As Professional Birth Doulas, our role is to provide support to clients in labor and their partners. This includes non-medical comfort measures and emotional support throughout labor and birth. We will draw on our professional training, knowledge and experience to provide this support. We can provide reassurance and perspective to you and your partner, make suggestions for labor progress and help with relaxation. We are independent and self employed. As your doulas, we are working for you, not your caregiver or hospital.
Services to be provided include the following:
- One in depth prenatal appointment with both Megan and Courtney.
- One prenatal virtual appointment with Megan and Courtney
- Assistance with writing your birth plan.
- Email and phone support throughout your pregnancy (during daytime hours; 9am-5pm)
- On call support from 38 weeks of pregnancy until the birth of your baby.
- Continuous support during labor and birth from one doula, based on the call schedule
- One postpartum visit, if possible both doulas will attend this visit.
- 2 weeks virtual postpartum support as needed, 9am-9pm
Prenatal visits will be scheduled before 38 weeks. One visit will be done virtually over zoom and the other will be at client’s home with masks.Any additional meetings will be virtual and discussed on a case by case basis.
Please call the doulas when you first start to notice signs of labor. It is important for you to call with regular updates during your early labor. This will allow us time to plan and for you to be in touch with your care provider. Once you are in active labor, a doula will be there to support you within two hours of the time you request in person support. After your birth your doula will remain with you until your family feels comfortable or for up to two hours. Initial breastfeeding support is also available if desired.
Should you require an emergency cesarean section birth, your doula will remain at the hospital and provide support throughout and after the birth. We will make every effort for your doula to be present in the operating room. It is up to the client to discuss cesarean procedures with their caregiver, understanding that the final decision is made by the hospital staff. In the event of a cesarean birth, all fees remain the same.
As doulas, we do NOT:
- Perform any medical or clinical tasks. We will provide only emotional and educational support and physical comfort.
- Speak for you. We will help you discuss concerns and can suggest options while encouraging you to pursue the birth you desire. Either you or your partner will need to communicate directly with medical staff regarding decisions about your birth.
- Make decisions for you. We can help provide you with information so you are able to make educated choices.
Fees for Birth Doula Services
The fee for birth doula support is $1800. This non-refundable payment amount includes: Bi-monthly check-ins starting at 28 weeks gestation, 2 prenatal visits (one in-person & one virtual), 2 weeks of postpartum virtual support 9am-9pm, 1 in person postpartum follow up and unlimited phone/email support and labor support. The client will provide a non-refundable monetary deposit ($1100) and a post-dated check for the remaining balance ($700) at the time of signing the contract. Once the checks and signed contract are received the birth will be secured on the doula’s calendar. At the signing of the contract, it is assumed that none of us can anticipate the type of labor and birth you are going to have. As a business, we can only contract with a small number of clients in any particular time frame (for fear of missing someone’s birth and not meeting their needs). We cannot fill the calendar and then change fees according to how births turn out. The doula is as committed to short laboring clients as she is to long laboring clients and has been considered a tremendous asset to families that are in need of a cesarean section as recovery, bonding and breastfeeding can be challenging in this case.
Failure to provide services
We will make every effort to provide all services described here. Sometimes this is impossible (for example, with rapid labor, extreme weather, etc.) If failure to attend your birth is due to circumstances beyond our control, or your failure to call or request in person support, there will be no refund.
If failure to attend your birth is due to our error, we will refund you $700, retaining the additional $1100 for the pre and postnatal visits.
In the unlikely event we are unable to attend your birth, we will provide you with a back up doula. There will not be any additional charge if this occurs. If you fail to contact the back up doula, there will be no refund.
If, for some reason, we are not allowed in to support you during your birth, there will be no refund. It is up to the client to discuss policies and procedures regarding doulas with their care provider during pregnancy.
I/We have read this letter describing the doula’s services and agree that it reflects the discussion previously had with her and will adhere to policies detailed in this agreement. It is understood that services will only be rendered upon receipt of signed letter of agreement, confidentiality release and payment.
Responsibilities Of The Client And Client’s Partner:
Client agrees to inform her doctor or midwife that they have hired a birth doula. Client also agrees to keep in contact with doula after each doctor or midwife visit. Client will keep doula informed of client’s medical condition, including any test results so that the doula may answer any questions client may have. Client agrees to provide doula with a copy of her birth plan. She agrees to call doula with onset of labor and at least two hours before client would like doula to arrive at the predetermined birth site.
Release From Liability:
In entering a contract for doula services we acknowledge that during the performance period of this contract, services may be provided to me/us in my/our home, traveling to a medical facility and hospital. I/we understand that the aforementioned doula has a limited role pursuant to the descriptions of tasks outlined in the above-referenced contract, wherever services are provided to me/us. The aforementioned doula has not represented to us me/us that contracting for her services, guarantees in any way a risk free, emergency free labor and birth experience. I/we understand that my/our doula does not make medical or nursing decisions on my/our behalf, to include the decision when to seek medical care at a hospital or when labor support services are provided in my/our home. When services are provided in a medical facility, I/we acknowledge that my/our doula is not responsible for the performance of clinical tasks to include medical or nursing decisions regarding the inclusion or exclusion of treatments available to me/us and my/our baby.
Now, in the consideration of the above acknowledgments, I/we (both jointly and separately) on behalf of myself, ourselves, my/our heirs, administrators, personal representatives, executors and assigns to release and forever discharge my/our doula from all damages or causes of action, either law or in equity, which I/we have or acquire or which may accrue to me/us, my/our heirs, administrators, personal representatives, executors or assigns as a result of using the doula services of our aforementioned doula, I/we intend this to be a complete release and discharge her from all liability whatsoever.