LABOR DOULA
As a Doula, I accompany women in labor to help ensure a safe, sacred and satisfying birth experience.
What do doulas do?
Doulas “mother the mother.” While performing her role, a doula:
- Provides emotional support
- Uses comfort measures: breathing, relaxation, movement, positioning
- Gives information
- Continuously reassures and comforts the mother
- Helps a mother become informed about various birth choices
- Keeps the mother informed and helps facilitate communication between the mother and care provider
- Looks after your partner as well (gives them bathroom breaks, opportunities for sleep, and eating!), but their primary responsibility is to the mother
- Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth
- tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications- ask more about this
- reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
- reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
- reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals
Many of us doulas provide a range of support. We may be health practitioners, moms, full time employees of another trade or full time doulas. We each bring something unique and different to our client’s birth and I always recommend interviewing at least 3 doulas, even if it’s over the phone. Although in person is often better. Some of us provide prenatal support beyond 1 or 2 meetings, and some provide a lot of postpartum care. Either way, the purpose is to always provide labor and birth support. Continuous, loving support for the mom and dad or partner in the room. Doulas are a fabulous resource and need for having a desired birth experience. A doula will help to ensure that a mom is confident throughout and feels supported, no matter the situation. I say this because it is not always about outcome, but experience. How a woman feels during labor is just as important as the details of what’s happening with the labor.
As a doula, I draw upon my knowledge and experience to provide emotional support, physical comfort and help facilitate communication with you and your health care provider to ensure you have the information needed to make informed decisions throughout pregnancy and in labor. I can provide reassurance and perspective to you and your partner, make suggestions for scenarios that are affecting the labor progression, and help with relaxation, massage, positioning, homeopathy and other techniques for comfort. I am independently self-employed. As your doula, I am working for you, not your care giver or hospital/birth center. This allows me to specialize my services for a mother’s individual needs. Please call me to inquire more about my services and see how we might work together
“Labor is never bigger than you because it isn’t happening TO YOU, but coming FROM YOU.” ― Willow Buckley
Here are some of the things you can expect if you hire me
Prenatal and postnatal nutrition
Includes meal plans, supplemental recommendations, and more. I customize what foods, meals and supplements you will benefit from most and find ways to easily incorporate them into your lifestyle.
Birth Plans & Registry Items
I provide sample birth plans and go over the birth plan to ensure it covers the mother’s needs. I also have a lot of experience with registry/baby items and can help find what the mom will need based on her desires, style and likes. This is useful so that mom can get what she needs and wants.
Labor Support
In person or over the phone support until mom is ready for me to join her. Attendance with mom during labor at home and in the hospital. Attendance through the birth and 1-3 hours afterwards to ensure everyone is settled and breast feeding has been established. This time will also depend on the needs of the parents.
On Call Support
On call 24 hours a day starting at 38 weeks until baby is delivered. I generally do not plan trips or leave town after 38 weeks but if something arises my client’s always know and I always have an approved back up(s) to be my client’s doula in my absence. Prior to 38 weeks and after baby has arrived I’m available via phone, text and email for any questions or concerns that arise. My clients find this extremely helpful and useful in regards to unexpected things that occur with having a newborn.
Mama Avocate
During labor I have a goal to hold a sacred space for my moms whether at home or in the hospital so that she may stay in her body and out of her head throughout the journey of labor and birth. I do this by providing massage, meditation, husband/partner support (guide and remind them on how to support mom), and to be an advocate for her wishes. I want her to have the experience she wants and do everything I can throughout pregnancy and during labor to assist her in having that experience.
Homeopathy
I offer homeopathic treatment for acute ailments for mom prenatally, during labor and 1 month – 1 year postpartum for mom and baby.
Consulations
Depending on the package chosen a family will get 3- 5 consultations to use before birth and 1-2 postpartum visits to see how mom is adjusting, go over the birth experience, answer any questions and hopefully hold and gaze at the new adorable baby. I like to meet with my moms at least 3 times before the birth. This number just depends on how early on I am hired. Because I am a mom of two and have a homeopathy practice I don’t take many clients per month so that I can give full attention to my mom’s and still have time for work and the kids. Options include: a private prenatal yoga practice and dad session to go over laboring at home and physical support for mom during labor but there is flexibility to support each mom with her own individual needs. Placenta Encapsulation is also included for free or at a discounted rate depending on the package.
