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 are not affiliated with CARROT Fertility and we don’t claim to be experts on your specific CARROT plan. For accurate details about your benefits, please talk with your CARROT representative or HR department at your place of employment. You can review information in your CARROT portal to see exactly how much funding you have available, what portion can be used toward a Certified Postpartum Doula and how many weeks of care are covered after birth.

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. They help their employees manage family planning, across services ranging from fertility treatments to pregnancy and postpartum care, by using a reimbursement model.

When an employer chooses to partner with CARROT, their employees receive a defined amount of CARROT benefits. This set amount varies greatly based on the individual plan. It might be a set amount per year, per pregnancy, or be structured as a lifetime benefit.

For example:

• One employee might receive $10,000 per year
  
• Another employee might have a $60,000 lifetime benefit
  
• While yet another employee might have a $40,000 lifetime benefit, but only $20,000 can be used toward a Certified Postpartum Doula [and the other benefits must be used towards birth, adoption, IVF etc]

What services are covered by CARROT?

When CARROT Fertility began in 2016, they focused on fertility benefits. They helped prospective parents with basic fertility treatments such as IVF and egg freezing. In 2020, CARROT expanded into pregnancy and birth support, and by 2023 it had fully entered the postpartum support space. 

Through its reimbursement model, CARROT funds can now be used for a wide range of services. Some examples are 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 and newborn care. This article will highlight how CARROT benefits can be applied toward Certified Postpartum Doula services.

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 a combination of emotional support, hands-on care, and education. This helps new parents recover and gain confidence.

Postpartum doulas guide new parents through the newborn basics: Soothing, bathing, swaddling, and feeding [whether breast, pumping or bottle]. They also sometimes help with light household tasks: washing bottles or pump parts, folding laundry, and organizing the nursery.

A Postpartum Doula is also uniquely adept at supporting the family as a whole. They can offer reassurance, watch for signs of Postpartum Depression or Postpartum Anxiety, and connect parents with resources when applicable.

The end goal is to guide a new family through the transition so everyone feels more confident, rested, and supported during those early weeks after birth. In fact, parents who receive professional postpartum support have been shown to experience better health outcomes. This is why companies such as CARROT [as well as insurance providers in many states] have chosen to invest in postpartum care. Parents who are well-rested and confident in their parenting feel better [and are more likely to return to work!]

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.

The core elements are training that covers the basics of supporting a family postpartum, as well as additional readings, supplemental coursework, an exam, and documentation from postpartum clients.

How is a Postpartum Doula different from a Birth Doula?

Many professionals may be dual trained and/or certified as both a Birth Doula and a Postpartum Doula, but these are distinct roles, with each focusing on a different stage of the parenting journey

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. They may schedule a follow-up visit afterward to check in, but that visit isn’t focused on newborn care.

A Postpartum Doula begins their work after the baby is born and typically once the family returns from the hospital. A Postpartum Doula will typically work with a family from 4-16 weeks postpartum.

Find out more here: What’s the difference between a Birth Doula & Postpartum Doula?

What postpartum services do my CARROT Benefits cover? 

If your employer has partnered with CARROT, and you have CARROT funds to use towards postpartum care, you can use them to receive support from a Certified Postpartum Doula. This provider will need to be approved through the CARROT Directory 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 of support.] 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 is able to pay up front with the card. They still need to submit invoices for approval, but with this option the parents don’t need to pay anything out of pocket.

Option Two: Paying Up Front for Later Reimbursement
We’ve found that most parents do not have a CARROT Debit Card. They must pay the initial contract amount themselves and then submit the receipt to CARROT for reimbursement.

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

Understanding the CARROT Provider Directory [and Why It Causes Confusion]

CARROT Fertility launched its provider directory in summer 2025, with the goal of making it easier for parents to find eligible postpartum care providers. Prior to this, families were required to submit an attestation form requesting approval for a specific Postpartum Doula before reimbursement could be considered.

The directory was designed to streamline that process. Postpartum Doulas who meet CARROT’s credentialing, business, and CPR requirements must apply and be pre-approved before parents can be reimbursed. In theory, families can simply search the directory, select a provider, and move forward without any additional steps.

