Questions To Ask Your Doula Before You Hire Her

Finding the right Doula is an important and very personal decision when preparing for your childbirth journey. A Doula’s support can have a huge effect on your physical & emotional well-being during pregnancy, labor and postpartum. To ensure a positive and fulfilling experience, it’s always good practice to ask the right questions before hiring a doula. This ensures that you choose a Doula who aligns with your needs and values.

In this blog, we will guide you through the most important questions to ask your potential Doula. Our questions will help you gain insight into their experience, approach and philosophy while enabling you to make an informed decision that best suits your desires & expectations.

Q1 - Do you only provide support at homebirths?

While we are advocates for the numerous benefits and empowerment of home birth we do also provide care in hospital based birth, however whether or not we can join you as an additional birth partner may still remain restricted in certain hospitals. In this case we can offer support in a variety of other ways during labour.

Q2 - Where do you stand on unassisted birth?

The doulas at wild mountain mothering not only work as doulas but also as birth keepers, this means we are very supportive of unassisted birthing and are happy to support you on this journey.

Q3 - What is your role in emergency and how do you handle emergencies?

Although some of us have clinical training, at births we do not perform any clinical tasks this also comes to decision-making around emergencies for example transferring to hospital, we will support you in any way possible but we are not medics it is up to mum, and partner to decide needs for medical intervention.

Q4 - Do you have any other qualifications?

The doulas in this collective have a range of other qualifications and trainings including holistic therapies like massage, reiki and much more!

Q5 - What does your packages look like in practice?

See our sample packages document – these can be tailored to you and what support looks like for you and your family.

Q6 - What does your post partum care look like?

As above, focus on nutrition, healing and traditional support.

Q7 - What is your approach to serving women and families?

Intuitive care brings the most benefits to a mum and her family , we pride ourselves of offering support in a way that nurtures and promotes mothers.

Q8 - What is your philosophy around birth?

We believe as women we have an innate gift birth should not be something that fills us with fear it should be a right of passage that initiates us into motherhood with power and grace and fortitude.

Q9 - Do you have any other special skills?

All of our doulas come with their own special skill set and can bring that into how you want support.

Q10 - Do you work as part of a team?

Our doulas will often have a backup and in postpartum we may work together to provide you with a tailored package of care.

Q11 - Do you advocate for me?

In many ways we can however what we prefer to do is teach you the skills to be an advocate for yourself as well as teaching those skills to your partner to be the best advocate for you during your birthing experience.

After a conversation with us here at Wild Mountain Mothering we should be able to have many of these questions answered already. However, to ensure you are compatible with anyone else attending your birth, you most sacred of spaces and intimate of moments it is so important that anything that matters to you is respected and works well for you and your family.

For Wild Mountain Mothering we can share answers to these as a collective but it is essential when you talk to or choose one of our doulas have this conversation too individually we want to make sure you have the right doula for you. Your doula may also have questions for you to know if you are a good fit.