How to Find & Hire a CARROT-Approved Postpartum Doula Agency

CARROT Fertility is a company that works with employers to provide fertility and postpartum benefits [not to be confused with carrots, the delicious crunchy root vegetable that is high in vitamin A]. Essentially, if you are having a baby, and you work for a large company, you might want to ask if they offer CARROT benefits. We’re going to talk you through the how and why to hire a Certified Postpartum Doula through CARROT.

Disclaimer: We’re not affiliated with CARROT Fertility and we don’t claim to be experts on your specific plan. For accurate details about your benefits, talk with your CARROT representative or HR department and review your CARROT portal to see exactly how much funding you have available and what portion can be used toward a Certified Postpartum Doula.

But generally, it’s important to understand that CARROT offers each employee a set lifetime and/or annual amount to use for a variety of things: fertility, pregnancy, birth and postpartum. We’ve worked with some parents who have a $1,000 benefit and others who have $60,000. This can be structured as a lifetime benefit, so if you plan on staying with your company and having multiple babies, it’s something you want to take into consideration. Some examples of things that parents can utilize CARROT for: IVF, birth doula, egg retrieval, surrogacy and the one we are going to dive into today: postpartum support.

What is CARROT Fertility?

CARROT Fertility is an employer-sponsored family-forming benefit that uses a reimbursement model to help employees access services ranging from fertility treatments to pregnancy and postpartum care.

When a company partners with CARROT, employees receive a defined amount of CARROT benefits—this might be a set amount per year, per pregnancy, or as a lifetime benefit. Some employers give parents complete flexibility in how to use those funds, while others earmark specific dollar amounts for certain services.

For example:

• Parent one might receive $10,000 per year
  
• Parent two might have a $60,000 lifetime benefit
  
• Parent three might have a $40,000 lifetime benefit, but only $20,000 can be used toward a Certified Postpartum Doula

What services are covered by CARROT?

CARROT Fertility began in 2016 as a provider of fertility benefits, helping prospective parents access fertility treatments such as IVF and egg freezing. In 2020, CARROT expanded into pregnancy and birth benefits, and by 2023 it had fully entered the postpartum support space. 

Through its reimbursement model, CARROT funds can be used for a wide range of services: surrogacy, adoption, IVF, egg or sperm freezing and storage, egg donation, a birth doula, Certified Postpartum Doula care, and even menopause support.

Does CARROT fertility cover Postpartum Doula Services?

At Well Supported Family, we focus exclusively on postpartum care, so this article will highlight how CARROT benefits can be applied toward Certified Postpartum Doula services and other newborn-related support.

What is a Certified Postpartum Doula?

A Certified Postpartum Doula is a  professional who has taken a Postpartum Doula training and has gone on to take the steps to become certified. They focus on caring for parents as well as the baby in the early weeks and months after birth. They provide emotional support, practical help, and education so new parents can recover and gain confidence. A Postpartum Doula can guide you through newborn basics such as soothing, bathing, swaddling, and feeding (breast, pumping or bottle). They also sometimes help with light household tasks like washing bottles or pump parts, folding laundry, and organizing the nursery so parents have time to rest and heal.

Beyond these hands-on tasks, a Postpartum Doula supports the family’s overall well-being—offering reassurance, watching for signs of postpartum mood disorders, and connecting parents with helpful resources when needed. The goal is not only to care for the baby, but to guide the entire family through the transition to life with a newborn so everyone feels more confident, rested, and supported during those early weeks at home.Parents who receive professional postpartum support have been shown to experience better health outcomes, which is why companies such as CARROT and insurance providers in many states are now investing in postpartum care as an essential part of the family-forming benefits journey.

What’s included in a Postpartum Doula certification?

Every Postpartum Doula Certification program sets its own requirements, so the process can look very different from one organization to the next. CARROT currently approves only those Postpartum Doula Certification programs that meet rigorous standards and are recognized through Medicaid.

• Although details vary, certification typically includes several core elements:
• Additional readings and texts to broaden knowledge of postpartum recovery, newborn care, and family support
• Supplemental coursework to deepen skills in areas such as lactation guidance, emotional support, and safe infant care
• A competency exam or other formal testing to confirm understanding of best practices
• Client documentation, where the doula submits feedback forms or proof of real-world experience to demonstrate practical skills

How is a Postpartum Doula different from a Birth Doula?

A Birth Doula supports the birthing person through pregnancy and during labor and delivery. They offer guidance, comfort measures, and emotional support before and during birth, and may schedule a follow-up visit afterward to check on healing and emotional well-being.

A Postpartum Doula, on the other hand, begins their work after the baby is born. They typically start care once parents have returned home from the hospital, although some may also provide short-term support in the hospital if the birthing parent needs an extra set of hands. A Postpartum Doula will typically work with a family from 4-16 weeks postpartum.

