You are expecting and decided to hire a doula – congratulations! You must have come across someone talking about a doula Manhattan to ease the demands of your newborn. Because this is one of the best investments you can make in your motherhood journey. Doulas are incredible humans in your birth team and care. By cheering you and believing in you, they also provide continuous labor support you need in the toughest times. Your doula will be with you in the most intimate, vulnerable, and important days of your life. 

Doulas have a variety of training and experience and just like every family is unique, every doula is unique too. Your first interview with a doula is an important step to analyze if they are the right support person for your family. 

In this post, we have shared some important questions to ask your doula before hiring her for a smooth birth process. 

Birth Doula Services Overview 

Birth doulas are involved with the parents during pregnancy, during delivery, and giving birth. Ultimately, they aim to ensure that you get the birth experience that you want – even if you have no idea what that would be! That is perfectly all right. 

Doulas provide learning on birth choices in prenatal visits and help you learn methods of coping with labor pain. They are usually in a standby position as you approach your due date to provide support as you go through labor. Postpartum doulas hand comfort, for example through massage, encouraging words, and supporting the mothers’ birth plan. They usually spend 1- 3 hours after the birth of the baby to make sure that you are okay. 

Most doula care offers a home visit, to assess the physical condition and well-being of the new parents and baby to discuss birth control, breastfeeding, and other aspects. Many doulas provide free calls or in-home consultations to help parents get a feel for their care style and ask questions about their services. Let’s have a look at the questions to ask a doula. 

Birth Doula Interview Questions

1. What kind of certified training have you completed? And with what organization?
2. When and how did you decide to become a doula?
3. What birth scenarios have you supported? i.e. spontaneous or assisted vaginal, planned or unplanned Cesarean, induced or augmented labor, hospital/birth center/home birth. 
4. How would you describe your doula style for care?
5. Are you also trained in adult/infant CPR?
6. Have you ever given birth? And if so, did your experience inspire you to become a doula? 
7. In case of giving birth did you have a doula yourself? 
8. Do you have any other clients that have due dates near mine?
9. When are you on-call for labor support? Is it okay if it’s in the middle of the night?
10. How should I contact you during labor and at what point?
11. Do you have experience with complications during birth?
12. Do you stay for the entire labor and birth? Do you have a time limit for long births?
13. How do you work with a midwife or doctor?
14. How do you support the laboring person?
15. What coping techniques do you find most helpful during labor?
16. How do you feel about epidurals or pain medication?
17. Do you have experience with breastfeeding support?
18. Do you have a contract? 
19. What are your fees? What is included in your doula package? (number of prenatal visits, any cap on labor support hours, postpartum visits, etc)

Postpartum Doula Services Support

After birth, doulas are well informed with knowledge about attending to the needs of parents and their babies. Some provide remote support which comprises of providing learning materials and emotional support. Most postpartum doula care takes place in person in the parent’s home. 

At the right time, postpartum doulas help in teaching about newborn care, cleaning tasks, child care for the children, emotional support, and providing the parents with time to freshen up. Some also offer 24-hour care, which includes helping the baby set a sleeping pattern for the night and performing all the feedings during the night. 

Although it is preferred that you hire a post-partum doula before the baby’s arrival, most of them can be hired after delivery if they are available at the time. Almost every postpartum doula provides an initial meeting with parents by phone call or home visit during which the parents can speak with the doula and get to know them. Below are the questions to ask postpartum doula. 

Postpartum Doula Interview Questions 

1. What certified trainings have you completed? 
2. When and why did you decide to become a doula? 
3. How many families have you supported?
4. What kinds of postpartum scenarios have you supported? I.e. twins, preemies, adoption, surrogacy, postpartum mood disorders, medical issues, etc.
5. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a doula?
6. How many clients do you take in a month?
7. Are your immunizations up to date?
8. What services do you provide? Do you clean, cook, or offer sibling care?
9. What does a typical daytime postpartum shift look like?
10. Do you have a backup doula? If so, may I meet them or speak with them on the phone?
11. When should I let you know I’m in labor or that the baby was born?
12. How do you support the birthing parent’s partner? How do you support older siblings?
13. How often do you recommend scheduling care? For how long after birth?
14. Do you have experience with breastfeeding support?
15. Do you offer any additional services, such as placenta encapsulation?
16. Do you have a contract? 
17. What are your fees? What is included in your services? How long are typical shifts?
18. What are the next steps to move forward?

Make an Informed Decision 

Interviewing at least two or three doulas can help you get a sense of their various approaches and offerings. Make sure you remember every questions to ask a doula in an interview by making a list of everything you want to ask. Consider how you and your partner felt about the possible doula after the first interview.

• Did they take time to thoughtfully answer your questions, or did the conversation feel rushed? 
• Were they comfortable to talk with, or did the conversation feel forced? 
• Did their answers put you at ease, or are you unsure they would be able to support you?
• Were they easy to get a hold of, or were their response times unprofessional?

A potential doula Manhattan is someone you click with, whose skills and philosophy fit your requirements and parenting style. The doula you choose must have a track record, credible training, reliable references, and clear contracts.