What my fee covers for you:

• 2 prenatal visits.
• Labour, delivery, breastfeeding and skin to skin support.
• 2 postpartum visits.
• Unlimited text & email access 24/7, Phone M-F 9-5pm. A doula’s time spent communicating with her clients can quickly add up to several hours a week in order to make sure the client has all the emotional and informational support needed.
• Up to four full weeks of on-call availability from 38 weeks, during that time I do not leave the area, I take my own car everywhere, and do not make any firm commitments.
• Help with writing a custom-tailored birth plan.
• Consistent care throughout pregnancy, labour, birth, & the postpartum period.
• A walking birth encyclopedia.
• Someone dedicated to keeping the environment peaceful and helps create a positive dialog among members of the birth team.
• A professional person with an emotional investment in each client’s care, who answers only to the client not to hospital staff, doctors, or other family members.

What the fee covers for your Doula:

• My time. Probably the second-biggest cost factor when setting a fee.
• A back-up doula, on the off-chance I can’t make the birth, I do have children!
• Phone & internet bill, including website fees.
• Gas money & mileage on my personal car.
• Basic business supplies (paper, printer ink, files, etc…)
• Business bank account
• Certification Fees
• Taxes and business fees
• Birth bag tools, some of which are costly, and all of which need to be replaced periodically.
• Promotional materials and marketing.
• Continuing education.
• Professional memberships

Ways to afford your Doula

• Add doula services to your baby registry
• Ask family members to donate or ask the doula for gift cards
• Nix the non-essentials like lattes and dining out
• Use a credit card
• Use your income tax or GST refund
• Sell things you don’t use or need. (You’ll be glad for the extra space after baby arrives!)
• Barter your goods or services for part of the cost
• Hire a Doula as early as possible and ask about monthly payments

The journey of pregnancy and parenthood is so exciting! So while you are planning your nursery and picking out the best swings, diapers and toys, plan for your doula also. 

You’ll be glad you did!