I'm interested in what other doulas have come up with in terms of childcare arrangements for their children when they're at a birth.

I don't have any family nearby. How do you ask someone to be on call to take your kids? What types of arrangements work for you? I'm finding childcare options, but they want a specified schedule, which is impossible. I can't afford to pay for times when they aren't there or I might as well stay home.

Also, what are reasonabe rates for childcare per hour during regular business hours for two children ages 2 and 6? Does anyone actually pay more than $10 an hour for both?

I'm no help because between my husband and mom the kids have never had to leave the house. Most of the time my husband comes home or is already home when I'm called and on rare occasions my mom is able to come be with them until either he or I come home. There is no way I could or would do this without them and their support. When I leave I know they are completely taken care of and I can prioritize the birth as my only care and concern. I know doulas pay someone just to be on call whether or not they ever call them. Some use on call daycare too. I'm sure someone has more info on those options. Good luck!

I have an arrangement with my next door neighbor. She home schools her kids and is always nearby, very reliable when I'm on call. Our deal is I pay her a flat rate for taking my kids. She gets paid X amount whether I'm gone 2 hours or I'm gone 24 hours. I don't pay her to be on call but I took that into account when deciding the flat rate. We're both very happy with the arrangement.

I'll definitely be seeking out another homeschooling family when I move to another city next year! This is working really well for me.

I did not doula until my kids were self sufficient teenagers. Childcare was never an issue.

I am planning on waiting to FT Doula when both my girls are in school FT. So I only have before and after school to worry about cause hubby can be with them evenings and weekends when needed. My mom doesn't live close so she isn't the best option unless I have advance notice with an induction or something.

I have a couple of neighbours that could help on occasion but would not want to impose too much. I think find someone and working out a flat rate fee sounds ideal! If your making x amount on a birth, you can calculate in that you will also spend x amount on childcare. Then it is just finding that person you can count on.

Best of luck, I will be looking at these same options as you in the next couple of years!

We have an amazing sitter that watches my girls when I'm in school and she takes the boys to and from school when needed. She watches them when I'm at a birth as well. If she has to take the boys to and from school and watch the girls, it's $70/day. My last birth cost me $80 for her b/c I needed to her to watch the boys after school and she fed them dinner too! That was for 12 hrs during the day.

I have my husband or my mother-in-law watch my daughters. I have another doula friend who found a college student to watch her kids as a packup plan. She pays her $8 an hour I think for two young children, which I think is a great deal! She usually just needs her until her husband can get off from work. That is the downside to this job---you just never know your schedule and figuring out child care can get so tricky!

I am a single mom of a 2 year old... so you can imagine the childcare difficulties! However, I have created many options for myself. I have a rotation of 3 sitters I know well who are in between jobs, in school, etc. I pay $10-$15/hr and then a flat fee (say $200/day) for 24+ hour care. When they aren't available my back-up plan is a walldorf school for 2-5 yr olds (she makes an exception for me and lets me do drop-in care from the hours of 8-6pm)... in the evenings/overnights my parents watch him; they do go out of town a lot but my 3 main babysitters are always available to come over middle-of-the-night. My back-up back-up plans are my neighbor who is a close friend and stay at home, as well as the other stay-at-home-moms in my playgroup. Is it totally crazy? YES... but do I make it work? YES! I also schedule prenatal appointments in the evenings while my son is sleeping so my parents can watch him. But to me I have the best situation ever... I get to do the work I LOVE and be away from my son during his waking hours for a minimal amount of time (2+ days/month, depending on the length of my births). I take 2-3 births a month, occasionally an extra birth if I am planning a vacation. I charge enough to make this work for myself and my family.

This is inspiring to me. I'm also a single mom and I would like to eventually work as a doula/CBE full time. My son will be going to school in the fall so the days wouldn't be an issue but the evenings would require some negotiations. My parents are helpful and I have found a college student who can help out. I also don't want to spend so much on childcare that I am not making an income with the business.

I just have to say first that there are so many amazing doulas that make it work! That is great.
It is for sure hard stuff being on call. That is what I tell people is the ONLY "drawback" to being a doula. Being on call with kids.
I am a lucky doula too as my husband is a shift worker so there is always a chance that he may be home. He also has banked his vacations (2 out of the 3 weeks) to use as single days, if I get called into a birth or for other family situations. Writing that out, I truly realize how lucky I am!
My MIL is also supportive and would come to the house if I needed her to for a bit.

Even with all that, I don't plan on FT Doula-ing until the girls are in school FT.

I have a list of babysitters who I've interviewed/checked references/etc.

We pay $8/hour, capped at $50/day. We have four children, aged 3, 5, 7, and 10.

My parents house because they live nearby (about 20 minutes) and all of my clients have been on the way. However, we're moving next year to a different state, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do. DH and I are going to try to arrange things so that if I need to go then DH can come home. That will mean that I can only take on a small amount of clients though, like one or two a month.

My kids are in school 3 days a week, which is great, but my biggest challenge is getting them home from school if Im at a birth and my partner is out of town. Otherwise, I have a number of people who are usually at home that I can call during the day. My partners job is pretty flexible, so he can sometimes do it.

When my partner is out of town I pay someone 25 bucks a night to be on-call 6pm to 7am. She doesn't have kids, but is a very responsible young lady (oldest of 8). When I have had to call her she is here within 15 minutes, which for me as a midwife is super important in the middle of the night. I almost always have a heads up in the day or evening, but its at night when I get those "come now!" calls.

Fortunately for me, I have an in-home daycare, so I have two assistants and one is usually here working with me during the week. I have my husband for weekends.

They are on call if they are not working for me that day, starting at 2 weeks before due date. They get $5 each day they are on call. They get paid $7.50/hour when they work for me and it just goes on their paycheck, even if they stay late if my husband has class or golf league.

This is the reason I am waiting to start midwifery training. I want my oldest to be at least 14 before I start taking clients.

Thanks for this post. My son is only 13 months, and I have two births coming up this summer. I actually work FT as a teacher, but since it's summer, I won't have a "regular" daycare situation arranged. I'm just starting to try to figure out what we're going to do. In our house, we're calling this game "daycare Tetris." Luckily, my DH will be home nights and weekends, so it's just the 6a - 6p that we have to arrange.