Frequently Asked Questions…

Won’t having a birth doula take away from my connection with my partner?

This is SUCH a common concern…my experience, as both a mother (who’s had a birth doula) and a certified doula who has supported more than 300 families over the past 10 years, is that doulas enhance the connection between partner and birthing woman. Someone once compared the birth partner’s experience during labor and delivery to a novice football player being expected to play in the Super Bowl. Imagine the stress! Partners are often VERY worried about their abilities to: know how to adequately help physically and emotionally, be present and calm during an intense and potentially nerve-wracking period of time, provide love and support in ways that will be of benefit. The right doula will help to engage the partner, showing her/him ways to offer care and making suggestions that will be of value and build connection. Positive feedback from many partners over the years has been one of the most unexpected and gratifying parts of my birth work.

How long are you with us in labor?

My goal is to have birthing women and partners feel supported and confident throughout pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the postpartum period. For this reason, I do not set time limits on my in-person labor support. I encourage my clients to reach out to me, early and often, and they know that as soon as they are ready for me to be with them, I will be. The prenatal education I provide helps families understand the stages of labor, and the mindsets, practices, and strategies that can help women move steadily through early labor and beyond through delivery. Feeling safe, loved, and protected has a significant impact on how labor progresses, and I teach my clients ways to encourage these positive feelings throughout the birth of their baby(ies).

How many births do you take a month…and how many postpartum families do you work with at a time?

These are important questions to ask any doula you’re interviewing. The more families a doula supports each month, the greater the risk that she won’t be available to you when you need her. While having a backup doula is an essential part of this business, needing one is something I try to avoid at all costs. Clients hire doulas who they trust and have built a relationship with, to support, love, guide, and nurture them during one of the most vulnerable times of their lives. Over the course of 10 years and having supported more than 300 births, I’ve only had to call in my backup doula one time. While we cannot control when babies are born, we can create conditions to improve the likelihood of being available for our clients. I balance birth support with postpartum care, taking on no more than 3 births and 2 postpartum families per month.