ERIKA DAVIS DOULA
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Work With Me
    • Birth Doula
    • Postpartum Doula
    • Childbirth and Parenthood Preparation
    • Whole Body Pregnancy
    • Prenatal Yoga
  • Client Testimonials
  • Contact Me
  • What is a Doula?
  • Blog

11/11/2015

A Doula Costs How Much?!

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
One of the things I often hear is that doulas cost a lot of money.

And I get it.

When you see a one-time, often up-front price ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, it can be intimidating. Add to that the fluctuation of prices from doula to doula, and the process can become overwhelming.

So why are we so expensive? Truthfully, we're not. I say that as a person who would gasp (okay, maybe faint) whilst forking over a thousand dollars (or more) for a doula when my time comes. 

So where does your doula fee go?

Experience and Training
Most parents who are looking to hire a doula start with where she was trained as well as how much experience she has. Doulas who have been through multiple trainings and have attended a great deal of births tend to charge more for their experience. But, that's not to say that a doula who has only attended a few births doesn't also charge "market price" for her services. While most of the money we earn for births goes towards logistics (more on that later), a chunk of it (at least for me) goes towards advanced training. This ultimately makes for better doulas.

The average cost of doula training is about $600, though I have seen it higher for week-long retreat-style trainings. Postpartum training can also range between $600-900. If you want to become a Certified Lactation Consultant, trainings can be as much as $900, and if you'd like to take it further to become an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant, testing costs money as well. Becoming certified in Placenta Encapsulation, Child Birth Education, and Essential Oils and Herbs are trainings that most doulas want to add to their business. We earn these certifications and attend trainings based on our income.

Logistics
Most doulas go on 24/7 call at least two weeks, but sometimes as early as a month before the time of a client's Estimated Due Date. This means they are essentially "on the clock" 24 hours a day. If I divided my current doula fee* of $850 by two weeks, I would average about $2.52 an hour without counting the amount of time doulas spend with their clients during their birth. Like most doulas, when a client calls me for their birth, I stay by their side until 2 hours after the baby is born and the parents are settled. This also means that we are not taking new clients. We are usually not going on initial consultations or meetings because we could be called to a birth at any moment. We are committed to our clients.

Gas, Food, Etc.
Doulas pay for their own gas or fare for public transportation to all consultations and prenatal visits. We also make postnatal visits (up to 2, or 3 in some cases) without charging a "postpartum doula fee." While we don't get lunch breaks, we do pay for our food, water, and supplies that we bring to each birth. This can range from books we loan to clients to birthing balls, rebozos, etc.

Personal Sacrifice
When a doula goes on call, she/he does so with the knowledge that at any time we could be called for a birth. This means we miss family time, vacations and trips, or nice dinners with our significant others. And when the time comes for baby to be born, we leave our full time jobs (if we work outside of doula-ing), family, and children for an undefined amount of time.

Is it Worth it?
I can't say that for anyone (typical doula answer). The evidence shows that having a doula-attended birth results in less intervention, fewer cases of unplanned c-section, better management of labor pains, shorter labors, and healthier breastfeeding relationships. 

Like most doulas, I'm not in it for the money. I do what I do because I'm passionate about it. I love helping people become parents. There is still nothing more awe-inspiring than watching a baby be born. I get a rush from the sheer power and determination of women in labor and nothing beats the smell of amniotic fluid clinging to your clothes. The oxytocin that baby and new parent emit is intoxicating and contagious. I always tell parents that I interview with that they should pick a doula not by how much she costs, or her experience, but by how you feel when you are in her presence. And to my mind, that presence is priceless.

​

Share

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

Details

    Author

    Hi there! I'm Erika Davis and I'm a doula working in the Seattle and South Puget Sound area. 

    All of the posts listed on my blog are my own words, except where noted.

    If I have posted your work and have not properly sited you, please reach out to me and I'm happy to either remove the post or link back to you.

    Archives

    December 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    August 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    A Doula's Role
    After Birrth
    Baby Oil
    Baby Products
    Benefits Of Having A Doula
    Bestfed
    Beyonce
    Birth
    Birth Education
    Birth Justice Work
    Birth Stories
    Birth With Intention
    BirthWithoutFear
    Birth Workers
    Black Breastfeeding
    Black Breastfeeding Week
    Black Doulas
    Black Women
    Black Women Breastfeed Too
    B.R.A.I.N
    Breast Feeding
    Breastfeeding Benefits
    Confident Birthing
    Cross Post
    Do I Need A Doula
    Do I Need A Doula At My Second Birth
    Doula
    Doulas Of Color
    Education
    Essential Oils
    Evidence Based Birth
    Exercise
    Federal Way Doula
    Hospital Interventions
    How Long Can You Push In Labor
    Jewish Doula
    Johnson&johnson
    Kavanah Doula
    Labor
    Lactation Consultant
    Lena Cups
    LGBTQ Doula
    LGBTQ Doulas
    LGBTQ Doula Tacoma
    Love Your Period
    Massage
    Menstruation Cups
    Moon Cycle
    Natural Baby Products
    Normalize Breastfeeding
    Nursing Benefits
    Period
    Pitocin
    POC
    Positive Birth Stories
    Postpartum Care
    Postpartum Doula
    Postpartum Plan
    Pushing Time In Labor
    Red Tent
    Religious Doula
    Responsible Period Care
    Reusable Pads
    Safe Alternatives To Chemical Products
    Seattle Doula
    Seattle In The Fall
    Second Birth
    South Puget Sound Doula
    Swollen Feet
    Tacoma
    Tacoma Birth Doula
    Tacoma Doula
    Third Trimester Woes
    Tip Tuesday
    Vaseline
    Volunteer Doulas
    Washington
    What Doulas Do
    When Should I Hire A Birth Doula
    Who Hires A Doula
    Why I'm A Doula
    WOC

    RSS Feed

© Kavanah Doula 2019 | Birth, Postpartum and Parent with Intention | Tacoma, WA | 347.471.0739
Proudly powered by Weebly
Photo used under Creative Commons from JasonCorey
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Work With Me
    • Birth Doula
    • Postpartum Doula
    • Childbirth and Parenthood Preparation
    • Whole Body Pregnancy
    • Prenatal Yoga
  • Client Testimonials
  • Contact Me
  • What is a Doula?
  • Blog