Couples may like the idea of labor support but have sticker shock when they see the cost. When all is accounted for, however, it’s obvious that being a doula is a labor of love.
In Wilmington, Delaware, private doula services average $1,200 to $1,500. Expecting parents tend to estimate how many hours they might be at the hospital having their baby, do the division, and come up with an hourly rate. As a former doula, I can tell you this falls far short of what it costs a birth doula to be there for you.
A doula needs to be ready to go at a moment’s notice–for weeks at a time. She is on call at all hours, typically from 37 weeks of your pregnancy. Once you are term, she’s not going on vacation, or possibly even out of town, until you have your baby. No camping with her kids, no weekend at the beach, no leaving her phone on Do Not Disturb at night or in another room. This is already quite the commitment.
Now consider if she has young children, which many doulas do. She needs to have a babysitter who is also on call and available at a moment’s notice, and most likely, several of these just to be safe. This is not inexpensive, nor is it easy to find. Some doulas have a spouse who works from home or can take off, but many do not have this flexibility.
Moreover, once a doula is called to a birth, she has no idea how long she will be there! It may be a few hours, it may be a few days. She needs a system in place that can adapt to her being away for extended and unpredictable periods–and allow her a day or two to sleep and reset once she’s home again.
Your doula has to arrange her life around being at your birth. It means a lot of personal sacrifices–for her, and for her family.
Consider, too, that most birth workers cap their client load at four due dates per month. At one birth a week on average, the risk of labors overlapping is higher and the time away from home really adds up. Limiting clients means limiting income.
Are the numbers starting to make more sense?
It’s not easy to add a second job when one is on call around the clock for the first. She may spend a total of 30 hours at births in a given month, (often it will be more) but because a doula doesn’t get notice as to when those hours are needed, or how many at a time, supplemental employment has to be flexible to last minute changes. These positions exist, but that rules out a lot of options and requires a burden of balancing the two.
Oh! And don’t forget–most doulas offer multiple visits before and after the birth, each of which may be several hours. Generally there are two or more visits prenatally to build rapport, provide birth education and clarify the couple’s desires, and at least one visit after the birth to check in and provide other resources as needed. So add those hours in, too.
While it may seem like a large investment at first blush–it is. Because your doula is heavily invested in YOU. She believes in what she is doing with every ounce of her being, believe me. This is not a profession in which one gets rich quick, or ever. The price tag reflects what is required for this kind of service, and frankly, if an economist calculated the hours and the opportunity costs, it would almost certainly dwarf the going rate.
Doulas do this work because they understand the power of birth, they believe in the power of your body, and theY know the power their presence will bring to you in this moment.
They are worth every penny.
DELAWARE DOULAS
The Chiropractic Doula: Dr. Paige Fuentes, DC, IBCLC, CD(DONA), CCCE
1601 Concord Pike, Ste 80 Wilmington, DE 19803; (302) 615-0175; thechiropracticdoula.com
Dr. Meg Siegel, DPT, PCES
Newark and West Chester, 484-364-3192, megsiegeldpt.com
Little Things are Big Things Doula: Sarah Korbeck, DPT, CIMI, CLD
Lincoln University, PA. littlethingsarebigthingsdoulaservices.com
Love and Lavender Doula: Sam Sheffler, CD(DONA)
Wilmington, 443-466-4993, lavenderandlovedoula.com
Birthing Peace: Nikkita Jervey
Middletown, 302-613-1304, birthing-peace.com
Nurturing Waves Doula: Casey Carroll, CBD, CPD, CBC
Smyrna, 302-943-4046, nurturingwavesdoula.com