Birth Package
Birth Doula Package
- 2 Prenatal visits
- Attend an appointment with your care giver, if desired
- Support during labor and delivery
- 2 Postpartum visits
- 24 hour on-call availability
As your birth doula, my goal is to provide you with constant
support throughout your labor and delivery. To do this
effectively, I provide the following services:
BEFORE LABOR
We'll meet together at least two times to get acquainted. During these
visits we will define your hopes and plans for your birth, discuss options,
concerns and ask questions. I can introduce you to some relaxation
techniques to use during labor if you wish. I can also accompany you on
a prenatal visit to your healthcare provider.
We'll review your birth plan and discuss your options. I will provide
objective information about topics that may be concerning you or that
you would like more information on. I am available to discuss the pros
and cons of your options and will support the decisions you make. I like
to give you as much information as you need to help you make birth
choices that are right for you and your baby.
I am available via telephone or email to answer questions and address
concerns. We'll discuss my availability around your due date. If an issue
should arise, I always work with a partner doula. You will meet her at
one of our prenatal visits.
When you go into labor, please call me anytime, night or day, and we
will evaluate how you are doing and what our next step should be.
POSTPARTUM
I will stay until you are comfortable and your family seems ready for
quiet time together. I will help with the initial breastfeeding if necessary.
All of this usually takes one to two hours.
I will contact you by phone or email, whichever we decide is best, to
answer questions, check on your well being, briefly review your labor and
birth, and arrange a convenient time to meet for your postpartum visit.
We'll meet after the birth to review the birth experience, clarify events
that took place around you, to admire your baby, and receive feedback
from you about my role.
I live in Kent, WA and work primarily in South King County, Seattle, and
the Eastside, but am willing to travel depending on your circumstances.
support throughout your labor and delivery. To do this
effectively, I provide the following services:
BEFORE LABOR
We'll meet together at least two times to get acquainted. During these
visits we will define your hopes and plans for your birth, discuss options,
concerns and ask questions. I can introduce you to some relaxation
techniques to use during labor if you wish. I can also accompany you on
a prenatal visit to your healthcare provider.
We'll review your birth plan and discuss your options. I will provide
objective information about topics that may be concerning you or that
you would like more information on. I am available to discuss the pros
and cons of your options and will support the decisions you make. I like
to give you as much information as you need to help you make birth
choices that are right for you and your baby.
I am available via telephone or email to answer questions and address
concerns. We'll discuss my availability around your due date. If an issue
should arise, I always work with a partner doula. You will meet her at
one of our prenatal visits.
When you go into labor, please call me anytime, night or day, and we
will evaluate how you are doing and what our next step should be.
POSTPARTUM
I will stay until you are comfortable and your family seems ready for
quiet time together. I will help with the initial breastfeeding if necessary.
All of this usually takes one to two hours.
I will contact you by phone or email, whichever we decide is best, to
answer questions, check on your well being, briefly review your labor and
birth, and arrange a convenient time to meet for your postpartum visit.
We'll meet after the birth to review the birth experience, clarify events
that took place around you, to admire your baby, and receive feedback
from you about my role.
I live in Kent, WA and work primarily in South King County, Seattle, and
the Eastside, but am willing to travel depending on your circumstances.
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DURING LABOR
We'll have early labor phone contact for information and for us to decide
when and where to meet. I usually need approximately one hour to get
to you from the time you call.
I will be with you continuously throughout the labor and birth and will
use my knowledge and experience to provide you with physical comfort
and emotional support. I can work with you in your home before you
move to the hospital, meet you at the hospital, or participate in the
midwife-assisted home birth of your baby.
I will help you have the birth you want to have, following your birth
plan, while also being aware of the flexibility that is needed during birth.
I will let you know of the options that are available to you at any given
moment. I will support your partner by offering reassurances, assistance,
suggestions, and information as needed.
We'll have early labor phone contact for information and for us to decide
when and where to meet. I usually need approximately one hour to get
to you from the time you call.
I will be with you continuously throughout the labor and birth and will
use my knowledge and experience to provide you with physical comfort
and emotional support. I can work with you in your home before you
move to the hospital, meet you at the hospital, or participate in the
midwife-assisted home birth of your baby.
I will help you have the birth you want to have, following your birth
plan, while also being aware of the flexibility that is needed during birth.
I will let you know of the options that are available to you at any given
moment. I will support your partner by offering reassurances, assistance,
suggestions, and information as needed.
Katie supporting a mom as
she rocks on a birthing ball,
during transition
she rocks on a birthing ball,
during transition
I also offer to take pictures
of your birth, using your
camera or mine.
of your birth, using your
camera or mine.
DOULA FEES
My fee for the services described here is determined on a sliding scale.
Contact me for more information. I do require a retainer fee of $400,
due when you hire me as your doula, and the final payment is due at the
first postpartum visit.
My fee for the services described here is determined on a sliding scale.
Contact me for more information. I do require a retainer fee of $400,
due when you hire me as your doula, and the final payment is due at the
first postpartum visit.