“There is no other organ quite like the uterus. If men had such an organ they would brag about it. So should we” ― Ina May Gaskin
Labor Doula Package Options
To help support my Homeopathic practice and my family as best I can, I am currently only accepting clients who live in North County and giving birth in North County. If you live outside of this area I can still take you on as a client but there is likely a travel fee. Based on your Due Date I’ll be able to see if I’m available 🙂 If you are interested but need financial assistance please inquire.
Package 1: $2000
- 3 prenatal visits (at least one is a home visit).
- Homeopathic Care throughout pregnancy, birth and 1 month postpartum.
- 1 postpartum home visit.
- Text, email and phone availability throughout.
- On call from 38 weeks to 42 weeks based on estimated due date.
- To add Placenta Encapsulation To this Package the fee is $250, $50 less if you weren’t a client.
Email me today to see if we can be a good fit for each other.
Inclusive Package 2: $2500
All the same labor support as described in the other package plus:
- Four prenatal visits. These can include registry support, cloth diaper support, creating a postpartum plan, private prenatal yoga in your home with or without your partner.
- Homeopathic acute care for mom or baby during the first 6 months postpartum. This can be used for acute care for mom, baby or a sibling of baby.
- Placenta encapsulation which includes a placenta tincture.
Save over $250 with this package!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do father's feel you take over their role as labor support?
Some can be worried at first during the hiring process. I have many dad testimonials and often am ‘hyped’ up to other parents-to-be from the fathers because having a doula allowed them to be even more of a part of the labor and birth. Dads/partners know the mom best and vice versa. I encourage and want them to be as much of a part of the labor and birth as possible. I support their role and do not replace their role. I am a facilitator and although my focus is for mama, I make sure dads are rested, fed and able to have breaks knowing that mom is continuously taken care of and so that they are refreshed and at their best, ready to meet their baby when he or she is born.
When can I hire you?
I have been hired as early as before conception to aid with preconception cleansing and preparing for pregnancy and hired as late as 35 weeks pregnant. Each pregnancy and mother is an individual and therefore many scenarios welcome hiring me at many different stages.
What if you are unavailable when I go into labor?
As a doula I try to be as super human as possible with my availability, but since I’m still just human I always have a back up doula. I actually have 2-3 back up doulas that I choose based upon the mom who has hired me. Often my clients will talk with or even meet my back up so that they feel comfortable with her before going into labor. I have only used a back up once so far in my practice and absolutely love my back up doulas. In the event that I am unable to attend a birth, the back up doula would join and support the mom continuously just as if I were there. I also have found that whoever is supposed to be at your birth usually is. What this means is that maybe my back up doula is actually who was supposed to be there and I was supposed to be there before and after. It’s hard to explain, but having had this experience I know it’s true. My midwife wasn’t able to be at my birth because my son came so early. Yet, I couldn’t have been more pleased for the angelic midwives that took her place for the actual labor and birth. Hence, we get exactly what we need when we don’t even know it.
How many births have you attended?
I get this question a lot and I think it’s a great one. I have attended (to date) over 90 births. Being a part of the birth worker community also brings a lot of experience. Every time doulas and midwives get together we learn from each other’s experience and can add that to our own tool kit for future births which increases our birth experience to beyond the numbers of births we’ve attended.
Any other advice?
Your baby will know what to do Your body will know what to do Stay connected to your baby and your body and you’ll know what to do Birth happens. It’s been happening for centuries. It’s a misnomer to think it’s something for a woman to be afraid of because it is something a woman gains strength during and from. It’s the most powerful experience a woman can have.
Where are you located and where do you attend births?
I’m located in Encinitas. I’ll attend births for women who live in San Diego County. If you live east of the 15 freeway and south of Pacific Beach I will ask you to meet me in Encinitas, or half way for our prenatal visits. The home visits will be at your home still, of course 🙂 I attend home births and births at hospitals all over the County of San Diego, with all Health Care Providers. I support all pregnancies and birth choices.