First, let’s start of with what a doula is and why you may get a Portland doula for your child’s birth before we get into the groups here!
Portland Doulas for Birth
What is a doula and should I want one?
A doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.
-DONA International
Doulas are birth assistants there not in a medical capacity, but to support and advocate for the birthing person! Someone to just support me during this process? Yes, please, sounds wonderful! While your midwife, nurses, and/or OB will have other patients to take care of, your doula is there just for you – the whole time. Doulas meet with you ahead of time to know your wishes and so when you are distracted they can support you with verbal encouragement, massage, and let other staff know how you would like your birth to go. Whether you are at home, a birthing center, or a hospital, your Portland doula will come with you and provide you all the emotional and physical support they can. There are studies out there that show that having a doula can decrease your chances of a caesarean, increase your chances of an unmedicated spontaneous birth and increase your chances of being satisfied with your birthing experience. I never personally had one, but I think they’re an amazing option to have someone there to make sure your wishes are honored and that you are supported the whole time! We are so super lucky to live in such a progressive, inclusive area that has so many options too! These three options below all offer matchmaker services so you can just tell them about yourself and they will set you up on a free video chat with someone they think will be a perfect match for you! How cool!
Women who receive continuous support during labour have reduced risk of caesarean, instrumental delivery or need for analgesia compared to usual care
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21949277/
Portland doulas are not typically covered by insurance, but if you have an HSA or FSA, they qualify as an expense that can be paid for with that! Doulas are a great way to make sure someone is with you to take care of your feelings no matter where you are at.
Portland Doula Love
This is a group of Portland doulas who work under the same coordinator. You are guaranteed a backup doula from their group in the rare event that the one you have chosen is unable to attend. This group has been around since 2012, and has helped nearly 5000 Portland Families with their classes and doulas! They have lots of fabulous doulas at their practice, but Shondra comes particularly highly recommended. They also offer tons of classes on everything from hypnobabies birthing, to baby cpr to conscious fathering. I did hypnobabies classes with my second child, and I can attest that it is very helpful for learning to work through labor! Portland Doula Love’s service area includes up to Vancouver and down to Salem too! You can browse their website and doula descriptions here: https://portlanddoulalove.com/ They offer free matchmaking if you are having a hard time picking too!
Birth First Doula
This group of Portland Doulas has 13 doulas in their practice. They have several recorded classes that you are able to access at your leisure to learn about labor and newborn care, as well as live Q&A for your questions! https://www.birthfirstdoulas.com/
Brave Birth Doula Care – Portland
This is another large group of Portland doulas. They have 15 doulas in their practice. Their prices are nicely laid out on their website and range from $850-$2200. They offer a virtual meeting every Thursday from 6:30-8pm where you can ask your pregnancy related questions and connect with a local Portland Doula. They offer add-ons for the first night home and feeding support. I wish I would have known about that! I would have loved to have someone tend to the baby other than nursing and tidy up the house and make food while my husband and I rest from being awake for labor and birth! How amazing does that sound!? You can check out their website, doulas and FAQ’s here: https://www.bravebirth.com/ And if the options are too overwhelming, you can ask to be matched through their matchmaker who will suggest the perfect Portland Doula for you!
I hope you’ve found this helpful! If you’re pregnant and looking for a Portland Doula to support you through your labor, I’m sure you will find someone amazing off this list! Be sure to check out my list of pediatricians too!
