Are Doulas Worth the Money?
- alyshabirthdoula
- Jun 5
- 3 min read
Do Doulas Really Make a Difference?
There’s no doubt about it—doulas can be expensive. With a price tag of up to $1000 or more, many are wondering…can hiring a doula can actually be worth the upfront investment?
This might even be causing tension in your relationship…if one person wants to hire a doula and the other doesn’t think it’s worth it.
Today, we’ll break down exactly whether or not a doula is worth your hard-earned cash.
But first, let’s talk about your birth. What are you hoping to get out of the experience? Everyone has different priorities. Maybe you want a natural birth experience. Perhaps avoiding a cesarean is topping your priority list. And, of course, everyone wants a healthy baby at the end of the day!
But having a positive birth experience should also be a high priority. Because, unfortunately, not all women are getting that. In fact, 1 in 3 women experience birth trauma.
Did you know that hiring a doula can help with ALL these important factors?
It may surprise you to learn there have been multiple studies in recent years—all trying to scientifically determine if a doula makes any difference at all.
Here’s what the evidence says:
Women who have doula support during labor experience…
39% decrease in the risk of Cesarean
15% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth
10% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
Shorter labors by 41 minutes on average
38% decrease in the baby’s risk of a low five minute Apgar score
31% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience
(These numbers were pulled from the Evidence Based Birth article Evidence on: Doulas. Read the full article here.)
Avoiding a cesarean (c-section) is often a top priority for a pregnant woman. So the fact that doulas decrease those odds by 39% is a pretty big deal.
Even more important than skipping an unnecessary surgery is having a healthy baby, right? That 38% decrease in low APGAR score is exactly what that means!
So having a doula is proven to increase your chances of having a low-intervention birth PLUS a healthier baby. That’s a Win-Win!
But what are birthing women actually saying? Do they actually feel like having a doula made a difference to their birth experiences?
One woman from St. Louis said, “I truly cannot express enough how important having a doula was for our birth experience. Her gentle, confident, and calm presence helped make it possible for my husband and I to be confident in ourselves all the way through to our journey to parenthood, and our whole family is forever grateful.”
Another expressed it this way, “My doula came to the hospital and stayed for 30+ hours of labor. The way she cared for me and supported me helped me to have the unmedicated birth of my dreams. She also supported my husband to be the main support I needed. Forever thankful for her and her care for our family.”
Dads are speaking up too!
One dad says, “When my wife told me about hiring a doula, I'll admit I was a tad skeptical at first because I had never even heard of a doula. When she showed up the night of my son's birth, I felt an incredible sense of calmness. She gave me a tremendous feeling of everything being under control.”
These parents truly felt that having a doula for their birth made a huge difference! They really felt it was worth the price tag to have the support they needed.
And these opinions agree with evidence above. Perhaps the most important of all the stats—31% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience. Meaning if you have a doula, you are more likely to be satisfied with your birth experience! This is incredibly important—especially knowing that 1 in 3 women experience birth trauma.
Moms, Dads, and Babies all benefit from having a doula. Hiring a doula is certainly an investment—but an investment worth making!
If you’re in the St. Louis area, click here for local doula support!
You can learn about what a doula actually does during a birth here.
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