While many professionals are dual trained or certified as both a Birth Doula and a Postpartum Doula, these are distinct roles, each focused on a different stage of the parenting journey.Find out more: What’s the difference between a Birth Doula & Postpartum Doula?

What postpartum services do my CARROT Benefits cover? 

If you have CARROT funds available for postpartum care, you can use them to receive support from a  Certified Postpartum Doula that is approved through the CARROT Database for daytime visits, overnight visits, or a combination of both.

Services are typically capped at up to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week during the first 6 weeks after birth with a maximum of two Postpartum Doulas. [In some cases, CARROT approves up to 12 weeks.] The exact amount of care you can schedule will depend on your total CARROT benefit, how much of that you choose to spend, and the hourly rate for care. We worked with families to create customized plans based on their unique CARROT benefit coverage

CARROT requires that reimbursed services be directly related to the newborn, so tasks such as family dishes, family laundry, meal prep, sibling care and running household errands are not covered.

What is the payment process for CARROT reimbursement for Postpartum Care? 

While CARROT can be notoriously challenging when it comes to reimbursement for parents and agencies, Well Supported Family has developed a painless, seamless process to help clients get their postpartum care covered. Because the invoice must meet specific CARROT criteria to be approved, we guide families through each step.

Option One: Using a CARROT Debit Card
Some parents receive a CARROT Debit Card that can be used to pay a Certified Postpartum Doula or agency directly. The family pays with the card up front and then submits the receipt for approval.

Option Two: Paying Up Front for Later Reimbursement
If a family does not have a CARROT Debit Card, they pay the initial contract amount themselves and then submit the receipt to CARROT for reimbursement once services are complete.

Please note: CARROT does not reimburse referral fees, holiday fees, travel expenses, or any additional costs beyond the agreed hourly rate.

4 Steps to Find & Hire a Doula with CARROT Fertility Benefits

To hire a doula with your CARROT Fertility benefits, you will need to verify your coverage, find a doula who meets CARROT’s certification and experience requirements and has been approved in the database to be able to work with CARROT clients, and then submit the necessary paperwork for reimbursement. 

If you’re having trouble accessing or sifting through the CARROT database and want additional support getting matched with a CARROT-approved Certified Postpartum Doula in your area, book a consultation call with us. CARROT’s database does not track availability, experience, vaccinations, allergies, or scheduling preferences [among other things]. 

Note: CARROT only supports Contracting with a Postpartum Doula, not hiring them as a W2 employee.

Step 1: Verify your CARROT benefit amount & process

The first and most important step is to know exactly what funds you have available. We’ve worked with families whose CARROT benefit ranged anywhere from $500 to $60,000 to use toward in-home Certified Postpartum Doula support.

Start by checking with your HR department to confirm that your employer partners with CARROT, and ask for the details you need to log in to your CARROT Portal. Your portal should show the total funds, any category limits, and how much you can allocate specifically for postpartum care.

Step 2: Find a Certified Postpartum Doula

Depending on where you live, there may be either an abundance or a shortage of Certified Postpartum Doulas. A Postpartum Doula can only qualify for your CARROT reimbursement if they have applied and been approved for the CARROT provider database.

It’s recommended to start doing research early second trimester. Many doulas book out 4-6 months or further in advance, the sooner you begin your search the wider pool you’d have to choose from.

You can ask CARROT directly to view the database and/or for a list of approved providers in your area, but remember that CARROT does not track each provider’s availability, experience, or personal fit.

NOTE: The database is set to be available for parents September 2025 but is not fully up and running as of early October 2025

At Well Supported Family, we have teams of Certified Postpartum Doulas in 14 states, supporting families throughout NYC, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, and more.

We also have a travel team that can work anywhere in the U.S. Contact us today to find out more about how our CARROT approved team can provide in-home coverage wherever you’re located.

Before moving onto next steps, contact CARROT and confirm that your Certified Postpartum Doula is approved in the CARROT database or check where the application stands. If the doula is not yet approved, it is strongly recommended not to submit any payment until you receive confirmation from CARROT. CARROT will not reimburse for services provided by a doula who is not in their database.

Note: As of October 2025 the application/approval process can take 4–16 weeks.

Step 3: Hire your doula and pay upfront

After you’ve found a doula or an agency, you want to go through vetting and locking them in to make sure they will be available when your baby arrives.

Interview your doula

Generally, make sure that who you are interviewing aligns with the following:

• Schedule
• Rate
• Style, goals and preferences
• Personality
• Background and experience
• Safety [Safe sleep knowledge, CPR]

If you are interviewing a Postpartum Doula through our agency, Well Supported Family [formerly Nightingale Night Nurses] we have more targeted suggested interview questions.

