What Questions To Ask In Your Doula Interview
Just like interviewing your providers with important questions, the same can be done when choosing a doula. It’s important to find the right fit for you, your birth plan, and your family.
Penny Simkin, godmother of the modern day doula, conducted a study. She did so by accident. When cleaning her office, she found files upon files of people’s birth stories. They were all from up to 20 years past. She decided to contact those same people and ask them about their birth stories. She was surprised to hear that even though so much time had passed--children had long since flown the nest, some people had become grandmothers, etc--they remembered every detail of their birth story.
This amazed her.
Her anecdotal study showed that birth is profoundly impactful. Beyond being the pivot point of becoming a parent, surrendering into that becoming and what waits on the other side, it is a physical, emotional, and mental impression that lingers long after babies have grown . Birth has a way of shaping the landscape of a family’s life forever.
That being said, those who are at your birth are there in your story forever, too. Whether that is a busy nurse who leaves that feeling of being rushed or unseen, or the doula who gives you that final push of encouragement before you enter transition (the most intense time of labor, which means baby is usually near!)
So, it’s important to ask the right questions! The ones that touch on your morals, preferences, needs, desires, and visions for the birth that you want.
Sit down with your partner, your birth team, your older children.Talk with them. Close your eyes and imagine yourself deep in your birthing flow...who is present? What ways are they supporting you? What do they feel like? Look like? What energy or skills or attitude are they bringing into your space? What language do they speak? How are they including your partner, your provider, your mom, your past?
Allow these feelings to shape into questions, that will lead you closer to crafting your dream team.
What Questions To Ask Your Doula During Your Interview:
How will you engage with my providers/hospital staff?
How do you support partners and spouses?
What is your communication style?
Do you teach childbirth education? Why or why not?
What do you love about being a doula?
What is the hardest part about being a doula for you?
What do you feel about (epidurals, home birth, VBAC, etc.)?
What techniques and practices do you use in labor?
What training have you received?
What are your fees? When are they due?
If we hire you, what is included in your services?
Are you certified? Why or why not?
Where do you attend births?
Tell me about your experience working with other families.
How do you work to advocate for your clients?
How is racial equity and birthing justice addressed in your practice?
Your questions can also include specifics about you and your family, questions about birth philosophy, culture, and community. Your intuition is always right as a parent, trust the “gut feeling” you get when meeting with doulas.
After the interviews, discuss with your family, and again visualize that person there with you at your birth. It’s absolutely okay to take as much time as you need when hiring a doula. A good doula will never pressure you to work with them, but leave the communication very open and easeful.
Doulas are a profoundly positive intervention for any person and any birth. For every family there is the perfect guide, support, and advocate for them. Cheers to making this next step on your journey!
