Deluxe Sound Doula Birth and Postpartum Support, $2000

• Pre-conception/Early Pregnancy Consulting
• Three prenatal meetings:
• Two meetings in late pregnancy to discuss your birth plans and how we will work together
• AND your choice of any one of the following meetings:
  
  
  • Midwife or doctor appointment with you in late pregnancy to discuss your birth plan and have your "birth team” together prior to labor
  • Meeting focused on preparations for the postpartum period, this can include everything from nursery and supplies, to sleep and nutrition and you’re welcome to include family or friends
  • Attendance at one birth preparation class (such as yoga for birth or childbirth education series class)
  • A private childbirth education meeting
  • Any one additional meeting

• Support in creating your individual written birth plan
• Personalized childbirth education during prenatal meetings
• Unlimited support via phone and email from prenatal through postpartum
• Access to my extensive lending library of books and videos
• Individualized referrals to local experts and resources
• On-call leading up to your birth, two weeks before and two weeks after your estimated due date
• Guaranteed back-up doula (in case of emergency, illness or simultaneous births)
• Early labor support and encouragement by phone and/or in-person
• Use of my TENS unit for early labor and/or back labor
• Continuous support throughout your labor and birth
• Birth photography and/or video recording
• Immediate postpartum support after the birth
• Support and assistance with breastfeeding/bottle-feeding
• A written timeline and story of your birth
• Postpartum support including meetings and hourly services:
• One meeting in the early days to support with feeding, questions and finding your new rhythm
• Note: for breastfeeding clients there is the option of having this meeting be a lactation consultation
  
• One meeting at about a month postpartum to review the birth, answer questions and conclude our time together
• Twelve hours of postpartum doula support (over $400 value), for use within the first month postpartum
  
• Discounted rate on additional postpartum doula support

Complete Sound Doula Birth Support, $1500

• Three prenatal meetings:
• Two meetings in late pregnancy to discuss your birth plans and how we will work together
• One midwife or doctor appointment with you in late pregnancy to discuss your birth plan and have your "birth team” together prior to labor (optional)
• Support in creating your individual written birth plan
• Personalized childbirth education support
  
• Unlimited support via phone and email from prenatal through postpartum
• Access to my extensive lending library of books and videos
• Individualized referrals to local experts and resources
• On-call leading up to your birth, two weeks before and two weeks after your estimated due date
• Guaranteed back-up doula (in case of emergency, illness or simultaneous births)
• Early labor support and encouragement by phone and/or in-person
• Use of my TENS unit for early labor and/or back labor
• Continuous support through your labor and birth
• Birth photography and/or video recording (optional)
• Immediate postpartum support after the birth
• Support and assistance with breastfeeding/bottle-feeding
• A written timeline and story of your birth
• Two postpartum meetings:
• One meeting in the early days to support with feeding, questions and finding your new rhythm
• Note: for breastfeeding clients there is the option of having this meeting be a lactation consultation
• One meeting at about a month postpartum to review the birth, answer questions and conclude our time together

Essential Sound Doula Birth Support, $1300

• Two prenatal meeting to discuss your birth plans and how we will work together
• Support in creating your individual written birth plan
• Support via phone and email from prenatal through postpartum
• Access to my extensive lending library of books and videos
• Individualized referrals to local experts and resources
• On-call leading up to your birth, two weeks before and two weeks after your estimated due date
• Guaranteed back-up doula (in case of emergency, illness, simultaneous births)
• Continuous support through your labor and birth
• Immediate postpartum support after the birth
• A written timeline and story of your birth
• One postpartum meeting within the first month to review the birth, answer questions and conclude our time together

Birth and Postpartum Consultation Package, $500

• Two prenatal meetings to discuss your birth plans, answer your questions and support your preparations for labor and birth
• Support in creating your individual written birth plan
• Unlimited phone and email support from prenatal through postpartum
• Access to my extensive lending library of books and videos
• Individualized referrals to local experts and resources
• Two postpartum meetings:
• One meeting in the early days to talk about your birth, answer questions, and provide professional support with breastfeeding and finding your new rhythm
• One meeting at about a month postpartum to ensure a smooth transition to parenthood, answer questions and conclude our time together

Additional Prenatal or Postpartum Meetings, $100

Once we agree to work together, clients return a Sound Doula agreement (contract) with two checks: the first is a retainer for half the total fee dated with the contract, the second is for the balance post-dated for the first day of the month of your due date. This secures my availability, covers all of our scheduled visits as well as my commitment of being on call, responding to email/phone questions and access to my lending library and individualized resources. For more info about what makes up a doula’s fees, please click here.

Meet-and-Greet: 

I offer a complimentary “meet-and-greet” interview for anyone interested in getting to know me a bit and learning about the services I can provide. This is a great opportunity to see if we connect and if your needs and my services as your doula are compatible. After the meeting you will have the chance to decide if I am the right doula for you and your family and then contact me with your decision. Once I am hired by a client, we will schedule the prenatal meetings.

