Congratulations on your decision to further research your options for your upcoming labour and birth. As members of the Kootenay Doula Group, we feel it is important you understand all the options available to you in this community. You are under no obligation to hire a Doula, but we commend you on your decision to look closely at your support possibilities for labour and birth.

Each member of the Kootenay Doula Group is aware that you will be contacting many Doulas on the list in order to find the right Doula for you. In fact, we encourage you to 'shop around'. In doing so, you will find a Doula who shares your beliefs about labour and birth, who makes you and your partner feel comfortable, who can commit to your due date period, and who works with a price range you can manage. We encourage you to contact Doulas on the list first by phone or email. If you find someone you would like to meet, then arrange an interview at a mutually agreeable place. If you are interviewing a Doula, you are under no obligation to hire her. It is helpful, however, if you inform Doulas you have contacted that you will be hiring someone else. This allows the Doula the freedom to commit to another woman's due date. Within the Kootenay Doula Group, we know and hope you will be choosing the right Doula for you, and we will not feel 'let down' if you choose to hire one Doula over another.

All our Doulas have received doula training. Some Doulas on our list are willing to work for free in order to gain more experience.  This is really an ideal situation for both you and the Doula. You receive excellent support and care from a trained Doula for free, and the Doula gains valuable experience. As no two labours or births are ever alike, every birth a Doula attends is a learning experience. The upper price range for Doulas in our group is approximately $800.00. What a Doula charges is her choice. During an interview, it is your responsibility to find out what the Doula charges and how payment can be met. The Kootenay Doula Project has been developed in 2010 to provide doula support for women in need.

Doulas in the Kootenay Doula Group will work with a back-up Doula for your labour and birth. If it is important to you to meet the back-up Doula, please request this to your Doula and she will arrange a meeting. In rare circumstances, your Doula may not be able to attend your birth, due to her own family obligations. This is why Doulas work with back-ups. Also, if your labour is prolonged for many days, having a "fresh" Doula support you for a few hours can be beneficial to everyone.

More experienced Doulas often mentor less experienced Doulas. In hiring a more experienced Doula, she may wish to bring along another Doula who is learning from her. Please inform your Doula if this is acceptable to you.

It is important that you find out what each Doula offers in terms of pre and post-natal visits. Some Doulas prefer to meet with you more often than others. Find someone who meets your needs.

The Doulas in our group operate independently, and our fees vary. For us all the vital, and most front and center part of being a Doula is our love of supporting a woman and her partner through their birth journey. Besides the obvious time she puts in, there are some other considerations for how a Doula may estimate her fees. A Doula may need to consider :

·         Time for phone conversations

·         Travel expenses

·         Record keeping and transcription

·         Extra visits

·         Childcare expenses

·         Time off work for Doula

·         Time off work for partner (to care for children)

·         Being on-call

 

We hope you find this information helpful when choosing the right Doula for you.