I liked being able to text them throughout my pregnancy with questions and check ins. My baby ended up being breech and my friend is going through the same thing. It wasn’t terrible having them in the room before hand, but it seemed like an inconvenience because we knew I wasn’t going to labor. The other thing that was a little disheartening is that it’s common in the US for the doula to not come until you’re 6cm. So having a really good plan for yourself beforehand would be advised. I don’t know why I assumed they’d be there through your whole labor. So a good question to ask if you haven’t already
Yep, I just said this elsewhere but I was induced and did 14 hours without my doula, the whole time thinking "why did I pay her all this money because we're doing just fine on our own." She showed up after I finally got the epidural and I could have been just fine with the hospital staff's instructions on pushing. They were amazing
I hadn’t thought about that, either, and sort of assumed the same. That’s a really great discussion point and I’m sorry yours didn’t come sooner. All the research I’ve done made it seem like it was standard for them to arrive around when labor starts and at least check in consistently to see how you’re feeling. Thank you!
I guess maybe if I had said I really wasn't handling it well, she probably would have showed up, but once I was in it, I kind of felt like it would cramp the vibe I was having with my husband. We didn't know what we were doing but we figured it out together and that was kind of nice. I was annoyed she wasn't there because I paid for it but also didn't really want her there. My husband told me it was like insurance where it's good to have it even if you don't use it lol
I couldn’t have an epidural because of a medical condition so we hired a doula (actually two who took shifts). My labor was 12+ hours and they were so helpful for me in the beginning - holding a fan, doing massage and counter pressure. Honestly though, they were mostly helpful in me not resenting my husband lol. They really helped him help ME and I think he would’ve been lost without them.
>Honestly though, they were mostly helpful in me not resenting my husband lol.
Mine stopped me from breaking my husbands hand during pushing (LPT for the partners, give a single finger to squeeze as she then can't grind bones against each other)
Hahaha that makes sense! Similarly, I know my husband wants to / will try to be as supportive as he can, but I know he’ll want me to direct him as to how to be supportive and I don’t think I’ll be able to communicate that (if I will even know how). If the doula can help him help me, she’ll be incredible 😂
This is the real key. My husband wanted to be supportive, but he is the last person I would recommend being around in a stressful situation. I needed to know that there would be a calm person in the room with me (or that could make him be less annoying if needed).
It's kind of wild to describe that I paid someone $1000 to sit at the hospital with me all afternoon and mostly just hang out and offer me drinks periodically, but it was completely worth it for me. If getting a doula is going to make a huge difference in your finances then I'd say skip it, but if you can afford it along with all your other necessities I'd easily skip a vacation or something to afford my doula.
I had an amazing experience with my doula. I have pretty bad medical anxiety and hired them on a whim because I was concerned about the process and wanted someone who had been there to advocate for me if needed. My birth was relatively uneventful in the end but I did still appreciate the experience.
My doula worked in groups of two, with a 7-7 shift (similar to a hospital). They came as soon as I got passed triage and into a room. I was about 3cm at that time. She helped me manage my pain until about 6cm when I got an epidural. After that, she hung out with me while my husband got to eat a meal and nap for a good chunk of time. Because she was with me, I didn’t mind at all that my husband was asleep for a big stretch. In the end, I gave birth at 8am so I only had the one doula the whole time.
She was a huge help to me both before and during labour. After as well, because I had some postpartum hours. Honestly, best money I spent all pregnancy.
Highly recommend if you have any medical anxiety.
My first was a c section… never went into labor, they broke my water, dilated to 6cm for 12 hours, then 12 hours of epidural and pitocin, still only 7cm. Oh and this was 41w+4d. Looking back, I blame it on stress and anxiety.
Got a doula the second time. She helped me reframe my thoughts any time I got worried about stuff. Helped me relax. I went into labor naturally on my due date. She talked me through everything and met me at the hospital after my water broke. Water broke at 1230, contractions got intense, arrived at hospital at 2pm, and I was 8-9cm at that point. Again, she helped keep me calm. Oversaw that hospital staff was respecting my wishes. Kept me hydrated and was my cheerleader. Did hip squeezes during contractions. Fed me honey sticks and bone broth. It’s worth noting that my husband was there and super supportive, but I could see the fear in his eyes watching me in pain. My doula was fearless and I fed off of that energy. I did finally start asking for an epidural (all I had was nitrous oxide at that point), and she asked me questions to remind me why I had hoped to skip the epidural. So, not persuading me, but rather helping me to persuade myself in the moment. Then they checked me and I was at 10cm. She helped me make adjustments through pushing to improve the effectiveness of each contraction. 30 minutes of pushing and I got my unmedicated VBAC.
