Affordable Doula
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Affordable Doula
July 2008
I am looking for any recommendations for a sliding scale doula or
one in training. My husband and I are both students and can't
really afford costly doula at the moment. If you know of anyone,
let me know.
To the woman looking for an inexpensive doula, I am the co-founder
of Cornerstone Doula Trainings , we have many new doula's that are
needing clients ! They are either volunteer, or low cost ,
depending on where they are in their training process. Check out
our website and see if our philosophy matches what you are looking
for in a doula. Hope to hear from you ! Juli Tilsner
www.cornerstonedoulatrainings.com
juli
May 2007
Hi All,
I am looking for a doula student or a lowcost doula in the Berkeley area. We are
delivering at Alta Bates aroun July 24th.
Thanks
Liz
I used Annie Chavez and she did a great job. She is
very calm and knew just what to do when things got
tough. She shines under pressure which
is just what you need during the birth. She was also
a great help to my husband. We paid her $300 (my
husband insisted on giving her $100 more than we had
decided on). I think that she has decided to make
$300 her fee. You can reach her at 510 684 9767, 510
277 0360, anna.esperanza@gmail.com
Good luck,
Karen
Just wanted to share my experiences regarding a doula. I delivered my baby at a
training hospital and before i went i did a lot of research about the hospital
because i had heard it is a training facility. i wanted a doula prior - my partner
and i did a lot of research on that too. i got there in not in labor - my water
broke but i wasn't doing much. we gave it 12 hours and i still wasnt' doing much. i
had wanted to be open to pain medicine but felt some pressure from my doula that i
shouldn't. To make a long story short, the resident doctors (Dr. Sokari and Dr.
sadhigy? took good care of me - they were so supportive and warm - i found out
later that they were residents but my partner and I always felt we were in good
hands. By the time i was 4 cm i was really hurting and wanting things to progress. I
was so tired. My doula sort of made me feel again, like i shouldn't want pain
medicine or shouldn't want to listen to what the doctors had to say. It was
difficult situation because there was a difference of opinion about how my labor
should go. I ended up getting to 9 with pitocin after 36 hours and then my baby's
heart beat dropped. The doctors were worried about my baby and discussed that I
might need a c section if the heart beat didn't come up. Thankfully it did. I
pushed for 2 hours without an epidural and then at the end I needed a vacuum because
Alison's heart beat dropped again. Havinga vacuum without an epidural was terrifying
to me. Thankfully, she came out healthy and is doing very well but I think that if I
had had an epidural, and a more supportive doula things would have been easier. Just
remember for all those moms out there who are putting out the money to get a doula,
make sure its one that is supportive of your decision to get pain medicine if you
need it and work with the doctors and not against them. The patient is the one in
labor... and only she knows what she is going through. The doula should be an
advocate for your needs, not for what she thinks you need.
j leigh
Sept 2006
Are there any good doulas out there who are closer to the $500 or less category?
Or any SUPERB recommendations?
baby coming!
Rachel Alkire is a trained doula, infant massage therapist and
does acupressure bodywork. She is having a special rate (very
low charge or no charge I can't remember which) for her doula
clients who schedule regular acupressure sessions with her
during their pregnancy - also low priced. Her email is:
rachelalkire[at]hotmail.com or 510-684-8633 She is a great
bodyworker - I recieved Tui Na (chinese massage) from her last
week that was amazing
Kari
I am a childbirth educator and there is a doula-in-training who
is taking my class as part of her certification process. I have
really enjoyed getting to know her and it sounds like she has
been a great help at the births she has attended. I'm sure you
could conatct some of her past clients for references. At this
point, I believe she is not charging very much as she works on
getting her certification. Her name is Moana Minton and can be
reached at 510-866-6898 or moana.minton[at]gmail.com. Good Luck!
Kim
Call Stacia Biltekoff at 510.543.8411, she was my doula and I
recommend her highly. She met with my husband and I a few
times before I went into labor and we felt completley at ease
in her company. She has a very calming presence and an amazing
ability to meet you where you are at during labor. My fondest
memory of my labor is Stacia patiently following behind me as I
walked in circles around my house pausing for each contraction
with her hands surrouding my hips and back, supporting my whole
being it seemed. She has an incredible gift and is extremely
knowledgeable about labor, birth, and post-partum care. She is
very skilled at getting the partner involved in supporting
during labor and has a very good relationship with the drs and
nurses at Alta Bates.
