It’s so important to be intentional about your birth team – the people you choose to attend your birth. It will have a huge impact on your birth experience and outcome.
So here’s a list of valuable questions to ask your doula when you interview them, adapted from resources from Preparing for Birth, a midwife team in Colorado Springs including Desirre Andrews and Tiffany Miller.
Questions to ask when interviewing a Doula for your upcoming birth:
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Why are you a doula?
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Are you certified? Why or why not? What formal training have you received?
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Do you provide prenatal and postpartum visits? What can I expect from these visits?
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How many births have you attended?
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What types of birth locations have you attended births at?
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What types of births have you participated in? (cesarean, epidural, natural, teen, VBAC, surrogacy, etc)
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Can you provide references?
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How do you stay on top of the latest research and methods of support?
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What do you charge?
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Have you worked with my doctor/midwife or at my place of birth before?
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What back-up arrangements do you have?
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How many clients per month do you take on average?
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Have you ever missed a birth? If yes, why? And what is your process if that happens?
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What is your role in early labor?
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Do you provide labor support at home prior to going to the birth place?
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As my doula do you provide childbirth education?
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As the doula are you ok with holding to my boundaries and desires during my birth, even it if upsets my family members? Aka are you ok with being “the bad guy” if need be to carry out my desires?
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How do you involve partners in the process of birth?
Kristen Golden, the doula in these photos, is one incredible doula in the Colorado Springs area and works with the Doula Circle.
Other excellent Colorado Springs doulas that I personally recommend:
Amanda Martin Smith of Amanda Smith Birth Services
Sarah Norris of Nurtured in Joy
Madison Lopez of Blessed Birth Services
Sesch Wren of Birth & Beginnings
Not sure the difference between a doula and a midwife? Click here.
Do you have any other questions to add when interviewing a doula? Please add to this list below!
i love everyone of these doula questions, epecially the first one about whydid she became a doula. i had never thought to ask that questions and i love asking questions! this one will be at the top of my list for doulas. this is great information for my birth clients at our first meeting too.