My Birth Support
Cost: Services offered cost $400.
On-call for 4 weeks surrounding your due date (38 weeks-42 weeks)
2 Prenatal visits (allowing for hire 6 + weeks prior to birth)
Continuous Support through out your birth
3 hours postpartum support
1 Postpartum visit
Unlimited phone, email, text support from point of hire through baby's first 6 weeks
Before labor
I will meet with you and your partner at least once before labor, lasting 1 to 2 hours long, to become acquainted, to explore and discuss your priorities and any fears or concerns, to discuss your birth plan, and to plan how we might best work together. I also want to know your own best ways of coping with pain and fatigue and how you and your partner foresee working together.
I will also inform you of times when I am unavailable for labor support. To cover these times, I will arrange one or more qualified back-up doulas whom you may also request to meet. We may also decide on other meetings and will certainly want to remain in touch by telephone, text, and/or email. I am on-call at 38 weeks, which means I will not be farther than one hour of the birthing location and will refrain from any activities that would impair my ability to be present.
When you are in labor
I prefer that you call me when you think you are in labor, even if you do not yet need me. I can answer questions and make suggestions over the phone. We will decide if I should come right then or wait for further change. I usually need approximately two hours to get to you from the time you ask me to come. We will also decide where to meet – at your home, the hospital or the birth center. Except for extraordinary circumstances, I will remain with you throughout your labor and birth.
Different ways I can help with labor support as your Doula:
o Breathing; welcoming breath, circular breathing, breath awareness, horse lips breathing, panting.
o Relaxation; touch relaxation, relaxation tense and release.
o Visualization; opening imagery, eye contact, breathing color.
o Touch; massage with hands or massage tools, pressure points, counter pressure.
o Movement; walking, rocking, swaying, slow dancing, position changes.
o Birthing Ball; several positions for labor and pushing.
o Making Sound; moaning, toning, chanting, singing, counting.
o Heat and Cold; warm pack, warm blanket, ice pack, mist
o Pleasant Smells; essential oils (must be OK with your doctor and labor nurses).
o Water; reminders to bath or shower.
o Comfort Cares; reminders to urinate, stay hydrated, moisten lips.
o Tend to Birth Space; tend to ambient light, sound, and temperature.
o Protect Mom’s Privacy; tend to doors, curtains, and ringing phones, request observers leave if mom wishes.
o Emotional Support; continuous presence, encouragement, objective viewpoint, communication liaison.
After birth
I usually remain with you for two-three hours after birth, until you are comfortable and your family is ready for quiet time together. I can also help with initial breastfeeding, if necessary. I am available to answer questions about the birth or your baby and would like to get together within a few days after birth as well as approximately two weeks postpartum to see how you and you baby are doing, to review the birth, and to get feedback from you about my role. I am available for unlimited texts and e-mails until 6 weeks postpartum.
What doulas do NOT do:
As a doula, I do not:
1. Perform clinical tasks, such as blood pressure, fetal heart checks, vaginal exams, and others. I am there to provide only physical and emotional support.
2. Make decisions for you. I will help you get the information necessary to make an informed decision. I will also remind you if there is a departure from your birth plan.
3. Speak to the staff on your behalf. I will discuss your concerns with you and suggest options, but you or your partner will speak directly to the clinical staff.
On-call for 4 weeks surrounding your due date (38 weeks-42 weeks)
2 Prenatal visits (allowing for hire 6 + weeks prior to birth)
Continuous Support through out your birth
3 hours postpartum support
1 Postpartum visit
Unlimited phone, email, text support from point of hire through baby's first 6 weeks
Before labor
I will meet with you and your partner at least once before labor, lasting 1 to 2 hours long, to become acquainted, to explore and discuss your priorities and any fears or concerns, to discuss your birth plan, and to plan how we might best work together. I also want to know your own best ways of coping with pain and fatigue and how you and your partner foresee working together.
