Birth Doula
The services below describe a typical doula-client relationship and what you can expect from me if hired as your labor doula. In a nutshell, labor doula services includes: pre-natal meetings to discuss your birth, 24 hours on call during your due “month,” resources and information as requested, continuous presence/advocacy through your labor and the birth of your baby, initial breastfeeding assistance, and invaluable emotional support throughout the entire journey.
~ At least 2 prenatal meetings
~First consultation meeting to review services and contract, with no obligation
~Provide information about having a doula and other birth preparation issues, including previous client references to call
~Second meeting, once contracted, to learn more about each other & how to uniquely serve you
~Support for your desired birth experience
~Provide information & resources specific to your pregnancy and birth goals
~Birth Plan consultation
~On call 24-7 for your due month – your 38th week to the baby’s birth
~Available by phone or email during pregnancy to answer questions
~Available at any hour to meet you once you are in labor and need me
~Provide support in early labor, usually by phone
~Suggestions for activites or positions to help labor progress
~Help to decide when to go to the hospital
~Help with breathing and relaxation techniques
~Massage and acupressure for relaxation
~Suggest labor positions and comfort measures
~Postpartum visit and resource support
Postpartum Doula
A postpartum doula will come to your home to help YOU so you are free to take care of and bond with your baby. She will do light house cleaning, cooking, errands, laundry, and give baby care support or resources. Postpartum doulas usually contract for a block of hours, for example two or three visits of three hours each for $15/hour. She will usually work with a family for the first couple of months postpartum as the family desires.
Fees
Each Decatur Doula sets her own fees. The fee that each Decatur Doula charges for birth support ranges between $200 (for a new doula who is working on her certification) to around $600 for an experienced doula. Postpartum doula services are paid by the hour at $15-$25/hour. It is said that a doula’s skill is not necessarily in her experience, but in her heart and her hands. We want every mother who wants the support of a doula to have that available, which is one benefit of our group that we can offer a range of fee levels. If cost is an issue, please ask about fee options, reductions, or bartering. Note that we may need to add a slight increase for clients who are at a significant distance, such as Newton, Cobb, or Kennesaw (not an exhaustive list!).
A labor doula works on a set fee for services. The whole time with a client – including meetings, email & phone support, driving, birth, post-partum visit, and administrative tasks such as writing the birth story and keeping records – easily averages 20 hours per client, and possibly much more depending upon length of labor. Labor doulas earn less than $20/hour as self employed professionals. Most Americans are not used to paying for medical expenses out-of-pocket, but the investment in a doula will save medical costs by preventing the use of various medical interventions and improving outcomes of birth.
There is also the “priceless” value of an empowering, satisfying birth experience that sets the stage for a woman’s confidence as a mother. No woman ever forgets her birth experiences. Birth changes her for the rest of her life. A doula fee of $800-1000 would be well worth the investment and more accurately pay the doula for her expertise. That said, a doula is a bargain at any price!
Some comparative hourly rates of other pay-for-service professions:
Massage Therapist – $80/hour
Chiropractor – $38-45/quarter hour
Doctor phone consultation – $50/half hour
Photographer for baby belly photos – $200/half hour sitting
Hair Stylist – $65/one hour haircut session
Private Piano Lesson – $30/hour
