Our Journey Together
A common question I get is, “how does this even work”? Totally fair. So here's a step by step of our journey together. You’ve already found my website so we can check that off. Next, we’ll schedule a consultation. You can submit a request for a consultation by scrolling to the bottom of any page on this website and fill out some info and a message. I do my best to respond within 24 hours. During our consultation we will get to know each other and see if we feel like a good fit. The energy in the birth room is bold and tangible so it’s important that positive chemistry flows both ways. If I don’t think I am the best support for you, I’ll give you info for other incredible doulas that may be a better fit for you. While part of the meeting is me asking what kind of support you’re looking for, a majority of it is for you to ask all the questions you have (there are no silly questions).
Here’s a list of questions you can ask at a doula consultation:
What kind of relationship will you have with my provider during my birth?
Do you put effort into partners being involved? If so, how?
Do you have a backup doula? If so, can I have their website?
What is the investment and what will that get me?
How do you best handle conflict in the birth room?
What is your overall approach/philosophy to birth?
Why did you become a doula?
Who did you do your training with?
What are the benefits of placenta encapsulation?
What does “on call” mean and when does that start?
After the consultation, I give you about a week or two to reflect and make a decision.
If you decide to use me as your birth doula, yippee! We will then sign my contract and deal with fees (boring) and then we get to begin our journey together!
We will have two prenatal visits together, both between the weeks of 30-38 weeks of pregnancy.
During our prenatal visits:
I’ll check in with how you’re feeling about everything and learn about your fears, concerns and excitements. During your birth I will see you in one of your most vulnerable states, so I want you to feel comfortable to unload whatever you want during our time together before your birth.
I’ll help you understand the stages of labor and what sensations may arise for you during each one.
We will create your birth plan (which can totally change due to desire or medical necessity, so we will also prepare a plan B and C.)
We will go over physical comfort measures and explore the idea of aromatherapy, breathwork, hydrotherapy and mantra practices.
We will learn about medical interventions.
Although I will be there to advocate for you, I will help you learn some vocabulary that can help you feel empowered.
I will teach your partner (if applicable) the best way they can support you and better understand how they are feeling and how they’d like to be involved.
We will go over your postpartum plan and I will give you a list of ideas for planning that may be helpful.
After everything we go over, I always check in and see if you’d prefer to say/do things different. Our relationship is built on trust, consent and transparency.
In between prenatal visits, I am here for you to call or text with any questions you're having. Even if you just want to hop on the phone and rant or cry or tell me how adorable your new baby swaddle is; I’m here for you!
After both our meetings, the hope is that you are as prepared as you can be to bring your baby earth side (don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal to still be a nervous wreck but the goal is to minimize that as much as possible).
As soon as you think you're in labor, call me. No matter what time it is, call or text me as much as you'd like with updates. Once you're ready for in person support, let me know and I’ll meet you at the birth place. I can come to your home if that’s where you're choosing to labor before heading to the hospital or birth center (if you're not birthing at home). From there, I support you through labor and birth till about two hours immediate postpartum.
We will do our postpartum meeting together in your home about 5 days after your birth. During this meeting we talked about your birth and how you felt about everything. I support you with how you’re doing emotionally and offer support with breast/chestfeeding (if applicable) and offer any resources you may need.
I hope this clarifies the step by step of what it would be like to have me as your doula, and of course please ask all your questions during our consultation!
