Questions to ask when interviewing a doula

I found myself forgetting about the most basic questions that people should ask when interviewing a doula. I have a bunch of questions to ask the client but not a good amount of questions for the client to ask me. So I did some research and found some good sites. I will list the sites below but also post all of the questions I found in one list below for someone to easily cut and paste or print.

Summary of the most common:

* Is she certified? (what is the difference of being certified or not?)

* Does she provide prenatal and/or postpartum visits?

* What can you expect during these visits, if offered?

* How many births has she attended?

* Can she provide references?

* What form of training has she had?

* What types of births has she witnessed (Cesarean, epidural, intervention free, VBAC, teen birth, etc.)?

* Her fee? And does she have a sliding scale or other arrangements available?

* Does she give you an invoice to bill insurance? Can she? (NOTE: FLEX plans often cover doula services if the insurance will not.)

* Has she ever worked with your care provider or at your place of birth?

* Does she has back-up arrangements available?

* Can you meet the back-up doula?

* What will her role be in early labor?

* Will she provide labor support at your home prior to going to the place of birth?

* Is she familiar with many methods of childbirth?

* How does she define her role during labor and birth?


These are all great questions and will probably spark more from each parent depending on what is important to them.

Please pass this onto anyone who may be looking into hiring a doula so they have the tools they need to interview and find that right someone!

Good luck in your search!

RESOURCES:

From My3Doula's:
http://www.my3doulas.com/doula_knowledge_center/doula_5_common_concerns.htm

From DONA:
http://www.dona.org/PDF/QuestionsToAskADoula.pdf

From BabyCenter:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_doula-interview-sheet-questions-to-ask-a-potential-birth-dou_1458427.bc

From Suite101:
http://pregnancychildbirth.suite101.com/article.cfm/top_ten_questions_to_ask_a_doula

From MumstheWord:
http://www.mumstheword.biz/questions_to_ask_a_doula.htm

From Childbirth Connection:
http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10181

From ParentMap:
http://www.parentmap.com/content/view/1257/276/

From Lamaze Parents:
http://www.webroots.com/doula/article.htm