Questions to Ask a Postpartum Doula

At Birth Roots Doula Collective Inc., we offer a free, no-obligation visit to anyone interested in our care. This visit gives you the opportunity to ask your doula any questions you might have.

We do this because we believe that it is really important for you to feel comfortable and confident with your doula. We have provided some sample questions below that we hope will help you make that assessment. If for any reason you don’t feel well-matched with your doula, we can arrange for you to meet with another doula if one is available.

Beliefs 

These questions will help to reveal if you and your doula have compatible philosophies of the postpartum period, and will hopefully also give you a sense of who she is as a person. A doula with your best interests at heart should be happy to refer you to someone else if you don’t feel you are well matched with her.

  • What do you think is the most important part of your job?
  • How do you see your role as a postpartum doula?
  • What are the main skills and abilities you bring to postpartum care?
  • Can you tell us what your philosophy is regarding parenting, supporting women and their families during the postpartum period?

 

Services

You may wish to ask these questions early in an interview to make sure the doula offers the kind of service you are looking for. A professional doula should be able to answer these questions definitively and without hesitation.

  • Do you work with back-up doulas? 

  • Could I (we) meet them?
  • If I have to use your back-up doula, can I be sure I will get the same quality of service?
  • Tell me (us) about your experience with supporting families during the postpartum period.
  • At what point will you start assisting us after the birth?
  • Do you offer breastfeeding support?

Practicalities 

Although it can be tempting to avoid the details, sometimes the details reveal the difference between a professional service and an amateur. The way a doula handles practical matters can indicate her overall approach to client care, both positively and negatively.

  • What is your fee, and what does it include?
  • What would you do during a typical day with us?
  • Where did you get your training, and how many hours did it involve?
  • What types of breastfeeding experience do you have?
  • Have you taken any continuing education since your initial training?
  • Will you provide references that I may contact?
  • Do you have a contract to ensure I get the service I am expecting?
  • Do you have a criminal record check, child abuse registry check?
  • Do you have CPR training and to what level?

 

Impressions

When you meet the doula (and it is a good idea for both you and your partner to meet her), pay particular attention to your personal perceptions of the doula.

  • Is she kind, warm, enthusiastic?
  • Is she knowledgeable?
  • Does she seem reliable and responsible?
  • Is she a good listener?
  • Is she supportive of your plans postpartum?

 

Note: Some information provided in this section is from the DONA International handout, “Questions to Ask a Doula.” – www.dona.org