Hiring a doula

[Mummytogg]

Is anyone else hiring a doula? I've met with two this week and meeting one other but wondering if anyone has any tips before we make our final choice

I had one with my first. Make sure she's someone you can spend a long time in one room with. And that you can trust her to advocate for you. Forcefully if necessary.

That said. Do you have an idea of your birth plan? Run it by them and check they're on board, you don't want someone with their own agenda who will try to talk you out of gas and air/epidural/forceps if you and/or the midwives think it's for the best, even if it's a last minute change.

I've just sat down to do my homebirth visit with midwife and caseloading student, emphatically not a doula. However, I told them that the ideal is intervention and examination free, hands-off homebirth, but that should I be faced with an induction, forceps or ventouse, I would rather have a c section. And they've given me pointers about digging my heels in to get that. So make sure they're flexible about approach. (I've had two intervention free home births, so no reason to think this will be necessary, but I wanted my position written down.)

The one I met today I felt very comfortable with. She has done a mixture of hospital/birthing centre/home births and seems very open minded.

I deliberately choose the ladies to meet as they seem holistic minded and we are hoping for a natural birthing centre birth after a horific induction last time (due to special needs baby) this time I have decided to refuse induction and like you would opt for a c section.

She sounds like a good bet then