Doula Burnout: How Do Doula Rates Impact Doula Burnout?
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Kaely Harrod 0:01
Hello and welcome back today's episode we are diving into the third cause of doula burnout. And that is, how do your prices impact the rate? Welcome to doula Tips and Tips, the podcast where I answer one question about pregnancy postpartum, or lactation. This is a space where it's safe to have questions and we're gonna give you real answers. We're not going to beat around the bush or give you what we want you to know. We're going to answer in an evidence based way. I'm Kaylee Herat and experienced doula mama three lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I started this work in part because of my own lack of answers in my journey of pregnancy and birth. And I'm on a mission for families to be well informed and well supported through this time. This is a space where you will learn about questions that you didn't even know that you should be asking, and have answers to ones that you're already asking. The whole purpose here is for you to feel a bit more educated and informed and competent in this journey that often feels very new, and a little bit disconcerting. If you have not already I would love for you to subscribe to this podcast so that you get updates when there are new episodes. or head to our website Herat doula services.com to subscribe to our email updates so that you get notifications when we have a new episode Episodes Episode out. Thank you for joining us today. Now, I fully acknowledge that only about two episodes ago, three episodes ago, I dove into doula cost, right. So I want to start by talking about the fact that yes, this is very passionate thing I'm very passionate about. And also, I have discussed it before, and I will include that link in the show notes. But I also want to highlight it here as one of the four causes because I think that it is one of the top four causes of of doula burnout and doula burnout is very prevalent, right. And so as you're thinking through this work, as you're kind of gearing up for this work, as you're just branching into this work, I want you to really have the context about that kind of avoiding that burnout, and also how to set yourself up to have the least amount of it you possibly can, right. One of the things that I think is so important to consider in this work is that by default birth and postpartum work is something that carries a large amount of unpredictability, right. And so whether that's in timing, like when someone goes into labor, or how long that lever might last, or in trauma, and like things that are playing out, like, you know, your desire was to feed in a certain way, but that's not working. And so now you're pivoting from that, you're helping a client pivot from that, like all of those things cannot be known ahead of time, right? They are, by default, unknown aspects that come up in the midst of this season of life that we kind of work around. That being said, you can control some factors in order to lower the burnout, impact of those factors. So the four factors that I'm talking through in these four episodes are the amount of hours that you work, the self care rituals that you have, the fees that you charge, and the way that you process and handle secondary trauma that you experience. Now, that fourth one, the secondary trauma is you you can control how you process it, how you get help with it, right? You can't necessarily control if it happens. So that is one that is incredibly less predictable than the other three, right? The other three, you have a lot of ability to kind of preemptively set yourself up for success. Learn from the burnout of doulas past, right learn from the rest of us who've been doing this for a little bit of time, who have felt the impact of not doing these three things well, okay. So today is all about charging. So I want to reiterate that it is imperative that you charge an actual livable amount of money, okay? Now I again, I'm not gonna say you new doula need to charge blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, worth of money, right? I don't have a particular amount for you. However, I want you to think about something. If you are a new doula, and let's just I'm gonna use myself as an example because my first doula package I think was $750 which is man who? Yeah, it was too little. It was not enough. And let's say I was charging $750 and went to a berth for, I don't know, 36 hours, right? I think 42 is the longest I've ever been with a client at this point, but 36 hours 750. So if I now I didn't have that long of a birth in those early days. So I will caveat to say like, I didn't get paid 750 for a 36 hour birth, however, I'm just thinking through like, let's even just say 18 hours, right? Like the like a typical kind of, that's my average for how long I'm with a client 18 hours. So let's say I charged 750. And I have the initial doula consultation, that's like 45 minutes to an hour. And then I have a prenatal visit, that's one or two hours long, some people have more than one prenatal visit one or two hours long, right? And then I may be emailing you information or my clients, right? I'm emailing them information, or I'm texting with them, I'm asking questions, and they're asking me questions, and we're going back and forth. And then I'm supporting them virtually, usually in some portion of labor, and then I'm supporting them in person, and then I stay for maybe two hours after the birth. And then once they're, they're kind of settled in the first week after after giving birth, I see them again for a postpartum visit. Now, all of those hours together, that is what you're charging for, for that 750 On top of the things like building an ability to do self care, ability to have boundaries around how often you work, because if you're charging 750, and you need to be making $5,000 a month, how many births you're gonna have to go to a whole bunch of births, right, like a lot of births, more than you probably should attend in one month. Because of that sustainability factor of how many hours you're working, what that wear and tear is on your body. So for me, I think when I was first starting out, I was kind of like, what's the minimum that I would be okay, getting paid. And that's what I started with, which is honestly a terrible way to start it. And I I know I said this in the other episode, but it was 100% impostor syndrome and fear and a good portion of poverty mindset, if I'm honest, right, like the mindset of just like, we just need enough to get by, because that's the the mode that we had been living in since grad school. Right? And so we were just like, Cool, man, what do we need to survive? And then I brought that into this business work. Okay. So let's say you are getting paid maybe $1,000 for a birth, right? I still want you to think through all those hours, because $1,000 And you're seeing them maybe two times, then that's maybe like six hours worth of work prenatally, at least per client at a minimum, right? And then maybe 18 hours during the birth, and then maybe two hours after. So what are we at then like, like already almost to 30 hours, 2028 hours? And then for you know, two hours after that? And then you need to think through? Like how much recovery time are you going to need? And do you need to have like food and gas and mileage covered in that? And do you have like child care in the midst of it that you need to be paying for? And do you have other expenses associated with this? Are you going to need some body work afterwards, like, all of that plays a part in it. And it's not as simple as saying, okay, I get $1,000, and I'm roughly spending 30 to 40 hours for a client. And I feel good about that cost per hour, right? But the reality is, if you have a website, if you have an email, if you have to keep up your insurance, if you have to pay your LLC fees, like there are other costs in the business, that means that that $1,000 does not break down to an hourly wage for you, that that you can really break it out and be like, Oh, I get paid like a good amount of money, right? Like a good per hour kind of amount. Okay, so I really want you to take time to think this through. And it is something that you might need to talk with an accountant about or to think through in terms of logistics of what services you're going to offer and things like that. But it is vital to the sustainability of this work to charge in a way that actually brings profit to the business and also brings money to you as the person who's doing this work who needs to get paid. Okay, so
