How To Find a Doula

Birth is a sacred event that should be honoured and respected. This is one occasion that you will remember for the rest of your life, so you will want to cherish that memory. One way to provide extra assurance and support is by hiring a doula for you and your partner.

A birth doula is a professional childbirth companion who will get to know you through the pregnancy and be by your side throughout the labour and birth. She is the one to provide you with emotional support and guidance as well as physical and practical assistance.

A doula is not to be confused with a midwife. The benefits from having a doula at your birth derive from the fact that she is a non-medical person with a comprehensive understanding of labour and the procedures pertaining to birth. She is engaged by you and, as such, her loyalties lie with you and not the medical establishment where you birth your baby.

So, how do you go about finding the doula that is right for you?

1. Ask your local midwife and search local internet directories. She may know or work with several doulas. She may know where to find a local doula trainer who has updated information regarding doulas in your area. You can also search your local directories or the internet. Once you have located a list of names to contact, it may be best for you to have a few questions to ask her in mind so that you can get a feel for her and if she is suitable for you. Remember, you are inviting her into your space, therefore she should be what you are looking for and not the other way around. There are all types of doulas and there is one that will fit well with your philosophy.
2. Meet several candidates. It may be a good idea to meet up with a couple of doulas so that you can ask your questions in person and get a feel for what they are like. If you only speak over the phone with someone you may only have half the impression of what she is like. Imagine what would happen if you meet her and she reminds you of someone you do not like!
3. Prepare a list of questions to ask. Once you have a meeting set up, you get to ask her a few questions and she also gets to ask you a few of her own questions. This guarantees that you are both certain about your involvement with each other.
4. Get background information. It's a good idea to know something about her background and whether she has had children herself. It is not indispensable for a doula to have birthed in order for her to have empathy, but for some women it is important to know whether her doula will understand what she is going through.
5. Education and certification. You may also want to ask her about what education she has for providing labour support and whether she is certified or still training. Remember that the level of experience accounts for the fees a doula may charge, so it may be reasonable to expect to pay less for a newly certified doula and more for a doula with years of experience.

   You are of course welcome at this point to ask her how many births has she attended and how long has she been a doula for. It might interest you to find out if she has any other education or experience in supporting childbearing women such as childbirth education, breastfeeding support or postpartum doula support.

6. Back up doula in case of unavailability. Since it is understandable that you may go into labour and birth at a time in which your doula may not be able to attend your birth, you would want to know what arrangements she might have for a back up doula and if you could arrange to meet her back up doula.
7. Services and expectations. Another important aspect might be knowing what services she offers and what you could expect from her during your pregnancy and labour. You may want to discuss further topics such as coping with pain, alternative techniques to assist labour and birth, positions and what she might bring with her to the birth.
8. Fees and fee structure. Integral to this is what her fees are, how they are structured and whether there are any possible extra costs that you need to be aware of.
9. Previous experience with caregivers and birth facility. Finally, you may want some information about whether she has had previous experience with your caregivers and your birth location and if she could give you the names of a few people she has worked with as a doula for reference purposes.

What happens after the interview?

After this initial interview you may want to talk it over with your partner and perhaps interview a few more doulas. Once you have made your choice and you have informed your chosen doula, you will have another meeting with her to sign a contract. This is to give both parties some reassurance. You will then discuss, in further detail, what will happen from thereon and when you should meet next. You will now begin establishing a relationship based on trust and respect and soon you will be well on your way to a happy birth.