Life as a Millennial – Budgeting for Birth!

There is no doubt that growing up brings with it responsibilities, but let’s face it, it is pretty exciting to finally be able to make decisions about your own life without your parents involvement.

Learning to manage money can be a bit scary to start with, especially if you have lived with your parents for a long time and your only expenses were booze and clothes. Once you leave home, you soon realise that the only way to ensure you have enough money to pay for anything other than the basics, is to max out your credit card, or put money aside each month and budget.

The truth is though, that saving is not something that the current generation is well known for. It’s no surprise really with the high cost of living and huge monthly outgoings previous generations didn’t have to budget for, like Satellite/Cable TV, Internet, Spotify, Mobile Phones, Gym Membership, Student Loans etc:-

So whilst Modern Millennials, (anyone born between 1981 and 1996) are well known for:- living life to the full, choosing to rent instead of buy, spending their money on gadgets and designer labels and unlikely to get married until much later in life – They are also the masters of self care and self control, so when it comes to having children, they want to feel fully in control and have a positive birth experience. This means that the one thing they are wisely having to budget for, after much research into lifestyle, wellness and wanting a better everything, is for personal support during the biggest day of their lives so far!

Let me explain!

I am not talking about a budget to pay for items that a newborn needs, like clothes, a cot or a pram etc:- I am literally talking about paying for someone to support them through the birth itself.

Seriously, even if setting money aside for the future is not something you ever imagined yourself doing, a ‘birth budget’ is a must if you are planning to have children one day. For around the same amount of money as a apple iphone or a laptop, you can hire a birth professional, called a ‘Doula’, who will work with you throughout your pregnancy and attend your birth to guide you through the entire experience.  This really is a thing, and it’s slowly becoming the most sought after service amongst young professionals in the U.S and now the U.K.

If you have already considered engaging the services of a Doula, then you probably know that you are part of a growing trend of couples who are recognising that the day of their children’s birth ranks right up there as one of the most pivotal times of their lives.

Doula, a greek word meaning ‘caregiver or woman servant’ is known as a professional birth partner, hired by couples to support them throughout pregnancy and childbirth giving them educational, emotional and physical support to ensure that they have a positive experience no matter what type of birth they choose.

Employing the services of someone whom you get to know personally during your pregnancy and continue to build a relationship with right up to and throughout your birth, ensures continuity, which is priceless.

You build trust in someone who you know will be a familiar face at the birth with you, helping you both to feel confident enough to make well informed decisions about the type of experience you want.

This kind of support on the day of your child’s birth is something that you will remember positively for the rest of your life – unlike many of your colleagues, family or friends, who may have told you their own less than positive experiences.

Your Doula will not replace your Doctor, Midwife or other medical caregivers.  She is there to help you feel prepared, supported and loved, helping you to:-

• Understand your role during labour and birth

• Ensure that you have the right level of support for your Low/High risk needs

• Feel in control throughout the whole process and to feel well prepared to make decisions if necessary

• Understand all options and facilities for your chosen place of birth

• Feel safe and supported providing you with a familiar face at all times

• Have a positive pregnancy, birth and postnatal experience

Without doubt, budgeting for the birth of your baby should be a very important part of your lifetime plan.  No matter how many children you have, each of their births is something that you will remember for the rest of your life, so make sure each one is the best they can be!