Doula or Midwife and $$$

[skmiddle]

:wave:

We have looked at a few midwives for our HVBA2C and every quote has been over $3,000. As my husband is taking time off work to support me we need the baby bonus to get us through...so the kind suggestions from the midwives to use that isn't feesable.

So....can anyone ######### a midwife or doula who wont cost a fortune??? We cant get a lot of other support as all my friends are in QLD and my mum and dad think I am going to die having a home birth so they are out.

I didn't realise it would all cost so much:idea: but am still determined to do it all at home:yelclap:

Oh, we are in Campbelltown NSW.

TA!!!

Santa's coming sooon..:)

[lilpearl]

skmiddle - good on you! Just keep in mind though, a doula is not a medical professional and is absolutely not allowed to carry out any form of medical observations, assessments, give medical advice, give opinions, or have anything to do with any medical side to birthing (i.e, she cannot take your temperature, blood pressure, measure the fetal heart-rate, give vaginal exams, etc...she'd lose her standing on the doula register (if she is a registered doula). So, even if you want a doula, you would need a midwife as well, as doulas are not allowed at a home birth without the presence of a midwife. One option may be, if you can find a midwife at a good price (and usually you have two midwives at a home birth, but the second one costs a lot less), then you may want to have a student doula present as well, who will not charge anything but out-of-pocket expenses. Good luck! :)

[shed]

sigh, I have been through all this hunny. Desperate for a home birth and wracked my brain trying to come up with a way to do it.

In the end I gave birth in Liverpool hospital with a doula and my DP, stayed one night and went home.

Good luck. I hope you find a way to do it, and if you do, let me know coz I have another baby to birth in a couple of years and I really want a homebirth for the next one.

My doula is trained so she charges, but she's awesome. But you can get a trainee if you don't want to pay anything. PM if you want my one's details.

[borntobemummy]

hi shed...roughly how much does a doula charge?

[shed]

Around 400 bucks. Sounds like a lot until afterwards when you realise how much it would have sucked without her there!

That's Sydney prices though. Might be different elsewhere.

[AM]

All the very best finding a mw, from what I have heard, $3000 is a great price in Sydney, I thought it was more like $4500 down there.

I had a trainee doula at my last birth, and it was wonderful. She didn't charge at all, though I would have been happy to pay for her out of pocket costs.

At my first birth I had a second mw present, and it was all included in the cost of the MW, no extra charge, my mw prefers to have a backup in case both mum, and baby have issues after birth, so they would both be dealt with promptly.

[annsam]

I desperatly wanted a homebirth too and I am a doula. All the quotes I got for a homebirth midwife were $4k+.
I am now looking for a good doula to support me in a hospital birth as I just cant justify $4k.

Anyway, the cost of a doula is between $400-$1k generally depending on experience, quals and what you want her to do.

You can freebirth with a doula but dont expect her to be your medical advice as she isn't qualified for that. She can act under the good samaritans law and help but you may find it out of most doulas comfort zones incase anything does go wrong, their liability is increased dramatically if they know there is not going to be any trained medical professional attending.

Good luck~!

[lilpearl]

A doula usually charges about $900 for a package (it's SO important to catch up with her a number of times before the birth, I can't stress this enough!), if she has done a good, thorough course and is on the doula register of Australia. If you just want a doula at your birth, without getting to know her (which really goes against what a doula is for), then expect to pay $600-$650 for the birth alone. Some charge more. Most people who hire a doula say after the birth "you don't charge enough!!". There are some agencies who's "new" doulas only charge a few hundred dollars, but I'd really look into them (I almost went with one when I was having my last baby, and realised it was more about the owner making money than the doulas being respected as professionals...and I questioned what sort of training they really had). If you go to the doula register of Australia, you'll find top-notch doulas! Good luck! :reindeer:

[annsam]

Regarding the Doula Register, unfortunately it is not a regulated department or board. It is an initative by one woman running one training company who has decided what the standard and operation should be for all doulas (though not a bad thing, it is not an enforced standard) and its not updated very well and thats speaking from experience as a qualified and experienced doula who trained through this company.

There are fantastic doulas on this register but look around, there are some fantastic doulas that aren't on this register either. Most training companies have student and past student profiles for you to look at on their websites.

[kadownie]

Just to let you know, the doula register is no longer run by the lady you mention annsam- it's been handed over to another entity to look after. It's totally changed in it's appearance and you now have to sit a little exam and keep do continuing education to be on the register. You will find now that it is more current and up to date.

I hope you find a great doula to birth with!

[borntobemummy]

You can freebirth with a doula but dont expect her to be your medical advice as she isn't qualified for that. She can act under the good samaritans law and help but you may find it out of most doulas comfort zones incase anything does go wrong, their liability is increased dramatically if they know there is not going to be any trained medical professional attending.


So you can have a homebirth with just a doula then? hmmm:detective: food for thought hey.

[lilpearl]

Also regarding the register, it's very legit, and therefore there are problems with people claiming to be doulas who are not. The register is proof of a doulas training and that she is doing regular studies throughout her career to stay on the register. Because of the problems with people still being "allowed" to practice as doulas without being ont the register, they are in the process of expanding the register to be a complete, nation-wide mandatory thing, so that all doulas have to be registered, and parents know that they are getting someone qualified. I think its a really important step in regulating the work of the doula, as some doulas who have not got any real training, or who trained with a bad company are giving doulas a bad name by going against what a doulas role is meant to be (i.e, they are being kicked out of hospitals for crossing the boundaries). Dr. Christine Vose took a very important step in protecting the work of the professional doula by setting up the register and, yes, now it is part of a bigger birth orginisation. One does not have to have completed the Optimum Birth course to be on the register, they simply have to show that they have done the correct training and that they are doing continual work/studying throughout their career to stay on top of things. Unfortunately, many doulas thought "I'm not going on the register, because it's connected to Optimum Birth and I didn't do that course", which is why it's being made mandatory for all doulas, shortly.