We met with two that were $400-450, but we are meeting with another that is $750. She has a lot more training and experience so I get the price difference but yikes!
If you are comfortable, please comment and tell us how much your doula was, and why (training, etc.) so I can have a good point of comparison!
51 votes
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
@aprk: That's great to know! 
I want to know who voted $1000+!
coconut / 8234 posts
Our doula was 1k and worth every penny! We used a doula collective that provides doulas, from students to many years of experience. We chose a mid-level doula, though we interviewed 1 student doula and one new doula.
My doula had attended numerous births, was trained in hypnobirthing, yoga, and was undergoing training to be a lactation specialist. We also both really clicked with her and she will be one of the first people we contact when I get pregnant again.
coconut / 8234 posts
@daniellemybelle: Oops. It was me. I wasn't sure if I should pick $900-1k or 1k+
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@mrsjazz: did she provide birthing classes as well?
I was going to say I think less than $1k is actually a good price! Just think about how much $$ a nurse is getting and often they only work half of your labor... obviously a nurse does different things, but if you are thinking in medical terms, then the cost isn't too extravagant.
However I would definitely have a hard time affording that - so I do sympathize! Good luck with your search I hope you find the perfect match!
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
@daniellemybelle: Just curious, when do you pay your doula? Up front or at the end? Is this amount all inclusive? Do you have to tip her? I heard of doulas but since I'm having trouble getting pregnant I haven't gotten that far yet.
coconut / 8234 posts
@Mrs. Pen: Yeah, she came to our home for 2-3 3 hour sessions where we discussed a birth plan, coping methods, she taught DH some massage. She was also available to me 24/7 via e-mail and answered so many questions! She came to my apartment for 2 postpartum visits but I also hired her to be my postpartum doula outside of what was included in her package.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@mrsjazz: that sound amazing! Did you birth in a hospital?
pomegranate / 3452 posts
@bluestriped bee: we paid our doula half when we signed the contract and half at 38 weeks. No tip, all inclusive.
coconut / 8234 posts
@Mrs. Pen: Yes, though I hadn't planned on it. We were going to birth at a birth center but ended up transferring to the hospital because of meconium. I needed her even more at the hospital! They had me hooked up to a monitor in a small triage room for 5 hours and I had to pee every 15 minutes and the nurses barely checked on me. She knew how to unhook the machines and put them back on. She snuck me vitamin water, massaged me, and just helped me keep it together. I love her!
@bluestriped bee: With our doula, we paid half the money up front when we booked her and the other half a couple of weeks before our due date. We didn't tip her, though we did end up hiring her for more services postpartum.
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
$400, including two prenatal visits and a post natal. My epidural didn't help the sciatic nerve pain-she did a lot of massage!! Held a leg, etc. I felt calmer with her there and she explained stuff to me as it was happening. I got to 9cm on pitocin before I got my epidural so she was very helpful
papaya / 10473 posts
$0 - My doula needed another birth to finish her DONA certification. She was amazing!
blogger / honeydew / 7081 posts
Ours typically charges $850 (for 3-5 prenatal appointments, the birth, and follow up appointments), but because she's a family friend, she's giving us a great deal.
pineapple / 12053 posts
ours was $800, but we paid upfront and got a discount so we paid $720. she was worth it for sure! we had a couple pre-birth meetings to go over any questions we would have. i had a VERY quick labor so she was only there for about 2.5 hours before our daughter was born, but she was integral to getting the natural birth i wanted! she also picked us up pizza after i gave birth and it was awesome.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@mrsjazz: ooooh right- I do remember that! I remember I was excited we were both going to a birth center.. Then we both ended up with emergency transfers- too ironic! And our babies are just two months apart!
Your doula sounds incredible! What a blessing you found her
cantaloupe / 6206 posts
It depends a LOT on geography! In the Boston area they range from $800 for a less experienced doula to around $1500. Ours had a sliding scale of $1050-$1250 and she was PHENOMENAL. She's attended over 160 births and does this full-time; she was by far the most experienced one we spoke to (including the one charging $1500). I'm obsessed with her.
bananas / 9357 posts
$500. It included a few sessions before the birth where we went over my birth plan, child birth lessons and coping techniques. She also came for a follow up visit postpartum and is available as much as needed the first year for breastfeeding help. She was worth every penny!
pomelo / 5258 posts
$1000, half when we hired her at 7 months and half at 9 months(ish). Her fee was "a sliding scale between $800 and $1500." We almost didn't hire her because we had no idea what to pay her based on that info. We're living comfortably but she lives in a more expensive area. I still don't know which side of the scale she would have put us on.
