Ways you can afford your doula!
1) Payment plans- Typically we get 50% of the payment when we are hired, this holds the spot in our calendar for your due date. The remaining 50% is due during the “due month”. We are able to adjust this if needed, just ask. We had a client pay $100 a month. This works for us. We are happy to chat about this and see what can work for both parties.
2) Baby shower/Blessingway- No one needs a 16th soother, more baby apparatuses or more onesies… All of this is just stuff. What the new parents need is a doula. A birth experience is a memory that women and their partners hold onto for the rest of their lives. Instead of registering somewhere, send friends/family of the new parents to our website, and we would be happy to add money to the cost of their doula investment. Heck, we could even give out coupons!
3) Compromise- There is likely something you can give up or adjust for a few months. Latte’s, movies, eating out… These things are all not cheap. Sit down and work out how much excess spending cash you do actually use a month; you would be amazed at how much you could save if you limited these! First a doula, then a jet ski, then maybe a bigger house…
4) Barter- I’ve done a little bartering from time to time. I did a free placenta encapsulation for a birth doula client after her husband spruced up my website. It was a win/win! Some ideas…
- Photography
- Website design
- Custom furniture
- Auto repair
- Plumbing Services
5) Sell things- Almost all of us have some items lying around (or hidden way back in the garage) that we no longer like, use or want. Chuck them up on a bidding site or Craigslist and get some cash for those dust collectors!
Hiring a doula really isn’t a “dream” as some like to think. It’s easily achievable with a little effort, and once you look into the actual benefits of how incredible the support a doula offers can be- (check that out here) you won’t even need to think twice about ordering that next Starbucks.