What is a Consultation
Doula Consultations are a great time before you and a doula official begin services to assess whether you are both a good fit for each other. Most consultation are between 15 and 30 minutes and allow for you and the doula to ask each other questions that can help you both determine if the partnership will be a good fit.
What kind of questions should I ask?
Think about what goals or beliefs really matter to you and your family. Think about your individual circumstances, the type of support, and person you’d like to have by your side during your most vulnerable time. Whether that is someone primarily holistic or someone who is a Champion Cesarean Advocate you may want to verify with your doula that they can support your needs.
Some common questions:
Do you accept my insurance?
How many births do you attend a month and what happens if my labor overlaps with another?
Do you have experience supporting [insert your choice of birth style or circumstance here]
What is your Why for doing this work?
What does Postpartum Support look like with you?
Do you have a Covid-19 (or Infectious disease) Protocol?
What are you most passionate about providing as a doula?
What Services do you routine provide? What additional non insurance covered services do you offer?
Making a decision
Making a decision can be difficult! The answer is sometimes intuition based, sometimes logistic based. think about how you feel about your interactions during the consultation and whether this is someone you feel comfortable meeting 20 more times and being at your side during labor. Check in with yourself to see if there is anything coming up as a loud or soft no. Ultimately the choice is yours and you’ve got a great network to pull from!