The Benefits of Hiring a Doula Agency: Comprehensive Birth Support for Kearney Families
“Doulas are non-medical members of your birth team who provide physical, emotional, and informational support during the childbearing year. We’re the tireless hand applying pressure to your sacrum, the walking encyclopedia of all things birth-related, the gentle voice reminding you, “you can, and you are!”
Bringing a new baby into the world is an extraordinary, transformative experience for new and seasoned parents alike. It can also be an overwhelming, challenging, or confusing journey, between the physical demands of pregnancy, the emotional rollercoaster of labor and birth, and the “is this normal?” questions of caring for your new baby. To navigate this life stage with confidence and support, many families choose to hire a doula.
Since you’re here, you may already know what a doula does, but in case you don’t here’s a quick recap: doulas are non-medical members of your birth team who provide physical, emotional, and informational support during the childbearing year. We’re the tireless hand applying pressure to your sacrum, the walking encyclopedia of all things birth-related, the gentle voice reminding you, “you can, and you are!” We’re best described as birth coaches, but unlike sports coaches, we don’t just sit on the sidelines and observe. We’re in the game too!
What Exactly is a Doula Agency?
A doula agency employs many doulas, carefully vetting and hiring the best doulas for the team. The agency is responsible for advertising, following up on leads, scheduling meetings, and handling contracts and paperwork. The agency assigns doulas to each client based on the doula’s availability and the client’s specific needs. Doulas are then paid by the agency for the services they provide. Having the agency take care of business and administrative duties frees up doulas to just be doulas!
While individual or solo doulas provide amazing and invaluable support, hiring an agency can provide even more well-rounded support. Here are some of the amazing benefits of hiring a doula agency for your next birth!
Multifaceted Support for Many Needs
One of the most significant advantages of working with our doula agency is that we have multiple doulas working toward the same goal: improving birth outcomes and increasing birth satisfaction in our community. We’ve worked to make sure our care is consistent so when you hire one of us, you receive the same care you’d get from the rest of us. Because there are more of us, we have a deeper wealth of knowledge to draw upon than we would have if we worked alone. And with our unique skill sets and experiences, we’re better positioned to support families of all backgrounds and lifestyles.
Another cool perk is that we’re able to provide a broader spectrum of services than we would have if we worked alone. Just as a restaurant couldn’t offer a large menu with only one chef, one doula can’t be everything (though we may try). Together, we’re able to combine our abilities to provide a larger “menu” and offer a wider range of support to Kearney families. This means you won’t have to go to several different providers to get the doula support you’re looking for. It’s all here!
Our current offerings include birth and postpartum doula services, lactation support, babywearing education, birth photography, placenta encapsulation, and body balancing sessions. Our goal is to add many more services as we grow. By offering a wider range of services, we ensure continuity of care that extends beyond the birth of your baby. Our team is always looking to expand our role. We’re constantly seeking learning opportunities to keep our skills sharp and learn new ways to support Kearney’s families.
Seamless Support When Life Happens
Another really important benefit of hiring a doula agency is knowing you’ll be well looked after, even when unexpected things happen. Occasionally, there are circumstances where a doula might not be able to make it to a client’s birth. We’re human, and even though we’re committed to being there for our clients, sometimes things come up such as sickness, emergencies, family needs, or even another client’s birth! As an independent doula, it’s sometimes hard to balance our work with the other things that come up. It can cause a lot of stress and worry for the doula. Even worse, if they’re unable to find another doula to provide backup, it can leave a client without the support they need.
The Childbirth Circle is dedicated to ensuring all of our clients’ needs are covered. If for some reason your doula isn’t able to attend your birth, we are able to provide a backup doula at no cost. Your backup doula will have your birth plan, goals, and preferences Our team-based approach ensures that no client goes unsupported through their birth experience. We hope you’ll feel confident that you’re in excellent hands, no matter what comes up.
Preventing Doula Burnout
It might be surprising to hear that the doula shelf life is pretty short. Many doulas tend to burn out after just a few years. There are many factors behind this phenomenon, but at the core, doula work is hard work. It requires much sacrifice, especially when you’re trying to go it alone. The Childbirth Circle is actively working to preserve Kearney’s doula presence. By providing backups for long births, allowing time off from being on call, offering competitive pay, and providing in-house support from other doulas, we’re hoping to alleviate some of the struggles doulas face. Additionally, since we all have different specialties and offerings, so we aren’t expected to be the end-all-be-all for our clients. Many hands make light work, and we can more evenly distribute the load when we come together.
Preventing burnout doesn’t just help doulas; it also helps the community. It’s important to retain our experienced caregivers. Not only does it cost more to continually train new doulas, but we are losing valuable wisdom every time a doula leaves the career. Keeping our doulas also keeps familiar faces in the hospitals, making it easier for doulas to provide cooperative care with the medical staff who already know them. Finally, if doulas keep burning out, someday there may be no one left to provide the unique, intimate support that only a doula can provide. Keeping doulas in our community long-term helps to improve birth outcomes and satisfaction with birth experiences among Kearney families.
Extensive Network and Resources
While individual doulas typically have a lot of information about local resources, a doula agency is better positioned to connect with an extensive network of healthcare professionals, lactation consultants, and other specialists. Since we began in 2023, we have made connections with so many amazing professionals in our community, including chiropractors, OTs, nurses, and OBGYNs. We’re so thrilled to be a part of this dedicated and caring community.
In addition to being well-connected in the community, we also have a greater combined knowledge of resources and information relevant to the individual needs of our clients. This provides families with a valuable resource pool to tap into, ensuring access to evidence-based information, referrals, and additional support as needed.
Embrace Your Birth
Choosing a doula agency can provide Kearney families with well-rounded birth support. With our fantastic team of dedicated doulas, wide range of services, access to a wealth of resources, and seamless professional support, The Childbirth Circle offers Kearney families an invaluable service. More than that, we offer peace of mind. By investing in our expertise and compassionate care, you can embrace the transformative journey of childbirth and parenthood with confidence. We love birth, and we want you to love yours too.
