Well, that's a funny word, DoulaTog... allow me to explain, "DoulaTog" is the catchy title of a birth professional that is a certified Birth Doula, but also a professional at documenting birth stories beautifully!
Most mamas know the undeniable evidence-based benefits of hiring a Doula. Just in case you are not so familiar with the stats, here they are:
39% decrease in the risk of Cesarean
15% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth (a.k.a. no medical induction!)
10% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
Shorter labors by 41 minutes on average
38% decrease in the baby’s risk of a low five-minute Apgar score
31% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience; mothers’ risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience was reduced with continuous support provided by a doula, but not hospital staff.
To read even more, follow this link to my source for this data: Evidence on: Doulas (evidencebasedbirth.com)
So, the results are in, Doulas can only make your birth experience better, but what about DoulaTogs?
Here are the 5 ways a DoulaTog can improve your birth experience:
THEY SAVE YOU TIME: When you get the happy news that a sweet baby is about to join your family, you automatically get bombarded with a to-do list the size of Texas! One item will be choosing your care provider (midwife?...OB?) and then you may start to consider a Birth Doula (and with one quick google search you realize you would be sorely mistaken if you didn't invest in the magic that is doula) But last night when you were scrolling the Gram (which somehow eerily "knows" you are pregnant and thus suddenly every other post you see is of a mom happy-crying with a pink cheeked fresh baby on her chest) you found yourself dreaming of preserving your upcoming experience by hiring a professional birth photographer. Aaaaand the to-do list just grew again! But wait! You don't have to interview 3 Doulas and then 3 Birth Photogs (that's a lot of coffee shop meetings!), instead, just look up your local DoulaTog! (achem, right here mama!) and when you feel that "yep she is going to be an awesome part of my birth team" feeling, you just checked two boxes in one swoop!
THEY IMPOROVE YOUR BIRTH SPACE: Have you heard the saying, "for every person you add to the birth room, you add 2 hours of labor" and "a watched pot doesn't boil" Well there is some wisdom there, when a mama knows that she has family, friends, and even her chosen birth team taking time out of their lives to be at her labor and birth, there is no way for her not to think about that. It adds pressure to a process that quite frankly doesn't work well under pressure. Mama's need to protect their birth space by minimizing the crowd + lowering the pressure to meet everyone's expectations for a "quick and beautiful birth". By hiring a DoulaTog you just decreased the pressure on yourself! One less person in your birth space could mean a more peaceful + shorter labor (can I get an "amen!")
THEY KNOW BIRTH: Lots of folks own a decent camera. Lots of folks are wonderful photographers. Lots of in-laws kindly offer to "snap a few pics" for you...but a DoulaTog truly knows photography AND birth. Doulas go through extensive training to understand birth on a factual, emotional and spiritual level. Doulas have witnessed birth in many settings, and understand the sights, sounds, and the general flow of the birth space. DoulaTogs are especially great at navigating the room with a midwife or OB. (remember your care provider already loves them because they are ONE person and not TWO). This makes a Birth Photographer who is also trained as a Doula a better birth documenter than one that is a Birth Photographer alone.
THEY KNOW YOU: You may be thinking, "how can one person be my Doula (picturing hip-squeezes and holding your hand for hours) and also take photos that capture the story?" That is a valid concern, but the wonderful thing about your Doula ALSO being your birth photographer is that she has spent hours before your birth getting to know you and your birth partner. Someone who knows your priorities, little facts about your personality and your story can better judge when you will need her to keep doula-ing or if it's more important to capture that special moment you dream of getting to revisit over and over. Communication is key to getting this right, so if you only meet your photographer once, will they know you well enough to document your story in a way that feels true to YOU?
THEY SAVE YOU MONEY: Well time is money, and we already learned that a DoulaTog saves you time, but what about actual cash? Let's do the math:
A Doula (in my area of DFW in 2022) each would charge an average fee around $1300
A Birth Photographer for photos only is on average $1300
A DoulaTog is providing two services in one, but often doesn't charge double. For example, my Fee for DoulaTog is $1750, not $2600.
Here is why it isn't double, a Doula who is also capturing the birth story, may capture beautiful high-quality images, but may fall short on the quantity of final images. My DoulaTog Package promises at minimum 20 final images, where my Birth Photography Package promises at least 75 final images. To put it clearly, I cannot promise you will get as many images in your final gallery as you would if you hired a birth photographer separately, so it reflects that in the fee.
So, you can see, using a DoulaTog will save you time and money. >>insert applause<< Plus a DoulaTog can make your birth space more peaceful and you are more likely to be happy with the experience and memories preserved because she takes the time to get to know YOU! Hire a DoulaTog for a better birth.