“I want a doula, but I am not sure I can afford it.”
It is hard to realize how valuable this service will be to you until after the birth. From prenatal through postpartum care, a doula could easily spend up to 30+ hours with you. They are also on call for you for 5 weeks, which means immediate access, midnight phone calls, unlimited emails and texts. The normal range in the Ithaca area for doula care is $500 (for newly trained doulas) to $1,600 (for experienced doulas). Postpartum care is generally billed separately. Consider asking friends and family members to gift a doula as a baby shower present. Don’t forget to check with your insurance company and personnel department; many policies, HSAs and FSAs are starting to reimburse for doula care. IDC works to help provide the community with doula care when needed, please contact the collective here to see if we are able to assist you at this time.

"But what do they do?"
Birth is really hard to plan for. There are many choices to consider, logistics to figure out, and best practices as tools you can reach for during labor. Then there is your baby, who might have a totally different plan than you do. You can change your mind. Being flexible can leave you with a sense of satisfaction with many different scenarios. In addition to the physical and emotional comfort doulas can provide, they also help you navigate the many choices that are available to you. Doulas are not there to speak on your behalf, but rather empower you to make the best choices for yourself and your baby at any given moment in time.

A postpartum doula can fill the role that may have traditionally been filled by female relatives and neighbors, but to which many families no longer have access. It would be hard to overestimate the need of a new family for an extra pair of hands in the first days and weeks after a baby arrives. And for first-time parents, a doula can provide education and coaching on newborn care and breastfeeding, easing your transition home from the hospital with your new baby.

"What about my partner?"
Doulas are also there for your partner! The role of the doula is flexible both at birth and at home. Labor support is there to serve both you and your partner, but not to replace the support of your partner (unless you want them to). Birth is sexual, intimate, private, emotional, messy, beautiful, hard, vulnerable, powerful, wonderful, overwhelming, and more. Your birth team should be fluid in their role, so they can be able to support your needs as they ebb and flow throughout the labor. The doula allows your partner not to have to be an expert in birth so they can just love you up, which they do best.

"Birth is intimate, what if I need a moment of privacy?"
It is hard to know what you will want until you are in the moment where you need something to happen. Sometimes support is best delivered from afar, sometimes right up close. Your doula knows that you might ask them to leave if you need a moment to yourself or with your partner, and might even suggest it if the moment calls for it.

"What if my provider is apprehensive about me hiring a Doula?"
The doulas in the IDC are extremely professional and know that they are not there to offer medical advice, or interfere with the care from your provider. This is an opportunity to educate your provider as to why you want a doula (support at home prenatally and postpartum, continual support during labor, coping strategies, etc.) Your doula is focused on your needs in a birth and their role doesn't conflict with the roles of the nursing or medical staff at the hospital.