Professional Birth Coach Selection - What to Look For?

There are several professional labor coaches that you can hire to help you through your prenatal care, labor, delivery and postpartum care. These professionals include birth doulas, midwives and postpartum doulas. If you are interested in having a natural birth, a home birth or if you just want a little extra support during this very special event then hiring these professionals can be a good idea. However, before you hire a birth coach to work with you it is important to understand what to look for in a labor coach and how to make their services more affordable.

Tip #1- Ask About a Slide Scale

The cost of the services offered by professional birth coaches can range from a couple hundred dollars to well over a thousand dollars. The amount of money that you are charged will relate to the type of professional birth coach that you hire, how much training and experience they have, how popular they are and how shrewd a negotiator you are. If you don't have a lot of money to work with ask if your birth coach or midwife offers a sliding fee scale. This can save you a lot of money.

Tip #2 - Take Advantage of Training Programs

Another way that you can save money on your professional birth coach is to utilize midwives or birth doulas that are completing their apprenticeships. These learning experiences will not only help the student midwife or birth doula learn the trade of labor coaching, but you will also get a great deal on their services. The apprentice midwife or doula will not be attending your birth alone. They will be under the direct supervision of a licensed and experienced midwife or doula so you will always have access to someone who knows how to handle the various problems that can arise during a birth.

Tip #3 - Check Out Credentials

No matter what type of medical professional you work with during your pregnancy and during your labor and delivery, it is important that they have proper training and licensing. This is why it is critically important to ask about their licensing and insurance, as well as their training and experience. Many states require professional birth coaches to be registered with the state so you can check with your state professional licensing department to make sure the doulas and midwives you are working with are legit.

Tip #4 - Take Referrals

Since you have so few pregnancy experiences it can be difficult to find a doula that you like by blindly searching for one. You will have much better luck if you can get a referral for a good doula or midwife from a family member, friend or even your gynecologist. Local pregnancy and motherhood organizations can also be great sources for birth coach referrals.

Tip #5 - Personality Counts

When selecting a birth coach you need to select one who has a personality that keeps you calm. If your coach makes you agitated or nervous then they are not the right one for you. The main goal of the birth coach is to keep you focused, centered and relaxed during the challenges of labor and delivery.

References

http://www.babycenter.com/0_doulas-should-you-hire-a-labor-coach_480.bc