Birth doulas
Birth doulas provide continuous, non-medical, practical, and emotional support throughout labor and birth while honoring and supporting your birth preferences. They also offer prenatal and immediate postpartum support through education, resources, guidance, and reassurance. Our birth doula services are coming soon; contact us to learn more.
Our birth doula services are coming soon
Birth doulas advocate for you, your baby, and your birth preferences, ensuring your voice is heard throughout the birthing process. As experts in comfort measures, positioning, and labor support techniques, they help you and your baby work together throughout labor and birth.
Why families choose birth doula support
- Continuous support. Your birth doula provides continuous, one-on-one support throughout active labor and delivery, offering a calm, reassuring presence from the beginning of labor until your baby is born.
- Knowledge. Birth doulas have extensive knowledge of pregnancy, labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum period. They answer questions and provide evidence-based information so you feel informed and prepared.
- Experience. Birth doulas have supported families in a variety of birth settings, including hospitals, birth centers, and home births.
- Specialized training. Birth doulas receive specialized training in labor support and comfort techniques, including position changes, breathing techniques, massage, and counter pressure.
- A more positive birth experience. Research shows that families who have continuous labor support from a birth doula are more likely to report greater satisfaction with their birth experience. Continuous doula support has also been associated with improved birth outcomes, including a greater likelihood of spontaneous vaginal birth and a lower likelihood of certain medical interventions.
Understanding a birth doula’s role
A birth doula provides continuous physical, emotional, practical, and informational support throughout labor and birth. Physically, they help you stay comfortable by encouraging movement and position changes, guiding breathing techniques, and offering massage, counter pressure, and essential oils when appropriate. They also help you stay hydrated, nourished, and cool.
Beyond physical comfort, a birth doula offers reassurance and encouragement, and helps you understand your options, ask key questions, and make informed decisions that align with your birth preferences. While a doula does not make medical decisions or replace your healthcare provider, they become a part of your birth team to help ensure your voice is heard.
Questions families ask
Frequently asked
questions.
How do I pay the birth doula I hire?
Pay requirements and classifications are dependent state-by-state. Most birth doulas own their own business (usually an LLC); you contract with them and pay them through their business directly.
What certifications should a birth doula have?
A birth doula should have specialist training through a reputable doula organization such as DONA International, CAPPA, Birth Arts, Childbirth International, BEST Doulas, and others. Most also complete certification as a secondary step after their initial training, and most also hold up-to-date CPR and First Aid certifications as well as Limited Liability Insurance.
How far in advance should I book a birth doula?
We recommend booking your birth doula as early as possible, ideally during or right at the end of your first trimester (around 8 to 12 weeks of pregnancy). The earlier you book, the more options you'll have in selecting your birth doula and the more prenatal support you will get from them.
Can a birth doula support me if I want an epidural, have a c-section or am having a multiples birth?
Absolutely. Many of our birth doulas have extensive experience supporting births with epidurals, c-sections, surrogates and intended parents, or multiples births. Let us know your family's circumstances and your birth preferences so we can match you with a birth doula who has the right experience.
When does a birth doula go on call?
Birth doulas are typically available during normal business hours for prenatal practical and emotional support from the time of booking until they go on call for you. Once on call they are available 24/7 until the arrival of your little one. Birth doulas typically go on call when you hit 37 weeks.