As a birth doula, we accompany women in labor to help ensure a safe and satisfying birth experience. We draw on our professional training, knowledge and experience to provide emotional support, physical comfort and, as needed, communication with the staff to make sure that you have the information you need to make informed decisions as they arise in labor. We can provide reassurance and perspective to you and your partner, make suggestions for labor progress and help with relaxation, massage, positioning and other techniques for comfort. We are independent and self-employed. As your doula, we will be working for you, not your caregiver or hospital.
Before labor.
We will meet with you and your partner at least twice before labor 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. We also want to know your own best ways of coping with pain and fatigue and how you and your partner foresee working together. We may also decide on other meetings and will certainly want to remain in touch by telephone and/or email. We will be on call and provide you a beeper to remain in touch with us after 36 weeks.
When you are in labor.
We prefer that you call when you think you are in labor, even if you do not yet need us. We can answer questions and make suggestions over the phone. We will decide together if we should come right then or wait for further change. We usually need approximately one hour (depending on where you live or where you are giving birth) 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, we will remain with you throughout labor and birth.
After birth.
We 
usually remain with you for one or two hours after birth, until you are comfortable and your family is ready for quiet time together. We can also help with initial breastfeeding if necessary. We are available to answer questions about your birth or your baby and would like to get together with you in a few weeks to see how you and baby are doing, to review the birth, and to get feedback from you about my role as your doula. We also offer services as a postpartum doula, so please don't hesitate to ask if you feel you need additional support postpartum.
As a doula, we do not:
1. Perform clinical tasks, such as blood pressure, fetal heart checks, vaginal exams, and others. We are there to provide only physical comfort and emotional support.
2. Make decisions for you. We will help you get the information necessary to make an informed decision. We will also remind you if there is a departure from your birth plan.
3. Speak to the staff on your behalf. We will discuss your concerns with you and suggest options, but you or your partner will speak directly to the clinical staff.
Failure of a doula to provide service.
We will make every effort to provide the services described here. Sometimes this is impossible (for example, with rapid labor). If failure to attend your birth is due to our error, there will be no charge for our services and we will refund the retaining fee. If it is due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control or your failure to call us, we will keep the retaining fee but there were will be no further charges.
Fees.
Labor Support Doula - $400.00 / $550.00 deluxe package*
We will meet with you prenatally to get to know you and to understand what is important to you about your birth. We will discuss ways we can work together to achieve your goals. We will help you get information you need to make your own decisions. In labor, we will help you be more comfortable and confident through reassuring communication, massage, comfort measures and positioning. We will stay with you throughout your labor and in the early postpartum time. We will visit or call you in your home to go over the birth postpartum and answer any questions you may have.
Postpartum Doula - $200.00 for 4 hours a day for 3 days ($20.00/hr. for additional hours or days) Overnight and weekly rates available on request.
We can help ease the transition into parenting or expanding your family. We can help you with breastfeeding questions; encourage rest for mom and baby and set up organized ways so that you can take care of your baby confidently, cook one meal per day, light housework and laundry. We can also help with older children as they get to know the new baby. We can show many ways of bonding with your new baby as well as teaching mom and dad how to care for all the needs of their newborn.
A retainer fee of one half of the total fee is due at the time of signing the service agreement. This will insure that we give you top priority over clients within the 14 days around your due date. The balance is due at our last prenatal visit.
*Massage - Two massages are included in our deluxe birth doula package, one prenatal and one postpartum or to use however you wish. Additional hour massages are $50.00 until you are six months postpartum. If you are a postpartum client, an hour long full body massage is $50.00 until you are six months postpartum. Individual prenatal and postpartum massages are $70.00.
*Childbirth Education -Two childbirth education classes are included in our deluxe birth doula package with your choice of topics to choose for discussion.