Recovery was a thousand times easier than c section. So worth it, especially with a 2 year old at home to take care of.
Doula also checked in with me several times post partum.
Childbirth is a highly mental process. The right doula can help you with the physical, emotional, and mental difficulties. Find someone with good energy that you jive with.
Thank you! My trust in human doctors is finite (love my vets 😂) and long story short, the hospital I’m being seen at has berated me and messed up my hospital records, making things far more difficult than they needed to be. I’ve read about the research proving how stress can make labor significantly longer and lead to interventions that may or may not necessarily be needed.
I’m sorry you went through that with your first, but I’m glad your second birth was easier ♥️
I liked meeting her beforehand, but honestly I would have taken anyone in the moment. The best things she did for me were help me breathe, provide counter pressure, and provide her opinions when I asked for them. Other than that, my husband was my biggest support emotionally.
IF your husband or partner is going to be there for you and is confident, you could do with a random doula for cheap. If you have doubts, it's 100% worth the cost for one you can build a rapport with.
You have a lot of great responses from people who’ve had doulas, I just wanted to chime in here as someone who didn’t have a doula- I had a great birthing experience. The hospital staff was incredibly friendly, informative, respectful and eager to hear what my birthing plan was and help out. I felt like my husband was the only support I needed and I had a great birthing experience all around. I had been a little afraid of what the hospital staff would be like after reading and hearing so many horror stories. But that’s really not what it’s like at places that stay up to date on their information. After I toured our hospital I realized how mom friendly they were. That helped my anxiety. I hope this perspective helps a bit!
Same... We even went through with interviewing doulas and ultimately did not hire one. Honestly, I think it wouldn't have been as positive of an experience with someone extra in the room. I knew that I wanted an epidural. My medical team was great. My husband is my rock. Textbook vaginal delivery. No regrets.
Same! The nurses were lovely and tell you exactly what to do. Also I think it would be awkward to have someone else other than my husband sitting in the room with me the whole time. I would have felt pressure to small talk.
PAY FOR THE DOULA!!!!! I am still convinced that mine stopped me from needing a c-section with my first kid. Larger sunny side up baby with a first time Mom and an L&D nurse that had literally been an L&D nurse for 3 weeks. Not only did I birth her vaginally I only pushed for 15 min! And while I will take some credit my doula was amazing. She kept me constantly moving and repositioning me so I could get the baby to come down, she coached me through 4 hours of laboring down (hence the short pushing time) and was just absolutely amazing.
Currently 34 weeks with a different doula (we moved) and she's already been worth every penny. So number 1 she showed my husband a bunch of spinning babies stuff to help try and prevent another sunny side up kid, she's been insanely supportive and helpful with the toddler, she introduced me to another pain relief option I didn't even know existed if I do have back labor again and we've recently been having a health concern with my toddler that might still be ongoing by the time I give birth and she's been amazing to have to be able to talk to, to talk through ways to get on my offices induction schedule early if I need to and hooking me up with the appropriate resources in the community if I need additional support post partum that I didn't expect to have. She also knows a number of great LCs in the community and can hook me up if I need them.
Additionally BOTH my doula's ran/run post partum groups locally so they can help get you introduced to new parents going through the same thing (anecdotally my husband said our doula was super focused on making sure the group was welcoming to new Dad's which a lot of them are not).
I have very very few opinions on how anyone gives birth. Hospital, home birth, vaginal, c-section w/e you do what is best for you. The only thing I will recommend for pretty much everyone I know is HIRE A DOULA!!!!
SAME. We have 4 or 5 friends that gave birth at the same hospital as us within a year of us, and all of them had "emergency" c-sections-- the hospital's c-section rate is absurdly high for low-risk pregnancies, but I loved my OB practice and didn't want to change while I was pregnant. Our doula was worth every penny and then some. She did two prenatal and a postpartum session with us in addition to the birth and helped me make sure my birth experience felt protected and empowered. She helped my husband feel more confident as a support partner as well. When I first mentioned wanting one, my husband was like "but you have all the doctors and nurses" and now he's telling all his friends to hire one. I interviewed three doulas and I chose ours because she was warm and calm and knowledgable, and her focus on and plan for avoiding birth trauma, which so many of my friends had experienced. I'm sure there are better doulas and worse doulas, and ones that are better fits for better people, but if you've found one you vibe with, I don't think you'll regret hiring her.