Kaely Harrod 9:47
I am gonna get off of my very passionate so box about getting paid sufficiently. I also just want to acknowledge the like lovely help and guidance and encouragement I've had over the years in this It's looked like some doulas who start charging more money and encouraged me to do the same. It's looked like a few clients who have said to me like you really don't charge enough, right? Like for all this work that you're doing with us, like you should be charging more, this is what we think it should look like, this is what we would be happy to pay for you. I am so grateful for that, because that is what we all need, right? Like in life in business, we all need some help, encouragement, coaching, etc. And that is what I have also received along the way. Now. I hope that for you, I wish that for you as well. And also I have a wonderful thing I want to tell you about that is a little step in that direction. Right? So if you've listened to the last couple episodes, you've heard me talk about my newest offering, which I'm so pumped for. It's my free masterclass happening on March 7, at 12 noon, Eastern, it's happening entirely virtual so you can you can attend it from anywhere and the replay will be available for an entire week because babies right doula work keeps us on our toes. So if you have a baby calm on March 7, it's okay you are able to watch it later. It is about the three main ways the three most important ways in my mind to keep your to kind of set your business up to be sustainable and successful both okay, because I want both of those things for you. I want you to be able to both be successful and sustainable at the same time. Now spots are filling up fast for this and so I really do want you to take time to grab your spot ASAP, even if it's just because you're planning to do the replay. That is fine. But I do not want you to miss the chance to attend because I don't have unlimited availability for it. Okay, so grab that spot. It's entirely free. I'm super excited to see you and get to interact with you there. Until the next episode, our last burnout episode. I wish you well informed consent Phil do live experiences this has been Kaylee daily doula Tips and Tips. I'm so glad that you were here joining us today. I am not your medical provider. And so all of this information is intended to be educational and entertainment. Please use it as such. And if you have questions about your own medical health, or need recommendations from your own provider, please do speak to them. This is not intended to replace them in any way. We are so happy that you are here joining us in this walk through pregnancy postpartum and lactation. Please take a second to like and subscribe, leave a positive review. That is how other families get to hear about us and get to learn from all the answers that we have here on this podcast. As always, I would really love to connect with you. I love answering questions. I know that you know that because you are here, but I would love to hear what your questions are. So if I have not yet answered them on the podcast, I would love to add them to the list of questions to be answered. please do reach out to me on Instagram or via email Kaely at Herat, doula services.com so that I can answer whatever question you have, and so that I can hear the feedback that you have about the podcast. Until we meet again, I wish you well informed consent filled birth and postpartum experiences
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Doula Burnout cause number three! Now, part of the goal here is to highlight causes of doula burnout that you can actively work to change in your business. I’m not necessarily saying everyone can change all of them at once, but they are able to be changed and as much as you can be prophylactic about burnout the more successful you’ll be at avoiding it.
This third cause of burnout is not charging enough money. Now, there are multiple parts to this, and I would be entirely remiss to not factor in the extreme inequality of who has access to doulas in the United States especially. There is a VAST disparity. And I am a huge proponent of doula access, but that needs to be done in a way that the doulas are not the ones carrying that burden and therefore facing significant fatigue and burnout.
Charing rates that accurately reflect the work that you do, plus the cost to yourself, your family and your business, is vital to this work being sustainable as a business. A business does not thrive on under-charging because that leaves someone in a loss and that someone is always going to be you in this scenario.
Key Takeaways:
How much do you NEED to make in profit in a year?
How much do you WANT to make in profit in a year?
Will your current prices get you to those two points?
If your answer to #3 is No, then this is something you must take time to evaluate in your business.
Past Doula Rate Podcast Episodes:
Episode 94: https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/kaely-daily-podcast/how-much-do-doulas-get-paid
Episode 93: https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/kaely-daily-podcast/can-i-make-a-full-time-salary-while-working-as-a-doula
Join us in the New Doula Masterclass Just for YOU! This masterclass goes into the 3 steps for both success AND sustainability in your doula business. Spots are limited so be sure to grab your free spot today!
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/doula-mentoring-masterclass
CONNECT with Kaely on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
This podcast is hosted by the Birth Prep Blueprint - comprehensive Childbirth Education for expectant parents to feel calm, prepared and confident about labor and birth. Podcast listeners (that’s YOU!) get 10% off! Use the link below and coupon code PODCAST
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/birth-prep-blueprint
** The Birth Prep Blueprint is offered for only $20 to anyone who qualifies for any kind of social services (meaning that a family has a lower income to the point that they would qualify for WIC or SNAP or Medicaid, etc.). No need to disclose your income, just which service you qualify for and the link can be sent right over. Just email kaely@harroddoulaservices.com to learn more.
If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me @harroddoula
Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
