“Giving Birth should Be Your Greatest Accomplishment, not Your Greatest Fear.” Jane Wiederman
Doulas exist to help women and their families achieve positive birth and postpartum experiences. A doula is a woman experienced in the childbirthing year who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support before, during, and just after childbirth. This support is imperative in having this most important time in a family’s life treated with the honor it deserves. Combined, the Balanced Mama doulas have had the privilege of attending over 200 births, and we continue to be more amazed and humbled as we help each family find their unique way of coming together and growth.
BIRTH DOULAS DO:
- Educate and help you and your family prepare individually for your birth and postpartum
- Provide continued support through your labor and birth in many ways including massage, comfort measure and position suggestions, information and perspective
- Work alongside your medical caregivers, facilitating communication and teamwork
- Provide support after the birth in the immediate postpartum time, and in the following weeks though in-person visits and phone calls
BIRTH DOULAS DO NOT:
- Provide medical care
- Give medical advice or diagnose
- Replace your partner in any way. We serve to enhance the partner’s role.
- Make decisions for you, or pass judgment on any choices you make in your birth
POSTPARTUM DOULAS DO:
- Provide support during the “fourth trimester”
- Provide practical home support. Light food prep, laundry help, tidying, organizing, ect…
- Provide support to other members of the household. Older sibling or pet need some attention? Need to have baby help so YOU can give your other children or pets attention?
- Provide respite care. Taking care of your baby as you shower, eat, nap, or rest.
- Accompany parent(s) with their babies on errands, doctor appointments, walks, ect…
- Run small errands, like grocery, store, or pharmacy pickups.
- Provide emotional support.
- If they are qualified, some doulas can offer lactation support.
- Resources and referrals at the ready for any service that the family might need beyond the doula’s scope of practice.
POSTPARTUM DOULAS DO NOT:
- Care for baby without another caregiver or parent in the house. A postpartum doula is not a nanny.
- Drive you or your child(ren) in their personal vehicle.
- Heavy chores or extensive meal prep
The Balanced Mama Doula Service package is designed in an all inclusive way to fully prepare and support you throughout your pregnancy, birth and postpartum time. We want you to feel empowered and a part of the community here throughout your Childbearing Year! The cost for a doula package with Balanced Mama ranges from $1000-1500 depending on experience level of primary doula, and includes:
- 2 Prenatal Appointments approximately 60 minutes each with your primary doula
- 1 30 minute Prenatal Bodywork session with Cora
- 1 Prenatal Postpartum-Planning Appointment with Desiree
- Assigned Back-up Doula
- 18 hours of Labor Support with additional support beyond 18 hours of a Back-up Doula
- 1 Postpartum Care Visit with lactation support in home (or FaceTime-location depending) with Desiree
- Postpartum visit with primary doula in home, or at Balanced Mama office with a 30 minute postpartum massage with Cora included.
- Package of 5 visits to Big Blue Blanket, a postpartum support group led by Desiree at Balanced Mama on Wednesdays at 2pm .
*We can also discuss a custom package with alternative pricing if the above does not work for your circumstances.
DOULA PACKAGE ADD-ONS:
- $100- Gross Motor Wellness Session with Christina Frey. Gross Motor Wellness is an in-depth, 1-on-1, holistic screening of your bebé’s gross motor development. Cristina will offer hands-on guidance and tips/tricks to promote your bebé’s gross motor success through a 60 minute gross motor wellness session when your bebé is 6 weeks to 3 months old. Cristina will provide guidance on how to initiate gross motor play, review milestones, discuss toys/equipment, and answer newborn gross motor questions. A gross motor wellness session is not physical therapy intervention. If it is determined that your bebé may be delayed in any area and could benefit from therapy services, proper referral to a health care provider will be discussed.
- $30 per hour- additional postpartum or lactation support from Desiree.
- $700 massage package of 10
Please contact Cora at balancedmamalr@gmail.com with questions or to set up your free consultation in person or by phone!