I love Jacksonville, Florida. It was not always the case, but throughout my adult life, I have experienced enough of this city to fall madly in love with it. I can't imagine living anywhere else and every time I have lived someplace else, I have longed to be home on the beach feeling the ocean breeze on my skin. I met my husband in Orange  Park, a small and cozy suburb of the city. We fell in love walking the streets of Downtown Jacksonville. We fell in love sitting in the stands at Everbank Field cheering our Jaguars on in spite of an abysmal record. We fell in love eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts at the Jacksonville Beach Pier. We fell in love exploring the Riverside Arts Market for local goods and while feeding lorikeets at the Jacksonville Zoo. We fell in love while painting in a park on the Ortega Bridge. We have so many precious memories here. We love our city. Our city is beautiful, and rich, and vibrant. We have a lot to be proud of, but since becoming a doula, I have found even more to be proud of.

Being a doula in Jacksonville has shown me more beauty and generosity and diversity than I knew existed here in Jacksonville.  Florida tends to be mostly conservative in our neck of the woods, however we have three birthing centers and a handful of homebirth midwives. We have over five hospitals, most of which have wonderful reputations and a network of very supportive care providers. The doula community is close knit and supportive. They have offered me a wealth of knowledge. I have learned that a perk of being here is spending a few moments watching the sunset at the beach after delivering a Placenta Encapsulation Package. I can hold the space for a laboring mother who is in her own world while sitting under a huge oak tree in a park on the river. And I can be reminded of why I love my city every time I serve a family while they welcome a new child into the world.

I have spent the last two years building relationships with these providers and serving clients all over this city. Business is steady and I feel incredibly blessed. My husband found a job that is based here, so we never have to worry about being transferred. I can settle in to this beautiful life we have been slowly building for ourselves.

My last post discussed why a doula charges so much. It can be confusing for some people to figure out how a doula sets her fee. Now that we have all of that sorted out, lets talk about the new problem: how in the world can you afford a doula if money is tight? There are thankfully several ways to pay for the cost of a doula if it is not necessarily in your budget!




1. Ask your insurance company if a doula is covered!
There are multiple insurance companies that are now reimbursing for doula services! This varies by plan and company so check with your provider before any other option is explored!

2. Use your FSA or HSA
Anyone with a FSA or HSA should look into being able to use the funds available for paying your doula costs. Many of them offer this option. 

3. Add doula services to your shower registry.
We add so many things we may never even use to our registries (how many of us end up giving away extra baby clothes??) Instead of letting people guess what you need, add doula services to your registry! Someone may just end up seeing this need and helping you take care of it!

4. Ask if your doula offers gift certificates. If so, tell your friends and family!
Always ask your doula if she accepts gift certificates! For the record, I do! All your family members need to do is contact your doula via her website and purchase the certificate. You would just need to bring the certificate to a prenatal meeting to redeem it for services.

5. Find out if your doula offers payment plans.
Most doulas understand that not everyone can just drop 600.00 in one sitting. I certainly do. Ask your doula about a payment plan. I, for example, am happy to sit with a couple and outline when they expect to make their payments. we just include it in your contract. As long as payments are made before I go on call at 38 weeks, then you're all set to go!

6. Barter!
Are you a photographer? Do you knit or make clothes? Are you a painter? Any skill you have at all can end up being your method of payment for a doula! I personally have bartered birth doula services in exchange for family photography sessions! It is a win-win situation for everyone!

7. Cut out non-essential spending (e.g. going out to eat) and save over time.
If you have exhausted all other resources and those are not options, one thing that will almost work is to put yourself on a budget. I find if something is very important to me, I make it a priority over things like new clothes, eating out, movie dates, etc. 

I hope this list helps reassure you that while doulas can be difficult for some families to afford, it is possible! Just be honest with your doula, and seek out help where you can!

Have you ever asked yourself, “why do doulas charge so much? I really want one and I know they're important, but I can't justify the cost!” 

Today I am going to break down the answer to your question! I will use my own fees and personal expenses as an example to illustrate what work is performed and how much of my own money is put into your support. For the example, I will use my "Birth Doula Support" package. It can be seen that the "C-Section Birth Support" package is set at the same fee. This is because while I spend less time at your birth, I spend more time with you during postpartum visits. 

Birth Support Package:

• Initial Consultation (Average 2 hours)
  
• Two Prenatal Meetings (Average 4 hours)
  
• One Provider Meeting (Average 2 hours)
  
• Assistance Creating Birth Plan (Average 2 hours)
  
• Phone/email Support during business hours (Average 5 hours)
  
• 24/7 on-call Availability from 38-42 Weeks: I cannot put an average time on this. Simply put, at this time I am unable to travel, drink alcohol, or make firm commitments of any kind. I must available to come to you at a moments notice.
  
