbabied.com.

7. When do you try to join women in labor? Do you come to our home or meet us at the place of birth?

We will leave that decision to you. Some couples like for their doula to come to their house to provide early labor support and help them decide when to go to the hospital. Others prefer to spend early labor alone together as a couple. They’ll keep in touch with the doula over the phone and have her meet them at the hospital.

8. Do you meet with us after the birth to review the labor and answer questions?

Yes! A post-partum visit is included with the Get Babied and Get Pampered packages, and Get Doula’d clients are welcome to add an a la carte post-partum visit. We would like to see you within two weeks of your birth. At the post-partum visit, we’ll review your birth, discuss any breastfeeding issues you have, and suggest any further resources that might be useful to you. We also offer optional tutorials on breast pumps, baby wearing, cloth diapering, infant massage, sleep training and other topics.  We also offer Post-partum Doula services on an hourly rate for clients needing more care after their birth.  More details on this option can be found in our a la carte pricing section.