I came to birth work out of a commitment to reproductive justice. My motivation has always been centering people’s reproductive choices. I aim to ensure access to care and dignity when that care is received.
To that end, after a lot of thought, I have decided to offer my services, including doula care, on a sliding scale. This tool is something that was a big part of my work at Planned Parenthood. I worked with patients to find coverage for their care. When none was available, we used a sliding scale tool. We had patients report their income but did not require proof. Some patients were taken aback that we took them at their word. But, in my experience, it was very rare to have a patient try to cheat our system. In fact, we often had people who wanted to pay more.
Screening people for financial assistance as a part of my daily job, I took away two things. 1. Offering services that meet individual financial needs is absolutely imperative. No matter how you spin it, many people simply do not have means to pay for these vital services. 2. People feel empowered when they are able to invest in something they find valuable.
I believe that the sliding scale leverages these two truths to create access. This is not without reservations. It’s one thing to implement a siding scale for a large organization like Planned Parenthood. It’s another thing to implement it for my small business that I am trying to get off the ground. I believe with my entire being that the services I offer have great value for my clients. I put my all into what I do and have watched people be transformed by my support. I also believe in creating a cultural shift where we place more monetary value on healing and wellness, and less monetary value on materialism.
All that being said, I am able to hold two conflicting truths at once. My services are financially valuable and people who cannot afford them still deserve them.
In my sliding scale model, I do not require clients to report income because I want to cultivate a sense of trust within the Wild & Wonderful community. I want to give my clients the opportunity to empower themselves by investing what they are able to. Money is energy. When you invest money into something, the personal value of that service increases. You are more likely to want to learn all you can, to show up to prenatal visits with eagerness, and to integrate our work into your personal life.
If you are a potential client…
I ask that you spend some time reflecting on the categories pictured in the graphic below. This tool was created by Alexis J. Cunningfolk, who has done some amazing work on this topic on their website. Please take your time and be honest with yourself as you determine where you fall. I do not need to know your reasoning behind your choice, as I believe that is deeply personal. If you have special circumstances that will impact our work together, please do let me know!
My services are broken down into these three categories. I also have two other options: one for those who would like to pay it forward and one for those in extreme or emergency situations. My categories are as follows:
Abundance
Choose this investment level if you would like to pay more in order to pay it forward for others.
Investment
Choose this investment level if the description in the full bottle fits you. This is the actual cost of my services.
Access
Choose this investment level if the description in the half-full bottle fits you.
Connection
Choose this investment level if the description in the quarter-full bottle fits you.
Care
Choose this investment level if you are currently in an extreme or emergency situation.
All of my services are offered within these five investment levels. When you are purchasing a service online, you will be able to choose your investment level at checkout. If you have unique financial needs that do not fit into these categories, please reach out to me and we will work something out.
Wisdom and wonder,
Brittany