The Green Bottle Method
BY: REBECCA BELENKY OF LOS ANGELES BIRTH
As doulas, we want our work to be both accessible and sustainable. The Green Bottle Method helps families honestly reflect on their financial resources when considering sliding-scale or discounted doula support. This approach ensures reduced fees go to those with true financial need while allowing others to pay equitably—creating fairness for families and sustainability for birth workers.
Making Doula Care More Accessible
As a doula in Los Angeles, I am often in the company of birth worker colleagues, and the topic of our fees, charging what we’re worth, and offering discounts often comes up. Overall, doulas tend to be sacrificial and giving to a fault, many doulas feel guilty asking for a living wage, and are on the verge of burn-out. Conversations swirl around doula fees being out of many perspective client’s grasp.. But also the flip side— Los Angeles has many families with significant financial privilege, and can afford to pay for birth support before, during and after the baby arrives.
So, what should we charge?…How can we support pregnant families from all walks of life?
Is it fair to expect the same payment from everyone? Who should be determining a person’s financial need?
How can we make a living in this profession while also recognizing that doula care can be too expensive for many families in Los Angeles?
A little personal experience: a few years ago (when I was charging much less than I do now), I had a client ask for a discount—and I obliged because she was bold enough to ask. I knew firsthand how challenging it can be to pay for everything when expecting a baby. However, when I arrived at their home to do my prenatal visits, they had numerous luxury cars parked in the driveway and a giant house that looked like it came from a magazine. I drive a 2006 Honda and rent a small apartment, so making a financial sacrifice to show up for them did not feel good. I felt like they did not value my time or what I would add to their birth experience.
This experience, and many others, taught me to have firmer boundaries and not be afraid of conversations about money when people ask about discounts or sliding scales. Talking about money may bring up uncomfortable feelings, so I want to be the first to acknowledge that this is a very nuanced discussion. I believe that pregnant people deserve compassionate support during pregnancy and birth—but I also know that doula work is incredibly demanding.
Being on call 24/7, holding space for families through labor, and carrying the mental and emotional load of this work is significant.
What Is the Green Bottle Method?
I few years back I was introduced to the Green Bottle Method, created by Alexis J Cunningfolk. The graphic was shared in a training facilitated by Nkem Ndefo of Lumos Transforms. The Green Bottle Method is a creative way for people to reflect on their own financial capacity and access to resources when considering sliding-scale or discounted services.
Instead of me deciding who “qualifies” for a discount, the Green Bottle graphic helps clients self-assess.
Full Bottle (green and overflowing): Represents people with stable income, savings, generational wealth, or access to financial safety nets.
Half-Full Bottle: Represents people with enough to meet their needs but little flexibility—paychecks might cover bills, but not much extra.
Low Bottle (almost empty): Represents people with little to no financial safety net, living paycheck-to-paycheck, carrying debt, or without reliable access to housing, healthcare, or other essentials.
The visual reminds us that “ability to pay” isn’t just about income but also about context—debt, dependents, housing, healthcare, and family support all shape financial reality.
The Green Bottle Method graphic
Why Does This matter for Doula Work?
Birth work is sacred and demanding. It requires emotional presence, hours (sometimes days) of support, and the ability to drop everything when a client goes into labor. When people who can afford to pay full fees choose discounts “just to save money,” it undervalues the profession and makes it harder for those truly in need to access support.
Using the Green Bottle Method ensures that reduced-fee spots are reserved for families with genuine financial need. It also allows those with more resources to pay equitably—helping sustain doulas so we can continue to serve a diverse community.
How I Use the Green Bottle Method
If you are interested in discussing a sliding scale, I’ll share the Green Bottle graphic and invite you to reflect honestly on where you see yourself. If you identify with the low-bottle category, I’m open to discussing reduced fees or payment plans. If you’re somewhere in the middle, we can explore flexible arrangements. And if you’re in the full-bottle category, I ask that you pay the full fee—knowing that doing so supports not only your care but also the accessibility of doula services for others. It’s about fairness and sustainability.
Final Thoughts
As doulas, we hold space for some of the most profound moments in a family’s life. That labor is not just physical—it’s emotional and mental, too. The Green Bottle Method allows me to balance accessibility with sustainability so I can continue offering care in a way that is equitable for families and sustainable for me.
If you’re considering doula care and wondering where you fit on the sliding scale, I invite you to reflect with honesty and compassion. Together, we can find an arrangement that respects both your needs and the integrity of this work.
Want to learn more about the difference between a midwife and doula? Check out this blog post.
Rebecca Belenky is a Los Angeles–based doula, childbirth educator, and lactation educator who has been supporting families since 2014. Through her practice, Los Angeles Birth, she offers compassionate, trauma-informed care that helps parents feel informed, grounded, and confident through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
