Investing In Yourself - how can you afford a postpartum doula?
I get it, doula care is expensive.
You might be the first on in your family or friend group to “splurge” on a postpartum doula. However, postpartum care is not a luxury. It is an absolute essential need that must be met in order for new mothers to properly heal after birth, establish a good breastfeeding relationship, and bond with baby.
This is an investment in your future wellbeing. This is an investment in the health of you family.
I will work with families to ensure postpartum care is an obtainable reality for them. In addition to offering payment plans, I can help you navigate the following options for payment.
Washington State Medicaid Doula Benefits
I am a certified doula through the Washington State Department of Health, which means I can accept clients who are covered by Apple Health (Medicaid) for both birth and postpartum doula work.
Under Apple Health, clients are entitled to the following services:
One prenatal intake visit
Continuous labor and delivery support
20 hours for additional prenatal and postpartum visits, including one comprehensive postpartum visit
I work with Medicaid clients to maximize this benefit and best meet their individual needs. This program is NOT a reimbursement program and is no cost to the client.
“Birth doulas are trained nonclinical professionals who provide emotional, physical, psychosocial, and informational support to pregnant, birthing, post-pregnant people, and their families.
Evidence supports doulas improving outcomes across a range of metrics for this population, including infants, and a larger positive impact for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. There has long been support in Washington for increasing access to doulas, especially for people on Apple Health.”
Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts
Generally, health savings accounts (HSA) and flexible savings accounts (FSA) are allowed to be used to cover doula services with a letter from your health care provider. This means you can use tax-free dollars to invest in your birthing and postpartum experiences.
As your doula I can provide childbirth education, breastfeeding education, and postpartum education to help you reach your goals.