The Doula Craze
Parents love them. Hospitals aren't so sure.
by Vivian Manning-Schaffel
December 3, 2007
The DONA website claims that more than twenty-five insurance companies have provided some third-party reimbursement for doula labor support, but none of the mothers interviewed for this story saw a cent.
Patterson lobbied to get her insurance company to kick back for the doula used in both of her births, but her efforts fell flat. "I appealed twice, but my insurance company refused to reimburse me stating lack of medical necessity. I found it ironic. I avoided medication with my doula's help. She saved them a lot of money."
When it's time to go home, postpartum doulas can lend a hand for an hourly fee that averages $15-$60 an hour.
"Mothers are often neglected postpartum," says Gauthier. "She still needs help with pain and breastfeeding. If the father doesn't get much of a paternity leave and her family is miles away, she's left at home to fend for herself. A postpartum doula can really help out."
Robin Muskin was grateful for hers after the birth of her first child a few years ago. "I was stuck alone in the 'burbs, and didn't have a clue what I was doing," says Muskin. "The doula was a big help with breastfeeding and the everyday things you don't think about, like holding my son so I could make dinner or take a shower."
In other words, a doula is a mighty shield-for-hire against the hazards of insufficient birthing support. They take the heat off of partners unequipped to act as knowledgeable birthing advocates and compensate for overworked and inattentive labor and delivery nurses (the women on my neighborhood parenting message board have plenty of horror stories about feeling "punished by the hospital staff"). They also provide postpartum support in a day and age when the proverbial village it takes to raise a child has all but dissolved.
The terror and elation of childbirth forged a new degree of intimacy between my husband and me, and I'm counting on his strong grip and snappy repartee to again be what grounds me come take two. But rather than take my chances, I'm going to join the ranks of the doula'ed. I just wish I could get the care I deserve without having to dip into my unborn's college tuition.
©2007 Vivian Manning-Schaffel and Nerve Media
About the Author
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Vivian Manning-Schaffel has written for Parents, Parenting, The Advocate, The New York Post, Business Week and a variety of other publications. She lives and works in the heart of breeder Brooklyn with her husband and two kids. She's on the web at vivianmanningschaffel.com. |
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