Sign a contract

It’s important to have a written contract with your Postpartum Doula or Postpartum Doula agency to ensure everyone shares the same expectations. The contract should clearly outline:

• Timeframe of support – when the doula will be available
• Scope of services – exactly what support will be provided
• Payment terms – rates, deposit amounts, and payment schedule
• Confidentiality and safety – how family privacy and health protocols will be maintained
• Cancellation policy – how changes or cancellations will be handled
• Payments – how and when payments will be due and handled and any additional costs

A detailed agreement protects both your family and the doula and helps create a smooth, stress-free experience during the postpartum period.

Pay your doula and get itemized documentation & proof of payment

Payment policies vary among agencies and individual Certified Postpartum Doulas and agencies. Some request a retainer and invoice weekly, while others collect 50% up front and the remaining 50% once the baby is born. However, for families using CARROT, it has become increasingly common to require 100% payment up front.

Because CARROT reimbursement can involve back-and-forth communication and occasional delays, paying in full before the baby arrives is often the easiest choice for parents preparing for a busy newborn period. Most families using CARROT choose to pay in full so they can submit for full reimbursement immediately. If a baby arrives early, late, or spends time in the NICU, CARROT may question invoice dates that don’t match their expectations, making an up-front payment a smoother path to reimbursement.

At Well Supported Family, we typically require 100% payment before the baby is born when working with CARROT to ensure consistent reimbursement and support. Typically 100% of CARROT amount at time of booking, but sometimes 50% at time of booking and 50% due by 36 weeks gestation.

Step 4: Submit reimbursement

Gather your documents and upload them to the portal. Reimbursement is usually delivered within a few weeks

Once your contract is signed and the invoice is paid, submit the receipt of payment to CARROT to trigger the reimbursement process. Reimbursement is typically paid out within weeks.

Even if you paid with a CARROT Debit Card, submitting the receipt is still a required step for CARROT to process and finalize your reimbursement.

Benefits of Hiring a Postpartum Doula agency instead of an individual doula from the CARROT database

Choosing how you are going to hire your doula can be a difficult decision to make. Working with an agency like Well Supported Family that sources Postpartum Doulas can give families added peace of mind and support during the newborn period. Agencies typically provide structured services, which can mean more reliability, consistent care, and access to a wider range of expertise than hiring a single independent doula. This extra layer of organization helps make the transition to life with a new baby smoother and less stressful.

Pre-vetted newborn care professionals

A CARROT-approved Doula [whether found online, through the CARROT database, or recommended by a friend] will have the required certification and CPR training, but that is often the extent of the verification. Not all agencies follow the same standards, but a reputable agency should go further by conducting reference checks and background checks. This added screening helps ensure that the doula is not only eligible for CARROT reimbursement but is also fully vetted to provide safe, high-quality postpartum care.

Ability to match Doula to your individual needs

A qualified and CARROT-approved doula meets the basic requirements for safe newborn care—but that is only the starting point. A true fit for your family goes beyond credentials. A quality doula agency considers every detail: scheduling preferences, location, availability, personality, care style, vaccinations, parking, pets, allergies, and other practical factors that influence whether the match will work. For example, a parent might request a doula with extensive breastfeeding experience, or a Certified Postpartum Doula might prefer to work in a home without stairs. An agency’s thorough screening and matching process helps ensure both safety and the best possible fit for your family.

Why you should choose Well Supported Family for your Postpartum Doula needs for CARROT Fertility

I think we have a pretty good argument for why an agency can be the best choice when hiring a Certified Postpartum Doula for your CARROT reimbursement benefits. However, why choose our agency?

Well-Supported Family has been an established agency for over a decade and has been working with CARROT clients since they began offering postpartum benefits in 2023. We’ve rolled with them through their changes and have experience 

Our unique mix of Certifiied Postpartum Doulas and Newborn Care Specialists

The main factor that sets Well Supported Family apart is that we are not a doula agency—our team is made up primarily of Newborn Care Specialists. This training differs from Postpartum Doula training and offers more targeted expertise in infant routines, sleep patterns, and hands-on newborn care such as feeding, diapering, and soothing with the goal of helping babies achieve longer stretches of rest. A Newborn Care Specialist is also more likely to have experience caring for premature infants, babies with specialized feeding needs, reflux, colic, or multiples. For parents seeking overnight support in particular, this focused skill set is often the ideal fit.

While nearly all of our team members are Newborn Care Specialists, more than half are have also become Certified Postpartum Doulas or in the process of doing so, exclusively to help families access benefits such as CARROT, which require that specific certification. When you interview with a provider from Well Supported Family, you are likely meeting a professional who is dual trained—bringing you the best of both worlds: the specialized care of a Newborn Care Specialist and the holistic support [and reimbursement] of a Postpartum Doula.

