Sliding Scale & Reproductive Equity

Birth Support Should Never Be Reserved for Those Who Can Afford It

We believe every family deserves compassionate, culturally responsive, trauma-informed doula care—regardless of financial circumstance.

As part of my commitment to reproductive justice and health equity, we offer a Green Bottle Sliding Scale for self-pay clients. This model recognizes that access to care should not be determined by income alone. Wealth, generational resources, debt, caregiving responsibilities, systemic barriers, and access to financial support all influence our ability to pay.

Rather than asking for proof of income, we trust my clients to honestly reflect on their current financial circumstances and choose the pricing tier that best represents their reality.

When those with greater financial flexibility choose to pay toward the upper end of the scale, they help make doula care more accessible for families experiencing financial hardship. In this way, our community collectively invests in equitable birth care.

How to Choose Your Tier

Please select the pricing tier that most closely reflects your current circumstances.

Upper Tier (Community Sustainer)
You are comfortably able to meet your basic needs, have financial stability, access to savings, and discretionary income for things like travel, dining out, or hobbies. Paying at this level helps expand access to care for others in our community.

Middle Tier (Community Rate)
You consistently meet your basic needs but may need to budget carefully. You may have some savings and occasional discretionary spending while balancing other financial responsibilities.

Lower Tier (Access Rate)
Meeting your basic needs is often stressful or uncertain. You may be experiencing financial hardship, underemployment, debt that impacts daily living, reliance on public assistance, or limited access to savings. This rate exists so cost is not the reason someone goes without support.

A Relationship Built on Trust

This pricing model is grounded in honesty, mutual respect, and collective care. We will never ask you to provide financial documentation. We simply ask that you choose the rate that best reflects your current circumstances.

If your financial situation changes, or if cost is still a barrier after reviewing the sliding scale, please reach out. Whenever possible, we am happy to discuss payment plans, Medicaid coverage, or other options to help make care accessible.

Thank you for helping build a model of birthwork rooted in equity, reciprocity, and community.

Top of the Scale (or the left bottle) – This places you in the Doulas Top Price Bracket

I am comfortably able to meet all of my basic* needs
I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs
I own my home or property OR I rent a higher-end property
I own or lease a car
I am employed or do not need to work to meet my needs
I have regular access to health care
I have access to financial savings
I have an expendable** income
I can always buy new items
I can afford an annual vacation or take time off

Middle of the Scale (or the middle bottle) – This places you in the Middle of the Doula’s Price Brac

I may stress about meeting my basic needs but still regularly achieve them
I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs
I own or lease a car
I am employed
I have access to health care
I might have access to financial savings
I have some expendable income
I am able to buy some new items & I thrift others
I can take a vacation annually or every few years without financial burden

Bottom of the Scale (or the right bottle) – This places you in the Doula’s Lower Price Bracket

I frequently stress about meeting basic needs & don’t always achieve them
I have debt and it sometimes prohibits me from meeting my basic needs
I rent lower-end properties or have unstable housing
I do not have a car and/or have limited access to a car but I am not always able to afford gas
I am unemployed or underemployed
I qualify for government assistance including food stamps & health care
I have no access to savings
I have no or very limited expendable income
I rarely buy new items because I am unable to afford them
I cannot afford a vacation or have the ability to take time off without financial burden

The Scale and Our Care is Based on Trust

The Green Bottle Method and sliding scale payment structures are built on trust. So is the care our doulas provides, as you’ve trusted us and welcomed us into your home and to support your family. If you have any questions or need support in figuring out how to answer these questions, we are here to support you!

At Brood we believe that everyone deserves to thrive, and that starts with access to essential healthcare services. When individuals and families feel supported and empowered, our entire community benefits. We’re committed to reducing barriers to care in every way we can. Our sliding scale is just one of the ways we’re working to make birth care more accessible and inclusive.

We honor Waawiyatanong (“where the waters curve”), so called Detroit, as the ancestral and living homeland of the Anishinaabe peoples—including the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi—and the Wyandot Nation, holding this land and water in reverence while acknowledging the genocide, ethnic cleansing, and ongoing settler colonial violence endured here, and honoring Indigenous sovereignty, survival, and the healing wisdom of Indigenous peoples who continue to care for this land.