So you know you want a doula…what now? Where do you find a doula? What type of doula should you look for? What if there aren’t doulas in your area? Finding a doula near you can be an overwhelming task, so this episode breaks down how to do that. Where to start searching (see a few helpful links for this below!), when to search and how to go about finding a doula who is a great fit for your family.

A Birth Doula plays a unique and important role on a birth team. Across all birthing locations a birth doula is providing a level of support and education that, when done well, allows the rest of the medical team to focus on their jobs well knowing that the patient is well cared for. That is the dream, when a team works together like magic helping a whole family be born in the process

If you’re on the search for a doula and feeling a bit late to the game it may give you hope to know that it’s rarely truly too late to hire a doula. If you’re still pregnant you can hire a birth doula (again, in most cases!) and if you’re within a few years postpartum you can hire a postpartum journey.

You may have a shorter list of available doulas, so be sure to reach out as soon as possible so you can get on with hiring.

Hiring a birth or postpartum doula typically starts with a doula consultation. During that consultation there’s an interview of sorts between the doula (or doulas) and prospective client(s). It should include a back and forth including getting to know each other as well as asking a variety of questions that are relevant to what you’re looking for in a doula.

This episode outlines some questions that can be asked during that interview if you find them helpful.

Birth Doulas are NOT just for unmedicated labors! One more time for the people in the back…birth doulas are not just for people planning an unmedicated birth! Doulas get put into a bit of a woowoo category where people who are using herbs and eating their placenta are the only folks who use them. But that could not be farther from the truth.

If you have a partner supporting you in this pregnancy and postpartum time then you may be worried that a doula will take away that special support by adding a third support person. The reality is that the doula is there for the pregnant person and for partners. The doula should free the partner up to be the partner! Not an expert on pregnancy, labor or postpartum! Your emotional and life support can be just that while your doula is your expert on all things birth and postpartum.

Not many doulas are covered by insurance because there are many barriers for doulas becoming "in network". However there are still ways to make paying for a doula more accessible!

What Are Doula Services? A basic starting place…that maybe we should have started from! :) Doulas are a non-medical support to add to your already existing medical team during birth or postpartum. There are doulas in all sorts of fields, and I’m of the opinion that we all need doulas in a bunch of areas of our life. 

Each Birth Doula works slightly differently, that’s part of the beauty of our work! Some doulas have a variety of options in terms of what is included in a doula package and others have a set standard of what they do with clients. While I can’t guarantee that this episode covers all the variety of how individual doulas work, however it does cover the types that I most often see!

The right time to hire a birth doula is not a straight-forward answer. If only we could say everyone should hire a birth doula by 25 weeks, but it’s not that simple.

This is the first episode in our new series on Doulas. We are starting off with a very basic question: What is the difference between a Birth Doula and a Postpartum Doula? Now, there are many types of doulas, but for the purpose of this series we’ll be focused on those two types specifically.

Do you HAVE to have Childbirth Education in order to give birth? Will your hospital turn you away if you haven’t had a Birth Class? Obviously No, they will not. It is not an absolutely imperative part of the basic process of birth. If you’ve been around for any length of time you know that I think Childbirth Class is good for everyone, however I do realize that there are many reasons people choose to take a class or not.

If you’re pregnant and have a partner or spouse supporting you then it’s important for them to have the education and resources to support you well in the pregnancy, labor and postpartum. When a new baby is coming to a family it is a family adjustment.

If you’ve been around here for a while you’ve heard me talk about Evidence Based Birth™ as a reputable resource for research and data around birth. But you may not know that they also have amazing classes for pregnant families. There is comprehensive Childbirth Ed as well as smaller workshops to fit the needs of families.

Today we are joined by the powerhouse, Leslie Greene who literally has skills in dozens of different specialties and is ALSO a doula, childbirth educator, etc. Her knowledge and experience is vast and I’m super excited for you to hear from her today.

What are the Benefits of Hypnobirthing? They are many! Today's episode is an interview with HelloBirth Hypnobirthing Co-Founder Lindsey Vick as she shares her depth of knowledge about the use of hypnosis in birth and how HelloBirth prepares students for their birth experiences.

I’m joined this week by my dear friend and colleague, Irene Kim who is a doula and Bradley Method Instructor. She dives into the ins and outs of the Bradley Method. What is it, how it got started, etc. This is a common type of childbirth education so I wanted to be sure to cover it so people have a good understanding of what the philosophy is behind it.

Some birth classes are virtual, some are in person, some are self-paced, but there are also some that are hybrid. There are a few variations of hybrid classes. This episode covers two types: 1. A class that’s virtual and in person but taught live. 2. A class that’s a mixture of self-paced pre-recorded information and virtual, but live classes . What these classes cover varies from one class to the next, but they are usually similar to Birth 101 or Childbirth Express classes.

The next type of childbirth class we’re diving into is a Natural Childbirth Class. That is a class often geared specifically for pregnant people who have the goal of an unmedicated labor. This type of class emphasizes comfort measures and non-medication coping skills in labor.

Childbirth Express or Weekend Birth Classes are common types of Childbirth Education. This episode dives into what those classes usually cover, how they work and how to decide if that’s a good fit for you.

Childbirth Education or a Birth Class is an important step in your preparation for labor and birth. Because of that we are kicking off Season 2 with a whole series on different types of Childbirth Education and are starting off with Virtual Self-Paced Options. Specifically The Birth Prep Blueprint is being highlighted today!