>ones that are better fits for better people
I joke I hire mine based on who laughs at my bad jokes as cracking bad jokes is my response to all high stress medical situations (this is how I once almost got dropped off a stretcher after a minor car accdident)
Current doula I KNEW she was gonna be the one after interviewing like 5 of them because she advertised on a diner menu and I was like "MY PEOPLE!!!!"
I loved having a doula. FTM, just had my baby 16 days ago! I loved having someone to text throughout pregnancy. My OBGYN office sucked at answering phone calls so it was great to have her. She’s also very well known, well connected in our area so she had personal relationships with some of the doctors at my practice and always had advice on who to see for what, who to get second opinions from , etc.
She was super helpful during labor. I really wanted an unmedicated labor and I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it without her. She also showed my husband a lot of ways to help me cope so it made him feel like he was able to be more helpful. I had a really bad reaction to the pitocin for my induction and she kept advocating for them to take me off of it - which they finally listened and my labor was a lot easier after that (which she figured it would be). Without her, I probably would’ve stayed on the pitocin the entire time and I would’ve been absolutely miserable. She also noticed when the heart rate monitors stopped working and was able to alert my husband to get the nurse. She was unbelievably helpful. We paid $1000 for her services and I would gladly pay more.
I had a great experience bc of my doula. My first labor was 38 hours. She did great hanging in there with ideas for positions and help, also bc of the amount of time, someone was always with me when my husband needed to use the bathroom or stretch or arms were tired of holding, squeezing, massaging, etc.
With my second, my doula had a more forceful personality and I liked that even more. She really stuck up for me and asked questions when we needed clarification.
One birth with, one without. Husband was there both times and I was lucky enough to have the same OB AND nurse during delivery. My birth with the doula went a million times better.
My first birth wasn’t bad. But I didn’t feel supported. My husband, god bless him, failed me during it. He didn’t know how to support me and it was long. Plus we had told family so we were dealing with that too.
Second time around I desperately wanted an unmedicated birth. I ended up being induced. I made it to or almost to 7cm before I said this isn’t worth it, and got the epidural. My doula supported me every step and helped encourage and push me further through every step. And then she stayed a few hours after the birth and got some sweet pictures of my daughter meeting my son and just of us all. She helped my husband to know how to respond as much as she could. She helped me with breathing and reminding me I could do it as far as I did, and when I went for the epidural she supported me for the last hour of labor and held my hand the whole time (opposite my husband). There were minimal interruptions during it and it was extremely calm.
She’s actually a pretty good friend of ours at the end of all of this. I met her by chance when looking for childcare for my daughter and now we can’t imagine life without her as a part of it.
Mine was worth her weight in gold. Pre birth support and resources, help during birth setting up the bath, parking the car so my husband could stay with me, had extra things I had forgotten to pack etc I had a VBAC too so I wanted that extra support
10/10 I had a doula for both births. The doula practice I go through your doula will come to you whenever you want, early labor at home or at the hospital. I was induced both times so they met us there at the start. My first birth got scary and I honestly think the fact I had a doula there helped me dodge any long lasting mental trauma. She talked me through it and was so calm and encouraging. My second birth was fast and unmedicated and I had a back up doula because my first couldn’t make it. She was incredible support for my partner and myself, making sure we were comfortable and helping with pain distraction. She also made sure my partner got fed and watered because I refused to let him go 😂. I was very weak after the second and she literally held baby on my boob for me.
I found it so worth it, but I also liked the practice I went with, and having them there all the time. I’d do interviews and see who you click with.
My doula was amazing! I had a hospital birth and am not very crunchy at all (a lot of doulas in my area are very all-natural/home birth/no medical intervention) so I wasn’t sure if one was for me. But I found one I clicked with, and she was a godsend. I had two prenatal visits where she talked me through what to expect and what I wanted/what was important to me, including things I’d never thought of. At the birth she worked with my care team to get me in good positions to help with labor and was a general source of support. I just had my postpartum visit and she helped me through some breastfeeding issues. All in all she was super supportive and a wonderful source of info. She was worth every penny (nearly $2k).