WHAT MAKES UP A DOULA'S FEES? (Adapted from www.gentlebirth.org and
bigbellyservices.com) How a doula sets her fees is not understood by many people; I
offer this information so that you have a better idea of what you're paying for.
Hours - Couples having a first baby may imagine that their doula will only be spending
a few hours with them during the labor and birth. In reality, an eight-hour labor would
be considered pretty fast; most first labors last at least 24 hours. The average time I
have spent with a woman for her labor and birth is about 13 hours. I spend another
10 hours in prenatal and postpartum visits, another hour or two in phone calls or
email, and up to six hours travel time. Using those averages, my fee translates to an
hourly rate of about $20/hour, before expenses and self-employment taxes.
Clients per Week - When I make a commitment to be available to attend you in labor,
I have to limit the number of clients I put on my calendar so as to avoid birth conflicts
and to ensure that I am reasonably rested when you go into labor. The rule of thumb
for birth professionals providing in-home services is that one client per week is a full
schedule.
Clients per Year - When I put your due date on my calendar, I commit to being
available two weeks beforehand and two weeks after that date. This means that when
I schedule a vacation, or have a commitment that I cannot miss, I have to add another
four weeks during which I cannot accept clients. Occasionally, my clients hire me with
my backup on-call during times that I may be unavailable. Laurie Ufer is my backup.
Being Self-Employed - Self-employed professionals income is only half of what they
earn, after deductions for vacation and sick time, self-employment taxes, insurance,
and business expenses. As you may imagine, my communication expenses are high -
business phone, cell phone and computer connection. I also have typical professional
and office expenses, continuing education expenses, and unusually high transportation
expenses since I travel to peoples homes, hospital's and birth centers.
Putting It All Together - Although I am dedicated to this work, being on-call all the
time requires a very high level of personal sacrifice, including a willingness to be
awoken after half an hour of sleep to go attend a labor for the next 30 hours. About
25% of my clients have some kind of early labor which starts and stops, resulting in
multiple phone calls; often in the middle of the night. I never know what I'm going to
encounter at a particular labor - I may end up wearing out my body supporting the
woman in different birth positions; I may take catnaps sitting in a chair; I may eat
nothing but crackers and dried fruit; I may end up holding a vomit bowl for someone
vomiting with every contraction during transition; I may end up with blood, meconium
or worse on my clothes. And the financial reward for this? The annual income of
someone providing labor support services with a responsible client load and a strong
commitment to being available for birth is 1/2 the number of clients per year times their
fee per client.
Experience Factor - When I step into a birth, I bring not only my heart and training,
but my experience from over one hundred and fifty births and continual research on
subjects relating to birth. As a doula, I must keep up-to-date on the latest studies,
procedures, protocols, and policies surrounding birth and area hospitals and
providers. Did you know that doctors, midwives, and nurses usually only know their
way of doing things? As a doula I see the variations from hospital to hospital,
between care providers. Being able to work with many different care providers, I
learn all their different approaches and tricks, which I think is unique to the doula
profession. And considering that every birth and every family teaches me something
new, I have a wealth of knowledge and skills to bring to birth.
Bottom Line - Nobody's getting rich doing doula work. But every doula should be
able to make a decent living as a doula without making her life unbearable. I wish I
could offer my services at a rate than everyone can afford, but that would require that
I make even greater financial sacrifices than I am already making to do this work. I
am a self-supporting professional, and my options are to earn a living wage working
with birth or to have a more conventional job, which would pay much more. There
are people offering doula services at significantly reduced prices. They are either
offering less time and services, are still in training, or are in a financial position to offer
free services. If you need free doula services, there are many ways I can help you
find a free doula; otherwise, you are doing future birthing women a disservice by
making labor support an underpaid profession that cannot attract or keep talented,
skilled individuals. If you end up selecting a doula who is undercharging for her
services, I strongly encourage you to pay her more than she is asking; otherwise, she
may not be around to help you with your next child. The most common cause of
doula burnout is feeling overwhelmed by the commitment and uncompensated for
ones time and dedication.
Advocacy Suggestions - Doula services are rarely covered by medical insurance
plans, even though the statistics prove that doulas can save insurance companies lots
of money by reducing the use of medications, interventions, time in the hospital, and
surgical (Cesarean) births. You can talk with your Human Resources representatives
to ask them to lobby to include all doula services as a covered option in your plan.
Also lobby your State legislature to include doula services in state-funded health care
so that low-income women have access to experienced doula support and doulas
don't have to further their financial burden by attending these births for free (that is
what we do now). Additionally, you could talk with your midwife or doctor to
encourage them to offer universal doula care to their clients. By hiring several doulas
to be on-call for their clients, they could substantially reduce the cost per birth (and
make their job easier). You could also advocate for the hospital to provide universal
doula care, so that it would be covered in the same way as their in-house lactation
consultants are covered. By all means, tell everyone you meet about the support you
received from a doula; spread the word about doula care so that more doulas are
needed and are well-paid and can continue their work for generations to come.
bigbellyservices.com) How a doula sets her fees is not understood by many people; I
offer this information so that you have a better idea of what you're paying for.
