The monetary costs of becoming and being a doula

There is a wide range of expenses here. Many things are optional, but recommended. Doulas may spend thousands getting everything started or they may invest in these things slowly after they have been hired and paid by clients. Bare bones – you don’t have to be trained, certified, or have any other credentials (example, lactation specialist). Most of us take a training. Many are not certified. A lot of birth workers start out with one thing and add to their credentials over time as they have the time and money.
 
The purpose of this blog is not to deter you with the monetary costs of having this small business; it’s to reiterate that this passionate work is a legitimate small business. Like all types of business, financial planning and money management is a must.
 
We’re going to look at 5 areas.

1. Becoming a doula
2. Starting your business
3. Yearly and monthly expenses of maintaining your business
4. The cost you invest in serving each client
5. Continuing education 

 
Becoming a doula
 

• Taking a doula training
  • The required reading – There are usually several books you need to read. I recommend reading those before you attend the workshop.
  • The workshop or training program itself
  • Traveling to the workshop: gas or plane ticket + transportation, hotel stay, groceries, eating out ***Note: If you choose a training that is fully online, there is no expense of traveling to the workshop. If you have a local training available within driving distance of your home, your only expense is gas.
  • Fulfilling certification requirements – This will vary depending on your training program.

 
 
Starting your business
 
Making it official

• Making an appointment with an accountant to discuss what type of business to file, what you need to keep track of, etc…
• Registering your business with your state
• License requirements

 
Getting your name out there

• Website
  • Domain – This is your website name or URL. For example, mine is www.LeannaMae.org
  • Website creator and host  
  • Optional: Website designer
• Social media – One of the few things that is free
• Graphics for your website and social media
  • A business logo
  • Stock photos for your website – There are free options (Pixabay, Pexels, and Unsplash) and paid options (local photographers, photographers nationally that will sell their work, iStock, Shutterstock, Getty Images, Abobe, and many more)
  • Infographics that you either make or hire someone to make
• Professional photos of you for your website, social media, and promotional materials
• Business cards
• Promotional items such as cards, flyers, shirts, hoodies, totes, hats, water bottles, etc….

 
Preparing to practice

• Paperwork
  • Purchasing a contract (You can also make your own) 
  • Having an attorney review your contract
  • Custom made welcome packets
  • Purchasing a curriculum for prenatal appointments  
• Teaching tools for prenatal appointments, postpartum appointments, and lactation support 
• Apparel:
  • You may need to buy work clothes and appropriate shoes.
  • You may want to buy shirts that say “doula” on it.
  • You can have polo shirts with your logo or title custom made to wear to births and appointments. 

 
 
Yearly and monthly expenses of maintaining your business
 
Yearly

• Filing taxes as a business
• Renewing your business license
• Renewing your vendor’s license if you sell anything
• Renewing your website domain

 
Monthly

• Website monthly fees
• Business cell phone
• Optional: malpractice insurance
• Optional: health insurance as someone who is self-employed
• Marketing expenses – This cost will vary significantly depending on your marketing methods and available budget

 
 
The cost you invest in serving each client
 
Consultation appointments

• Child care
• Meeting the potential client at a café or public place:
  • Gas money to get to the location – many doulas serve a wide area so you may be driving an hour one way to meet someone
  • The cost of whatever you order at the coffee shop or casual meeting place
• Optional items to give the potential clients:
  • A welcome packet with a folder
  • a copy of your contract
  • list of what your services do and don’t include
  • magnet
  • flyer
  • and anything else you want to include in there

 
Appointments: Intake, each prenatal, and each postpartum

• Child care each time you have to leave your house
• Possibly pet care if you are traveling a longer distance
• Gas money to and from the client’s house
• Paper and ink for anything you print out
• Teaching tools  

 
The birth

• If you are a new doula who still has a regular job or a doula who only takes clients once in a while, you may have a regular job that you have to call off or leave when someone goes into labor or call off if you’ve been at a birth all night. There is the loss of pay there. You also highly risk being fired from most jobs.
• Child care is a very big expense for many doulas. You may have to pay for the child care by the hour PLUS doulas also often pay a sitter to be on call for each birth.
• If you live alone, you may need to pay for pet care. You cannot leave your pets alone for long periods of time. If you are going to be gone longer than 12 hours (at the most!), you have to have someone check in on and care for your pets.
• Gas, travel expenses
• Hospital parking
• Food and drink to pack or buy while you are working
• Doula bag items 
• Support supplies you provide as gifts or supplies that will need to be replaced
• Paper and pen to keep notes

 
If you have a backup

• On call fee (Some doulas may back each other up and cancel out that on call fee)
• If you need to call in the backup, you’ll likely pay by the hour with a minimum of hours needed. Example, $40 an hour with a minimum of 4 hours when called in.

 
 
Continuing education
 

• Maintaining your certification as a doula – some programs offer permanent certification while others require renewal. The frequency of renewal or maintaining current status will depend on the program. To renew, you may only need to pay a fee or show proof of CEUs. Sometimes they require proof of actively working.
• You need to get certified in first aid and BLS. Always stay current on this. Take an in-person training such as The American Heart Association or the Red Cross. 
• You may also want to get certified in neonatal resuscitation.
• Lactation support
• Bereavement support for perinatal and infant loss
• Workshops such as Spinning Babies, rebozo training, business training, etc…
• Gaining credentials in related work such as becoming a childbirth educator or anything you want to add on to your birth business

 
 
To sustain a doula business, you have to

1. Have a return on your investment of becoming a doula and starting your business
2. Make back what you put into buying teaching tools and support supplies
3. Break even on your yearly and monthly expenses for each year
4. Cover the cost of serving each client for the birth and all the appointments
5. And be able to pay the bills you have to pay to continue being available for this on-call job 

 
As you can see, there are a lot of expenses to being a doula. Make a budget accordingly. Think about the investment you have to put in to offer these services. Here are several self-reflection questions.
 

1.  How many births a month are you willing to take?
2. How many inquiries are you actually getting per month?
3. What do you need to charge to break even on expenses of serving each client plus the yearly/monthly expenses of staying in business?
4. What do you need to charge to make a living wage at your ideal number of births per month?
5. What other sources of income do you or can you have that will not interfere with your ability to be on call for the births?

 
 
I hope this blog has been helpful to you. Doula work is an amazing profession! It is a tough small business to run – especially when doulas are monetarily undervalued – and burn out rates are high. Charge your worth!!!