Good Luck to You
Just wanted to also recommend Moana Minton for doula services.
My son was her *first* birth as a doula, on April 10. I know
she has done several since then. She was incredibly calming.
I had more than one serious pre-existing health conditions that
required me to be induced at 37 weeks, went through 3+ days of
labor, then had a c-section due to infection... but the entire
time, Moana was by our side, encouraging me and helping me make
important decisions the entire time. I don't think she could
have asked for a more intense first doula experience, but she
held strong the entire time!! She did not ask for money, but
we donated $300 because we were so grateful for her services.
Moana.Minton[at]gmail.com - Email her! If you want more info, I
would be happy to give it to you.
betsy
Aug 2005
I am due in early October & I just started looking for a
doula. I know finding a good one is important, but I haven't
found anyone I can afford. Can anyone recommend an inexpensive
doula in or around Berkeley? Qualities I'd like in a doula:
calming presence, able to suggest positions/help with pain,
supportive of my husband and not just me, able to explain
hospital procedures clearly, not too granola-y, etc...
Margaret
We used a wonderful doula named Jacqui McClure. We interviewed a
few for the birth of our son a year ago and she was the one we
felt the most connection with. My husband was not keen on the
idea of a doula at first, but Jacqui is very calming and helped
us both feel more confident about our birth experience. My labor
was rather long and difficult and I can't imagine going through
it without her - she was wonderful. Jacqui is also a massage
therapist for both infants an adults and she has varying packages
she offers that are very affordable. She also taught an infant
massage class and provided a day of massages for my mother's
group. She has a massage studio
(http://www.backtolifewellnesscenter.com/) and lives in Alameda,
where she emphasizes supporting women, mothers and mothers-to-be.
Jacqui can be reached at douladoula at sbcglobal.net or 510-435-3530.
Airdri
I have a good friend who is training to be a mid-wife and who
has performed doula services in the past. I believe her price
is reasonable. If you like, email me and I'll give her
information to you directly.
alison
I would like to highly recommend Jenny Kepler as a wonderful (and
affordable!) doula. She attended the birth of our son in early March. She met with
my husband and I several times beforehand, discussed our desires, fears, and she
helped us prepare our birth plan for the hospital. Jenny is very knowledgeable,
kind, and enthusiastic. She has a beautiful, sweet spirit and it came through during
the rough times of my delivery. She was helpful to me, was open-minded with
trying new positions for labor, did some massage and acupressure. She was also a
huge relief to my husband, who at times really needed a break (I had a long labor!).
Jenny was a great person to look to as an advocate in the hospital, she worked well
with my midwife and the hospital nurses too. She also offers belly casting, which is
always a plus! Jenny can be reached at jenny-kepler at yahoo.com or 510-472-8280.
Happy birthing, Jennifer, James and little Memphis
Oct 2002
This question is mostly an ''Advice'' question but a bit of
a ''Recommendations'' question. Has anyone used a birth coach
other than full doula services for hospital labor & delivery,
so as to save some money? Or are there doulas who charge by
the hour rather than by the delivery?
We are expecting child #3 around Christmas this year. Although
both of my previous deliveries were without complication, the
second one (when we hired a doula) was much better, as I was
able to deliver without an epidural anesthetic and I felt much
better afterwards. We used our doula only for the last 2-3
hours at Alta Bates hospital, & we were able to manage the
earlier labor without her, at home. I would love to find
someone just to help me manage the later stages, help reduce my
anxiety and get through the contractions. At Alta Bates for
both births, the staff were competant medically but did not
help with pain or anxiety, and I felt the first nurse really
encouraged the epidural too much because she was busy with
another labor. I feel that in order to again avoid medication,
I will need to again hire a birth assistant of some sort.
So here's the question. We just can't afford $600 right now,
especially for just a couple of hours of help - and given that
the third delivery is likely to go quite quickly, that may be
all we need.
