Differences Between Independent Doulas and Doula Agencies

Congratulations! If you are reading this, it most likely means you are researching to get some support for yourself during birth or postpartum! We want to congratulate you on that decision; we know first hand how much proper support can enhance this experience. With so many Doulas in the Bay Area, the decision of who to work with can be challenging! Today we will talk about the differences between independent doulas and doula agencies. We hope you enjoy it!

Some important questions to ask

Deciding what is most important for you and your family is the first step when thinking about hiring outside care. Doula support is an investment, and we want to be sure that you are getting what you truly want out of the services you are paying for. Below is a list of different things you can look for when hiring a doula, are any of these important to you? If so, we recommend asking these questions during your search.

1). Do they have liability insurance? Insurance is critical and often overlooked!

2) Are they certified, and is their certification up to date? Many people are doulas and have done training, but there is an extra level of research and education needed to become certified. We recommend all doulas complete their certification before taking on clients

3) Is their infant first aid and CPR current? This is so important! Please always remember to ask this question

4) What is their philosophy around their work? You want to make sure that whoever you choose to work with has a similar philosophy as you do. Our philosophy is simple: We support families in their decisions through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. However, many doulas have personal opinions and beliefs that come into their work.

5) Do they have references from previous employers or clients? We check all of our doula’s references and stay in communication with all clients, so our clients don’t have to do this step themselves; however, if hiring an independent doula it is important to hear from people who your potential doula has worked with when working with an independent doula. Hiring a newer doula? No problem, a certified doula should have the training and skills to beautifully support your family; however, it is still important to get some character references.

Independant doulas

An independent doula is a doula that works alone. They are the only person working for their business, this means they handle all of their marketing: website, and clientele. When you contact an independent doula, you will be working hand in hand with the same person the entire time. They will handle the scheduling, contract ( if there is one, there SHOULD be), and hands-on work. We started as independent doulas, and independent doulas can be amazing! You may very well find a doula that fits all of your needs and be extremely happy with your choice. Independent doulas can offer many different services and often may have a lower rate than an agency. There are a couple of problems that unfortunately can come up here…

1.People get sick and life emergencies happen– No matter how reliable we claim to be or want to be, life can happen. If you hire an independent doula, this is something to consider, normally independent doulas will have a backup, but their backup may not offer the same care model or have the same training as them. This makes it hard to offer continuous care.

2. Scheduling can be an issue– It can be tough to schedule multiple clients at once. For example, they have two birth clients in a month, they are due on opposite ends of the month, but one goes into labor early, the other late, and then what? Backup doula.

3. You start and then realize they aren’t the right match for you– This is an unfortunate situation, and one that doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. You hire a doula and love them in the interview, but then when they are actually there to support you postpartum, you feel you don’t mesh anymore. Now what?

Doula Agencies

Our Doula agency has a large team of certified, insured, reliable, and vetted people. As owners, we talk to potential clients and personally choose a doula on our team who we feel would be the best fit for them. At that point, our selected doula will have a consultation with the client and they get to know each other. We are good at this, and our matches are almost always perfect, however, if it’s not, we will pair you with another doula. If for any reason there is a need for a rematch, we take care of this! Our doulas are held to a high standard, and are expected to give their best at all times! This creates another level of accountability and security. All of our doulas have been certified by the leading training organization we have chosen, and participate in continuous education to ensure they are up to date on safety protocols followed by the AAP.

Why we love the agency model

Bay City Doulas was founded with the belief that families deserve professional, reliable, and top of the line care. We love our agency model because it truly allows us to have the best of the best. Each doula has been vetted, interviewed, trained, and sent through a cross-certification to ensure that our clientele is left with an amazing, capable, confident, and reliable doula time and time again. We believe doulas should be held accountable and that the care model standard should be high! Until doulas are accredited we believe it’s important to make sure that people working with families in such important and vulnerable times in life are truly ready for the responsibility and have the proper training under their belts. To learn more about our services visit our website.

wrapping it up

There are many different kinds of support out there, and we are confident that you will choose what’s best for you! Doulas are an amazing resource and support system for new families, and we would like to thank all professional doulas for your hard work and dedication. If you are interested in hearing more about the services that Bay City Doulas provides please contact us today!

Thank you for reading this weeks blog. Our blogs are tailored to support the members of our community, and we appreciate your support. For more great tips on all things parenthood, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum please read our other weekly blogs.