As a doula myself, I realize I am somewhat biased about the importance of having the right support for your birth. But this comes because I have seen (and experienced) first hand the incredible strength and power women connect to when they feel confident, comfortable and supported during their birth. It can honestly be transformational.
Which is why I feel so damn strongly that every birthing person would benefit from a doula. That being said, I realize that doula support is an investment, and for some, the cost of a birth doula can seem expensive at first glance.
There was a fabulous article written about why this is the case (and why you want them to be expensive!) which you can read here – so I’m not going to go into too much detail about why we price our services the way that we do.
But, as a young mom myself I completely understand the competing “investments” at this stage of life – and that it can be difficult to come up with the full cost of a doula package on the spot.
So I bring you a few unique ways that can help make doula care financially possible for you – so you can hire us (or another wonderful doula) and realize all the benefits of this extra level of support.
A doula is an investment in your birth experience
During pregnancy, it is normal to budget for the crib, car seat or stroller. These are investments we make for our babies. Planning for doula support should be viewed as a similar type of investment, this investment is in your birth experience.
Giving birth is an experience you will always remember, and having the support of a doula is making an investment to create an experience that is as positive as possible. There are so many proven benefits to investing in a doula if you want to read more about that check out this article. This investment is worth its weight in gold.
1. Skip your daily coffee (for 9 months) and save $810
By no means am I saying you shouldn’t enjoy coffee during your pregnancy, however the recommendation by the American Pregnancy Association is as follows:
“avoiding caffeine as much as possible is your safest course of action. If you must get your fix, it is best to discuss this with your health care provider to make the healthiest choice for you and your baby.”
If you DO decide to follow this advice and forego your cup of to-go coffee (or second or third), then you’d be left with an average of around $810 over the course of 9 months – enough to cover almost the ENTIRE investment for some packages
2. Reallocate your pre-pregnancy wine money (for 40 weeks) and save $800
The recommendation during pregnancy is to avoid alcohol, as the consumption of alcohol leads to an increased risk of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the American Pregnancy Association’s position is:
“There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to consume while pregnant”.
Taking this information into consideration, if you drank one $20 bottle of wine per week pre-pregnancy and then abstained from buying that bottle for the 40 weeks you are pregnant, you would save about $800 right there.
Once again, if you put the money you may otherwise have spent on wine towards doula support, you could cover almost the ENTIRE package. (Yes please!)
3. Ask your doula about gift cards for your baby shower!
Many doulas (Northern Mama included) have gift card options available for family and friends to purchase for expectant mamas. Last year I, along with seven other friends, each pitched in to get my best friend a doula for her birth and she said that, without question, it was THE BEST GIFT SHE EVER COULD HAVE GOTTEN.
4. Ask your doula about payment plans
Many doulas (Northern Mama included) are more than happy to accommodate different payment methods. We want people who want/need doula support to have it, and do our best to make it as easy as possible for you.
We can break it down into payments that are convenient and manageable for your budget, and some of us even have software that sends friendly reminders and allows email transfers easily.
These are just a couple ways that can help pay for your doula. If you want support, then we absolutely want to help make that happen. We try to make it as easy as possible, because it is important to us that you are supported.
If you’d like more information about payment plans or gift cards, or would like to discuss our doula services in the Sudbury area, we’d love to hear from you, you can contact us here!
As always we would love to hear about how you are doing, feel free to comment below or over on Facebook or Instagram 🙂
