+ What exactly do doulas do, and what is outside our scope?

Doulas DO:

…provide physical, emotional, and educational support for women and their families during pregnancy, labor and birth, and postpartum

…provide information and education on various topics related to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum

…love helping people better understand their options

…care for our clients, and want them to feel satisfied with their birth experiences

…stay with our clients throughout the entire labor and birth

…reassure our clients as labor progresses

…provide comfort measures during labor

…support clients who birth:

• without pain medication
• with pain medication 
• via Cesarean 

…help our clients feel confident in their choices regarding labor and birth

…work with doctors, midwives, and nurses as part of a care team to support our clients in the ways that will help them most

…help our clients feel confident with breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, and newborn care  

…share recommendations and resources in our community that can assist you on your parenting journey

Doulas DON’T:

…provide clinical, medical assessment or diagnosis of any kind – it is NOT in our scope as doulas to do cervical checks, blood pressure checks, monitor the baby’s heartbeat, etc.  

…speak for our clients – we empower our clients to speak for themselves

…communicate medical decisions to our clients’ providers – we offer unbiased information on procedures and methods, remind you of your goals, and help you determine how to best attain those goals 

+ My partner will be with me during labor, so why would I want a doula? 

Your husband or partner will be indispensable during labor. He loves you and knows you best – but he might not know labor. Your doula knows labor and will work to provide support for both of you: to reassure you as labor progresses; with comfort measures; with reminders on how he can help you; and by encouraging you to be confident in your birth decisions and ability to give birth. 

+ What if my doula can’t get to my birth?

In the rare event that your doula is unable to attend your birth (family emergency, illness, car accident, act of God), the backup doula assigned to your contract will attend your birth. Backups are also professional doulas who hold to the same standards and who will be given a summary of your pregnancy and situation prior to labor. Every contract for Premium and Exclusive services includes a backup doula.

+ How does payment work?

For birth doula services: A non-refundable retainer fee of half your package total is due upon contract signing. This secures your doula and she will not take another client with the same due date.

For childbirth education and newborn care classes, and NFP consultations: Fee is payable upon registration for each class or session. 

For HG support services outside of birth doula support: A non-refundable retainer fee of half your package total is due upon contract signing. 

All balances for birth doula services and HG support services are due by 36 weeks. Blessed Birth Doula of CNY accepts cash (receipt will be provided), check, or money order. 

+ Do you take my insurance? 

Unfortunately, most insurance policies do not directly cover doula care. Some insurance companies may reimburse you after the birth of your baby. We are happy to provide documentation for you to submit directly to your insurance company.