I have a limited calendar here. If your due date is shown as unavailable, please call for complete availability. The ideal time to hire a doula is at the beginning of your third trimester, or 6 months along. Hiring earlier, however, may give you more time to get to know your doula, as well as give you a greater pool of availability to choose from. Once you're ready to take a closer look at a doula-candidate, usually a brief phone interview is a good first step. The phone interview will give you a general idea about the doula's personality and if you would like to pursue hiring her. A face-to-face interview is usually the best way to truly decide if this person is the right doula for you. When hiring your doula, here are some good questions to start with: 1. What training have you had? Are you certified? If so, with what organization? 2. What experiences have you had that you draw from? 3. Do you have references from previous clients? 4. What is your philosophy about childbirth and supporting women and their partners through labor? 5. At what point in the labor would you like to be notified, and how soon will you join the laboring woman? 6. May we meet with you to discuss our birth plans and the role you will play during the birth? 7. May we call and/or E-mail you with questions or concerns before and after the birth? 8. What is your fee and what does it include? Do you have a refund policy? 9. Do you have a back-up doula? May we meet with her?