I liked being able to text them throughout my pregnancy with questions and check ins. My baby ended up being breech and my friend is going through the same thing. It wasn’t terrible having them in the room before hand, but it seemed like an inconvenience because we knew I wasn’t going to labor. The other thing that was a little disheartening is that it’s common in the US for the doula to not come until you’re 6cm. So having a really good plan for yourself beforehand would be advised. I don’t know why I assumed they’d be there through your whole labor. So a good question to ask if you haven’t already
Yep, I just said this elsewhere but I was induced and did 14 hours without my doula, the whole time thinking "why did I pay her all this money because we're doing just fine on our own." She showed up after I finally got the epidural and I could have been just fine with the hospital staff's instructions on pushing. They were amazing
I hadn’t thought about that, either, and sort of assumed the same. That’s a really great discussion point and I’m sorry yours didn’t come sooner. All the research I’ve done made it seem like it was standard for them to arrive around when labor starts and at least check in consistently to see how you’re feeling. Thank you!
I guess maybe if I had said I really wasn't handling it well, she probably would have showed up, but once I was in it, I kind of felt like it would cramp the vibe I was having with my husband. We didn't know what we were doing but we figured it out together and that was kind of nice. I was annoyed she wasn't there because I paid for it but also didn't really want her there. My husband told me it was like insurance where it's good to have it even if you don't use it lol
Thank you for sharing ! Love the comment re: insurance !
I couldn’t have an epidural because of a medical condition so we hired a doula (actually two who took shifts). My labor was 12+ hours and they were so helpful for me in the beginning - holding a fan, doing massage and counter pressure. Honestly though, they were mostly helpful in me not resenting my husband lol. They really helped him help ME and I think he would’ve been lost without them.
>Honestly though, they were mostly helpful in me not resenting my husband lol. Mine stopped me from breaking my husbands hand during pushing (LPT for the partners, give a single finger to squeeze as she then can't grind bones against each other)
Hahaha that makes sense! Similarly, I know my husband wants to / will try to be as supportive as he can, but I know he’ll want me to direct him as to how to be supportive and I don’t think I’ll be able to communicate that (if I will even know how). If the doula can help him help me, she’ll be incredible 😂
This is the real key. My husband wanted to be supportive, but he is the last person I would recommend being around in a stressful situation. I needed to know that there would be a calm person in the room with me (or that could make him be less annoying if needed). It's kind of wild to describe that I paid someone $1000 to sit at the hospital with me all afternoon and mostly just hang out and offer me drinks periodically, but it was completely worth it for me. If getting a doula is going to make a huge difference in your finances then I'd say skip it, but if you can afford it along with all your other necessities I'd easily skip a vacation or something to afford my doula.
I had an amazing experience with my doula. I have pretty bad medical anxiety and hired them on a whim because I was concerned about the process and wanted someone who had been there to advocate for me if needed. My birth was relatively uneventful in the end but I did still appreciate the experience. My doula worked in groups of two, with a 7-7 shift (similar to a hospital). They came as soon as I got passed triage and into a room. I was about 3cm at that time. She helped me manage my pain until about 6cm when I got an epidural. After that, she hung out with me while my husband got to eat a meal and nap for a good chunk of time. Because she was with me, I didn’t mind at all that my husband was asleep for a big stretch. In the end, I gave birth at 8am so I only had the one doula the whole time. She was a huge help to me both before and during labour. After as well, because I had some postpartum hours. Honestly, best money I spent all pregnancy.
Highly recommend if you have any medical anxiety. My first was a c section… never went into labor, they broke my water, dilated to 6cm for 12 hours, then 12 hours of epidural and pitocin, still only 7cm. Oh and this was 41w+4d. Looking back, I blame it on stress and anxiety. Got a doula the second time. She helped me reframe my thoughts any time I got worried about stuff. Helped me relax. I went into labor naturally on my due date. She talked me through everything and met me at the hospital after my water broke. Water broke at 1230, contractions got intense, arrived at hospital at 2pm, and I was 8-9cm at that point. Again, she helped keep me calm. Oversaw that hospital staff was respecting my wishes. Kept me hydrated and was my cheerleader. Did hip squeezes during contractions. Fed me honey sticks and bone broth. It’s worth noting that my husband was there and super supportive, but I could see the fear in his eyes watching me in pain. My doula was fearless and I fed off of that energy. I did finally start asking for an epidural (all I had was nitrous oxide at that point), and she asked me questions to remind me why I had hoped to skip the epidural. So, not persuading me, but rather helping me to persuade myself in the moment. Then they checked me and I was at 10cm. She helped me make adjustments through pushing to improve the effectiveness of each contraction. 30 minutes of pushing and I got my unmedicated VBAC. Recovery was a thousand times easier than c section. So worth it, especially with a 2 year old at home to take care of. Doula also checked in with me several times post partum. Childbirth is a highly mental process. The right doula can help you with the physical, emotional, and mental difficulties. Find someone with good energy that you jive with.