I will also inform you of times when I am unavailable for labor support. To cover these times, I will arrange one or more qualified back-up doulas whom you may also request to meet. We may also decide on other meetings and will certainly want to remain in touch by telephone, text, and/or email. I am on-call at 38 weeks, which means I will not be farther than one hour of the birthing location and will refrain from any activities that would impair my ability to be present.
When you are in labor
I prefer that you call me when you think you are in labor, even if you do not yet need me. I can answer questions and make suggestions over the phone. We will decide if I should come right then or wait for further change. I usually need approximately two hours to get to you from the time you ask me to come. We will also decide where to meet – at your home, the hospital or the birth center. Except for extraordinary circumstances, I will remain with you throughout your labor and birth.
Different ways I can help with labor support as your Doula:
o Breathing; welcoming breath, circular breathing, breath awareness, horse lips breathing, panting.
o Relaxation; touch relaxation, relaxation tense and release.
o Visualization; opening imagery, eye contact, breathing color.
o Touch; massage with hands or massage tools, pressure points, counter pressure.
o Movement; walking, rocking, swaying, slow dancing, position changes.
o Birthing Ball; several positions for labor and pushing.
o Making Sound; moaning, toning, chanting, singing, counting.
o Heat and Cold; warm pack, warm blanket, ice pack, mist
o Pleasant Smells; essential oils (must be OK with your doctor and labor nurses).
o Water; reminders to bath or shower.
o Comfort Cares; reminders to urinate, stay hydrated, moisten lips.
o Tend to Birth Space; tend to ambient light, sound, and temperature.
o Protect Mom’s Privacy; tend to doors, curtains, and ringing phones, request observers leave if mom wishes.
o Emotional Support; continuous presence, encouragement, objective viewpoint, communication liaison.
After birth
I usually remain with you for two-three hours after birth, until you are comfortable and your family is ready for quiet time together. I can also help with initial breastfeeding, if necessary. I am available to answer questions about the birth or your baby and would like to get together within a few days after birth as well as approximately two weeks postpartum to see how you and you baby are doing, to review the birth, and to get feedback from you about my role. I am available for unlimited texts and e-mails until 6 weeks postpartum.
What doulas do NOT do:
As a doula, I do not:
1. Perform clinical tasks, such as blood pressure, fetal heart checks, vaginal exams, and others. I am there to provide only physical and emotional support.
2. Make decisions for you. I will help you get the information necessary to make an informed decision. I will also remind you if there is a departure from your birth plan.
3. Speak to the staff on your behalf. I will discuss your concerns with you and suggest options, but you or your partner will speak directly to the clinical staff.
Are doulas only useful if planning
an un-medicated birth?
The presence of a doula can be beneficial no matter what type of birth you are planning. Many women report needing fewer interventions when they have a doula. The primary role of the doula is to help mothers have a safe and pleasant birth – not to help them choose the type of birth. For women who have decided to have a medicated birth, the doula will provide emotional support, informational support and comfort measures through labor and the administration of medications. Doulas work alongside medicated mothers to help them deal with possible side effects and other needs where medication might be inadequate. Medication may provide sufficient relief yet, there is likely to be some degree of discomfort.
For a mother facing a cesarean, a doula can be helpful by providing constant support and encouragement. Often a cesarean results from an unexpected situation leaving mothers feeling unprepared, disappointed and lonely. A doula can be attentive to mothers at all times throughout the cesarean, letting them know what is going on throughout the procedure. This can free the partner to attend to the baby and accompany the newborn to the nursery if there are complications
For a mother facing a cesarean, a doula can be helpful by providing constant support and encouragement. Often a cesarean results from an unexpected situation leaving mothers feeling unprepared, disappointed and lonely. A doula can be attentive to mothers at all times throughout the cesarean, letting them know what is going on throughout the procedure. This can free the partner to attend to the baby and accompany the newborn to the nursery if there are complications