In practice, the system has important limitations that parents should understand before relying on the directory alone to find a Postpartum Doula

The CARROT Directory Is Not Always Open to New Providers

The directory was launched in summer 2025, and by October 2025, CARROT was so overrun with applications that it shut down completely. In November 2025, they reopened, but only by request from parents who have CARROT benefits. The timeline for approval varies. However, with the hundreds of Postpartum Doulas that we’ve helped get approved, we’ve found that around 3 days is average [with specific cases taking between 3 hours and 4 weeks].

For our agency, Well Supported Family, about half of our CARROT eligible Postpartum Doulas were able to make it in under the initial application deadline, another third have been accepted into the directory based on parent request, and the rest are awaiting parent request. The only way they can be put in the directory for other parents to see their eligibility is if a parent finds our agency independently and requests them.

Parents Can Request That a Provider Be Invited to Apply

If a parent wants to work with someone who is not already approved, they can request that a specific Postpartum Doula receive an application invitation through their CARROT portal. Once approved, that provider becomes visible in the directory and eligible for reimbursement.

Not all Postpartum Doulas are eligible for CARROT or understand the application process. The application can be challenging to navigate, and while we’ve never had someone matched with a client be denied, being denied is not uncommon.

Working With CARROT Before Does Not Guarantee Database Listing

A common misconception is that a provider who has “worked with CARROT before” is automatically listed in the directory. This is not always true.

Some providers were reimbursed under the older attestation process but were never added to the directory, or were added only after a specific parent request. Directory status can also lapse if the Postpartum Doula lets their liability insurance or CPR lapse. Parents should always confirm a provider’s current status directly in their CARROT portal before paying any invoices.

What the Directory Tells You [And What It Doesn’t]

The CARROT directory is a starting point when you’re looking for care. It is unfortunately not a guarantee that a provider will be the right option for your family. The database confirms eligibility, not availability or fit. It does not account for:

• If they are available during the time you are delivering
• If they offer the types of shifts that you’re looking for [days, nights]
• If they offer the type of schedule you are looking for [some work 1 night a week while others work 7]
• Their level of experience with newborns
• Their philosophy around sleep, feeding, or overnight care
• If they are a personality fit
• If they have the vaccinations that you request
• If your home is a good location for them

There are many more factors to take into consideration as well. On our team, we have some team members who prefer not to park in a garage, who prefer not to walk multiple flights of stairs in a home, who are allergic to cats, who prefer to rest on a bed vs a couch, and so many other small factors.

Why Not Seeing a Provider in the Directory Doesn’t Mean You’re Out of Options

Remember that the CARROT directory is not exhaustive. Many qualified providers are still waiting on a request for an application, and many other providers become eligible every day.

This is especially important to understand if you are working with an agency or if you live outside a major metro area. [If you’re in New York City, here’s specifically how the process works for NYC families.]

You also might not see a provider because the search is tied to your zip code. We have many CARROT-eligible Postpartum Doulas on our team that travel to support families [ newborn care travel team] or that live in multiple locations at different times of year.

We’re happy to help you understand your options on finding someone to help you with your specific location, schedule and specific care needs.

Book a consultation to discuss your CARROT eligibility and our Postpartum Doula availability and fit.

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

We know the process feels overwhelming, so let’s break it down into parts!

To hire a doula with your CARROT Fertility benefits, you will need to verify your coverage, find a doula who has been approved in the directory 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, we’re very happy to help. Reminder that CARROT’s directory does not track availability, experience, vaccinations, allergies, or scheduling preferences [among other things]. 

Note: CARROT only supports contracting with a Postpartum Doula or Postpartum Doula Agency, not hiring them as a W2 employee. They also do not pay out for referral fees.

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 $90,000 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 directory. This may involve reviewing the CARROT provider directory or requesting a specific provider be sent an application if they are not yet listed.

It’s recommended to start doing research early in the 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.

If you’re unfamiliar with how the CARROT provider database works—or why some eligible providers may not appear—we explain that process in detail above.

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.

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.

Before moving on to step two, contact CARROT and confirm that your Certified Postpartum Doula is approved in the CARROT directory 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 directory.

Note: As of September 2026 the application/approval process can take 1 day-4 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 lock them in to make sure they will be available when your baby arrives.

