A birth doula is a professional birth coach.
What does that mean? What do they do? We cover the Greater Toronto Area, including Aurora, Newmarket, the Kawarthas, Peterborough, Barrie, and Durham.
What is a Birth Doula?
- We get to know you during your pregnancy so we know what’s most important to you
- Our team accompanies you in labour – on-call 24/7!
- We’re experts in what to expect and how to help you prepare
- We help you AND your partner (in fact, most partners feel MORE involved with a doula present)
- We’re experts in hospital policies and can help you prepare for the things that matter most
What we don’t do:
- We don’t come with an agenda
- A doula doesn’t replace your partner (if you have one)
- We don’t speak for you, we do help facilitate communication though
- A doula doesn’t do ANYTHING medical (but we’ll work alongside those who do as a team)
When you hire a Discover Birth doula you get:
- A properly trained doula by leading certification organizations (DONA, CAPPA, Doula Training Canada)
- The support of a business that has been supporting clients for over a decade and a half
- 2 prenatal visits one-on-one
- Discounted rates in our group classes
- Back-up doula in the (rare) event that your doula is with another client
- 24/7 availability and support for urgent questions and labour
- Postpartum: most doulas will stay an hour or two after birth, or until you are settled and comfortable and you have established breastfeeding.
- We will also do one postpartum visit to see how you are, help with feeding and newborn questions, and to review your feelings about your birth experience.
I think I want a doula, but I’m not quite sure.
I want a doula! What’s next?
How much does a Doula cost?
That depends of course on the Doula and where you live, but our fees here at Discover Birth are $1250 to $1560. The fee can vary: depending on your location (higher in urban centres), the location you’re delivering, and if you’d like to include our prenatal classes. Here at Discover Birth, we have doulas who serve:
- Toronto
- Durham
- Markham
- Vaughan
- Clarington
- Kawarthas
- Peterborough
- Cobourg
- And surrounding areas
Discover Birth Team
Find your perfect match.
Doula Packages
Our packages are designed to accommodate varying needs for support. Choose the package that best suits your family.
Basic Birth Doula Package
$1250-$1400
- 2 prenatal visits in your home
- Attendance at your birth (regardless of length)
- 1 postpartum visit (2 hours)
Birth Doula Package PLUS
$1410-$1560
- Attendance at our group Childbirth Education Series (includes baby care class)
- 2 prenatal visits in your home
- Attendance at your birth (regardless of length)
- 1 postpartum visit (2 hours)
Add a Postpartum Package and SAVE
- Want extra help once baby arrives?
- Need an extra set of hands?
- Want to learn some tips on how to soothe baby, bathe baby, or just get some sleep.
- Add on extra postpartum support
Common Doula Questions & Myths
If my spouse/partner will be there do I really need a Birth Doula?
A Doula is someone who has special experience and education to provide support in labour. While a partner may be your perfect emotional support, it’s quite unrealistic for them to remember everything they learned in childbirth classes or to remain unemotionally involved in the experience. A Doula is not there to replace your partner in any way. In fact, most support people will say that their Doula helped them become more involved in the birth experience by encouraging them to do things they wouldn’t have thought of.
I know I want an epidural, do I really need a doula?
Doulas should support your plans for pain management. It’s rare that you would be able to get an epidural as soon as you get to the hospital, and they don’t always work. You will always benefit from someone who can help reduce the pain you are actually perceiving, thus helping your labour to progress smoothly and quickly. Many doulas will also meet you at home and help you stay there in early labour to avoid being sent away from your hospital because you’re too “early”. Most women are worried about how they will cope, losing control, and just fearful in general. A doula can minimize all of those feelings during pregnancy and through labour.f.
I’m not nervous about birth, do I need a doula?
It’s great that you’re feeling confident! A doula will help you remain confident through labor, and give you the extra support you may need if things don’t go as you hoped. Many confident women claim their doula gave them the extra support they needed, and was a constant throughout their labor.
If I have a midwife do I really need a doula?
Doulas and midwives commonly share a similar philosophy: patients should use informed decision-making strategies. A midwife’s role is very different from a doula’s however. Midwives have many medical responsibilities that are out of scope for a doula, freeing the doula up to focus on your needs and your partner’s needs. They work very well together.
I really want a doula, but my partner’s not convinced. Now what?
This is a common concern, and a tough one! The best suggestion is to show your partner the statistics on doulas and their benefits. The evidence is overwhelming! Then you may ask your partner if they will sit through just one interview. You may consider doing some phone interviews ahead of time to find a doula you think will be a good fit, and then have your partner meet her. Many partners realize just how ‘normal’ it feels once they actually meet a real doula.
I really want a doula, but I can’t afford one. Now what?
A Doula is a professional with a significant amount of training and an unparalleled dedication to her clients. Doulas leave holiday and birthday dinners for their clients. They work for sometimes 30 hours in a row to support clients through difficult births. This specialized service is really worth every cent. Imagine the benefit to reducing interventions and caesareans? We know it can be expensive, which is why we offer payment plans and accept credit cards so you can work to spread out your payments over a period of time. We’ll work with you to make it as manageable as possible. The earlier you start the less expensive your monthly payments will be!
Connect with us
We have a wonderful team of pregnancy and childbirth experts. Fill out the form and we will connect with you ASAP!
What if I want help after the baby’s born?
Great! We do that too!
What you’re looking for is called a postpartum doula!
Your birth doula may also be a postpartum doula. In that case you should work with us or them to discuss the extra hours you’d like to book for help once the baby comes. If they’re not a postpartum doula then call us and we’ll connect with another great Discover Birth team member.