doula service contractbirth positive ™ doulas sign a doula service contract with clients before starting services. This is an agreement to provide labour support services as described, and explains the doula's role and its limits. It also spells out the fee and the circumstances under which it would be waivered.
I accompany women and their partners in labour to help provide a memorable birth experience. I draw on my knowledge and experience to provide physical, emotional, and informational support to women and partners. I am independent and self-employed. As your doula, I am working for you, not for your caregiver or the hospital although I pride myself on the positive relationships I have built with members of the medical community.
It is very important that you and your partner are comfortable with me and with my role in the birth. Thus, I will meet with clients at least once before labour to become acquainted, to explore and discuss your priorities and any fears or concerns, and to plan how we might best work together. If at this meeting, you or your partner decide that our interaction doesn’t feel "quite right" to you, I encourage you to say so, and I will happily refer you to a different doula with whom you may develop a better rapport.
If you do decide to work with me, we will then do a prenatal conference (see below). This may be part of the "getting acquainted" meeting, or may be scheduled at a separate time.
From the moment we agree that we will work together, I consider myself "on-call" to provide support for you and your partner. I will notify you of any times when I am not available and will provide the name and contact information for the back-up doula with whom you will have met beforehand
We will have a prenatal meeting to review your Birth Plan, and give us a chance to talk in detail about your preferences regarding your birth. I will ask about your knowledge of the birth process, and can provide information and education as needed. I will invite you to share your own personal ways of coping with pain and fatigue and difficult situations, and what internal resources we can draw upon to assist you with the birthing experience. I will invite you to share how you and your partner foresee working together, and the roles of others who may be attending the birth. We can discuss together what fears and concerns you have regarding the birth. We can review your preferences regarding the use of pain medications.
My role is to help you have a satisfying birth as you define it. The more we explore this in advance, the better I will be able to fulfill this role.
When you think labour has begun, call me and let me know so I can begin making arrangements for attending the birth.
It is up to you to decide at what point in your labour you want me there. We will discuss in prenatal meetings what you expect to want during labour, and will also evaluate by phone once your labour has begun, and you know more what your needs will be.
I can offer help and advice with comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, movement, positioning, and massage. I can assist with gathering information about the progress of labour to make sure you have the information you need to make informed decisions about your birth. I can also serve as an advocate for your needs with the medical staff. My most critical role is providing continuous emotional reassurance and comfort.
I will also be recording information for your birth story and take picture of events you have requested and clarified before labour.
I expect to remain with a client for 1-2 hours after birth, until you are comfortable, and the family is ready for quiet time together. I can help with initial breastfeeding, if desired.
I am available for phone contact to answer questions about the birth of your baby. My services include one postpartum visit, usually within two weeks of the birth. During this visit, I can provide breastfeeding support, baby care tips, referrals to community resources, and a chance to discuss the birth experience. If you are in need of further support, additional visits are always an option.
My fee is $500.00. I ask for a deposit of $100.00, which is typically paid during or shortly after the prenatal conference. The remainder of the fee is due 14 days after the birth.
I will make every effort to provide the services described here. Sometimes this is impossible for a variety of reasons. If my failure to attend the birth is due to my error, there will be no charge for my services, and I will refund your deposit. If it is due to circumstances beyond anyone's control (e.g. an extremely rapid labour and birth), or your failure to call me, I will keep the deposit, but there will be no further charge.
Doula's Signature ____________________________ Date_______________________
I / We have read this letter describing the doula services and agree that it reflects the discussion we have had with her. I do not hold my doula responsible for unexpected clinical outcomes.
Client's Signature ____________________________ Date_______________________
~ empowering parents through birth and beyond ~
The word "doula" comes from ancient Greek and has been applied to childbirth to refer to "...a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth." (Klaus, Kennell and Klaus in Mothering the Mother)
To learn more about doulas in general, including how to choose the right doula for you, please visit our FAQ page.
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