Honestly, birth workers are cheap.

SO I've been thinking about it lately and have talked to some other birth workers in my area about the constant "You're too expensive" comments. But in reality, I'm not. After all is said and done, I don’t even make minimum wage.

Think about it this way; a wedding photographer says they charge $5,000 and no one bats an eye.

Why?

Because they have a lot to handle and deal with during that ONE day. For MAX 16 hours. They know what day, what time they are starting, and what time they are most likely ending. They're skilled in their craft. They have back ups. They have multiple camera bodies and accessories and know how to handle harsh lighting. They need to charge a living wage for their craft and artistic abilities because that's why they were hired: their artistic abilities.

So why are birth photographers being told we're too expensive when we're not even charging a living wage, and we do just as much as a wedding photographer, if not MORE under even MORE UNPREDICTABLE and sometimes HOSTILE conditions. *Totally not downplaying the unpredictable weather that can happen, bridezillas, or any crazy family that wedding photographers have to deal with as well. They deal with some pretty crazy shit* I'm more talking along the lines of our clients don't know when they're going to go into labor, they have prodromal labor sometimes, and then we typically get called in the middle of the night/during holidays/special events/etc.

But it's really all birth workers. All birth workers are under paid.

Here's a quick break down for you:

1. We're on call from typically 37 weeks on. Meaning: we have to carry our camera bag (or doula bag) and everything we need for a birth anytime we leave our house, or we just don't leave our house any farther than a 15 minute drive.

2. We don't take vacations during our on call period. Sometimes people are on call the entire damn year. And if we choose to do a weekend away, we hire a back up (need money in a reserve account for this).

3. Sometimes we miss holidays, birthday parties, anniversaries, etc. to be with our clients and tell their stories even though we're missing parts of our own.

4. We have to have back ups just in case we get sick, our little one gets sick, we're at another birth, etc (again a reserve).

5. We have to make sure all our technology and vehicles are in proper working order at ALL TIMES, and if it's not get it fixed.

6. We have to constantly replenish whatever was used during a birth if it cannot be reused or needs to be tossed (sometimes clothes or shoes become casualties).

7. There's gas to and from, food/fluids during, and chiropractor or massage appointments for after a birth (because self care is mandatory).

8. Sometimes a birth can last up to 30 HOURS OR MORE (umm yeah talk about childcare, missed appointments, events/birthdays, etc).

9. If we have kids, we need to have reliable ON CALL childcare set up for them, which is super expensive.

Pricing Activity

So here's a fun little activity we can do. We can add up the AVERAGE cost of doing business for a doula or birth photographer, basing it off of JUST THE FEW ITEMS ABOVE this does NOT include any recurring fees for car maintenance, gallery delivery fees, camera maintenance, any albums, etc.. This is literally the bare minimum I would need to keep my business afloat for ONE MONTH:

- Childcare averages $12/hr for one kid so if you're at a 16 hour birth = $192

- Gas to and from JUST THE BIRTH (not the interview, prenatals, or postpartum visit) = $40

- Cell phone for ONE month (so clients can contact us) = $120

- Parking fee (for one birth) = $20

- Food for one birth = $25

- Self Care (so I'm not crippled for my own family post birth) = $150

- Website per month (so clients can find us) = $34

- Business Insurance = $32

Just that costs: $613

That does not include the hours that support or photography is provided during the actual birth. That does not include the prenatal meetings and postpartum meetings for doulas or the endless amount of hours editing the photos for the photographer. To include those it now becomes:

For the doula:

Adding Minimum 2 Prenatal Visits = $200

Minimum One Postpartum Visit = $75

Gas for those 3 visits = $85

Grand Total for Birth Doula Services =  $973

For the Photographer:

In Person Consult/Prenatal = $75

Gas = $30

Editing Software: $10 (per month)

$40/hour birth documenting = $640

10 hours of editing at $45/hour = $450

Grand Total for Birth Photography= $1818

For my doula fees I charge a flat rate of $900. I'm in the red for EVERY BIRTH I ATTEND as a doula. Let that sink in for a little bit....literally every birth.

And as a birth photographer, if someone purchases my basic package that is $1850, I am again in the red (remember I didn't include anything like gallery fees, camera maintenance, equipment insurance, new lenses/flash/batteries, album costs, FOOD at the birth, etc).

How crazy is that!?

So the next time you hear someone tell another professional birth photographer, certified doula, postpartum doula, or midwife, that they are "too expensive" speak up, educate them. Nothing is going to change until people see the value in what we do.

As birth workers, we're passionate about what we do. We give it our all. But at the end of the day, we're also running a business and I feel like people forget that.

Birth workers are CHEAP AS FUCK for what we provide.

Real Talk. *Mic Drop*