Has anyone used a professional who is not hired to provide full
doula services? As in, is there such thing as someone who
could do massage, or help with pain and anxiety management,
just for the late labor?
anonymous, please
Alta Bates has doulas on staff for free though they are a first
come first serve. Also I had a nurse-midwife join me during labor
after pushing for 3 1/2 hours and she really helped progress
things in a natural way. I actually had an expereince in December
with my nurse who really tried to get me to go through all the
alternatives before getting medication -- I was the one who
couldn't hold out past 6. I know it feels risky to wait until you
get there but you could get lucky and have lots of options for
people to help you deliver the way you want.
Delivered at Alta Bates in Dec
I don't know about charging an hourly rate, but I do know that
many local doulas charge less than $600. Some use a sliding
scale. Others simply charge less because they have less
experience. I would also think that even a more experienced,
usually more expensive doula would be willing to consider a
limited-service, lower fee arrangement like you suggest. Check
out the files kept by Birthways and Birth & Bonding and make a
few calls.
Holly
I am an ALACE (Association of Labor Assistants and
Childbirth Educators) trained Doula in training who has only
attended one birth. I am very interested in attending more
births, but have recently moved back to the Bay area and I
have not been focusing on attracting more clients (though I
am planning to.) I would be very interested in helping you
with your birth at a very resonable rate. If you are interested
call me and we can discuss working together further.
Melissa
You might consider meeting with a new doula, who would most
likely be very willing to provide services for free as a way to
get more experience. One other thing to consider is that you
really can't be sure what the next labor will be like, so it
might be in your better interests to have someone lined up just
in case you need one more/longer than you originally planned.
Because of this uncertainty with labor most doulas are unwilling
to hire per hour. However, I am sure there are exceptions! Try
calling Birthways in Oakland, Natural Resources in SF, or the
Nurture Center in Lafayette. Another good resource is Doulas of
North America (www.dona.org). Good luck and congratulations!
Laurel
greetings ~
although we had intended to use a doula with the recent birth
of our son, it didn't end up working out. however, i've found
out a lot through that experience (& we will definitely use one
in the future) there are /many/ doulas who will work with you
for the experience. & a lot know of different massage,
accupressure, other methods for pain & anxiety. granted, you're
not likely to get the most experienced people for free, but that
doesn't always matter. i'd check out the DONA (doulas of north
america) site & maybe do some other searches to try to find
people & then conduct some interviews. in order to be certified,
one has to not only go to classes, but attend so many births ~
so you're likely to find someone you click with who could assist
you for significantly less. i'm pretty sure alta bates even told
us they had doulas available. best of luck & feel free to
contact me if you want anymore info/advice & i'll do my best :)
julia
This is perhaps not the answer you are looking for, but why not
take a girlfriend who has at least one child herself (so that she
knows what's going on).
I did not have a doula but had my best friend with me who (16
years ago) had a long labor followed by a C-section because
baby's head was too big. So she had seen it all before. Plus,
like me, she had had back labor. She was really wonderful doing
acupressure and taking turns with my husband pressing against my
lower back. Also that allowed each of them to sneak out to get
some food or to nap for half an hour without leaving me all
alone. She was already with me during most of my labor at home.
Another thing if you don't want an epidural: Tell them right away
to never ever offer you one. Make it very clear that you'll ask
for it, if you want one. Also tell your husband/partner that
you'll first tell him if you want one. He should then tell you to
try without one for another fifteen minutes. According to the
doula who tought my Lamaze class, in most cases that gets you
''over the hump''. In my case that resulted in me getting (after
shift change) a nurse who had three kids herself all without
epidural. And she was really helpful during my more than three
hours of pushing. She was like a cheerleader which was exactly
what I needed.
Ina
There are many new doulas, some trained, some certified, that
actually volunteer at Alta Bates. I know of one specifically
who is a wonderful person and who I believe to be very
competant. She has done 5 births as a volunteer, but just
hasn't gotten out there to get paid clients.
I think you would be in good hands using a newly trained doula
and they would likely charge less and be more flexible about
hours.
Laria, mother and postpartum doula
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