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 the following [at minimum]:

• When the Postpartum Doula will be available [are there on call dates, what happens if the baby comes early]
• The schedule the Postpartum Doula will provide [how many nights per week, how many hours per shift]
• What services are included with the service [are they doing laundry? washing bottles?]
• Payment terms- what are the rates? what is the retainer amount?
• What is the cancellation policy?
• Health and safety protocols

A detailed agreement protects both your family and the Postpartum 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 can be 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 the smoothest path to reimbursement.

At Well Supported Family, we do typically require 100% payment before the baby is born when working with CARROT to ensure consistent reimbursement and support. Typically this is 100% of CARROT amount at time of booking, but sometimes 50% at time of booking and 50% due by 36 weeks gestation. However, we are more than willing to talk to families about options that fit better into their financial planning.

Step 4: Submit reimbursement

Once your contract is signed and the invoice is paid, you need to submit the receipt of payment to CARROT. This will trigger the reimbursement process. Reimbursement is typically paid out within weeks but can vary by employer.

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.

Families that are looking for more structure [and less legwork] often are more comfortable working with an agency than finding someone privately.

Pre-vetted newborn care professionals

As we mentioned above, a CARROT-approved Doula [whether found online, through the CARROT directory, 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. However, a reputable agency should take vetting a step further by conducting reference checks and background checks to verify the Postpartum Doula’s experience. This added screening helps ensure that the provider is not only eligible for CARROT reimbursement, but is also fully vetted to ensure safe, high-quality postpartum care.

Ability to match Doula to your individual needs

A true fit goes beyond a training and CPR. A quality Postpartum Doula agency considers every detail.

Some factors that an agency should take into consideration when matching with a family: 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 to work with a doula with extensive breastfeeding experience or a very quiet and calm demeanor. An agency’s thorough screening and matching process makes all the difference in a family’s experience.

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 Certified Postpartum Doulas and Newborn Care Specialists

The main factor that sets Well Supported Family apart is that we are actually not primarily a doula agency. Our team is made up primarily of Newborn Care Specialists. This training differs from a Postpartum Doula training and offers more targeted expertise in infant routines, sleep patterns, and hands-on newborn care such as feeding, diapering, and soothing. They are often able to guide babies into routines during the day and longer stretches of sleep at night. 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, A NCS is often the best 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. They take the Postpartum Doula training with the intent help families access benefits such as CARROT, which require that specific certification. When you interview with a provider from Well Supported Family while using CARROT, you are likely meeting a professional who is dual-trained. This brings you the best of both worlds: the specialized care of a Newborn Care Specialist and the holistic support [and reimbursement] of a Postpartum Doula.

Another thing to factor in is that Newborn Care Specialists are more likely to work heavy schedules. 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 longer engagements. Then often five to seven nights per week. Because CARROT only permits two Postpartum Doulas to work for a family, agencies that specialize primarily in Postpartum Doulas often have difficulty puzzling together coverage for larger contracts. So for parents looking for four or more nights per week, working with a Newborn Care Specialists can provide the consistent support many families prefer when using CARROT benefits.

And finally, many parents choose to continue to work with their support person privately after their CARROT benefits expire to continue working on longer stretches of sleep!

Reliability of an Agency vs. Individual Doula

When you interview a Postpartum Doula, that is hopefully the one who will provide your care when your baby is born. However, life happens. We often hear from panicked parents whose baby just arrived, only to find that the agency or individual that they contracted with had double-booked themselves, 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 an agency should provide built-in backup solutions, ensuring that if something unexpected happens, another qualified doula can step in and your family’s support can continue.

At our agency, team members hold strong contracts with us and would withdraw from an agreement only under the most extreme circumstances. So having to be rematched is extremely rare.

We also offer a generous four-week “on-call” window, understanding that babies rarely arrive, or come home, exactly on their due date. We are almost always available when a baby is discharged from the hospital, even when the unexpected occurs.

This on-call period is especially important for families using CARROT benefits, because CARROT strictly reimburses only for care provided in a window of time. Typically 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

When working with our agency in particular, we set the bar very high. Every team member must complete a professional training, maintain current CPR certification and liability insurance, and have years of proven newborn care experience. We also require fantastic references. 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 Process

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
• South Carolina
• 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.