What To Ask at a Doula Interview

Check out the Doula FAQ on our website for more questions, but this should get you started!

1. Why did you become a doula?

2. What training or certification do you have?

3. Is there any reason you would not attend my birth (ie. at another birth, illness)? What backup arrangements do you have in place should one of those reasons occur?

4. How long have your been a doula and about how many births have you attended?

5. After you have breifly shared your concerns or plans for your birth, ask if the doula has worked with families that share similar goals.

6. How often will we communicate, and how, if we move forward?

7. How many times will we meet during the pregnancy?

8. Have you worked previously with my hospital or care provider?

9. How do you involve my partner both prenatally and during the labor experience?

10. Do you have training in lactation so that you can assist in breastfeeding? Do you have training in bottle feeding so you can assist with infant feeding via pumped breastmilk or formula?

11. What does your package include, when is the money due, how do we pay you? (Yes, talk about the money. It’s maybe not the most fun part of the convesation but a professional doula will make talking about the money easy.)

12. Do you have a “time” clause where after a certain amount of time I am charged more or does the fee cover all of my labor? If there is a clause, how many hours does the fee include and how much is each additional hour?

13. Will you labor with us in our home before we go to our place of birth?

If you are hiring a postpartum doula, you can tweek the questions above as well.