"Birth is powerful. Let it empower you." - Anonymous
So what do you do, anyway?
I help moms. I "mother the mother", and by doing so I support her entire family. I educate, I support, and I encourage. I connect parents to resources - parenting, physical and emotional well-being, financial support, churches, support networks, help with taking care of their baby - I network and I share what (and who) I know. I provide physical and emotional comfort, I hold babies, I clean - I am a friend.
But can't a mom's friends, mother-in-law, sister, neighbor, (insert another supporter) do that for free?
Kind of. Except not every friend, mother-in-law, sister, neighbor, etc. has the training that I do. What do you do when you want to breastfeed but no one in your family has been successful? Friends may have kids - you just need someone to come over and help with laundry and dishes and the physical stuff that you just can't get done, but you don't need extra kids on top of it. Not every neighbor is trained to look for signs of maternal mood disorders or postpartum depression, and certainly not every sister knows how to help a baby latch. Maybe your friends do, because they've walked this road before, but life just gets in the way and you're never able to really get together.
So yes, maybe you do have a support network - but maybe you don't. Either way, they probably haven't been trained in the same ways I have been.
But I have my spouse/partner to help me during labor. Isn't that enough?
Maybe. But what happens when your boyfriend/husband is tired after providing counterpressure for 3 hours? Or if he needs to run to the bathroom because he's been holding it all 15 hours of labor (so far)? What if he's just as exhausted as you are, but in a different way? Or if the doctor comes in and tells you that if you don't have a baby in so many minutes or hours, it'll be a c-section, and now what do you do? I can help with all of those. I can be in the room and relieve your family/friend support. I can provide counterpressure when your mom has to run to the restroom. I can calm down the extended family that's been waiting in the hospital lounge for hours and are worried about you. I can let your husband sleep for a few minutes while I provide you continuous support. I can be there for your spouse just as much as I'm there for you. When the doctor comes in with an ultimatum, I can suggest new/different things to try to help you relax and have a baby. I can help you remain in control of your pain and advocate for the birth you want - whether that's unmedicated or medicated or whatever.
So maybe it's enough to just have your spouse, and that's great! But maybe it's not, and that's ok, too. I can let him be there and just be there to provide relief for him as needed, or be prepared to step in, or whatever you need.
Why do you charge so much?
I don't, actually. I am a skilled, highly trained support worker in a small town. I have put a LOT of work into my training and my business, and I certainly don't charge as much as someone in a big city. The prices you see are my wages, just like your massage therapist, your mechanic, your nail technician, your local gas station attendant - I'm not trying to see how much money I can squeeze out of you.
If you think everyone can use a doula, how come you charge anything at all?
First, where you put your money shows what you value. If you get something entirely free, you don't see it as such a big deal. I charge something to begin with to remind you of value.
Second, I have to feed my family, too. 100% of what you pay goes to either running my business or putting food on my table (literally). You're not lining the pockets of a big-time CEO with multiple vehicles and a million-dollar home. You're feeding my kids and providing childcare for them while I am with you (so I can focus on YOU at such a crucial time in your life).
Third, if my prices are just absolutely beyond what you can do, come talk to me. Check out my blog post here, then shoot me an email and see what we can work out. I really, truly believe that everyone should have access to my services, and we can see what we can work out.
I help moms. I "mother the mother", and by doing so I support her entire family. I educate, I support, and I encourage. I connect parents to resources - parenting, physical and emotional well-being, financial support, churches, support networks, help with taking care of their baby - I network and I share what (and who) I know. I provide physical and emotional comfort, I hold babies, I clean - I am a friend.
But can't a mom's friends, mother-in-law, sister, neighbor, (insert another supporter) do that for free?
Kind of. Except not every friend, mother-in-law, sister, neighbor, etc. has the training that I do. What do you do when you want to breastfeed but no one in your family has been successful? Friends may have kids - you just need someone to come over and help with laundry and dishes and the physical stuff that you just can't get done, but you don't need extra kids on top of it. Not every neighbor is trained to look for signs of maternal mood disorders or postpartum depression, and certainly not every sister knows how to help a baby latch. Maybe your friends do, because they've walked this road before, but life just gets in the way and you're never able to really get together.
So yes, maybe you do have a support network - but maybe you don't. Either way, they probably haven't been trained in the same ways I have been.
But I have my spouse/partner to help me during labor. Isn't that enough?
Maybe. But what happens when your boyfriend/husband is tired after providing counterpressure for 3 hours? Or if he needs to run to the bathroom because he's been holding it all 15 hours of labor (so far)? What if he's just as exhausted as you are, but in a different way? Or if the doctor comes in and tells you that if you don't have a baby in so many minutes or hours, it'll be a c-section, and now what do you do? I can help with all of those. I can be in the room and relieve your family/friend support. I can provide counterpressure when your mom has to run to the restroom. I can calm down the extended family that's been waiting in the hospital lounge for hours and are worried about you. I can let your husband sleep for a few minutes while I provide you continuous support. I can be there for your spouse just as much as I'm there for you. When the doctor comes in with an ultimatum, I can suggest new/different things to try to help you relax and have a baby. I can help you remain in control of your pain and advocate for the birth you want - whether that's unmedicated or medicated or whatever.
So maybe it's enough to just have your spouse, and that's great! But maybe it's not, and that's ok, too. I can let him be there and just be there to provide relief for him as needed, or be prepared to step in, or whatever you need.
Why do you charge so much?
I don't, actually. I am a skilled, highly trained support worker in a small town. I have put a LOT of work into my training and my business, and I certainly don't charge as much as someone in a big city. The prices you see are my wages, just like your massage therapist, your mechanic, your nail technician, your local gas station attendant - I'm not trying to see how much money I can squeeze out of you.
If you think everyone can use a doula, how come you charge anything at all?
First, where you put your money shows what you value. If you get something entirely free, you don't see it as such a big deal. I charge something to begin with to remind you of value.
Second, I have to feed my family, too. 100% of what you pay goes to either running my business or putting food on my table (literally). You're not lining the pockets of a big-time CEO with multiple vehicles and a million-dollar home. You're feeding my kids and providing childcare for them while I am with you (so I can focus on YOU at such a crucial time in your life).
Third, if my prices are just absolutely beyond what you can do, come talk to me. Check out my blog post here, then shoot me an email and see what we can work out. I really, truly believe that everyone should have access to my services, and we can see what we can work out.
Services |