Anybody here try a doula? I would love to get a midwife but they're all WAY booked up... Alberta Health Care just started covering midwife services which is awesome but now we need way more midwives... but I digress...

So I want to try a doula since I'm aiming for a VBAC and I'm wondering if anyone wants to share doula experiences? Dh is really nervous about the VBAC, he thinks it would be so much easier to just book a Cesarean and be done but I've had about enough of that treatment, thanks! So I thought a doula would help *him* as well as me and get us through the labor with relative ease. I talked to one nearby who sounds incredible and would love to take me on, but the downside is her fee of $700. I know to you Americans that doesn't sound so bad but we're used to paying $0 to have a baby... any ideas how to break this news to dh???

I don't have personal experience with *trying* a doula, but I had one all lined up for Eliya's birth, but my labor went so quickly that I forgot to call her. ::snort:: But she was great... basically she's a "go-between" for you and the doctor. You tell her what you want to get out of your birth, what your desires and goals are, and she conveys those to the medical team and keeps them from intervening too much. Or that's the hope, anyway. I've heard wonderful things about doulas~

and maybe you could talk to that doula about cutting the cost for you guys? Or payment installments? Never hurts to ask. But yeah, you're right... we americans typically pay big bucks to have a baby. Ugh. I'm going to be paying a fraction of what I *used* to pay, by going to a birth center, and hub is loooovin that.

I think the main thing is for you and hub to be "together" on it. Ya know? I hope that he can support you in your decision, especially since sections are MAJOR surgery... not just you popping in for a "check up". I have a friend who has had TWO very wonderful and normal VBACs now, and she wouldn't have it any other way. I hope you get to have the vbac you want, gal~ ::hugs::

I think that the doula is definitely worth the money. Think about how wonderful it would be to get that VBAC and not have to recover from surgery! I have paid out of pocket for both homebirths and would do so again. You just can't put a price on a good birth!

I'm saying a prayer that things work out well for you.

Hi
I'm a doula... so in my "unbiased" opinion... snort.... i'd say it's totally worth it. I had one for my first son (and my second as well)- best decision ever.
JBRL- a gentle correction... we don not speak for the client to the staff... we enable the clients to advocate for themselves by helping them ask questions or make choices.

Many private employer's coverage will cover doula fees. At least that's what my colleagues have been hearing and some of my client's have found as well.

If you want more info on doulas go to www.dona.org or you can check out my out of date website for more resources: www.naturalblessings.ca

Thanks danou...
You live in Alberta too, that's awesome! Is it just me or are midwives & doulas way more plentiful in the US?

Margi,
My DH feels the same as yours. He and I (more he) are a little apprehensive about trying VBAC because of my age and feel it would just be so much easier to schedule the c-section since my recovery was such a breeze last time. However, I'm still gonna look into it. Maybe I can find a doula (or possibly a midwife) that will encourage us. I'm not sure which will serve my needs better at this point. I am SO at a loss when it comes to this...I don't really know where to start.

I know there are doulas and midwives in my area, but can someone tell me how to go about choosing the right one? I have emails, so should I just email them and ask if they have a website like danou has?...then maybe go from there with interviewing and such? Or maybe ask my doctor if she has any recommendations? Do the doctors usually want the involvement of midwives or doulas?

Sorry, I'm not meaning to high-jack your thread...I thought it would be easiest for us both to get answers if I just added to your questions.

TIA!:-D

That's totally fine - hijack my thread all you want... after all you and I are looking for the same answers!! How many C-sections have you had? I would recommend emailing these doulas and getting a few questions answered to start off... that way you can get a feel for them before you commit. I just Googled "doulas" in my area and that's how I came up with mine!

How many C-sections have you had? I would recommend emailing these doulas and getting a few questions answered to start off... that way you can get a feel for them before you commit. I just Googled "doulas" in my area and that's how I came up with mine!
I found doulas in my area the same way but there's like 20 of them. When you say get a few questions answered, what exactly would I be asking them? Sorry, like I said, I am TOTALLY clueless *blush*.
Oh, I've only had 1 c-section.

Well, I'm pretty new to this too... but I was so glad the first doula I talked to had so much in common with me. 2 C-sections, the first emergency & the 2nd talked into it by the dr. Her husband felt like mine too and she was sooo understanding about every emotion and feeling I ever had. I have yet to meet her in person, but I think it's important that you actually "like" the person who's going to be assisting in hours of labor. If anything turned me off about a person, it's likely it would magnify during labor!!

JBRL- a gentle correction... we don not speak for the client to the staff... we enable the clients to advocate for themselves by helping them ask questions or make choices.


I was going off what the *two* doulas I had met with and spoken with a few times told *me*. I guess that's not how all the doulas do things? ::shrugs:: Maybe they were just rebels, rule breakers. ::snort::