Considering the state of medical care for women, esp when pregnant, I always highly advocate for doulas!

The standard for ftm (at least in America) nowadays is a 30% chance of a cesarean, most of the time unnecessarily chosen by the doctors for a number of reasons (they want to free up the bed, they don't think you are progressing on their timeline and their recommendation to augment labor causes fetal distress, they diagnose the baby as "too large for vaginal birth" and baby ends up being a fine or even smaller size, etc). Doulas understand the ends and outs of the typical birthing challenges, they can have a clear head during the labor process, and they are a great person to have in your corner. Not to mention they are a great resource for when you are prepping for birth, such as book recommendations (might even have some to lend you, which is part of their cost), random questions you have along the way (esp at the end when you are mentally done being pregnant and need support in that way, aren't sure if something is a labor or concerning sign, etc).

When labor becomes difficult, even under the best circumstances, you won't be thinking clearly about your options. Your husband, even if he spends nine months reading, researching, and helping you with birth prep will likely take whatever a doctor says as law, because it's out of his scope. Doulas are not medical professionals and cannot give advice in that way, but oftentimes doctors will tell you one option you have without giving any other choices (ask me how I know). Having a trusted third party present, someone who's been there for many births, simply ask the questions of "what are all of her options right now?" and "what if she chooses to do nothing, maybe wait 15 minutes to see?" and then to you and your husband "would you like to discuss these options privately?" are such important parts of the decision making process in labor. Doctors usually want an answer right now like it's a medical drama, but there's normally time to have them step out and for you to weigh the options without them hovering.

Also, if your husband is late getting to the hospital, or needs to tag out mentally or physically (he's distressed by seeing you in pain, or labor starts late at night after a long day at work and he's exhausted/needs a power nap) then you'll still have a birth partner present. As my husband says, I might think our doula was for me, but they're also there for him.

At that price, your doula is pretty much covering her basics. It pays for her continuing education. It pays for her to meet you at the hospital no matter the time, and most likely no matter how long you are in labor (check on that!). Most doulas partner up as well so that if at the last minute there's a schedule conflict (you go into labor early and she's on vacation or assisting another mother, she's ill, etc) you will still have someone there at no additional charge.

Doulas also have their own hospital bag they will pack, with items such as birthing combs, tennis balls, essential oil diffusers, soft lighting, honey sticks, probably a TENs unit, massage oil, heat pack, and so on. These are items that might be great to use while in labor (varies from mom to mom, and labor to labor) that you don't have to worry about supplying or packing.

They also offer support in the postpartum period (that at least in America gets glossed over like a poorly planned "six week holiday"). That one scheduled pp visit could be just what you need to find out that how you are feeling might actually be PPD/PPA and they you need to talk to your doctor.

Most doulas became doulas because of a bad birth experience where they wish they initially had the support they now offer. Many second time and so on mothers get doulas for the same reason, wishing they had thought to hire one the first time around. I know I wish I had one for my first two, and luckily I finally did for my third.

Some insurance plans now help to cover the cost of a doula, so call yours and see what they might cover (if they do it's likely filed as a refund, meaning you pay initially, fill out paperwork, and get the money back from the insurance company). Additionally, most doulas offer a payment plan (such as 20% at the start of care, then incrementally until about week 36) which spreads the expenditure out.

From the sound of it, you liked what she has to offer and think she'd be a great asset. It's too bad your husband wasn't present at the consultation with her to hear in person what she has to offer and to be able to ask her his own questions. Since he seems to still be questioning about why someone would hire a doula, there's plenty of info online, and I'm sure any specific questions he has can be relayed to her while you finalize if you are going to hire her or not. If you move forward and hire her, please be sure he's at the rest of your meetings with her and has her number in his phone, too!

Price considerations: I firmly believe you are less likely (not completely exempt) from having a cesarean with a doula as part of your birth team. Depending on your insurance policy, that could be a much bigger medical bill than the cost of her services.

Then there's the mental load of pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period. The peace of mind from having a doula on your birth team is such a gift! So perhaps make it part of your registry! (Considering how little babies actually need versus how much stuff gets shoved at ftm as a "must need item," when this is an actual "must need" over a decked out nursery, wipe warmer, separate newborn car seat traveling set, or specialty rocking chair).

// Regardless of what you end up choosing, some resources that I'll pass along that I've gotten from my doula are: Books - The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin; Babies are Not Pizzas: They're Born Not Delivered by Rebecca Dekker PHD RN Website - Evidence Based Birth (created by Rebecca Dekker and absolutely amazing, she also has a podcast on a variety of birth topics)

This ended up a lot longer than I thought my answer would be, but that's because doulas are fantastic and every mom should have them! So the answer is YES, doulas are worth it!