Hours - Couples having a first baby may imagine that their doula will only be spending
a few hours with them during the labor and birth. In reality, an eight-hour labor would
be considered pretty fast; most first labors last at least 24 hours. The average time I
have spent with a woman for her labor and birth is about 13 hours. I spend another
10 hours in prenatal and postpartum visits, another hour or two in phone calls or
email, and up to six hours travel time. Using those averages, my fee translates to an
hourly rate of about $20/hour, before expenses and self-employment taxes.
Clients per Week - When I make a commitment to be available to attend you in labor,
I have to limit the number of clients I put on my calendar so as to avoid birth conflicts
and to ensure that I am reasonably rested when you go into labor. The rule of thumb
for birth professionals providing in-home services is that one client per week is a full
schedule.
Clients per Year - When I put your due date on my calendar, I commit to being
available two weeks beforehand and two weeks after that date. This means that when
I schedule a vacation, or have a commitment that I cannot miss, I have to add another
four weeks during which I cannot accept clients. Occasionally, my clients hire me with
my backup on-call during times that I may be unavailable. Laurie Ufer is my backup.
Being Self-Employed - Self-employed professionals income is only half of what they
earn, after deductions for vacation and sick time, self-employment taxes, insurance,
and business expenses. As you may imagine, my communication expenses are high -
business phone, cell phone and computer connection. I also have typical professional
and office expenses, continuing education expenses, and unusually high transportation
expenses since I travel to peoples homes, hospital's and birth centers.
Putting It All Together - Although I am dedicated to this work, being on-call all the
time requires a very high level of personal sacrifice, including a willingness to be
awoken after half an hour of sleep to go attend a labor for the next 30 hours. About
25% of my clients have some kind of early labor which starts and stops, resulting in
multiple phone calls; often in the middle of the night. I never know what I'm going to
encounter at a particular labor - I may end up wearing out my body supporting the
woman in different birth positions; I may take catnaps sitting in a chair; I may eat
nothing but crackers and dried fruit; I may end up holding a vomit bowl for someone
vomiting with every contraction during transition; I may end up with blood, meconium
or worse on my clothes. And the financial reward for this? The annual income of
someone providing labor support services with a responsible client load and a strong
commitment to being available for birth is 1/2 the number of clients per year times their
fee per client.
Experience Factor - When I step into a birth, I bring not only my heart and training,
but my experience from over one hundred and fifty births and continual research on
subjects relating to birth. As a doula, I must keep up-to-date on the latest studies,
procedures, protocols, and policies surrounding birth and area hospitals and
providers. Did you know that doctors, midwives, and nurses usually only know their
way of doing things? As a doula I see the variations from hospital to hospital,
between care providers. Being able to work with many different care providers, I
learn all their different approaches and tricks, which I think is unique to the doula
profession. And considering that every birth and every family teaches me something
new, I have a wealth of knowledge and skills to bring to birth.
Bottom Line - Nobody's getting rich doing doula work. But every doula should be
able to make a decent living as a doula without making her life unbearable. I wish I
could offer my services at a rate than everyone can afford, but that would require that
I make even greater financial sacrifices than I am already making to do this work. I
am a self-supporting professional, and my options are to earn a living wage working
with birth or to have a more conventional job, which would pay much more. There
are people offering doula services at significantly reduced prices. They are either
offering less time and services, are still in training, or are in a financial position to offer
free services. If you need free doula services, there are many ways I can help you
find a free doula; otherwise, you are doing future birthing women a disservice by
making labor support an underpaid profession that cannot attract or keep talented,
skilled individuals. If you end up selecting a doula who is undercharging for her
services, I strongly encourage you to pay her more than she is asking; otherwise, she
may not be around to help you with your next child. The most common cause of
doula burnout is feeling overwhelmed by the commitment and uncompensated for
ones time and dedication.
Advocacy Suggestions - Doula services are rarely covered by medical insurance
plans, even though the statistics prove that doulas can save insurance companies lots
of money by reducing the use of medications, interventions, time in the hospital, and
surgical (Cesarean) births. You can talk with your Human Resources representatives
to ask them to lobby to include all doula services as a covered option in your plan.
Also lobby your State legislature to include doula services in state-funded health care
so that low-income women have access to experienced doula support and doulas
don't have to further their financial burden by attending these births for free (that is
what we do now). Additionally, you could talk with your midwife or doctor to
encourage them to offer universal doula care to their clients. By hiring several doulas
to be on-call for their clients, they could substantially reduce the cost per birth (and
make their job easier). You could also advocate for the hospital to provide universal
doula care, so that it would be covered in the same way as their in-house lactation
consultants are covered. By all means, tell everyone you meet about the support you
received from a doula; spread the word about doula care so that more doulas are
needed and are well-paid and can continue their work for generations to come.
