Find a Doula in Bellingham, WA
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Why Use Meela to Hire Your Doula?
Meela is the trusted place for parents to find top-rated doulas, connecting over 1,700 parents with vetted doulas each month. Reach out to doulas directly, or answer a few questions and let us bring you the best available options near you. All for free, no strings attached.
Certified, Expert-Vetted Doulas Near You
Our doulas are the best of the best and hold the highest standards of evidence-based, inclusive, and compassionate care. Each verified doula on Meela is vetted by a licensed medical professional and comes with multiple client recommendations, active certifications, and has extensive training and experience in perinatal care.
3 reviews • 215 families supported • 9 years experience
0 reviews • 5 families supported • 3 years experience
2 reviews • 3 families supported • 1 years experience
Growing up the oldest of four kids, I always knew I was meant to be a mom. But I was terrified of the idea of childbirth because of the horror stories I had heard from my own mother and the women in my family. At that time, they spoke of the pain, failed inductions and emergency cesareans. After my husband and I decided to start trying for our first baby, I knew I needed to face my birth fears head on. The only thing to combat the fear of the unknown is to educate yourself. I read every pregnancy, birth and postpartum book I could get my hands on, listened to countless birth podcasts and took weekly prenatal yoga classes at a local studio. The most invaluable resource I turned to though, was my doula. She took the time to get to know me and understand my goals, fears and motivations. She educated my husband and I on what to expect throughout the birth experience. She helped us create a plan A, B and C and put our worries at ease. She taught us comfort measures, breathing techniques and various positions to help throughout labor. I believe that because we established a foundation (or roots) on the front end along with the labor support from both her and my husband, I was prepared and able to work through the pain and rise to meet the expectations of a successful birth as defined by me. I can only hope to do the same for other mothers and support people in our community.
Care philosophy
Whether you dream of an unmedicated home birth or feel more comfortable birthing in a hospital, it is your birth story and my goal is to educate and empower you to choose what's best for you. It's my role as your doula to ensure that you have a successful and fulfilling birth experience as defined by you. I am here to support you emotionally & physically prenatally, during birth and beyond.
Areas served
- Bellingham, WA and Greater Whatcom County
Reviews
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Reyan
October 17, 2022 at 11:17 am | Peer reviewHannah is sweet, thoughtful and attentive! You will be in great care with her as your doula.
0 reviews • 1 families supported • 1 years experience
Doula Services: FAQs
A doula is a professional that provides emotional, physical and educational support to new parents before, during, and after childbirth and into the early postpartum period. Doulas are companions who strive to give families a safe, positive, and healthy labor experience. They provide parents with evidence-based information and education on childbirth and are someone who the parent can turn to with questions and concerns about having a baby. Doulas also take an active role in collaborating with the parent to create a birth plan.
A certified birth doula offers advice and techniques to help reduce the stress that the parent often experiences during childbirth and provides you with education about different aspects of delivery and labor and what comes after.
There are two ways you can hire a doula through Meela in Bellingham, WA.
You can browse through the available doulas in Bellingham, WA and send the doulas you are interested in a message, introducing yourself and setting up an interview. We recommend interviewing at least three before hiring your top doula.
You can also hire a doula in Bellingham, WA in three easy steps:
- Post a job for free: answer some questions and receive responses from top-rated doulas in Bellingham, WA. It takes less than 30 seconds to post your job.
- Get your list of Bellingham, WA doulas: in a few hours, you will have a collection of doulas near you who are qualified to meet your needs. You can compare pricing, experience and read reviews. You can chat with each doula to learn more about them.
- Hire a doula with confidence: schedule virtual or in-person interviews with your top doula choices. Hire your top doula and start getting the care you deserve.
While the cost of a doula can vary based on experience and the services offered, the average cost of a doula in Bellingham, WA is $933, but typically ranges from $740 to $1,125. These costs are based on a representative group of 21 doulas surveyed by Meela in the Bellingham area. The average cost of a doula in Bellingham, WA is lower than the average cost of a doula in the state of Washington, which is $1,037.
To put this in further context, the cost of a doula in Bellingham, WA is about the same as the U.S. national average cost of a doula, which is $971.
