When Should I Hire A Doula?
You may have known you were going to hire a doula before you even got pregnant or you may not have learned about doulas until your 8th month of pregnancy.
Either way, it’s a good time to hire a doula!
If you’re nearing the end of your pregnancy, you may be worried it’s too late to hire a birth doula but as long as your little one is still inside your uterus, it’s not.
(Once, I was hired by somebody already IN labour so really, if you’re still pregnant, you’re ahead of the curve! 😉)
Image description: a newborn lays on their back on a bed, their mother leans towards them, their noses gently touching.
Here are some things to consider:
For many pregnant folks, the 1st trimester is a tough one. You’re just starting to wrap your head around the fact that your body is in the process of building a mini you.
You may be struggling with morning sickness and adjusting to a level of exhaustion that you’ve never experienced before.
You may be researching, deciding on a maternity care provider, considering your birth place options, and just beginning to think about what you may want for your birth.
There's a lot going on!
If doula support would help you in navigating these early months of pregnancy - we’d love to hear from you.
But if hiring a doula feels like just one more impossible thing on a to-do list overflowing with impossible things, it’s okay to bump this down the list and give yourself some breathing room.
Image description: Meme of Fry, from Futurama, squinting into the distance. The caption reads “Not sure if actually have free time, or just forgetting everything”.
During your second trimester, you may find you have a sudden increase in energy levels. You may notice a decrease in morning sickness and you’ll likely know who your care provider is going to be. You may have started your childbirth classes and are starting to get a sense of how you would like your birth to go. You may have a better idea of what kind of support, exactly, you are looking for.
This is most often when we’ll hear from you.
Being hired during the 2nd trimester gives us lots of time to get to know you, your partner, and your hopes for your birth and postpartum period. Building a mutually respectful and trusting relationship in advance of your birth is a big part of where our doula magic comes from.
But let’s say you didn’t even hear about doulas until your 3rd trimester. Or maybe something shifted between when you first found out you were pregnant and this current moment that made you realize doula support would be valuable for you.
It’s not too late - we’d love to hear from you!
We’ll pull out all the stops to make sure you have the support you need and deserve - whether that’s someone from our crew or other doulas we trust and recommend, we’ll make sure you’re connected to a doula or two who is available for your due date.
Image description: Meme of a baby looking at the camera with one eyebrow quizzically raised. The caption reads “You mean to tell me it’s never too late to hire a doula?”
Yup, that's exactly what we mean.
