Is hiring a virtual doula worth the money?
With the current public health crisis and the back and forth of doulas being considered ‘essential’, many doulas have taken their services virtual. This means their support is no longer in person but is via phone, text, email and zoom or facetime. And many families are now wondering if hiring a doula is still worth it. We think so.
We believe support is an essential component of crossing the threshold into parenthood and some support is better than none so we think hiring a virtual doula is a great idea.
What does a Virtual Doula Do?
A virtual doula will provide prenatal support, postpartum and birth planning all via the computer or phone. They will still support your labor and birth through facetime or zoom by suggesting breathing techniques, new positions and helping you advocate for yourself using education, understanding and informed consent. Your virtual postpartum doula will support you after you’ve had your baby by providing lactation support with suggested adjustments and positioning, demo educational newborn care and make suggestions and demos for postpartum healing and recovery. They will also listen to how you’re feeling, help you process your birth experience (most doulas love hearing your birth story as many times as you want to tell it) and remind you to carve out time for yourself and your relationship.
Social distancing shouldn’t mean you don’t have support or care surrounding you. This is still one of the most important times of your life as you become a parent or expand your family. You deserve to feel grounded, cared for and listening to and that’s exactly what a virtual doula will do for you.
If you’re looking for this type of support, hop over to our doula hub here to see how we might be able to support you and your growing family.
And if you’re a doula reading this and want to strengthen your virtual doula support skills join us in our class Holding Space in Space to learn more and start giving your clients the best care you can in this time.