Prenatal Meetings:

During the two prenatal meetings we will cover the details of your pregnancy, your birth plans, and how I can be of support to you (and your partner if you have one) during your labor. We can also discuss any questions you have, talk through possible scenarios and determine which coping methods and techniques may be most effective for you. If you have already given birth previously, we will discuss those experiences and how they relate to your plans for your upcoming birth. These meetings provide the time to get to know one another and prepare for the birth.

Birth:

Once your labor begins, I ask that you call me and let me know. Even if you are unsure that you need me at that point, this allows me to chat with you a bit about how you’re doing and make sure that I’m able to come to you as soon as you are ready. I do not have a specific point within labors when I go to my clients. It is up to you to determine when you feel my presence would be beneficial. Once you request my presence, I will come to you wherever you are, generally this is at your home, but this could also be at a birth center or hospital. I will remain with you until after the birth and make sure you are doing well, everyone's eaten and settled in. I will then call the next day to check in and make sure things are going well.

Postpartum Meetings:

All birth doula services include at least one postpartum meeting. In packages that contain more than one, the first is generally two or three days after birth and focuses on adjustment, answering questions, and support with nursing or other newborn care. In packages with two, the second is generally around three weeks postpartum when we will discuss how you, the baby and the rest of the family are doing and review the birth. For packages that contain only one postpartum meeting, or additional postpartum doula services, we will discuss the timing to best suit your needs.

These time frames are completely adjustable depending on your needs and schedule. meetings. I will provide resources, suggestions or answer any questions you feel you would like covered at these meeting or via email/phone in-between. If you feel you need additional support in the form of scheduled postpartum doula sessions, please let me know and I would be happy to discuss postpartum doula services. 

Sound Doula Birth Availability:  

Sound Doula Answers to Commonly Asked Birth Doula Questions:

• What training and experience have you had?

Below is a list of the trainings and experience that I have had in relation to my doula work.
This list is a work in progress and I am always on the lookout for ways to improve my doula skills.

• Labor Support for Birth Doulas Training Course, June 2007
  Seattle Midwifery School lead and DONA certified training for birth doula skill building including the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, fetal development, labor techniques, postpartum and the emotional and psychological aspects of giving birth and its significance in women’s lives
  
  
• Working with Labor Pain, August 2007
  Great Starts Birth and Family Education-based class covering pain management and coping skills as well as advanced practice of labor support techniques
  
  
• Postpartum Doula Training Course, November and December 2007
  Seattle Midwifery School lead and DONA certified training for postpartum doula skill building including new mother and baby care, communication skills and emotional transition of the new family
  
  
• Basics of Lactation Management, November 2007
  Lactation Education Resources five-module course covering: Starting Out Successfully, Difficulties, Breast Pumps and Breastmilk Storage, Breastfeeding the Premature Infant and Alternative Feeding Methods
  
  
• Infant, Child and Adult CPR and First Aid, Annually each spring
  American Red Cross and American Heart Association nationally recognized trainings for preparedness skills to respond to a variety of emergencies in infants, young children and adults
  
  
• During my attendance at the 2008 DONA Conference, in addition to the general session, I attended two session on breastfeeding support. The first was "Why Breastfeeding Matters: What You Need to Know and What You Can Do to Help Women Achieve Their Breastfeeding Goals" with Kathie Lindstrom and "When Mommy Really Wants TO, But It Just Isn't Working: Supporting the Mother with Significant Breastfeeding Challenges" with Jacqueline Kelleher. These lecture and discussion sessions provided valuable advanced training to increase my ability to effectively support all breastfeeding clients.
  
  
• Rebozo Workshop, September 2008 lead by Carrie Kenner as a PALS Advanced Doula Training
  Valuable hands-on training covering numerous ways to use a rebozo (Mexican shawl) to support a woman in pregnancy, labor and postpartum, including an introduction to the importance of movement and energy in birth, practice using the rebozo in various stages of maternity care, specific uses of the rebozo to encourage optimal fetal positioning, and considerations for using the rebozo in different setting.
  
  
• Childbirth Education class series attendance and instructor assistant through Great Starts Birth and Family Education, Big Belly Services' Lesbian Childbirth Immersion and Penny Simkin's home, birth center and hospital focused childbirth preparation. I attend classes regularly as a way to increase my knowledge regarding what parents may know going into birth as well as in preparation for my next goal of becoming a childbirth educator myself.
  
  
• Certified Birth Doula through DONA and PALS.

• What is your experience with birth?

