It seems rather pricey to hire a doula during labor- it seems that mid-wives sometimes are covered by medical insurance. But I'm wondering if anyone has experienced either type of support and if they feel that it was worth the time and money as opposed to just relying on a medical staff at a hospital.
2007-08-07 09:49:43 · 9 answers · asked by Heidi 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
I had my first baby at a hospital and it was nearly $10,000 total for everything (before insurance) - even though it was a vaginal delivery.
My second and third babies were with a midwife in a birthing center. Total for prenatal and delivery each times was $4000 (before insurance).
In my opinion, delivering in the hospital is NOT worth the extra THOUSANDS of dollars. Even the act of walking into a hospital sets you up for risk of infection. Only sick people go to hospitals and they are full of germs. A pregnant woman is not sick - why be in a hospital? If you have a midwife she can always refer you to a hospital if you have a true emergency.
The benefit of delivering at a birthing center is that you automatically get the midwife for all of your care. You don't have to pay extra for her. She does everything. And she is more flexible and supportive than the OB or doctor and can truly help you have the birth you want.
You can also look into home births with a Certified Midwife. That saves even more money and home births are statistically safer than hospital births.
It's worth using a midwife for other reasons. They have a VERY low c-section rate and can offer more tips for coping with labor than a medical doctor can.
All the best to you!
2007-08-07 10:02:31 · answer #1 · answered by Veritas 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
These are two very different people. A doula is a support person for you, but a midwife is someone who can actually catch the baby. Personally, I think it is a good idea to have at least one of these people present, but it depends on what sort of birth you want.
If you are planning a standard hospital birth with an obstetrician, I highly recommend a doula. This is especially important if there are things that you really want during the birth, like to try without drugs or to avoid an episiotomy. The doula will help you get those things.
If, on the other hand, you want to try a birthing center or a home birth with a midwife, a doula becomes less important. The midwives in those settings are generally there with you the whole time and very supportive. They will help you have the labor and delivery that you want.
Keep in mind that if you are using a CNM (certified nurse midwife) in a hospital, I would still use a doula because those midwives are most often using the medical model of care these days and you will need someone with you and someone to help you get the birth you want. The reason doulas are so helpful in hospital deliveries is because of this medical model of care that has caregivers seeing you as a patient - someone with a problem who can be left alone in the hospital bed, medicated, and whose problem can be corrected with interventions. You need someone there for you who sees you as a woman who needs some support for what her body is doing naturally, not as a patient. This is incredibly helpful and makes all the difference in the world!
2007-08-07 09:58:48 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I didn't have a doula with my first pregnancy because of the price, and I wish I had.
I had back labor, was induced after I had started dilating, and had a shoulder dystocia. All 3 of those things could have been avoided with a doula.
2007-08-07 10:26:14 · answer #3 · answered by Anne 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My cousin had 2 doulas (one was in training so she had 2 for the price of 1) and she loved having them. They came to her house late at night/early morning when she went into labor and helped her through her contractions. I have nothing against them but I am not going to hire one. My hubby went to childbirth classes with me and turns out to be a good coach. I will also have my mom with me and she is very good at helping me relax. I've also heard that the nurses at the hospital I will deliver in are very nice and helpful. I'd say if you have a good support system then you don't need them. My cousins just wanted to be able to have daddy relax and "enjoy" the experience. It's really up to you, your situation, and what your comfortable with. Good luck and congrats on your pregnancy.
2007-08-07 09:58:22 · answer #4 · answered by Kittieashy 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I'm actually using a doula-in-training. In other words, she's taken all of her classes, but needs to witness a certain number of births to become officially licensed.
So we're helping each other: she's going to come be my doula for free, and I'm going to provide one of her labors that she needs to witness. We're both very excited to help each other.
Perhaps you can find yourself a similar mutually beneficial deal.
2007-08-07 10:01:44 · answer #5 · answered by daisyk 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
all a doula is is a coach. a midwife can deliver hence the reason the insurance covers midwives are like obgyn except they dont do surgery deliveries
2007-08-07 09:59:12 · answer #6 · answered by kleighs mommy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i didnt have either and my labor was so fast and so easy, i dont think that my labor and delievery could have been any better, i have only one baby but maybe for some people it helps. weather it makes it easyer is just depends on the person really
2007-08-07 09:54:12 · answer #7 · answered by tanker015 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my labor was hard untill I got an epiderl then i didnt feel a thing I highly recomend it
2007-08-07 09:58:28 · answer #8 · answered by brianna2622 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
yes . my mother was there i couldnt of did it without her. get your husband or family member for support that all you need and someone that can relax you
2007-08-07 09:53:44 · answer #9 · answered by hello kitty 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