6 Ways a Doula will Benefit your Birth Experience
In Missouri, you can expect to pay anyway from $600-$2,000 for a birth doula. In bigger cities, say New York for example, that cost can be as high as $5,000. However, many state insurances now pay for birth doulas.
Missouri released an emergency ruling in September of 2024 that Medicaid is to reimburse the cost of birth doula services. This was in response to Missouri’s increasing mortality rates for mothers.
So what does a Birth Doula provide that would make state insurances cover their services? Or why would someone choose to pay upwards of $5,000 out-of-pocket for a doula?
The fact is, the idea of birth doulas have been around for centuries. The word “Doula” comes from Ancient Greece meaning a servant who assists childbirth. There are countless records for ancient/non-industrialized civilizations showing that women have traditionally always had a continuous support person as they delivered children. This shows the NECESSITY of having support during labor to have a POSITIVE birth experience.
Here’s what hiring a birth doula provides for you:
1. Personal, continuous labor support
In today’s first world societies, women do not get continuous support during labor. L&D will have multiple patients at one time and you might not even know which OB is going to be delivering your baby (as they typically rotate being on call). You DESERVE to have professional support every moment of your labor, but our medical system is not set up to provide that for you. Hiring a doula is hiring your one-on-one support.
2. An easier, faster labor
You read that right! Research has found that women who have continuous birth support have shorter labors and more positive birth experiences. Having a doula can reduce your fear & anxiety, allowing for labor to progress. They also assist in position changes and are trained in techniques to keep labor progressing.
3. An advocate
Let me be clear, a doula’s job is NOT to speak for you. A doula should help you advocate for yourself. That said, a doula is trained to create space for you and your birth partner to make informed choices. This can look like mediating conversations between you and your medical team and simply talking through your options with you so you feel confident every step of the way.
4. Less pain medication / fewer interventions
Research shows, women with continuous birth support are more likely to go into natural, spontaneous labor, a reduced rate of using pain medications (like an epidural), and a reduced chance of Cesarean. Hiring a doula also leads to better postpartum experiences, and a higher chance of successful breastfeeding.
5. A supported partner, who can support you
From relieving your partner so they can get rest, food, or update family members, to showing your partner HOW to support you by using counterpressure, rebozo techniques, etc. Doulas understand the intimacy of the birth space and want to give you and your partner tools to work together in these moments.
6. Knowledge in natural birth
Many of today’s L&D nurses and OB’s, have never worked with unmedicated births. So when your labor varies from THEIR norm (of women being induced, receiving epidurals, etc), it can cause red-flags. Not because anything is actually wrong, but because the medical staff are out of their comfort zone. Having a birth doula who understands the process of natural labor & delivery can bring confidence to your birth space so you can allow your body to do what it needs to do.
Instead of asking if a doula is worth it, ask yourself… is your birth experience worth it?
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