When hiring a birth doula in Bellingham, WA, you and your doula will discuss and agree upon a fee structure, and your doula will send you itemized invoices through Meela, which you can pay securely through the app.
Some insurance companies will cover all or part of the cost of hiring a doula. Contact your insurance company to find out if they offer any coverage for hiring a doula; not all insurance companies do.
You can hire two types of doulas in Bellingham, WA: a birth doula and a postpartum doula. The birth doula is during your pregnancy and through the birth of your child. They provide you with emotional, physical and educational support during your pregnancy, your labor and delivery and for the first few hours after your child is born.
A postpartum doula will support you for the first few weeks after the baby is born. They provide in-home assistance, including teaching you how to take care of your newborn, acting as lactation consultant, and can provide some night nanny services.
Yes, a birth doula can provide support during a Cesarean birth and delivery. Doulas are non-medical professionals and do not replace obstetricians, physicians, midwives or nurses. They are an additive member to the team and provide emotional, physical and informational support to the birthing parent, partner and family. It is up to you whether the certified doula can remain in the operating room during the procedure.
When you hire a doula in Bellingham, WA, your services typically include several in-person prenatal sessions, 24/7 phone and text support, full attendance throughout your labor, and several hours of support immediately following your birth.
A doula in Bellingham, WA can help you in any kind of birth. Certified doulas are able to assist parents in creating the ideal “birth environment” and help parents deliver their baby safely. A doula can provide support during the birth whether it occurs in a hospital, a home, or another birth center of some kind. Doulas are there to support you in your desired birth preferences, whether that is a preference for natural, non-medicated, assisted, C-section or anything else.
Certified doulas can also act as a liaison between you and hospital staff regarding your childbirth expectations and preferences. For example, if your preference is to have a non-medicated birth, a doula can help guide you through that process and create a personalized birth plan. A certified doula in Bellingham, WA does not replace medical staff (such as your obstetrician and nurses).
When a surgical procedure is required, there are some situations in which a birth doula can also remain in the operating room, although this is not an expected obligation. A certified birth doula can also assist hospital staff to improve the overall birthing experience. A doula in Bellingham, WA will typically stay with the parents for several hours after birth to help them with birth recovery.
Evidence suggests that a birth doula in Bellingham, WA can help improve parent satisfaction with their baby’s birth and delivery. The involvement of a doula can also lead to shorter deliveries with less complications.
Recent studies show that parents who have a support person like a doula by their side throughout labor and childbirth are more likely to:
- Give birth without the need for pain medicine
- Describe their birth experience in a positive way
- Give birth without the need for medical intervention, such as C-sections or vacuum delivery
- Experience a shorter labor
You can hire a doula early in your pregnancy to allow you time to get to know each other and to begin planning for your later trimesters, labor, birth, and aftercare. It is ideal to hire a doula when you are around 20 weeks along, but you can start looking for one before that.
It is never too late to hire a doula in Bellingham, WA; you have right up to your due date to find a doula near you and receive all the benefits of doula support.
While many people think that a doula and a midwife are the same thing, their educational background and job duties are different. Doulas are non-medical professionals who provide emotional, physical and educational support, while also offering actionable advice and guidance to new parents about how to nurture their baby.
A midwife is a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) or a certified midwife (CM). CNMs are medical professionals that are certified and licensed by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. CMs are also certified, but they do not have nursing backgrounds.
Doulas are not medical professionals; they focus on the emotional support for the parents and the family before, during, and after the birth of the baby. Their job is to provide information, advice, and support to the family not diagnose any medical conditions or provide medical advice.
Cayce
March 22, 2023 at 11:12 am | Client reviewRose Smith has been my doula for both my births. I first came to meet her through her exceptional childbirth educational course, and due to her passion, genuine care, and knowledge I immediately retained her as our doula not fully understanding how her involvement would help me through childbirth. On the big day she was accessible, supportive, and helpful in guiding us on next steps. At one point in the the midst of my labor she could sense my fear and confusion, without missing a beat she guided me to refocus, showed me how to reclaim my calm, and encouraged me that I could do this. It was that level of care that made it so simple to have her with me at my second birth. There she was again with the same level of care and support for our family again. If you are looking for someone who cares, is knowledgeable, and will support you then Rose Smith is a wonderful choice on one if the biggest days of your life.