back up doula question

[brilliant]

so in having a back up doula, how does it work? do you pay them for being on call in case you can't make it or do you just have a reciprocal agreement?

i have a babysitter who will be on call for the same times that i am. that way i can drop my kids off if i need to without having to search for someone. i will be paying her $50 per on call session. so i'm wondering if i should offer the same thing to a back up doula.

being on call is a serious committment so i want to ensure professionalism.

[UtahDoula]

What I do with my backups is this:
1. We don't pay in general for backup when we are in town. We just generally agree that if someone has a long birth, two clients in labor simultaneously, or happens to have the stomach flu, we'll be on call. We call this a secondary on call, because the doula that was hired is still on call.
2. If I use my backup for a long birth or illness, or whatever, she gets paid for doing the birth. She'll get paid more if she did the whole birth than she would if she only came in for the last 4 hours of a 36 hour birth.
3. If I am going to be out of town unexpectedly and need my backup to be the primary person on call, She would get paid for that on call time.

[heathenmamaof5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UtahDoula What I do with my backups is this: 1. We don't pay in general for backup when we are in town. We just generally agree that if someone has a long birth, two clients in labor simultaneously, or happens to have the stomach flu, we'll be on call. We call this a secondary on call, because the doula that was hired is still on call. 2. If I use my backup for a long birth or illness, or whatever, she gets paid for doing the birth. She'll get paid more if she did the whole birth than she would if she only came in for the last 4 hours of a 36 hour birth. 3. If I am going to be out of town unexpectedly and need my backup to be the primary person on call, She would get paid for that on call time.

this is the way it works around here also

[GentlerBirth]

I have a primary back up who is a semi-partner, if that makes any sense. We are always automatically on-call for each other's clients. We have no money changing hands unless we actually have to cover for the other. In that case, the back-up is paid 50% of the fee collected. If the birth was taken as free, they collect nothing.