Hello ladies - I will preface this question by saying I have had nothing but good relationships/experiences with back-up relationships BUT.....

was just wondering if you have anything in writing re payment, responsibilities, pay an honorarium for gas and time if backup attends prenatals, etc.

For example....
If the back-up goes to the client and the primary becomes available - do you leave or stay if it is okay to (with client, other doula, staff)

If the backup attends the delivery, who does the postpartum visits?

Does the back up sign the contract you have with your client?

Does you client get to meet your back-up? What if they don't 'gel'?

So - what do you do? I have never used my back-up, have always had a backup and attended 3 births AS the backup. Just got me thinking about it! R

In my experience, I've been back up once for another doula (and actually ended up attending the birth. There was no contract cause it was a volunteer birth for her, no pmt or anything). She has been on-call for me as my back up twice but both times I made it back in town by the time the mom went into labor. For both of these, they were volunteer births for me so no pmt or reimbursement would have been involved. We both sort of agreed that we'd just help each other out. If pmt were involved, I'm sure it would be another story. I'd probably (like in the instance of my July client) keep the deposit and first $100 pmt, if my back up attended the birth I'd give her the 2nd $100 pmt and I'd keep the final $50 pmt. Only b/c in this case my client and I are rather close and have been in great contact with one another. I would probably do the pp visit myself as well. I think it's something I would, at this point in my doula-career, do case by case.
As far as not 'gelling'...one client didn't care about mtg back up. She trusted me and said if they didn't mesh she'd just tell her to leave. Lol Another client didn't really want back up at all (she was going to go without if I couldn't make it) but I gave her the numbers anyway. I think it's really up to the client. I always offer for them to meet her...sometimes they care, sometimes they don't.

I don't have anything in writing with my back up.

Ooh really good questions... I've not had to call in a back up yet but I'm sure at some point it'll happen, these are good to think about...

We've had really good luck with just being specific about what we each expect. I think most of us pick back-ups that have similar styles to us which works out well.

I have 3 doula friends that I work with on back-up, I try to wait until I've met mom first so I can kind of match the back-up up to their style too, then they generally come with me to the second meeting to meet mom if they can.

If they don't gel I would find another back-up and explain to the one that mom was looking for something different I guess... not sure, that's a tough one.

For paying clients I do give back-ups $25 to be on call with me and half of my fee if they get called in to do the birth. For reduce rate clients I try to give something toward being on call too, free clients I just ask if they mind helping me with a free client and so far everyone's been okay to back me up.

If the back-up gets called and I became free I don't think I would go in, it's never happened so I can't say for sure but I would think at that point a bond has been formed and they're all probably working well together, my coming in and switching things up might take away from the continuous support aspect of it... I may feel differently if a mom wanted me to come when I became free though. :shrug

I'd always thought that if a back-up ended up doing the birth we would both do the postpartum visit, since I would have done the prenatal work and the back up would have done the birth I just always thought that would work out best.

I've never asked them or been asked about them signing the clients agreement... good question.

My arrangement is similar to LeAnne's...basically have an "on call" payment of $50, if back-up attends the birth they get an additional $150 payment and we both attend the postpartum visit. Haven't been to a back up birth yet or needed her to cover for me yet for that matter...and not all of my clients want a back-up.
As for the meeting with a potential back-up client we've done it at a prenatal appointments before...but we are going to just meet them for coffee now and not an official prenatal. This will be a shorter meeting and not as involved in case no one "gels".

As for the meeting with a potential back-up client we've done it at a prenatal appointments before...but we are going to just meet them for coffee now and not an official prenatal. This will be a shorter meeting and not as involved in case no one "gels".

That's a really good idea :)

LeAnn...yeah the coffee meeting is much better...I have gone to meet back up's and been at the prenatal for like 3 hours~!!! Not fun when it's not your client and you just sit quietly!