Welcome Home Doula Services

January News

2012-01-27T16:15:00.000-08:00

This month, we have some really great announcements we'd like to share with all of you!

Lately we've been spending a lot of time with Jaye Simpson, IBCLC, CIIM.
Jaye offers in-home Lactation consultations, phone counseling, breast pump sales and rentals, an online message board, and a free weekly new parent support group. With 17 years' experience in lactation education, Jaye's knowledge and support are incomparable whether you are nursing your first or fifth child.
Our doulas are in the process of undergoing additional training with Jaye to encourage successful nursing relationships. We look forward to helping tons of moms and babies with her!

Admission is still open for our Childbirth Preparation Series in February.
This class will discuss:
*Planning a healthy pregnancy
*Hospital, home, and birth centers: differences, similarities, and planning your birth
*All about labor: letting your body and baby work together, medical and non-medical comfort measures! Positions, and tools
*The postpartum period: the value of rest, breastfeeding, bottle nursing, and available resources

The series will also feature presentations from Gerner Chiropractic and Jaye Simpson, IBCLC, CIIM.

We offer a 15% discount on Placenta Encapsulation Services to mothers referred by their midwives, childbirth educators, lactation consultants, doulas, or doctors.
We are accepting clients for Placenta Services due in March through August.

First Things First: Birth is Important

2012-01-02T22:24:00.000-08:00

Posted by: Marja Sovero
Doula, Childbirth Educator, and Student Midwife

Welcome to the Welcome Home Doula Services blog! I hope you’ll keep checking us out, and please take the time to add your input in the comments section!

My favorite part about birth is that it brings people together, so I love internet formats where women can come together to learn from each other. In this blog, I want to talk a little bit about birth stories in general, and then I’ll tell you about the birth of my oldest son, which was my first experience with childbirth. Later on, I’ll tell you about the births of my second and third children, also.

First things First: my education in the field of childbirth began with the births of my children, and I think that this is true for many women, so I think it’s appropriate to begin the Welcome Home Doula Services blog by telling birth stories.

For me, each birth brought with it a new and novel lesson, so each birth gets its own blog post. I think it’s important to realize each birth as a completely unique occurrence, and the variety seen in normal, healthy births is immense. Many of the problems we see in medicalized births occur when we try to apply a standardized model of care to all women, across the board. Anyone who’s experienced more than one birth, whether as a mother, support person, or care provider, ought to know that every birth is different. Not only is every mother and every baby an individual, with a uniquely reactive nervous system, and uniquely structured tissues, but every pair (or group!) has a different story, and each birth occurs in a subtly different context. The possibilities are endless, so it is important to always remain flexible and be ready to treat each mom with specialized care, to be in tune with the mother’s and baby’s needs at that moment in time.

This is where birth stories come in—when we try to tell women what birth is like in a generalized way, we end up giving mothers the impression that there is a way they should be having their babies, one right way for a birth to go. When we share birth stories, we can transmit information in a way that shows how different every birth is, and that there are many ways for a birth to be successful. Aside from recognizing and celebrating the distinctive character of the individual birth experience, telling and hearing birth stories serves an important psychological and cultural function. Women fear childbirth because they don’t know what to expect, and fear increases pain. To hear other women’s birth stories, and especially positive ones, is a way of receiving critical information. You may not know what will happen at your birth, but you know how it worked out just fine for one more woman, one more time. There is a reason that mothers love to tell their birth stories and that so many of us find them so captivating: birth stories are not idle gossip- they benefit women as a group.

If you are interested in the function of birth stories, here is a fantastic link.

Now that I’ve convinced you that you want to hear it, or at least told you why we’re here, we can move on to the actual story.

I got pregnant with my oldest son at the age of 18, in 2003. My life was pretty chaotic at the time, and I wasn’t really living anywhere in particular. I felt, at the time, that this made homebirth an impossibility. When I started telling people that I was pregnant, I got a lot of negative feedback—to put it mildly. Stubborn as I am, I became determined to be the best damn mother anyone had ever seen. I would cloth-diaper, breastfeed exclusively, and co-sleep. I even went vegan! I went on a righteousness bender, and I was determined to show everyone how wrong they were about me. I conscientiously followed guidelines for the behavior of pregnant women—I even volunteered for unnecessary drug tests, just in case anyone had any suspicions. I was being defensive, I realize now, but I really embraced motherhood as an opportunity for a change of identity, as a pattern-breaker. And of course, I learned everything I could about childbirth. I wanted to make sure I did it right! The more I read, the more enthusiastic I was. I decided that I wanted to become a midwife, and eight years later, I still do.

