Is my Doula really my Doula?

When you hire your birth doula, you are hiring them based upon their knowledge, experience, and your connection with them. You want that person to be by your side during labor and when you birth your baby so the prospect of a back-up doula may sound scary at first.

We all know that babies are unpredictable...sometimes they are early, sometimes they are late, and rarely, they are right on time. So what happens if your doula has an emergency, becomes ill, or is attending another birth when you go into labor?

All doulas should work with one or more back-up doulas for these very reasons. It is important for you to have the support of a doula, no matter when you go into labor or if an emergency comes up with your primary doula's schedule. Each doula or agency utilizes their back-up system a little differently. Some doulas have one or a few back-up doulas that they work with and those doulas are notified when the primary doula needs them to be on call for their clients. Alternatively, a larger agency may have a pool of doulas that they can call should a back-up doula be needed. Regardless of which method your doula uses, you should always be informed about when your doula may be unavailable to you and what to do if you have an urgent question or concern or if you go into labor.

At Queen City BirthWork, we work as a team. Your primary doula will conduct all of your Zoom check-ins, attend your prenatal appointments, and support you during your labor and childbirth. In the rare event that your primary doula is unable to attend your labor or birth for any reason, a back-up doula is on call 24/7. You will simply call our main phone number and press the option to speak with a back-up doula and get in touch with one of us right away. Your doula will always let you know if they will be unavailable and provide detailed instructions about what to do should you need to utilize our back-up system.

All Queen City BirthWork doulas are expertly trained, experienced, and chosen for their compassion and desire to provide the highest level of care and support so you can rest assured that you will always be in good hands.