Why hire a new doula over someone more experienced?
I bring refreshed energy.
I’ll most likely be coming from home, where I was thinking about all the ways I can best support your unique birth.
Doulas who have been working in birthspaces for a while often attend up to 6 births a month. It’s likely that an established doula might still be processing a previous birth or even be coming straight from a prior birth. As a new doula, I have a limited number of birth clients and each one receives my undivided attention. I won’t come into your space exhausted; I’ll come energized to support your experience. My doula “toolbox” comes packed with techniques that work for you, not ones that worked for the birth I was at yesterday. As much as being a doula means knowing all the tricks of the trade, its also about being present and grounded to authentically asses the needs of the current birth. This is where new doulas excel.
When you want me there, I’m there.
Being a new birth doula means I don’t want to miss a beat.
Oftentimes, labor can start and stop again without much explanation. After receiving that first “I think I’m in labor" call, a more experienced doula might suggest some techniques for you to manage early labor on your own. This doula might arrive hours later when you are progressing towards active labor. I, however, will make it a priority to be with you as soon as possible. The early phases of labor are exciting and beautiful, a part of the birthing process I don’t want to miss. Early labor is a great time for us to go over your birth plan, practice grounding techniques, make sure all your resources are readily available (food, water, music, etc), set the space to be calming for your nervous system, and ultimately ease into this birth gently. It’s also highly unlikely that I would ever need to call my back-up doula to attend your birth, as I won’t be overscheduled.
The cost.
Hiring a new doula is substantially cheaper.
My practice functions on a “pay what you can” model. I have a set sliding scale ranging from $0-$500 per birth. This means that, depending on your needs, you can pay me anywhere between $0 and $500 to be your birth doula. Regardless of the price you pay, the care and support I deliver to you stays the same. This model functions on the honor system. I will not question the amount you pay me, and you will truly consider the capacity you have to compensate your doula. Think of it like this: say you pay me $400 to be your birth doula. Then, a couple of months later, I am hired as the birth doula for someone who cannot financially compensate me at all (they pay me $0). The $400 you paid me now helps me support my work with the latter client, expanding birth care across economic status and increasing equity. I recognize that it is a privilege to be financially supported enough to work with this payment model and hope that it returns agency to birthing people of all identities.
If you identify as a part of the BIPOC community, the sliding scale ranges from $0-$300. Visit my pricing page for more information.
There’s a strong community behind me.
I’m new, I don’t know everything, and I have a community of birthworkers ready to guide me.
Between my doula mentors, family friends, peers who’ve studied alongside me, my former teachers, and the occasional co-worker’s step-aunt, I have a beautiful, ever-broadening community of birth doulas supporting me as I support you. To prepare for each birth I’ve attended, I’ve asked the members of my community to be available to answer questions that come up while at the birth. Hiring me as your birth doula gives you access to the pool of wisdom at my fingertips.