Over the years, I have gone to hundreds of interviews as a doula. Some couples come to the consultation fully prepared with a list of questions ready, while others arrive with no idea what to ask. It’s so important to choose the right birth doula for you, and being prepared with the right questions ahead of time will help you choose the best support person. But how do you know who is the right choice?

First, you need to have a good understanding of what a doula is and what you want/are looking for in a birth doula. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, here are 30 questions that will help determine just that. I have been asked all of these questions, and more, and these are my top birth doula interview questions. These will help you get started and realize which questions are most important for you to ask when deciding on a doula.

The Best Questions to Ask When Hiring a Doula

When you sit down with a potential doula, having thoughtful questions ready will help you compare your options and choose the best fit for your birth.

1. Are you available for my due date?

This is the #1 question to ask before you even schedule an interview. You want to ensure you aren’t wasting time meeting with someone already booked around your baby’s due date or who will be out of town.

2. How Many births do you take per month?

Some doulas only take one client per month, and others take five or six clients or even more monthly. You may not feel comfortable with someone taking too many due dates in a month (since that increases their chances of needing to use their backup for your birth). I usually recommend that a doula take on no more than four birth doula clients per month, which is approximately one birth per week.

3. Do you have any other clients with due dates near mine?

If the doula has other clients due during your month, ask about their due dates and whether they will be delivering close to where you will be delivering. Just in case the doula is going from one birth to another. I have had people due over a month apart go into labor on the same day, but other clients who were due just days apart delivered their babies on completely different weeks. You never know!

4. Are you going to be in town for my due date?

If they are going out of town near or around your baby’s due date, you will want to ask how long they will be away, how far away they will be (maybe it’s not a far drive), and how they handle births if they are out of town.

5. Do you have a backup doula? How did you choose your backup doula?

Doulas must have at least one backup doula. If the doula you are interviewing doesn’t have a backup doula, do not hire her as your doula. You should always receive care even if your hired doula happens to be unavailable. You never know; she could get into an accident on the way to your birth, be severely and/or contagiously ill, be stuck in a flood, etc. Things happen. You need to know who her backup is and how and why she chose her as her backup. It’s also nice if you can meet her backup in advance or at least talk to her over the phone.

Related: Create Your Perfect Birth Plan (Free Template & Checklist)

6. Where did you receive your doula training?

I take my doula career very seriously and have invested a lot of time and money in my training and certifications. If I were to make this my profession, I would need to treat it as such. I believe all doulas should be trained and follow a code of ethics. (You’d be surprised by the number of doulas that choose not to be trained or certified.) With so many doula trainings available now, it’s essential to become familiar with them. The ones I recommend the most are DONA and CAPPA since they are globally recognized and respected organizations.^1,2

7. How long ago was your training? What was required of you to receive your certification? How long did it take you to finish your training? Have you done any continuing education?

Receiving a certification and continuing education is a great way to stay current on birth topics and remain familiar and knowledgeable about new/different support methods. However, as I said before, not all doulas choose to be trained or certified. She may have other experience that equally qualifies her to do doula work. She could be an RN who worked as a labor and delivery nurse or a retired midwife. I believe that even these women should go through doula training because these roles are very different. However, these women have much more experience than those without labor support experience.

Related: Doula vs. Midwife: What’s the Difference?

8. What is your birth philosophy?

This question is always interesting to ask a doula and could be answered in many ways. There is no particular correct answer. By asking this question, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the doula you are interviewing. Your potential doula’s answer will reveal her passion and commitment to birth, helping you form a wise opinion about hiring her for your upcoming labor and birth.

9. How long have you been a doula? How Many births have you been to?

To some families, a lot of experience is really important. To others, it may not be as significant. Some families want to feel confident that the doula knows how to best support them at their birth, since birth can unfold in so many different ways. I will say, though, that experienced professionals all had to be beginners at some point, you know? Typically, individuals with less experience have lower fees, which is beneficial for families on a tight budget who still want ongoing support.

10. Have you had any children? If so, did your birth experiences influence you to become a doula? Why? What did you learn from your birth experiences?

Some women feel that they must hire a doula who has had a child themselves. To others, it may not be significant. Having that common bond is nice, but having their own baby isn’t necessary to be a good doula. (There are plenty of great male OBs out there that have never given birth, as well as great female OBs that have never had a baby.) If the doula hasn’t had a baby, hopefully, she has done additional training and is educating herself on the process to provide better support and care.

11. Why did you decide to become a doula?

This is always my favorite question to ask a doula. You can tell when someone loves their job when they tell you how they fell in love with their career as a doula.

12. What are your fees?

There isn’t a standard rate for doulas. Pricing could be as low as $300 (or possibly less if she is brand new) to as high as $2,000 or even more (depending on your location). Usually, newer doulas charge less than seasoned doulas. Regardless of how new the doula is, her time spent on training, remaining on-call, and providing continuous emotional, physical, and educational support should be compensated fairly.

13. What forms of payment do you accept?

Maybe they only accept cash or checks. They may only accept credit cards or can send you an invoice via PayPal. This is good to know, especially if you want to set up a payment plan.

