Become a Doula

What is a “Doula”?  The basic definition of a doula is “a woman who is experienced in childbirth and who provides physical, emotional, and informational assistance and support to a mother before, during, or after childbirth”. 

This article is not intended as instructional manual for “How to become a doula”.  But I’m including it here as an illustration of the types of extra income opportunities you can find if you look for them.   And this type of “job” fits my ideal for extra income – short-term, well-defined, and a “burst” of income.

To become a doula…

To become a doula, there are many training courses you can take to get started.  Figure to get certified in your area, it’ll cost you around $600 for an approx. 40 hour course to learn the basics.  After that, it is up to you to get some clients.

How much can you earn?

How much can you earn?  For one birth, the going rate will vary by your location and your experience level, but figure you can charge anywhere from a few hundred dollars up to about $2,000.  Obviously, as you gain in experience, you’ll be able to charge more, and it will become much easier to find clients once you’ve developed a reputation for excellence and reliability.

There are very few “full time” doulas because the hours are unpredictable and the compensation is not large per birth.  It is very, very difficult to take on numerous clients at one time because you can’t predict when each birth will happen, and you simply MUST be available for each birth when the baby is ready to come.

But for people looking for a part time extra source of income, you can easily taken on one client a month with few time conflicts.  The “average” doula can expect to make around $5,000 a year for this type of schedule.

How do you find clients?

How do you find clients?  Get to know childbirth class teachers (or become one yourself), OB’s, Mid-Wives, and Pediatric physicians (because young mothers tend to have more children – so this is a good target market for you). 

You can place free ads on places like Craig’s List.  You can even be so crass as to hand information about the doula process to expectant mothers you meet every day.

Do you love the child-birth process?

If you love the whole child-brith process, love offering physical and emotional support, have a flexible schedule, and are confident enough to act as an advocate for your client during stressful times, this could be a great way to supplement your income and add some extra excitement to your life.

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