I attended my first birth as a labor coach for a family member when I was a teenager. After that exciting and rewarding experience I knew that this was something I wanted to pursue. A number of years later, after having worked with a variety of families and community groups in a number of childcare roles, I decided to take the Labor Support for Birth Doulas Training Course at the Seattle Midwifery School. Since June 2007, when I became a doula, I have been a volunteer with the Doula Care program at the University of Washington Medical Center. Working with this program has allowed me to provide doula services to women who would not otherwise have had doula-specific labor support. I have become a member of the Doula Care community as well as other local and international doula organizations and groups. These communities provide opportunities to enhance my knowledge-base and seek valuable feedback from my fellow doulas.

• What is your philosophy about birth and supporting women and their partners through labor?

My role as a doula is to fully support my client’s desires and decisions through their individual birth experience. I completely believe that this is your body, your baby and your birth experience and I pride myself on being open-minded and adaptable. I make a point of establishing good communication with my clients, their partners and their care providers in order to ensure that their needs and wishes are being met. I support clients who choose to give birth at hospitals, birth centers, and their homes as well as clients who desire un-medicated or medicated births. When it comes to working with partners and care providers, I have always had good experiences. I believe that this is due to my personality, communication style and confidence in my role as a doula.

• My partner(s) wants to be involved, how will you work with them during the labor?

• I am the partner of the mom, what would my role be with you as our doula?

While not everyone woman has a partner who will accompany her during birth, for those that do I often recommend the valuable essay “Dads and Doulas: Key Players on Mother's Labor Support Team” to my prospective clients. In general, I choose to use the more inclusive term “partner” when referring to other support people that will be at the birth, most commonly the intimate partner of the mother, although once I meet with clients I use whichever term(s) they prefer.

I feel that it is important to address the common concerns that partners may have leading up to the birth and in response to the desire to have a doula present. For partners wanting to be actively involved in the birth experience, I as a doula will take it upon myself to support and enhance their ability to assist the mother during the birth. I agree with the statement that the partner’s “presence and loving support in childbirth is comforting and reassuring. The love [the partner] shares with the mother and [their] child, [the partner’s] needs to nurture and protect [their] family are priceless gifts that only [the partner] can provide.”

Even with the best of intentions, some partners may at times become overwhelmed or unsure of what they “should” be doing or saying. It is at these times that I am available to provide guidance, make suggestions, answer questions and offer encouragement specifically for the partner. If they need a break, there is peace of mind knowing that I will remain with the mother while they are away. This allows them the opportunity to be involved in the ways that they are comfortable and to the level they feel able to provide at the time. Also, in the event that the baby needs to be taken to another room or even another hospital, it is often the decision of the parents that the partner will go with the baby. During this time, I can remain with the mother and provide the companionship and support that she needs.

The role of the partner and my role as the doula will be further discussed and practiced during prenatal meetings prior to the birth.

• I do not have a partner or family support.  Do you work with single moms?

I love working with single mothers and take it as a great honor and responsibility to be their doula. As the daughter of a single mom, I know the emotional demands and specific responses that a woman without a partner can benefit from. We will discuss this further and practice how the two of us will work together during our prenatal meetings prior to the birth.

• May we meet to discuss our birth plans and the role you will play in supporting me through birth?

I truly enjoy meeting potential clients and discussing my services. Once I am hired, we will schedule prenatal meetings to discuss the specific details of your birth plan and the role that I can play in supporting you through your birth.

• May we call you with questions or concerns before and after the birth?

All of my clients are encouraged to contact me at anytime with any questions or concerns. I am committed to responding quickly to phone calls and emails.

• When do you try to join women in labor? Do you come to our home or meet us at the hospital?

Once your labor begins, I ask that you call me and let me know. Even if you are unsure that you need me at that point, this allows me to chat with you a bit about how you’re doing and make sure that I’m able to come to you as soon as you are ready. I do not have a specific point within labor that I go to my clients. Instead, I leave it up to you to determine when you feel my presence would be beneficial. Once you request me, I will come to you wherever you are at that point (home, birth center or hospital) and remain with you throughout the birth.

• Do you meet with us after the birth to review the labor and answer questions?

I will remain with you until after the birth and make sure you are doing well before leaving. Within a day or two of the birth we will schedule the postpartum meetings where we will have time to review the labor and focus on any questions or concerns you may have at that point.

• Do you work with one or more back-up doulas for times when you are not available? May we meet them?

I always work with at least one back-up doula and often have a few that I can call. I make sure my back-up(s) have similar approach to doula work and that she and my current clients would be compatible. If you feel the desire to know more specifics or to contact my back-up, please let me know.

• What are your fees and your refund policies?

Prenatal meetings that take place after the initial complimentary “meet-and-greet” consultation and that are not included in a package are charged at the postpartum daytime hourly rate and generally last one to two hours.

Compete details regarding retainer fees, payments and refunds are included in the Doula Agreement (Contract).


If you have additional needs for your birth experience or any further questions about my services as a doula, please feel free to contact me to set-up a complimentary “meet-and-greet” consultation.

Rates as of 7/11