We finally decided to offer her what we had expected to pay a doula, $1k. We couldn't justify paying more since there was a chance we could end up with a scheduled C-section she couldn't attend or she could have been stuck in traffic or something. Plus, even though I checked her references she was just somebody I found on Craigslist. She seemed trustworthy but what if she disappeared? The fee included 3 pre-natal meetings (two with massage), up to 18 hours of labor, and a postpartum visit.
She ended up spending 47 hours with me while I was in labor. She was fantastic the whole time. I have no idea how she kept going and kept me going. We ended up tipping her (if that's the right word) $500. She wasn't expecting it at all but she definitely earned it.
blogger / nectarine / 2608 posts
Ours was $800. Even though we ended up birthing in the hospital it was totally worth it. She was there for all of early labor, provided support at the hospital prior to the c-section, and did several follow-up visits which were so helpful when my emotions were feeling raw still. She even brought a thoughtful gift! My experience would have been much poorer without her.
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
Wow, the majority are $1000+! That definitely puts it in perspective for me.
I love hearing how happy all of you were with your doulas. It reassures me that we're doing the right thing by hiring one. We just need to keep looking to make sure we find the best doula for us!
honeydew / 7811 posts
@daniellemybelle: $500 and worth every penny (and I think she raised her rates after our birth).
Certified, tons of experience. 2 pre-natal appointments, 1 post-natal (plus brought us food), the birth itself, loaned us books and a birth ball, took photos of the birth (amazing), unlimited phone calls and emails.
Couldn't have done it without her!!
pineapple / 12526 posts
I thought I'd post this to keep the higher price some doulas charge in perspective.
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
@zippylef: Great article, thanks for sharing! I know doulas work hard for their fees and that the ones with higher fees have good reason to charge that much! I was just curious what the average was.
cantaloupe / 6206 posts
@daniellemybelle: Keep in mind the ones who do it full-time are going to charge more and have more experience. We talked to a cheaper doula who was 'doing it for experience before applying to nursing school to be a midwife'. That's awesome for you, but please point me in the direction of the one who has been doing this for 20 years and charges double, thanks.
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
@JoJoGirl: That's a good point. We definitely want an experienced doula, but what's most important to us is a good personality fit! We have met some really nice ladies but I am still looking for that "click."
persimmon / 1141 posts
bump bump.
this might be the silliest question ever, but do you tip your doula? the hospital i'm delivering at offers a holistic birthing center and will put us in touch with their network of doulas. the price is $750. just wondering if there are any other fees commonly associated with doulas.
honeydew / 7589 posts
@SupernovaJ: I'm a doula. We rarely get tips (the fee is all-inclusive usually) but if a labor is incredibly long or we went above and beyond in some way (got vomited on, caught the baby in the back of the van on the way to the hospital...Ha!) then occasionally the client will give us a "bonus". It's never expected though, and it rarely happens.
pear / 1531 posts
We are paying $1500. We couldn't be choosy since very few doulas were willingly to get vaccinated. In NYC, the cheapest I found with experience (above 20 births) were $1000. Most that were recommended to me were highly experienced and above $2500!!!
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
We are interviewing doulas from two different co-ops. One stated their price on-line by experience. We chose the unior doula level with 11-50 births; the rate is $850. The other co-op ranges from $500-$1,200, but I doubt we will choose a doula with a rate more than $900.
@raintreebee: I read a bunch of interview questions online for doulas and vaccinations didn't come up on any of the lists. However, I would prefer to have a vaccinated doula. Thanks for the reminder to inquire about their status.
persimmon / 1141 posts
Our doula was $750 via the hospital option but she can go up to $1200 for the extra bells and whistles.
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
Funny to see my super old thread bumped!
This is such a personal thing but honestly I think I could have done without our doula. We did up paying on the high end.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
@daniellemybelle: why would you skip a doula in hindsight?
persimmon / 1141 posts
Also want to add that our doula serves the NJ/NY area and while her hospital rate is ~$750 as part of the hospital-based holistic program (meaning you deliver at the hospital where she is an employee), she also takes independent clients from other surrounding areas and for this, her rate is more. She is highly skilled and experienced having attended nearly 250 births if not more. Her rate as an independent doula is in the neighborhood of $1200 (as of 2014 when I delivered). I personally wouldn't pay much more than this as you can definitely find some highly skilled and experienced doulas in this range!
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: You never know who reads this and I would hate to upset anyone. My doula was/is a wonderful lady. I'm not Gold or I would wall you. If you want, you can wall me your email address, I can email you and then you can edit/delete it?
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 1 |
| Posts | 1 | 3 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite1
37 comments