Birth Doula FAQs
What is the investment I will make for doula services?
The standard fee for the Birth Doula service is $1250.00 + GST. This fee is broken up into several payments. We also provide a sliding scale option to those that qualify. (To qualify you must receive the Manitoba Healthy Baby Benefit or currently receive Social Assistance)
How can a doula help me?
One of your doula’s primary goals is to get to know you and your support team, building a warm and trusting relationship so that, by the time your baby is ready to be born, you feel confident and supported by everyone involved. Your doula will work with you to clarify your goals for the birth and support you in working toward them. They can help explain information discussed with your doctor or midwife and suggest topics you may wish to explore further with your care provider. Once labour begins, your doula will remain with you throughout the entire process, offering continuous emotional support and non-medical comfort measures. They also help ensure your support person is involved at a level that feels right for them. Trained in the physiology of birth, your doula can help explain medical terminology and procedures, while creating a calm and reassuring environment. After the birth, your doula will assist with early feeding and support you in processing your birth experience. They remain available to answer questions, offer suggestions, or simply be a listening ear before and after the birth.
What can I expect from my doula?
Your doula will meet with you one to three times before the birth to answer questions, discuss the birth process and infant feeding, assist with creating a birth plan if desired, provide resources, and build a supportive relationship with you and your chosen support person. Once labour begins, your doula will be available by phone until you are ready for in-person support, either at home or in the hospital. They will remain with you throughout your labour and birth, offering comfort measures, information, advocacy and emotional support. After the birth, your doula will stay for about an hour to assist with early feeding and immediate postpartum support. They will visit you after the birth to help process the experience, answer questions, offer additional resources, and provide a listening ear.
A doula is trained to be your emotional support and provide you with comfort measures during your birth. A nurse or midwife is trained to do medical procedures and evaluate the well-being of both you and child. As shifts change, you may see many different nurses throughout your labour, whereas your doula stays with you continuously. Also, your doula focuses only on you, but a nurse or midwife may have other patients to look after at the same time. Whatever caregivers you choose, doulas work cooperatively with your entire healthcare team.
What is the difference between a nurse or midwife and a doula?
Do I need a doula if I have a midwife?
Absolutely! While there is some overlap between the roles of doulas and midwives, there are important distinctions. A midwife’s primary responsibility peaks at the time of birth, when they must be fully focused and alert to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both the parent and the baby. This often means conserving energy earlier in labour to be fully present and effective when it matters most. Midwives do provide labour support, but their clinical responsibilities—such as monitoring vital signs, charting, and preparing for the birth—must take precedence.
In contrast, a doula’s role peaks during active labour and transition, when physical and emotional support is most needed. By the time the birth occurs, much of the doula’s work has already been accomplished—providing continuous comfort measures, encouragement, and guidance throughout labour. While midwives focus on clinical care, your doula is there to support you and your birth team—coaching through contractions, refreshing the hot water bottle, topping up the birth tub, or bringing a glass of juice for you and tea for your support person. Doulas are especially valuable at home births, where an extra set of hands for clean-up or preparing a postpartum meal can make a big difference.
“When I became pregnant with our second child, I insisted on having both a midwife and a doula. Many people wondered why I wanted both and wouldn’t just one or the other be okay. I am a big researcher and one point that kept coming up consistently in my research explained that the midwife can concentrate on the baby and the doula can continue to concentrate her efforts on the mother and the father. Having two knowledgeable like-minded people attend my birth was what I wanted and having them working together as a team was incredibly calming for both my husband and myself and the baby during the entire process. A midwife and a doula bring different but compatible strengths to the entire experience. It was like having a family or a team of knowledgeable people surrounding us. So, 16 hours of drug free back labour hours later our daughter (Violet) was born in the hospital and 4 hours after that I went home. The experience was phenomenal and I would do it again in a heartbeat. So, if you can have both a doula and a midwife…go for it, you will never regret it!” Audra, Stephen, Samuel and Violet Penner
Your doula is there to support both you and your partner (or other chosen support people). Birth can be an intense and emotional experience for everyone involved, and your doula helps ease the pressure on support partners who may feel uncertain, overwhelmed, or unsure of how best to help. Whether it’s offering reassurance that what is happening is normal, guiding them through ways to support you, or simply giving them a chance to rest, your doula helps create space for your partner to be present in a way that feels right for them. Doulas often make gentle suggestions, model comfort techniques, and provide encouragement, helping your partner feel more confident and connected throughout the experience. In this way, your doula supports the whole birth team—strengthening your connection and creating a calmer, more supported environment for everyone.
How does a doula help my partner?
Doulas do not perform clinical or medical tasks such as vaginal exams or monitoring fetal heart tones. They do not speak to medical staff on your behalf or make decisions for you. Instead, your doula’s role is to support you in understanding your options, provide emotional and physical comfort, and help you advocate for yourself. Doulas centre your wishes, helping you feel informed, confident, and respected in the decision-making process throughout your birth experience.
What doesn’t a doula do?
A doula’s goal is to support you in having the most positive and empowering birth experience possible—whatever that looks like for you. If using pain medication is part of your plan, your doula can provide information about your options so you can make informed decisions that align with your values and needs. They will support you and your partner through the early stages of labour, when non-medical comfort measures may still be needed, and continue offering encouragement and guidance through the pushing stage. Your doula is there to help reduce the likelihood of unnecessary interventions while respecting and supporting your choices every step of the way.
Do I need a doula if I'm planning to have an epidural?
No. Your doula brings training and experience that goes beyond what a support partner may learn in a prenatal class. No matter how familiar your partner is with childbirth, the experience can still be intense and unpredictable. A doula’s presence helps ease the pressure of being the sole support person, allowing your partner to be more emotionally present, responsive, and connected during the birth. Rather than replacing your partner, your doula enhances their role—working alongside them to support you with care, encouragement, and confidence throughout the experience.
Isn’t my partner my doula?
The earlier the better! Although the number of visits you have with your doula will be the same whether you contact them at 12 weeks or at 35 weeks, the difference is that you'll have someone you know that you can call on with those "Is this normal?" or "What does this mean?" sort of phone calls throughout your pregnancy. As well, the longer you have known your doula, the more of a relationship you will build. Furthermore, we tend to book up very quickly, so it is a good idea to contact us soon so that we can be sure to have a doula available. That being said, don't assume you're too far along. Give us a call, and we will make every effort to accommodate your request for a doula.
At what point in my pregnancy should I contact a doula?
Whether your cesarean is planned or becomes part of your birth journey along the way, a doula can offer calm, compassionate, and knowledgeable support throughout the experience.
If you’re planning a cesarean, your doula can help you feel informed and prepared—answering questions, providing resources, and helping you understand what to expect during the procedure and recovery. After the birth, they can assist with feeding, offer practical tips for postpartum healing and offer encouragement as you begin healing.
If a cesarean is recommended during labour, your doula can guide you in asking questions so you feel empowered in your decision-making. They’ll help you explore the reasons, risks, benefits, and any available alternatives—so you can make the choice that’s best for you and your baby.
No matter how your baby is born, it’s still your birth—and your doula is there to honour and celebrate it with you. From supporting your partner to helping you connect with your baby right away, your doula ensures that you’re cared for, seen, and supported every step of the way.
Your birth story matters—however it unfolds. Your doula is here to walk with you through it.