Frequently Asked Questions

A Doula is a non-medical person who assists a woman before, during, or after childbirth, to provide emotional support and physical support. They also may provide support to the mother's partner and family. Unlike a midwife, doulas are not medical professionals and therefore cannot administer medication. Doulas are typically certified with some courses taking over a year to complete. Support from a Doula also reduce mothers' negative feelings about their childbirth experience. Doulas provide postpartum support, for example assisting with housework, cooking, and offering help with learning to breast feed. 

• Reduction of Analgesia Use by 30% 

• Reduced Use of Oxytocin by 40% 

• Reduction in Epidurals by 60% 

• Shorter Labor Time by 25% 

• Reduction of Cesareans by 50% 

• Reduced Use of Forceps by 40% 

No, we are not the same. A midwife is a health care provider, while a doula is more of a childbirth coach. You might choose to have a midwife instead of an OB for prenatal care and to deliver your baby—midwives can deliver babies in hospitals, birthing centers or even in your home. A doula, on the other hand, doesn’t replace your healthcare practitioner but rather can add extra services, such as helping you with techniques to manage pain during labor and even providing support and help during baby’s early days. 

Absolutely not. We do not replace mom’s partner. A doula is just another member of the birth team. Sometimes the problem is that when you are in the heat of the moment, you forget the important things. In labor, you are tired, hungry, and worried. The partner forgets what positions are good for labor and pushing, what things help with pain relief, what can truly help the mother get through labor and birth the way they want to.

In addition to forgetting this, what partner truly knows the ins and outs of every intervention and pain medication that a doctor would advise so as to make an informed decision with the laboring woman?

There is truly a difference between preparing for labor and truly experiencing labor. You do not know how your contractions will feel or what will help you the most. It is a completely new sphere.

With that being said, a doula is not there just to help the mother cope with her labor. The doula is also there to help the partner or husband so that he is able to completely help his wife or partner in the way that is best suited to him.

 Reaffirming that labor truly is normal. The body does an incredible amount of work during labor and delivery. The uterus contracts at amazing strengths to dilate and push a baby out. If you have never experienced labor before, the strength and power of the contractions can quickly overcome anyone and have them wonder if this truly is normal. A doula makes sure the couple knows that this truly is a normal, natural body function and also recognizes when things truly do get out of hand. 

Receiving an epidural is YOUR choice, we are there to support you in any way we can on an emotional level. Doulas can still massage your shoulders, wipe the sweat from your brow, and read your nice birth affirmations. A Doula will help you with your every need. 

Whether your cesarean is planned or unplanned, a Doula will be there in the postpartum 

recovery room. Standard hospital protocol typically only allows one person in the O.R. with mom. If it came down to it, I personally, would encourage your partner to be there with you. 

For liability reasons, most Doulas do not attend unassisted home-births. While I personally love how empowered it may make a woman feel, I do not attend unassisted home-births. I attend hospital births, birth center births, and home-births with midwives. 

A consultation appointment, face to face, is crucial for both parties. This allows mom, partner, and the Doula time with one another to see if they are a match. Believe it or not, sometimes we don't moosh with a mom or the partner. It’s imperative that everyone is comfortable with one another because the birth process is extremely intimate. 

Great question! We will briefly meet up so that I can receive the golden folder containing the signed contracts and client intake form. We will make your first prenatal appointment. This is when we review the contract and you either pay in full or make monthly payments. We can chit chat for a bit as well if you have any questions!  

Once a woman has a baby, the new mother’s grave is open for 40 days. That is because she vulnerable and needs a lot of support to heal: emphasizing her importance and healing as a priority. So many new mothers are left alone with absolutely no support, suffering from postpartum depression, loneliness and with no community. A traditional postpartum doula addresses this with welcoming, honoring, nourishing, nurturing, closing and celebrating the new

mother for up to forty day and beyond.

Fantastic news because you can easily request the postpartum doula contract and we can work together to make this happen! In some circumstances, I am more than willing to give a mom 6 postpartum visits (including the first three visits). Each extra visit cost $20.00 and are an hour long. 

 Vaginal  Steaming also known as yoni steam, v-steam or herbal pelvic steam is an alternate health treatment utilized by women (and men) in which herbal infused steam permeates the exterior of the vagina into the womb. This gentle, yet highly effective treatment has vast and varied benefits ranging from postpartum recovery to menstrual regulation and treatment for various reproductive health issues. 

 Vaginal Steaming provides effective support for the reproductive system and is an opportunity to reconnect the mind, body and spirit . From the first menstrual cycle to menopause, regular vaginal steaming offers vast and varied benefits. vaginal steaming has been known to treat reproductive conditions such as  fibroid, ovarian cyst, PCOS, infertility, menstrual irregularities, aids in postpartum recovery, healing sexual trauma, vaginal rejuvenation, regaining vaginal flora and more. 

Pregnancy. While steaming is beneficial for conception and postpartum recovery, steaming is CONTRAINDICATED during any stage of pregnancy and therefore should NOT be performed while pregnant. If you are actively trying to conceive, DO NOT steam after ovulation.

Active Menstruation. If you are actively menstruating (bleeding), steaming should NOT be performed. Steaming introduces heat, and  starts to move the blood rapidly making for a heavier flow. Additionally, if you are prone to heavy bleeding and or spontaneous bleeding, it is HIGHLY recommended to wait until your cycle is regulated. 

IUDS. There is much debate surrounding the use of vaginal steams with an IUD. Medicinal herbs can cause the uterus to contract and could potentially dislodge or cause issues with the placement of the IUD, I recommend 10 to 20 min mild vaginal steaming.

Different herbs are selected depending on what your vagina needs. Prior to your appointment you will fill out an intake form. Once you submit the form I will assess and determine what herbs is needed.

The herbs I use are:

MotherWort

Rose Petals

Lavender

White Sage

Nettles

Kelp

Mint

Lemon Balm

Astragolus Root

Myrrh