The Volunteer Doula 
Program

The Doula Services Association is committed to supporting families in BC to have positive pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experiences. We believe that everyone deserves a doula, not just those who can afford it, and so, we offer The Volunteer Doula Program.

Our Volunteer Doula Program includes two types of support: birth doula support, and postpartum doula support.

• Birth doula support includes a no-cost birth doula who will provide two prenatal appointments, continuous labour support in the family’s birthing time, and one follow-up postpartum appointment.
• Postpartum doula support includes 12 hours of no-cost support from a postpartum doula.
  

Families can be referred for birth support, postpartum support, or both types of support.
The DSA pays our volunteer birth and postpartum doulas are paid a small stipend to cover costs associated with supporting families such as parking, gas, childcare and meals. The money paid to our volunteer doulas comes from membership fees paid by doulas, as well as donations made by the community to our Doula Fund.

Families looking for volunteer birth and/or postpartum doula support must:

• Be unable to afford a doula themselves
  • Our volunteer program is meant for folks who are facing financial barriers and have no ability to pay out of pocket for a doula.
  • For those who may be able to afford a small amount towards a doula, we highly recommend you use our “Find A Doula” feature to search for available doulas closeby. Many doulas will work on a sliding scale and can be contacted directly.
• Be referred by a healthcare provider or community worker
  • THERE ARE NO SELF-REFERRALS ACCEPTED. If you are a family looking for a volunteer birth or postpartum doula, please ask your primary care provider, social worker, nurse practitioner or anyone else involved in your care to make a referral on your behalf.
• Have a desire for doula support
  • Our doulas and Board Members work hard to provide the Volunteer Doula Program, and we ask that only families who truly understand what doulas do, and desire to work with one, are referred to our program.

If you are an Indigenous person seeking the support of a doula,
please explore the Doulas for Aboriginal Families Grant Program

For Indigenous Families

I am referring an individual for volunteer Birth support

Please include the following information when referring an individual:​

• Name of client
• Phone number
• Estimated due date
• City that the live in
• Where they will be birthing
• Any additional information that may be important for the doula to know

Make a Birth Referral

I am referring an individual for volunteer Postpartum support

Please include the following information when referring an individual:​

• Name of client
• Phone number
• Estimated due date/birth date
• City that the live in
• Any additional information that may be important for the doula to know
• Individuals must be less than 1 month postpartum

Make a Postpartum Referral

All referrals for volunteer birth and postpartum support are processed by our Referral Coordinator, Stephanie Penner.
If you have any questions, you can contact her at:
Email (preferred)  bcdsarc@gmail.com

​​Doulas offering their services do so voluntarily and free of charge. We are currently working to grow THE VOLUNTEER DOULA FUND so that we can continue to pay our amazing volunteers a stipend. We appreciate any and all donations you would like to offer.

Support the Volunteer doula fund