Postpartum Services
Free Consultation
Please feel free to call me for a free consultation. I am happy to help troubleshoot any issues that might be going on with baby and would love to hear more about your family's needs. I believe that having a good fit between a family and a doula is the most important part. If I happen to be booked, I am always happy to help guide you to find another doula that fits your needs.
What does Postpartum Night Support look like?
While I am flexible, my typical work night begins at 10pm and ends at 6am. Upon arrival I check in with mom to see how she is feeling, her pain level, and confirm she drank enough water and got enough calories for the day. We discuss baby's day- how the feeds went and any other issue that may have come up. Next, we make a plan for the night. For a breast feeding mother, I normally bring baby into mom to feed on demand. Once baby is done feeding, I take baby back to the nursery or sleeping area and get baby changed, swaddled, and back to sleep. In the first few weeks when baby is eating as much as every three hours, this allows *mom (or the primary caregiver) to get two to two and a half hours of sleep out of each three hour feed cycle. Once baby has reached birth weight and mom's milk supply has become more established, mom can skip a feed and I can introduce a bottle with pumped breast milk. Mom can then wake up before the next feed to pump some before returning baby to the breast. With time, if mom chooses, we can gradually move towards all night-time bottle feeds, thus allowing mom to sleep through the night. With a formula fed baby, mom is free to sleep through the night and I will take responsibility for feeds which we either track in an app or in a journal. Before I leave in the morning, I either slip baby back into the parent's room or I leave mom with a monitor. In addition to infant care, I offer newborn and breastfeeding education. Many times i will come early for the first few nights and go over the ins and outs of infant care- feeding positions, burping, swaddling, first baths, infant massage, umbilical or circumcision care. I also offer a product guide with a list of items that are helpful to have once baby arrives. The guide also suggest several brands that i have personally had good experiences with and/or that I repeatedly use in my clients' homes.
*Please note that I use the term mom/mother interchangeably with primary caregiver as not every family includes a "mother"
Phone & Email Support
I'm a here via email and phone as needed. Please feel free to text me anytime of day. I love to stay in touch with clients past and present and am happy to be of assistance any way possible.
Contract Details and Fees
I typically require a minimum of five nights a week and a minimum contract length of 6 weeks, although most families opt for 10, 12 or 16 weeks (at which point a baby will be sleeping through the night). As we approach the end of our contract, I always offer the option to extend, unless I am booked back to back, in which case I will let you know ahead of time. When my schedule permits, I leave my calender open for a week (for singletons) or two weeks (for multiples) before baby's due date so that I will be available should baby(ies) make an early appearance. I have also worked with multiple families at the same time when each family only needed 2-3 nights a week. Please feel free to check in with me about availability.
In every work, the beginning is the most important part, especially in dealing with anything young and tender.
-SOCRATES
Community Referrals
Having a baby generates a wealth of new service needs, being anything from a daytime nanny to a pelvic floor specialist. Whatever the need, I can help you find the provider that best suits your needs.