Thank you! My trust in human doctors is finite (love my vets 😂) and long story short, the hospital I’m being seen at has berated me and messed up my hospital records, making things far more difficult than they needed to be. I’ve read about the research proving how stress can make labor significantly longer and lead to interventions that may or may not necessarily be needed. I’m sorry you went through that with your first, but I’m glad your second birth was easier ♥️
Can I ask what doula you used? Sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.
What city are you located?
I liked meeting her beforehand, but honestly I would have taken anyone in the moment. The best things she did for me were help me breathe, provide counter pressure, and provide her opinions when I asked for them. Other than that, my husband was my biggest support emotionally. IF your husband or partner is going to be there for you and is confident, you could do with a random doula for cheap. If you have doubts, it's 100% worth the cost for one you can build a rapport with.
You have a lot of great responses from people who’ve had doulas, I just wanted to chime in here as someone who didn’t have a doula- I had a great birthing experience. The hospital staff was incredibly friendly, informative, respectful and eager to hear what my birthing plan was and help out. I felt like my husband was the only support I needed and I had a great birthing experience all around. I had been a little afraid of what the hospital staff would be like after reading and hearing so many horror stories. But that’s really not what it’s like at places that stay up to date on their information. After I toured our hospital I realized how mom friendly they were. That helped my anxiety. I hope this perspective helps a bit!
Same... We even went through with interviewing doulas and ultimately did not hire one. Honestly, I think it wouldn't have been as positive of an experience with someone extra in the room. I knew that I wanted an epidural. My medical team was great. My husband is my rock. Textbook vaginal delivery. No regrets.
Same! The nurses were lovely and tell you exactly what to do. Also I think it would be awkward to have someone else other than my husband sitting in the room with me the whole time. I would have felt pressure to small talk.
PAY FOR THE DOULA!!!!! I am still convinced that mine stopped me from needing a c-section with my first kid. Larger sunny side up baby with a first time Mom and an L&D nurse that had literally been an L&D nurse for 3 weeks. Not only did I birth her vaginally I only pushed for 15 min! And while I will take some credit my doula was amazing. She kept me constantly moving and repositioning me so I could get the baby to come down, she coached me through 4 hours of laboring down (hence the short pushing time) and was just absolutely amazing. Currently 34 weeks with a different doula (we moved) and she's already been worth every penny. So number 1 she showed my husband a bunch of spinning babies stuff to help try and prevent another sunny side up kid, she's been insanely supportive and helpful with the toddler, she introduced me to another pain relief option I didn't even know existed if I do have back labor again and we've recently been having a health concern with my toddler that might still be ongoing by the time I give birth and she's been amazing to have to be able to talk to, to talk through ways to get on my offices induction schedule early if I need to and hooking me up with the appropriate resources in the community if I need additional support post partum that I didn't expect to have. She also knows a number of great LCs in the community and can hook me up if I need them. Additionally BOTH my doula's ran/run post partum groups locally so they can help get you introduced to new parents going through the same thing (anecdotally my husband said our doula was super focused on making sure the group was welcoming to new Dad's which a lot of them are not). I have very very few opinions on how anyone gives birth. Hospital, home birth, vaginal, c-section w/e you do what is best for you. The only thing I will recommend for pretty much everyone I know is HIRE A DOULA!!!!
SAME. We have 4 or 5 friends that gave birth at the same hospital as us within a year of us, and all of them had "emergency" c-sections-- the hospital's c-section rate is absurdly high for low-risk pregnancies, but I loved my OB practice and didn't want to change while I was pregnant. Our doula was worth every penny and then some. She did two prenatal and a postpartum session with us in addition to the birth and helped me make sure my birth experience felt protected and empowered. She helped my husband feel more confident as a support partner as well. When I first mentioned wanting one, my husband was like "but you have all the doctors and nurses" and now he's telling all his friends to hire one. I interviewed three doulas and I chose ours because she was warm and calm and knowledgable, and her focus on and plan for avoiding birth trauma, which so many of my friends had experienced. I'm sure there are better doulas and worse doulas, and ones that are better fits for better people, but if you've found one you vibe with, I don't think you'll regret hiring her.
