Birth Doula Care

People look into having a birth doula for a variety of reasons. The most common reasons people hire me as their birth doula are varied. Some reasons I’m often told are: 

  • My presence is calming

  • My depth of knowledge is appreciated

  • My level of experience gives them confidence

  • They never feel judged by me

  • I’m flexible and resilient 

  • Because several other friends loved working with me

  • I’m clearly comfortable with all types of families

  • I am familiar with all forms of childbirth education

  • I support all birth options equally

  • Appreciate how easily I adapt, and help them to adapt, to the birthing environment as it unfolds

  • They want someone totally independent of “the system” on their team

  • I’m very familiar with most providers and professionals in the community

  • I am exceptionally well-versed in postpartum support, like breastfeeding

I've been a birth doula in this community for 19 years and took the DONA International Training in August 2005. I’ve had the honor of attending 500+ of my clients' births and a handful more as a backup doula. I don’t stop working on continuing education, as I’m always working to evolve and improve. My CEU focuses on labor, birth, postpartum body & healing, newborn care, breastfeeding, & advanced breastfeeding support topics. If you want to learn more about me, as a person, you can read my origin story on my About Me page. 

I am a part of Triangle Doula Collective, for backup doula support. TDC is a group of experienced doulas, we provide each other support and doula clients to ensure continuity of care. It doesn't happen often but sometimes we can't be at our clients' birth, currently, I have a 98.75 % attendance record. I have worked with TDC as my backup doulas for 14 years now. We hold monthly meetings for our clients to meet their backup support, and those inquiring about birth doula support and availability. RSVP for one of our 3 monthly meetings: 1st Tuesday at 7 pm, 2nd Thursday at 12:30 pm, 3rd Saturday at 3 pm

Payment

I accept PayPal, Square, Check, and Cash. I have a medical merchant account with Square allowing me to take HSA / FSA credit cards. I am happy to share all the information I have received over the years. In my contract (Letter of Agreement) you have the option of making one payment, break it up into 2, 3, or 4 payments before and after the birth. If you need a different payment plan I am open to a conversation.

Reimbursement

For clients wishing to file with their insurance, I can supply a receipt with my NPI # and EIN#, plus any other documents needed for your reimbursement. I do not file for you.

Carrot Fertility (Family), I meet all the requirements for reimbursement. I am happy to provide a copy of my DONA certification, and proof of medical insurance, and fill out their form.

Contact Me to set up an interview!

Choose between one of my doula packages

Simple Bliss Package $2000

Birth Doula services, that fee covers Informational, emotional, and physical support from the moment the contract is signed. This is provided via 

  • Unlimited emails, texts, or calls until 6 weeks postpartum

  • On-call service from 34 weeks to 42 weeks for your birth

  • Experienced backup doula support, from Triangle Doula Collective, should anything arise that would keep me from attending, whether a couple of hours or the whole birth.

  • 1 two-hour in-person prenatal meeting ( explore and discuss your goals, any fears or concerns, review childbirth education, deepen the understanding of maternal/fetal positioning, pain coping techniques, comfort positions, consultation on written birth preferences (plan) to share with staff )

  • Access one of my TENS machines with new pads, these TENS units are made for labor.

  • If needed 1 virtual prenatal, to discuss any change of plans ( from resources on options to move a breech-positioned baby to induction, or planning a cesarean birth), or talk over optimal maternal and fetal positioning to help prepare for labor and encourage labor

  • Continuous labor and birth support, starting in your home or birthplace, including 2 hours of immediate postpartum support in the L&D room

  • My 19 years of birth doula experience/ continued education/ community & online resources list

  • 1 four-hour postpartum visit including breastfeeding support, answering postpartum healing, sleep, and soothing baby questions. I can also support you in baby-wearing for all styles of wraps, slings, and carriers.