14. What is included in your doula package?

How many prenatal visits will you have during your pregnancy? How long are your prenatal visits? Will you receive a postpartum visit after your baby is born? If so, one or two? Does their birth doula package include any of their other services? Maybe childbirth classes, massage, or placenta encapsulation? It’s good to know what you are paying for.

15. What do you typically cover during your prenatal visits?

If you’re curious about the topics they usually cover during their prenatal visits with clients, ask!

16. Where do you meet your clients for prenatal visits?

Some doulas will visit your home for prenatal appointments. Others may be part of an agency, and you will need to meet your doula at their office. Understand where your meetings will take place and whether you need to prepare or bring anything.

17. Have you been to my hospital or birth center before? What were your experiences like?

I have been to certain hospitals where I’ve had terrible experiences. I can say the same thing about a birth center, too. Asking the doulas what their experiences are like will give you a good idea of what your experience might be like. It will also show you how that doula handled those challenging births.

18. Have you worked with my doctor or midwife before? What were your experiences like?

The same applies to your care provider. Doulas work with them constantly, and they get to see behind the curtain and what your care provider is really like. This can help you better prepare for what to expect. Since they have the experience, they can tell you what you can expect from your doctor or midwife during labor and birth.

19. When will you join me in labor? Would you come to my home first?

Most doulas will help you labor at home before you go to the hospital. They want to ensure you don’t get to the hospital too soon. (You don’t want to get to the hospital too early just to be sent back home.)

Related: When To Go to the Hospital in Labor

20. How do you feel about cesarean births?

Doulas should support all births. There is no wrong way to have a baby. Everything is your choice. As long as you feel happy and satisfied with your experience, that was the right birth for you. Do not let a doula tell you that cesareans are all bad because that is definitely not true.

21. Do you attend cesarean births? If so, how do you support women during and after a cesarean?

If you know that you have the possibility of needing a C-section, it would be nice to let the doula know ahead of time so she can tell you how she will support you and your partner during this birth and C-section recovery experience.

Related: Can You Hire a Doula for a C-Section?

22. What if I labor longer than 12 hours or 24 hours? Will you still be there? Does the price change?

I personally charge only one package fee. Everyone pays the same fee, whether you have a 2-hour or a 48-hour birth. I don’t think it is right for a woman to worry about how much she will owe me at the end of her birth. She should not be staring at the clock between contractions. She shouldn’t be worrying about anything, for that matter! However, some doulas will charge an hourly fee after a certain point. Be sure to ask this in advance.

23. What happens to my fee if no labor support is provided? (If you have a fast birth, an emergency C-section for health reasons, etc.)

Some doulas replace that lost labor support time with alternative services, such as postpartum doula care, lactation support, or massage appointments. Other doulas refund a part of their fee. Understand how she handles situations like these that are beyond anyone’s control.

24. How long will you stay with me after I give birth?

It’s common for doulas to stay up to 2 hours (or even more) to help with initial breastfeeding, taking pictures for you and your new family member, etc.

25. How would you describe your support style as a doula?

This is a great question to ask a doula to better understand how they like to work. Some doulas are better at being quiet and providing a powerful, yet gentle and calm, presence. Others are better at being a coach or a cheerleader. Some will be like a mother, a sister, or a friend to you. Know what you want, and look for the characteristics within each doula you interview.

Related: The 5 Love Languages of Labor and Delivery

26. What do you typically do when supporting one of your clients during labor and birth?

It’s great to know the relaxation/coping techniques, as well as the different positions they use with their clients during labor. These answers will give you a good sense of how prepared they are to support you during your baby’s birth. (Do they use aromatherapy, massage, counter pressure, hydrotherapy, hot/cold packs, pressure points, etc.?)

27. How do you feel about epidurals or any pain medication?

Some doulas only like to work with women who want natural births. If you want an epidural or any other pain medication, you need to ensure that your doula supports those choices.

28. Do you have any references? If so, can I speak with your references? If not, do you have any reviews that I can read?

Reading reviews or speaking to other women who have used them as doulas is a great way to see if they are the right fit for you. Most women will go into full detail about their doula and how helpful she was at the birth, which always helps when determining the right doula for you.

29. (If you are taking Bradley classes or Hypnobabies/Hypnobirthing classes) How familiar are you with the childbirth classes that I’m taking? Have you supported anyone else who has taken these classes?

Most doulas are well-versed in the various childbirth classes available. Ask if your potential doula has experience supporting individuals using these specific techniques and what their experiences have been like. I recommend hiring a doula who is familiar with your chosen techniques and who prioritizes them in your discussions about her role in how the birth could unfold.

30. Do you offer any additional services? Have you done any other training?

Once I realized I wanted to be a birth doula, I decided to go to massage therapy school to better support laboring women. I then became a certified postpartum doula, childbirth educator, newborn educator, infant massage instructor, and more! You may find someone who has received extensive training and education in other areas, and you could also take advantage of their knowledge and other services.

Choosing a doula is a big decision, and asking the right questions can make it feel much less overwhelming. Use this list as a starting point, highlight the questions that matter most to you, and bring them to your interviews.

You can also download our free “Interview Questions to Ask a Doula” printable below and take it with you as a checklist.