What does a doula do?
As a doula, I help with informational, physical, and emotional support throughout your pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum. For informational support, I help you ask the right questions of your care providers, so you can make the best decisions for you and your family. I provide physical support in providing recommendations for position changes to help speed labor, manage pain, and also offer other pain coping measures, such as acupressure, to help you during your labor. For emotional support, I facilitate communication between you and your spouse/partner to serve as a continual support person for BOTH of you, as well as helping you preparing for and carrying out your plans for birth. Additionally, I will be with you throughout your labor process. Sometimes when a woman arrives woman arrives at the hospital, she may not have continual support from her nurse if there are many women in labor at the same time she is. In these situations, a doula is the ONLY continuous caregiver who is with you from beginning to end instead of a rotating staff of nurses and a doctor that comes in a couple of times to check on you.
What are the benefits of having a doula?
Studies have shown that women supported by a doula in labor have a 50% reduction in C-section rate, 25% shorter labor, 60% reduction in epidural requests, 40% reduction in Pitocin use, 30% reduction in analgesia use, and 40% reduction in forceps delivery. Additionally at six weeks postpartum, women who had a doula had a higher incidence of breastfeeding, were less anxious, had higher self-esteem, were less likely to be depressed, reported more satisfaction with their partners, and regarded both themselves and their babies in a positive light.
How is a doula different than a doctor, midwife, or nurse?
As a doula, I do not do anything medical. For example, I will not deliver your baby, provide vaginal exams to check cervical dilation, listen to the baby's heart tones, monitor the mother's vitals, or provide prenatal medical care or medical exams of any kind.
My calendar books up VERY quickly and I only take a LIMITED number of clients each month, so I recommend you reach out to schedule your consult as soon as you know you're pregnant. Clients who hire me early receive the greatest benefit of my services as we are able to have plenty of time to schedule your prenatal visits and for you to have time to absorb the information I have to teach you as well as research your options on your own. My ideal clients hire me at 12-16 weeks gestation.
When should I hire you as my doula?
Are prenatal visits required? When do you schedule prenatal visits, how long do they last, and what do we cover?
I do require 3 prenatal visits with my clients. Over the years I have found the more educated my clients are, the better birth outcomes they have. Scheduling prenatal visits varies depending on when my clients hire me, but ideally, I like to schedule visits around 16 weeks, 24 weeks, and 32 weeks gestation. This is why clients who hire me early receive the greatest benefit of my services. When we meet for your consult, I provide a complete list of what we cover in prenatal visits. Generally, we discuss the following in prenatal visits:
1st Prenatal Visit (lasts 3-4 hours; ideally scheduled around 16 weeks) - We review an in depth client questionnaire to discuss your health history, explore and discuss your priorities, desires, fears, and/or concerns about labor and birth, further resources for educational support, nutrition tips to stay low risk, questions to ask your medical provider, the induction process, tips on fetal positioning, how to avoid tearing, information on routine newborn procedures, tips for VBACs, and questions to ask on your hospital tour if you are birthing in a hospital. I also provide you with my EXCLUSIVE list of recommended providers featuring my recommendations for chiropractic care, local midwives, lactation consultants, massage therapy, placenta encapsulators, pelvic floor therapists, photography, postpartum doulas, and so much more!
2nd Prenatal Visit (lasts 3-4 hours; ideally scheduled around 24 weeks) - You and your partner receive a mini birth class from me with information on a physiological birth, common labor and delivery interventions and drugs with their risks and benefits, how to tell if you're really in labor, what to do if your water breaks at home, when to go to your birth location (if you aren't having a home birth), suggestions for positions to labor and push in, information on emergency childbirth, and tips in case you have a C-section. As a certified Spinning Babies® Parent Educator, I will also teach you and your partner Spinning Babies® exercises to help your baby be in a good position for birth as well as hands on pain coping techniques to use when your birthing time begins!
3rd Prenatal Visit (lasts 1-2 hours, ideally scheduled around 32 weeks) - We discuss the postpartum period and recovery in depth including information on postpartum depression. We will spend most of our time at this visit reviewing my in-depth Birth Plan Questionnaire to help me know exactly what you are wanting for your birth including what to do regarding your preferences on an epidural. I will use this information to create your customized birth plan to discuss with your provider.
Are you against women using pain relieving drugs such as epidurals?
No! I fully support the compassionate use of epidurals and other pain relieving drugs if that is what you desire. My job as a doula is to make sure you know all of the possible risks and benefits associated with ANY intervention (including pain relieving drugs). I do, however, believe it is important to request the epidural at the right time for it to be the most beneficial and that women should be familiar with other pain coping techniques until that time. Ultimately I support YOU in how YOU want to birth your baby.