Many Postpartum Doulas typically work only two to three nights per week, may also attend births, or prefer to focus on daytime shifts. By contrast, Newborn Care Specialists generally seek steadier engagements, often five to seven nights per week, and are available for longer overnight hours. Because CARROT only permits two doulas on a single schedule, agencies that specialize primarily in Postpartum Doulas often need to piece together coverage for larger contracts. Working with Newborn Care Specialists can provide the consistent, full-night support many families prefer when using CARROT benefits.

Many parents choose to continue to work with their Postpartum Doula after their CARROT benefits expire to continue working on longer stretches of sleep!

Reliability of an Agency vs. Individual Doula

Of course, the Postpartum Doula you interview is the one you hope will provide your care…but life happens. We often hear from panicked parents whose baby arrived only to find that the contracted doula had double-booked, become unavailable, or even stopped responding.

Even with the most professional of providers, unexpected events can occur: illness, injury, a sudden move, or loss of childcare can prevent someone from completing the contract. Parents may not have the energy to restart the search and could face challenges recovering a retainer or finding a qualified alternative. Working with Well Supported Family provides built-in backup solutions, ensuring that if something unexpected happens, another qualified doula can step in and your family’s support continues without interruption.

At Well Supported Family, we are committed to providing the reliability you expect. Our team members hold strong contracts with us and would withdraw from an agreement only under the most extreme circumstances. We also offer a generous four-week “on-call” window, understanding that babies rarely arrive, or come home, exactly on their due date.

This on-call period is especially important for families using CARROT benefits, because CARROT strictly reimburses only for care provided within six weeks after birth. Our approach ensures you have dependable support when your baby arrives and helps you make the most of your CARROT coverage.

Pre-Vetted, Pre-Approved Team

Not all agencies hold themselves to the same rigorous standards—but Well Supported Family sets the bar exceptionally high. Every team member must complete professional training, maintain current CPR certification and liability insurance, and bring years of proven newborn care experience. We require outstanding references and look for a positive, genuinely supportive personality. On top of that, we conduct thorough nationwide background checks and a full social media review. 

These layers of screening ensure families receive not only expert newborn care but also the highest level of safety, reliability, and professionalism in the industry.

Experience with CARROT Paperwork & Reimbursement Approval rocess

Unfortunately, CARROT is not always easy to work with from the Certified Postpartum Doula’s perspective. The approval process involves numerous steps, and the often changing reimbursement requirements can feel daunting. If a Postpartum Doula or doula agency is not experienced with CARROT’s system, that stress can quickly shift to the parents. Independent doulas often report that invoices are sent back multiple times for revisions before CARROT will approve them, or that they were unaware of specific scheduling limitations, terms for Doulas, or other requirements.

At Well Supported Family, our high volume of CARROT clients keeps us up to date on CARROT’s evolving guidelines, allowing us to make the entire process seamless for parents, so families can focus on what truly matters: welcoming their newborn.

Nationwide Coverage for In-Home Postpartum Doula Care

A major benefit of working with Well Supported Family is that we can support families almost anywhere. We are a nationwide agency with two ways to provide care:

Local Teams: We have groups of pre-vetted professionals ready to serve families in:

• Florida: Miami, West Palm Beach, Naples, Tampa, Orlando
• Arizona: Phoenix
• Georgia: Atlanta
• Illinois: Chicago
• New York: NYC, Long Island, Westchester. Poughkeepsie
• New Jersey: Jersey City, Newark, New Brunswick
• Connecticut: Stamford, New Haven, Hartford
• Massachusetts: Boston, Newton, Northampton, Worcester
• Rhode Island: Providence
• New Hampshire: Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth
• Maine: Portland
• Texas: Houston, Dallas
  

Travel Team: For families anywhere in the country seeking 5–7 nights a week of coverage, 10–16 hours per night, we have a travel team. These are professionals with RVs or who arrange their own accommodations who can come to you with enough notice.

Wherever you are located across the United States, we can usually arrange reliable, expert newborn support when you need it most.

FAQs About Hiring a CARROT-Approved Doula

Can I use CARROT benefits for overnight newborn care?

Yes you can! Most parents choose to utilize their benefits for overnights. Overnight newborn care is our primary service.

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What’s the average cost of a Postpartum Doula?

This varies by location, experience, and if you are hiring an agency or individual. We’d love to set up a call to discuss Well Supported Family’s rates and see if they work for your family.

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Does my Doula need to be certified to be eligible for CARROT reimbursement?

Yes, and they need to have applied and been approved by the CARROT database.

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How many weeks does CARROT support cover?

In almost all cases, the first 6 weeks after birth. In special circumstances care might be extended or the start time delayed. Some parents have 12 weeks in their agreements with CARROT.

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How soon in advance should I hire my postpartum doula?

As soon as possible! The earlier you book the bigger pool you’ll have to choose from! However, we have been able to support families when their baby has already arrived as well.