While not every family desires face-to face labor support from a doula or to have a home birth with a midwife, many families appreciate the opportunity to have an in-depth session with a skilled doula + midwife to help them prepare for birth and postpartum. Classes and consultations are offered virtually or in person on a case by case basis taking into account the best practices during the time of COVID.
Additional Support Services:
Birth Prep Consultations
I offer a birth prep consolation or consultations to help lay the groundwork of information for your labor and delivery.
This isn't a birth plan. We will work together and cover what to expect from your hospital, what to pack, when to go to the hospital, what to expect during labor, delivery, and immediate postpartum. We will also review induction methods, pain management options, vaginal birth, caesarean birth, and ways your partner can support you.
INVESTMENT: $100 { 2-2.5 hours }
Welcome Home Plan
You're ready to have the baby but what happens next? My experience and training has taught me that preparing for the 4th trimester is essential for physical recovery and emotional health.
This prep session takes place before delivery and will first assess your need for information and support. We will talk through what to expect right after delivery including local hospital care through the time of discharge, what to expect from recovery whether from a vaginal or caesarean birth, options on feeding your newborn, and simply ways to prepare your home and family to make this transition easier. We will also talk through postpartum mood disorders and what is normal and how to assess additional care if needed.
INVESTMENT: $100 { 2-2.5 hours }
Breastfeeding Consults
Breastfeeding is natural, but that doesn’t always mean it’s easy. Help is available. Learn one on one in the comfort of your home how to latch and feed your baby, how to know your baby is gaining, how to ease discomfort, and have a chance to ask your questions and get answers that make sense for your family. I am peer counselor lactation consultant with years of experience helping breastfeeding mothers.
INVESTMENT: First initial visit $50 { up to 1.5 hours }, and follow up visits $40 an hour. Includes unlimited help over the phone or via text for one month after initial visit.
Placenta Encapsulation
The shift that takes place after birth in the postpartum period is positive and natural but that doesn’t always mean it’s easy. In fact, research shows that over 80% of new moms experience some form of postnatal mood disorders ranging from the baby blues to postpartum depression.
The placenta nourishes the baby and controls maternal hormones during pregnancy. After the birth, when the body no longer needs this organ, it is expelled, which leaves the body in a bit of a hormonal shock.
Belly Binding
Custom fit beautiful belly binds are a way to honor the mother’s body and help the body recover. The belly bind offers 360 degree support to assist the abdominal wall muscles retraction, improve posture, stabilize loose ligaments, and provide support to the torso while vital organs return to the pre-pregnancy size and position. It is known to help heat diastasis recti with the constant supportive pressure on the abdominal area.
The bind is TIGHT and will hold your body firmly. This wrapping can be done 5 days postpartum for vaginal births and after 6 weeks for cesarean births. Binds can be worn every days for up to 40 days.
INVESTMENT: $200
Mother Blessings
A Mother Blessing is a ceremony offered to expectant mothers as a way of honoring the passage into Motherhood. Unlike a traditional baby shower, where gifts are purchased for the baby, a Mother Blessing is all about nurturing the mother-to-be.
A Mother Blessing involves a gathering of the mother-to-be’s most trusted friends and family. Traditionally it is a woman-only gathering and may include anyone she respects, looks up to or values.
It is a way to create community and help the mother to be feel ‘held’ and supported by those she loves and respects and to allow her to embrace what’s to come.