Questions to ask a Prospective Birth Doula

We have listed the questions directly on this website, but we have also reproduced them at the bottom of the page in Word and Adobe Acrobat so that they can be easily printed out, and, for ease of reference, with space provided for you to write notes about the individual doulas that you interview.

When making initial telephone contact

1. Are you available around my due date?
2. How long have you been a doula? How many families have you been a doula for?
3. What doula certification do you have or what courses have you attended?
4. How much do you charge, and what is included? Is there a deposit to pay?
5. Do you draw up a written contract? If yes, can I see a copy of it?
6. Do you have a backup? If yes, who is your backup, and can I meet her? Under what circumstances would you send your back-up?
7. What happens if you miss the birth? Is any part of the fee refundable and would you still do the follow-up visits after the birth?
8. What happens if we fail to call you in time for the birth?
9. What happens if we decide nearer the birth that we no longer require a doula?

During a face to face interview

1. What part of your job do you enjoy most?
2. What skills and abilities do you personally feel you bring to your doula role?
3. What is your philosophy of childbirth and your work as a doula?
4. What books do you recommend to new parents?
5. How do you handle conflicts with family members or medical professionals?
6. If you have a particular concern about the birth or postnatally e.g. physical, emotional or psychological etc, ask the doula how they would address those issues specifically?
7. Can you provide references?
8. Do you have children?
9. How is your childcare organised (what if I go into labour in the middle of the night)?
10. What was your birth(s) experience?
11. What are your feelings about pain relief?
12. Are you insured?
13. How long will you stay with me before and after the birth?
14. What is my partner's role during labour?
15. Will you support my partner and if so how?
16. What are your feelings about midwives?
17. How many prenatal visits do you provide? How many postnatal visits?
18. Will you attend a prenatal appointment with us to meet our caregiver?
19. Can we meet to draw up a Birth Plan together?
20. What is your availability? For how long before and after my due date will you be on call? What are the closest due dates of your other clients?
21. How long does it take you to get to me?
22. How do I contact you? Phone? Home? Mobile or Pager? Daytime and night-time?
23. What is your role in early/pre-labour? Will you come to my home in labour or come only when I transfer to hospital?
24. Can we telephone/email you before and after the birth with questions/concerns we have? Meaning - how often may we contact you during the contract period?
25. What hospitals/midwives have you worked with in the local area?
26. How do you feel about breastfeeding and what is your experience of it?

As a parent you may want to think about the following points when hiring a birth doula:

1. Could we spend up to 48 hours together?
2. Does she listen to me well?
3. Will she respect my wishes?
4. Will my partner like her? (or children if applicable e.g. for a home birth perhaps)

The printable version of the above questions can be downloaded here as Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf)