As a doula, I support and coach parents throughout pregnancy, labor and delivery and postpartum. I do this in your home, a hospital, or a birthing center.
No matter the stage of parenthood, from hearing the very first heartbeat in an ultra sound, to the 3rd birthing experience, New Heart Community offers education, resources and networking opportunities for professional women entering the mom force.
Complimentary initial meeting. We will meet and decide if we are a good fit for one another.
Experience
Prenatal: what to expect, how to plan
I will meet with you and your partner twice before labor so we can become acquainted, explore and discuss your priorities and any fears or concerns you may have. We will discuss your birth preferences and how we will best work together. We will learn about and practice comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, movement and positioning. I am on-call for you two weeks prior to your expected due date, and until you deliver, but encourage more contact by phone or email.
Life
Birthing, health and care for baby and you
When labor begins, you will call me and we will decide if I should come right away or wait for further progress. Also, we will decide where I will meet you: At your home, the hospital or the birthing center. I usually need about one hour from the time of the call.
Together
Postnatal: Postpartum Care, Newborn Care and Lactation Consultation.
A few days after the birth, or soon after you arrive home from the hospital, I will come for a postpartum visit to offer breastfeeding support and address any initial postpartum concerns. We will discuss how you are doing and review the birth. I will also provide a typed timeline of your labor and delivery.
We are now offering extended postpartum care to clients. We come in and help those first few days and weeks after bringing home a new baby. Services include, but are not limited to, help with self-care recovery, postpartum comfort measures, infant care, parenting information and assistance with learning to feed and take care of your baby, as well as other practical services.
Post delivery is different for every woman, contact us to see what would work best for you.
Doula Scope of practice (from DONA International)
The Doula’s role is to provide physical and emotional support and assistance in gathering information for a woman and her partner during labor and birth.
The Doula offers help and advice on comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, movement and positioning. She also assists the woman and her partner to become informed about the course of her labor and their options. Perhaps the most crucial role of the doula is providing constant emotional reassurance and comfort.
Doulas specialize in non-medical skills and do not perform clinical tasks, such as vaginal exams or fetal heart rate monitoring. Doulas do not diagnose medical conditions, offer second opinions or give medical advice. Most importantly, doulas do not make decisions for their clients: they do not project their own values and goals onto the laboring woman.
The Doula’s goal is to help the woman have a safe and satisfying childbirth, as the laboring mother defines it.