Is Hiring A Doula Worth It? (And What You Should Actually Be Asking Them in 2026)
- Evonna N. Christmon
- Aug 30, 2022
- 9 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Let me start with what you already know in your bones, even if no one's said it to you plainly, YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO DO THIS ALONE.
Long before the word "doula" became a hashtag or a trending topic, Black women had companions by their side during pregnancy and birth who were the mothers, aunties, grandmothers, community healers, and women with no medical degree but a depth of knowing that no textbook could teach. THIS WORK IS ANCESTRAL (for me atleast). They held space, spoke life, made sure you were seen, heard, and cared for when the world outside that room might not have offered you the same courtesy. That's what a doula is at the root. Having a doula is beyond worth it. It’s one of the most strategic and deeply personal decisions you can make for yourself and your baby. I’m very mindful of how I show up in the doula space because I know that I will always be apart of a family’s birth story for the rest of their life. That’s DEEP.
The evidence also backs it up. Studies show that people who birth with a doula tend to have shorter labors, fewer cesareans, and less need for pain medication. The evidence also reports that people who birth with a doula tend to reflect more positively on their birth experience. And birth? That memory lives in your body forever. It shapes how you enter motherhood, how you bond, how you heal. There are a thousand reasons to protect that memory.
🌀Whether you're planning an unmedicated birth, counting down the minutes until that epidural, or preparing for a cesarean having a trained, grounded, and aligned birth companion by your side can shift your entire experience. Not because they replace your medical team, but because they center you in a system that often doesn't.🌀
How to Find A Doula
You're newly pregnant or maybe you're halfway through and just now realizing you want support, and you've heard all about doulas but have no idea where to start. I got you.
A few solid places to begin your search:
Doula Match — an independent directory of U.S. and Canadian doulas where you can search by location, experience, and specialty
DONA International — one of the largest international doula certifying organizations
Local community birth organizations, midwifery practices, and Black maternal health collectives — some of the best doulas in your area may not be on the big directories but are deeply embedded in your community. Ask around. Word of mouth still reigns!
Here's something important to know, you do not have to be certified or licensed to practice as a doula. Certification is valuable, but it's not the full picture. Some of the most brilliant, experienced doulas I know trained through apprenticeship, community-based programs, or spiritual and cultural organizations that don't always get mainstream recognition. So don't just check for letters behind a name look for alignment, depth, and real-world experience.
I'm very transparent about this in my own practice: my clients and I choose each other. I'm big on energy, and I personally do not move forward with every person I interview with. I want us both to be successful, and that starts with genuine connection. Most doulas who are serious about this work would tell you the same thing.
So here's what I'd encourage, find a few doulas whose online presence, energy, or reputation resonates with you. Schedule consultations with two or three. And come prepared not with surface level questions, but with the kind of questions that will actually tell you whether this person is equipped to hold space for you in the way you need.
Which brings me to the good part!
What You Should Actually Be Asking Your Doula in 2026
The internet is full of generic "top 10 questions to ask your doula" lists, and while those basics still matter, the conversation has evolved. You deserve a doula who can meet you where you are. These questions are designed to go deeper without going over anyone's head. They're real, relevant, and they'll tell you everything you need to know!
1. Why Do You Do This Work?
You want to understand what pulled this person into birth work and whether their why aligns with your values. Are they in this because it looks good on a vision board, or because something in their spirit called them to it? Do they have a particular passion for supporting families who look like you, live like you, or navigate the world the way you do? Their answer will tell you a lot about whether they see you, the whole you, or just another client on the calendar.
2. What Does Your Fee Include?
Get clear on this upfront because surprises during pregnancy should be limited to the gender reveal. Ask about:
How many prenatal visits are included and where they take place
When they join you during labor and where (home, hospital, birth center)
Whether childbirth education is included (especially important if this is your first baby)
What postpartum support looks like and how long it lasts
How accessible they are between appointments — can you text at 11 p.m. with a question, or is communication limited to scheduled check-ins?
Whether they have a Birth Support Agreement or Contract you can review with your partner and family before signing
And don't be afraid to ask about payment plans, sliding scale options, or whether they accept Medicaid, insurance reimbursement, or HSA/FSA funds. Access to doula care shouldn't only be available to people with disposable income, and a doula who understands that is one worth considering.
3. What Happens If Things Don't Go According to Plan?
What if you go into labor early, what if they're sick, what if another client is in labor at the same time? But you're also asking something deeper- how do you hold space when birth takes an unexpected turn?
Ask about their backup doula and whether you'll get to meet that person before your due date. Ask how many clients they take per month and whether they've ever had to miss a birth. And ask how they support someone emotionally when the birth plan goes sideways because sometimes it does, and you need to know that the person beside you won't crumble, check out, or make you feel like you failed.
4. How Do You Navigate the Medical System, And Will You Advocate With Me, Not Just For Me?
This is a 2026 question, and it's non-negotiable. You need to know that your doula understands the realities of birthing in a system that doesn't always prioritize your voice, your comfort, or your safety particularly if you're a person of color.
Ask them:
How do you handle it when a provider is dismissive or rushing decisions?
Do you help me understand my options so I can advocate for myself, or do you try to speak for me?
