What happens after you hire a doula
The weeks between signing and labour should feel organised, not vague. Here is the usual sequence: contract, intake, prenatal visits, on-call, and how to stay in touch.
Hiring a doula is a relief — and then a quiet question: what actually happens now? The best practices treat the weeks between booking and birth as a relationship, not a waiting room. You should know how you will pay, what you will share, when you will meet, and how to reach them when labour starts.
Every doula works a little differently. This is the sequence a well-run practice usually follows, so you can tell the difference between “we’ll be in touch” and a clear path.
1. A contract you can actually read
Before any deposit, you should receive a written agreement. It protects both of you. Read it on a laptop, not on your phone in the car park. At a minimum it should spell out:
What is included — prenatal visits, on-call dates, birth attendance, postpartum follow-up — and what is not.
Fees, the deposit, payment dates, and the refund policy if plans change or the baby comes early.
Backup arrangements if they are ill or already at another birth.
A clear statement that they provide support, not medical care.
Many doulas now send a signing link rather than a PDF to print, scan, and email back. You open it, read it, and sign on your phone. That is enough. Keep a copy. If anything feels unclear, ask before you sign — a good doula would rather explain a clause than surprise you later.
2. An intake form, then a real conversation
Soon after you book, you will usually get a form. It is not bureaucracy for its own sake. It saves the first prenatal visit from becoming an interview, and it gives your doula the facts they should not have to fish for in labour: your care team, your health history as you want to share it, who should be called, and anything that makes you feel unsafe or unseen.
Fill it in when you are not rushed. Useful details include:
Your due date, lead midwife or obstetrician, and planned place of birth.
Previous births, if any, and what you want this one to feel like.
Allergies, medications, and anything your medical team already knows that your doula should also know.
Who your partner or support people are, and how they like to be included.
How you prefer to be contacted — text, call, email — and when not to.
If the form arrives as a private link, that is a good sign. Your answers should sit in your client record, not in a stranger’s inbox forever.
3. Book the prenatal visits while the calendar is still open
Most birth packages include two or three prenatal visits. Put them in the diary as soon as you sign, even if the later ones are placeholders. A typical pattern looks like this:
Visit one (around 28–32 weeks): get to know each other, talk through your hopes and worries, and start the birth plan.
Visit two (around 34–36 weeks): comfort techniques, partner roles, what to pack, and when to call.
Visit three, if included: a final run-through once you are closer to on-call, or a visit at your home so they know the space.
If your doula shares a booking link, use it. You will get a confirmation and a reminder, and you can usually reschedule without a string of texts. Virtual visits are fine for some of this; at least one in-person meeting, if you can, helps you know how their presence feels in a room.
4. Payments that do not become a second job
A common, fair structure is a deposit to hold the dates, a second payment in the last month of pregnancy, and any postpartum hours invoiced after the birth. Ask for this in writing. If they send branded invoices with a pay link, use the link — it is easier for both of you than a bank transfer you have to remember to label.
If a payment plan would make hiring possible, say so early. Many doulas would rather spread the fee than lose a family they can serve well.
5. Know when they go on call — and how you will reach them
Most birth doulas go on call around 38 weeks until the baby arrives. That window should be in the contract. During it, they keep their phone close and limit how far they travel. You should know:
The first number to use when contractions get serious, or if your waters go.
What “call me” means versus “text me the timing.”
Who the backup is, and whether you will have met them.
What happens if two clients labour at once.
Write those details in your phone before you need them. The night you go into labour is a poor time to search an email thread.
What “staying in touch” should feel like
Between visits you should not feel like you are bothering them. A well-run practice will tell you how quickly they reply, and they will check in as you near the on-call window. You can message about a worrying appointment, a change of plan, or a question that sat with you after a visit. Save medical questions for your midwife or doctor; your doula can help you think through what to ask.
After the birth there is usually at least one postpartum visit: to hear the story, help with the early days, and close the circle. If you want more hours, ask. Postpartum support is a different skill, and it is often the part families wish they had booked from the start.
If you cannot explain how you will sign, pay, meet, and call them when labour starts, the booking is not finished yet. Ask for the missing piece.
Still choosing someone? Find a birth worker near you and use the introductory call to walk through this sequence. The doula who can describe it clearly is already showing you how they work.