• Continuous Labor Support (Average 14 hours)
  
• Immediate Post-birth Assistance (Average 2 hours)
  
• One Postpartum Meeting (Average 2 hours)
  


Personal Costs:

• Travel Time: Average of 25 miles one way for five trips ( 7 Hours)
  
• Gas Costs: (calculated using this MPG calculator, based on 25 miles one way for five trips: $50.00)
  
• Childcare: Average five trips (based on $20.00 per session: $100.00)
  
• Food: (based on an average of one meal while at your birth: $10.00)
  
• Hospital Parking: (average of $5.00)
  
• Materials for client (average of $20.00)
  
• PayPal fees: 2-3% ($12.00) 
  

Total Time/Money Spent:

When we add all of the time and money spent during my contract, we get these grand totals for the average birth:

Time: 46 hours
Money Spent: $197.00

So now based on my fee of $600.00, lets see how much I make per hour before taxes:

Current total fee for Birth Support Client: 600.00
Expenses: $197.00
Remainder: $403.00
Pay rate: $8.76 per hour before any self employment or income taxes are deducted.

So when you see a doula charging a fee you feel is too high, remember this breakdown. You are really paying for a priceless service! And I doubt anyone would ask a midwife or doctor to discount or waive their fee!

As a doula, I love what I do. I love my clients. I love being invited to participate in such an amazing moment in their lives. However, I also work very long hours, put forth a lot energy, and spend my families money in order to meet my clients needs. Doulas definitely deserve to be paid, at the very least, minimum wage for what they're doing for your family.

On Suze Ormon's show, a caller asked Suze if she could afford a doula. She ends with the conclusion that a doula is NEED and not a WANT! You can view the clip here.


Next week, join me in discussing the various ways to afford a doula if finances are tight!

Birth Doulas are becoming more and more prevalent in our country, so I think it's a good time to discuss what a birth doula actually does. When I talk with people about my job, there seem to be a lot of misconceptions about what a doula does and who should hire one! I think it's only fitting that my first blog post talk about a few of these misconceptions and set the record straight.

1. Doulas will advocate for me.
It seems to be a common belief that a doula will stand up for you during your birth should a doctor or nurse suggest/perform something that is not on your birth plan. Doulas do not do this. It is actually outside of the scope of practice for most of the organizations who train and certify doulas. As doulas, we are not supposed to communicate on your behalf to your care providers.

So what does a doula do then? 

When you are pregnant, a doula encourages you to research all of your options and give you information to read and study. They discuss this information with you and answer any questions. They encourage you to speak to your care provider about your research and preferences so that you and your birth team are on the same page. A doula also help you craft a birth plan tailored to your families' needs. You will be encouraged to also discuss this with your care provider. By the time you are in labor, everyone should know what your preferences are. Copies of birth plans should be handed to every new nurse and doctor so they know what you want and what you do not want. Most important, by the time you are in labor you should be educated enough to make informed decisions about your birth and voice concerns to your provider.

During your birth, if a doctor or nurse begins to suggest things not on your birth plan for whatever reason, a doula will often ask if you would like a moment alone to discuss this with your partner. They encourage you to do this so you can discuss the risks-versus-benefits and options available. During that time a doula will provide information and support for whatever option you and your partner choose.

In short, A doula is there for you to support you in whatever decisions your family makes during your birth. They will do their best to ensure you are prepared to make informed decisions for yourself and your baby. I always tell clients my most empowering birth was the one where I had to make difficult decisions for myself and my baby. I was able to make conscious and informed decisions knowing that every choice I made was the right one. I strive to make sure all of clients are in the same position.

2. Doulas help women achieve a natural birth.

This particular misconception happens on both the client and doula side, and it's this misconception that bothers me the most. It is generally agreed that if you want to have a natural birth, you should hire a doula to help you achieve this goal. We are not able to ensure a natural birth, and even if we could not every woman will have one. What about those women?

When I had an emergency c-section at 35 weeks pregnant, I needed a lot of support. I needed help figuring out how to pump exclusively. I needed help processing what had happened to me and my daughter. I needed help bonding with my daughter because I had barely seen or touched her. I needed help with my recovery. I say all this to illustrate that it does not matter how a woman is planning to give birth (natural, medicated, hospital, home birth, vaginal, c-section), these women are giving birth too. You still have to work very hard and make many decisions at the drop of a hat when you're unable to think clearly. A doula is there to help you cope with the difficult stages of labor and to provide any information you need in order to make informed decisions. You still have to recover from and process your birth. A doula is there to listen to you and help you process all the feelings you have about your birth and recovery, whether they be positive or negative. You still have to feed your baby. A doula is there to help you feed your baby and answer any questions regardless of whether you're breastfeeding or bottle feeding. A doula is a support system dedicated solely to you. Women need that in birth regardless of what setting they are in.

3. Doulas deliver babies.
I've been shocked to learn that even my mother thought some doulas deliver babies. No doula is licensed or qualified to deliver a baby. If your doula is training as or is a trained midwife or nurse, they may have necessary training, but as a doula they would be operating outside of their scope of practice if they delivered your baby. In the event of an emergency (not making it to the hospital in time) your doula should always call 911 while your husband follows instructions of the dispatch.