Are you comfortable supporting me in a hospital setting, even if the staff isn't thrilled about a doula being present?
Have you ever had to navigate a situation where a client's wishes were being ignored or overridden? What did you do?
A great doula doesn't fight your battles for you they make sure you have the information, the language, and the confidence to fight for yourself. And they stand right beside you while you do it.
5. What Is Your Relationship With Informed Consent and Bodily Autonomy?
You want a doula who believes truly, that your body is yours. That every procedure, every intervention, every decision during your pregnancy and birth requires your informed, enthusiastic consent. Not compliance. Not "well, the doctor said so." Consent.
Ask them how they help clients understand their options when a provider recommends an intervention. Ask whether they're familiar with the BRAIN method (Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition, Nothing/Not now) or a similar decision-making framework. And pay attention to how they talk about it do they center you as the decision-maker, or do they defer to authority by default?
6. Do You Hold Any Personal Beliefs That Might Get in the Way of Fully Supporting My Choices?
Let's keep it real. You need to know if your doula has strong opinions about things like epidurals, circumcision, vaccinations, formula feeding, induction, or anything else that might cloud their ability to show up for your choices without judgment.
A good doula can hold personal beliefs and still hold space for yours without making you feel small, wrong, or unsupported. But you have to ask, because not everyone has done that inner work. If their answer feels defensive, preachy, or hedging that's information.
7. What Do You Know About the Things That Might Affect My Pregnancy Specifically?
This is where it gets personal. If you're navigating pregnancy with fibroids, sickle cell trait, hypertension, gestational diabetes, a history of loss, mental health challenges, HG, or any other condition that disproportionately impacts Black women and women of color your doula needs to at least have a working understanding of it.
You're asking: have you done the homework? Do you understand how these conditions show up? Do you know the warning signs? Can you support me without minimizing what I'm dealing with?
And if they haven't worked with someone in your situation before, the next best answer is: "I haven't, but I'm committed to learning, and here's how I'd prepare." Honesty over performance, every time.
8. How Do You Support My Partner (Without Sidelining Them or Replacing Them)?
A doula doesn't replace your partner. Period. But a great doula knows how to empower your partner so they feel useful, connected, and confident instead of standing in the corner holding your phone charger wondering what to do.
Ask how they involve partners during labor. Do they teach them comfort techniques? Do they give them a role? Do they create space for your partner to be present and bonded without putting pressure on them to perform? And if you're birthing without a partner whether by choice or circumstance ask how they adjust their support to fill that space with warmth and not pity.
9. What Does Your Labor Support Actually Look Like. Walk Me Through It.
Don't settle for vague answers here. You want to know: when you're in active labor, what is this person actually doing?
Ask about their comfort techniques do they use counterpressure, rebozo, positioning, hydrotherapy, breathwork, affirmations, aromatherapy? Do they bring a birth bag with tools, or do they work primarily with their hands and their presence? How do they read the room and adjust when what you needed an hour ago isn't what you need now?
And ask this: what do you do when
things get quiet? Because birth isn't all action. Sometimes the most powerful thing a doula does is sit in the silence with you, hold your hand, and remind you with their calm that you are safe.
10. What Does Postpartum Support Look Like. And Do You Actually Show Up After the Baby Comes?
This is where a lot of doula relationships quietly fall off, and it shouldn't. The postpartum period the first days, weeks, and months after birth is one of the most vulnerable, under-supported seasons of a person's life. And for many of us, it's where things start to unravel if we don't have a net.
Ask your doula:
How many postpartum visits are included and when do they happen?
Do they offer breastfeeding or chestfeeding support, and if not, can they connect you with an IBCLC or lactation counselor?
Will they make referrals to other perinatal professionals, therapists, pelvic floor specialists, postpartum doulas, herbalists if you need support beyond their scope?
Do they check in on you not just the baby during those postpartum visits?
Because here's what nobody tells you loudly enough: the birth is one day. The postpartum is the rest of your life. Make sure the person you hire cares about both.
The Most Important Thing I Can Tell You
More than years of experience, more than the number of trainings listed on their website, more than how polished their Instagram grid is the most important thing is whether you feel safe with this person.
Trust your gut. It's been right about people before and it's right now.
You are inviting this person into one of the most intimate, raw, and life-altering experiences you will ever have. You will be vulnerable. You will be powerful. You will need someone beside you who can hold both of those things at the same time without flinching, without performing, without centering themselves.
Choose someone who makes you feel like you can exhale.
Let's Stay Connected 💛
If any of this resonated with you, I'd love to keep the conversation going. Come find me on Instagram where I share all things birthwork, community support, herbal wisdom, and the unfiltered side of pregnancy and postpartum life, because community is everything, especially in seasons like this!
And if you're looking for products that actually do something not just cute for the sake of cute but truly beneficial then check out my Amazon storefront where I keep an updated collection of herbs, tinctures, books, eco-friendly and skin-safe baby products, along with a full pregnancy and postpartum must-haves registry. I'm not talking buy just to buy. I'm talking minimalist, intentional, actually helpful products that have been continuously voted number one by my email community of hundreds of mothers who don't have time or energy to waste on things that don't work.
Everything I recommend, I stand behind. Everything I share, I share because it made a real difference for someone! 💛
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