DOULA SERVICES

For a well supported birth…

Motherhood is a journey that brings the highest highs and the lowest lows. It ravages your body, tests all of your strengths, highlights every flaw, and demands more than you ever imagined you had to give. My birth photography clients all receive lite doula services to ensure your birth is everything you dreamed it would be.

As a ‘doulatog’ my capacity to provide a lot of physical support during labor is limited. My focus will be on helping you become confident in your body and your ability to make informed decisions about your care, helping your partner support you, and facilitating communication between you and your care providers

I am ABSOLUTELY your doula if…

• You want nonjudgemental support. You are the expert on your birth. My job is to make you feel loved, cared for, and supported by making your goals my goals.

• You want a photographer AND a doula. I originally became a doula to be a better birth photographer. That the more I knew about what your body was going through, the better equipped I’d be to tell your story. I also recognize how having doula skills adds value to my birth photography clients. So many have told me that they wrestled over whether to hire a photographer or a doula because they were unable to afford both or had a desire to limit the number of people in the delivery room. It’s definitely a bonus that I might be able to fill your needs as a doula too. Being a certified doula also increases my chances of being in the OR with you and your partner should a c-section be necessary or part of your plan.

• You have a partner or other support person ready to support you physically. Because documenting and telling the story of your birth is already a very physical endeavor, I spend a lot of time making sure your partner is equipped to physically support you during labor. I am there to guide them thru positions to help progress your labor and comfort measures to ease your pain. I ease their fears by explaining what’s happening and encourage them in how to help when they aren’t sure what to do. When this is all over, I want them to feel like they were your hero and you couldn’t have done it without them.

• You want no interventions, some interventions, or all the interventions. However you envision your birth, from completely unmedicated to planned cesarean, I am here to support you and your partner.

• You want someone who can help you formulate a birth plan and connect you with local resources. It can be difficult to know what you might want, all of the options available to you, if you might need or benefit from support in addition to your provider. I spend time getting to know you, your preferences and your concerns. Together we will explore the options so that you can decide what’s best for you and who else you might need on your birth or postpartum team.

I am NOT your doula if…

• You want someone to make decisions for you. I am not a medical provider and I am not qualified to make decisions on your behalf.

• You want someone to confront your provider. Many people think that doulas are birth advocates. This is not the case and I will not confront your provider(s) on your behalf or be able to prevent anything from happening to you. I will always speak directly to you or your partner on your birth preferences, but ultimately it will be up to you to advocate for yourself.

• You do not want a professional photographer. I only offer doula services to my birth photography clients.

• You want/need physical labor support from a doula. While I have all of the knowledge and tricks up my sleeve to ensure your partner knows how to provide the physical support and counter pressure you may need to help manage pain and keep your labor progressing, my other job as your photographer prevents me from being the one to provide the physical support you might need. If you feel you will need a lot of physical support from your doula, I will be glad to refer you to another local doula and can still be your photographer.

• You are planning an unassisted/free birth. As much as I support your right to whatever birth experience you want, I am uncomfortable attending a birth where a licensed medical provider is not present.