  • If wanted a 1 hour virtual postpartum to review the birth to better put together your birth story

  • 12 years of experience and skills as an accredited breastfeeding support leader, and 16 years of doula breastfeeding support experience

  • An invitation to one of the three monthly Triangle Doula Collective virtual ‘Meet the Doulas’ meetings. Learn about the backup system and your backup doulas.

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Bliss: a cause of great joy or happiness

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Nurturing Bliss Package $2200

Sometimes you want a little more time to prepare for your birth and extra postpartum support. The Nurturing Bliss package comes with everything the Simply Bliss has to offer but with more time added to the prenatal visit and more postpartum visits.

  • 1 three-hour in-person prenatal / 1 virtual prenatal

  • 2 in-person postpartum visits, 8 total hours of support broken up as needed into the two postpartum visits

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    Blissful: full of joy; extremely happy

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Cultivating a Blissful Birth and Postpartum $2400

This package comes with everything the Simply Bliss offers while giving you plenty of time with me to prepare for your birth and postpartum. We’ll have enough time to integrate everything you learned in childbirth, breastfeeding, and postpartum education classes into your vision. Using a program I co-created, Bridge To Breastfeeding, has a tool to develop realistic expectations of the postpartum window of time, during which breastfeeding is being established, to allow you to be present and so that this fleeting time with your newborn can be enjoyable. This package gives us time to review information and practice exercises and movements you learned in class. While also discussing how you want to incorporate it into your birth preferences.

So often we spend more time preparing for the birth than postpartum and find ourselves at home with our baby wondering how to juggle everything. How to breastfeed in our nursery chair, bed, and couch, keep ourselves fed and hydrated, while balancing rest. We often think of all the questions we have for the pediatrician, birth provider, and our support community while home breastfeeding. With the 6-8 hours of postpartum support in this package I will help you get settled in, organized, and set up to move through the postpartum period.

  • 2 in person three hours long prenatal visits

  • 2 in person postpartum visits, 6-8 hours of support broken up as needed within 2 postpartum visits

As your doula, I will be fully present with you through the entire experience. We will meet beforehand, to get to know each other, during our prenatal visit(s). At that time we will work through your birth (and breastfeeding) preferences (plan), and prepare to work as a team. I am happy to put together a postpartum plan with you too. I will be available through your pregnancy to help you be as comfortable and informed as possible through unlimited emails and/or phone calls/text. I will do this also, through sharing my knowledge of complementary care resources and local resource groups in the triangle.

During your labor and birth, I will act in an informative, emotional, and physical support role. I can help you understand what’s happening in your chosen birth environment, any medical terminology you struggle with, and what all your options are, as you move through the process of giving birth. As your doula, I am experienced by having been in labor, as well as being with many other people, as they have labored. This brings a special understanding of your emotional needs that allows me to guide your support team to be as helpful as possible. I will also serve as physical support. I have been trained in a variety of comfort measures and other physical skills that will help you be as comfortable as possible through labor and the pushing stage. As an experience doula you also have my wisdom and knowledge of labor patterns and movements/holds that can shift a labor to shorten the process and make it more comfortable.

During the immediate postpartum time frame, I will be there to help carry out your newborn care choices. I can help you with initial breastfeeding support and continue to support you through your first couple of feedings. I will be there to help you settle into your postpartum room also, to help you feel confident moving into your fresh role as a parent of your new baby.

As you settle in, we will have a breastfeeding support visit, in your home, where I will help you grow in confidence and comfort, breastfeeding in your own environment. I'll help you work with positioning, latching, and other common breastfeeding challenges. I'll give you breastfeeding information and a breastfeeding resource list too, that has trusted and well vetted IBCLC's listed, if you need more advanced help managing breastfeeding. Within two weeks of the birth we will have a virtual postpartum meeting where we will process your birth, pull together details that may be foggy, like the order of events. We will also go over any newborn care, postpartum, or breastfeeding questions you may still have.

After this, I am still available for questions, helping find resources, and love pictures with updates on your parenting adventures.

It is such a pleasure to watch families grow! I am always honored to be a part of the beginning of a family's journey.