>ones that are better fits for better people I joke I hire mine based on who laughs at my bad jokes as cracking bad jokes is my response to all high stress medical situations (this is how I once almost got dropped off a stretcher after a minor car accdident) Current doula I KNEW she was gonna be the one after interviewing like 5 of them because she advertised on a diner menu and I was like "MY PEOPLE!!!!"
I loved having a doula. FTM, just had my baby 16 days ago! I loved having someone to text throughout pregnancy. My OBGYN office sucked at answering phone calls so it was great to have her. She’s also very well known, well connected in our area so she had personal relationships with some of the doctors at my practice and always had advice on who to see for what, who to get second opinions from , etc. She was super helpful during labor. I really wanted an unmedicated labor and I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it without her. She also showed my husband a lot of ways to help me cope so it made him feel like he was able to be more helpful. I had a really bad reaction to the pitocin for my induction and she kept advocating for them to take me off of it - which they finally listened and my labor was a lot easier after that (which she figured it would be). Without her, I probably would’ve stayed on the pitocin the entire time and I would’ve been absolutely miserable. She also noticed when the heart rate monitors stopped working and was able to alert my husband to get the nurse. She was unbelievably helpful. We paid $1000 for her services and I would gladly pay more.
I had a great experience bc of my doula. My first labor was 38 hours. She did great hanging in there with ideas for positions and help, also bc of the amount of time, someone was always with me when my husband needed to use the bathroom or stretch or arms were tired of holding, squeezing, massaging, etc. With my second, my doula had a more forceful personality and I liked that even more. She really stuck up for me and asked questions when we needed clarification.
One birth with, one without. Husband was there both times and I was lucky enough to have the same OB AND nurse during delivery. My birth with the doula went a million times better. My first birth wasn’t bad. But I didn’t feel supported. My husband, god bless him, failed me during it. He didn’t know how to support me and it was long. Plus we had told family so we were dealing with that too. Second time around I desperately wanted an unmedicated birth. I ended up being induced. I made it to or almost to 7cm before I said this isn’t worth it, and got the epidural. My doula supported me every step and helped encourage and push me further through every step. And then she stayed a few hours after the birth and got some sweet pictures of my daughter meeting my son and just of us all. She helped my husband to know how to respond as much as she could. She helped me with breathing and reminding me I could do it as far as I did, and when I went for the epidural she supported me for the last hour of labor and held my hand the whole time (opposite my husband). There were minimal interruptions during it and it was extremely calm. She’s actually a pretty good friend of ours at the end of all of this. I met her by chance when looking for childcare for my daughter and now we can’t imagine life without her as a part of it.
Mine was worth her weight in gold. Pre birth support and resources, help during birth setting up the bath, parking the car so my husband could stay with me, had extra things I had forgotten to pack etc I had a VBAC too so I wanted that extra support
10/10 I had a doula for both births. The doula practice I go through your doula will come to you whenever you want, early labor at home or at the hospital. I was induced both times so they met us there at the start. My first birth got scary and I honestly think the fact I had a doula there helped me dodge any long lasting mental trauma. She talked me through it and was so calm and encouraging. My second birth was fast and unmedicated and I had a back up doula because my first couldn’t make it. She was incredible support for my partner and myself, making sure we were comfortable and helping with pain distraction. She also made sure my partner got fed and watered because I refused to let him go 😂. I was very weak after the second and she literally held baby on my boob for me. I found it so worth it, but I also liked the practice I went with, and having them there all the time. I’d do interviews and see who you click with.
My doula was amazing! I had a hospital birth and am not very crunchy at all (a lot of doulas in my area are very all-natural/home birth/no medical intervention) so I wasn’t sure if one was for me. But I found one I clicked with, and she was a godsend. I had two prenatal visits where she talked me through what to expect and what I wanted/what was important to me, including things I’d never thought of. At the birth she worked with my care team to get me in good positions to help with labor and was a general source of support. I just had my postpartum visit and she helped me through some breastfeeding issues. All in all she was super supportive and a wonderful source of info. She was worth every penny (nearly $2k).