Can I have a doula if I end up having a C-section or if I choose to have an elective C-section?
If you are my client and you end up having to have a C-section, I will absolutely support you and your family however I am able. If you are choosing to have an elective C-section for medical reasons or otherwise, I will absolutely support you. However, it is your responsibility to check with your doctor and their policies about who is allowed to be with you during your C-section.
What areas do you serve?
I serve women and their families primarily in the Southeast Houston area including, but not limited to: Baytown, Clear Lake, Deer Park, Friendswood, Kemah, La Porte, League City, Pasadena, Pearland, and the Greater Houston Area. I prefer attending births on the Southeast side of town, but will also attend births in the Houston Med Center. I do not attend births on the north side of town (Spring, Conroe, Magnolia, the Woodlands, Tomball, etc.) or the far west side of town (Katy, Rosharon, Brookshire, etc.) I will, on rare occasions depending on my schedule, attend births in those areas I don't normally serve. Contact me to schedule a FREE consult to meet me and determine how I can meet your needs for your pregnancy and birth!
What are your fees and do you accept payment plans?
My total fee for doula services is $2,000. I require a $200 retainer to secure your spot on my calendar and hire me as your doula. $800 is due by 35 weeks gestation and any remaining balance is due at your birth. If further assistance is needed, please contact me to schedule your FREE consult and discuss payment plan options.
Are there any available discounts?
YES! As a former teacher, I offer discounts for teachers/school district employees, emergency response workers, and active/veteran military OR their spouses. (Must provide provide proof of current employment/staff ID to receive this discount.) I also offer discounts for clients choosing an out-of-hospital birth with a midwife as well as a discount for couples choosing to take my birth prep course and I now offer a discount for repeat clients. Please contact me to schedule your FREE consult to meet and discuss discounts! Ultimately I want ALL women who want a doula at their birth to have one, so if you are interested, please reach out!
Do you accept health insurance?
I do not accept health insurance, but some med share programs provide money towards a doula. Additionally, you may be able to talk to your insurance company about being reimbursed for doula services. Some clients also choose to add a "Doula Fund" to their baby registry to help pay for their doula services.
When should I take a birth class?
You want to take a birth class when you still have time to ask your provider any questions you may have about the things you learn and practice the exercises and relaxation techniques I teach in class. Ideally you would want to do this by 34 weeks, but it's NEVER too late to get ready for your best birth! My three day course is perfect for women in their 2nd or 3rd trimester. If you want to learn at a slower pace, you'd want to begin my 8 week course between 25-27 weeks gestation.
What makes your birth class different from others I've seen online or locally?
Online classes are great when you're in a scheduling bind, but nothing beats the personalized touch of an in person class. In person I'm able to show maternal positioning and we can practice exercises that will help your baby be in better alignment with your pelvis for a shorter, more comfortable labor experience. I have also taken the time to attend and be qualified as a Spinning Babies® Parent Educator and I have experience as a Hypnobabies® Hypno-Doula. Additionally, I was a high school educator for 12 years and started doing doula work towards the end of my career in public education. I know how to deliver content and break it down, so you and your partner can easily understand the information. I'm also able to incorporate my experience as a doula and the research/anecdotes I've seen to fully answer your questions.
A comprehensive birth course like mine is simply not the same as a hospital class. (I know because I've taken that class and in our family we truly believe in the phrase, "You get what you pay for.") This is why I do not offer discounts for hospital classes because they mostly tend to address basic labor phrases, explain what medications are available, as well as hospital policy. Taking a comprehensive birth class makes my job easier as your doula when labor does start and I've found that my clients who have taken a birth class are significantly more prepared for what to expect in their birth, how to advocate for themselves, and the risks and benefits of anything that is being offered, or that they might request. If you have more questions about what my course covers, please reach out! I'm happy to chat!
I don't see a birth class yet for the time I would need it.
Are you still available to do a class when I need it?
Yes! I'm happy to schedule a class when it's convenient for you, provided my schedule allows and my friends at Empower Pelvic Health have availability. If you don't see a class for when you'd need it, let's chat!
Do you offer any discounts if I take your birth class?
Yes! For Clients who have hired me as their doula, I waive their class retainer fee to reserve their spot in the class. Clients who take a birth class make my job as their doula SO much easier, so I also offer $100 off my doula services fee for taking my birth class.
Additionally, my friends at Empower Pelvic Health are offering a complimentary perineal stretching session and guide (redeemable by 36 weeks) for anyone who takes my birth course. This is a wonderful offer to get you ready for your birth in the effort to avoid natural tearing or the need for an episiotomy.