birth doula services

As a birth doula, my role is to provide uninterrupted support from the point at which you request my presence until your baby (or babies!) is/are born and you are settled.  As part of this service, I provide two or more prenatal visits, attendance at the birth, and a postpartum follow-up visit.

As a mother and a family, you will remember a birth for the rest of your life. I will strive to provide informational, emotional and physical support through pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period, with the aim to nurture and protect that memory.

Some things that I do at a birth:

• My first priority is to hold the space. A sense of peace and normalcy goes a long way.
• I offer early support to help mothers labor at home as long as desired, and to help decide when it’s time to call the midwife or head to the hospital or birth center.
• I am available to answer any questions, offer encouragement, and to help a mother evaluate where she and baby are in the moment.
• I can provide massage and counter pressure techniques to help a mother work with her contractions.
• I can also guide a partner in providing this physical support.
• I am able to offer hot and cold packs, simple foods and drink.
• For c-section births, I am available to not only hold the space, but to be a bridge person, so that the mother is not left alone when her partner goes to attend to the baby. (hospital policy on people allowed in the OR should be discussed ahead of time in cases of scheduled c-sections)
• After the birth or at the postpartum visit, I am available to assist with breastfeeding. (note: I am also trained on how to support initiation of breastfeeding in ways specific to c-section babies.)

This is a short list, but it gives a general overview of what you might expect.

Working with a Birth Doula can :

• Result in a shorter labor with fewer complications
• Reduce the need for interventions, including pitocin, epidurals, vacuum extraction, forceps, and cesarean
• Increase success with breastfeeding
• Reduce the chance of postpartum depression

I am currently available to attend births in The Greater Philadelphia Area.  Please see the calendar below for my schedule.