Physically, I was fine. I spent my first trimester sleeping. Recovering from the effects of my previous lifestyle, and growing the baby, were all I could handle. All I did was sleep and eat for months! I had gone back to school when I found out I was pregnant, and I was doing well, but I would go back to bed when I returned from class. Physically, I was doing what I needed to. I had no problem making better choices for my health; I wanted so badly to do the best thing for my baby. I was anxious to prove that, despite my troubled teens, I was a good mom. Emotionally, things were rough. My son’s biological father went to jail for domestic violence while I was pregnant, and I moved in with my mom. This turn of events was for the better—I even looked radiant, happy to be free from an unhealthy relationship, and moving towards a new life as a mother and a student. I was never particularly worried about childbirth—I had confidence in my body, and trusted the birth process. I felt that I was a really tough gal, and that I could handle labor, no matter what it felt like. I told people, “I can handle anything for 24 hours, right?”

I went four weeks past my original due date, which worried everybody but me, and provoked a lot of unwelcome advice. I ate spicy food and walked all over my hometown, hoping to get labor started. I walked on uneven surfaces, I skipped, I smiled. I tried everything to get that labor going, but I knew I didn’t want an induction. I have hated doctors and hospitals since birth- I had a full blood transfusion and spent a week in the incubator when I was born, and it was all downhill from there, I’m told. I didn’t fear childbirth, but I really feared medical intervention. I was never, never, never going to let them put a needle in my arm, pin me down with catheters and monitors, and manipulate me with lights in my face. I went in for my NSTs and bargained. We talked about induction. We talked, and talked and talked. My rebelliousness, having gotten me into this situation in the first place, made it pretty easy to ignore the pressure to induce. Due dates were adjusted, risks were assessed, and I walked some more. Finally, the day came that I couldn’t talk my way out of it anymore – it would be a full month from my original due date.

On the night before my morning induction appointment, I didn’t sleep well. My stomach was upset, I felt like I had gas pains. I told the nurse who did my NST the next morning, and she laughed at me a little. Those “gas pains” were contractions! I looked at their machines, and sure enough, my gas pains were coming at the same intervals as the bumps on that paper. I was really excited- I hadn’t had a single Braxton-Hicks contraction in 10 months, and now something was happening! I went home and started timing contractions eagerly. I do not recommend timing contractions, if the only way you know that you’re in labor is because a nurse told you so. I tried shopping, like the nurse had recommended, to distract myself, but I was uncomfortable and miserable. After timing contractions all day, I got ready for bed, disappointed and worn out. My contractions were not very convincing, but just enough to keep me awake and wretched. My sisters were home from college, and I sat in my childhood home by myself while everyone slept. I was nervous and I wasn’t sure what to do. My contractions were still kind of irregular, but they were about 3 minutes apart, sometimes. Surely it was time to go by now. I was worried about keeping everyone else awake, shuffling around the house and complaining, so I finally asked my mom to take me to the hospital. I remember I felt so guilty waking her up! It makes me sad to remember how I felt, like such a burden. But on the other hand, I sure had put my family through it over the years! We arrived at the hospital sometime in the 11 or 12 o’clock hour. They admitted me though I had not progressed much, and gave me Benadryl to help me sleep and let me rest in their hospital bed. I got very little rest, but felt like I was where I needed to be. Walking seemed like the last thing I could do at that moment. If I had taken a childbirth class or hired a doula, I may have known how important it was to keep moving, but as it was, I felt stuck. My mother encouraged me to try walking, but when you’re 19, it’s pretty easy to ignore your mother. When I arrived at the hospital, I was surprised to learn that the midwives there weren’t the midwives I had gotten to know over at the clinic. Gah! It’s appalling how normal this is. I wish care providers would be more honest with women about who will be present at their labor and delivery!

We debated rupturing my membranes, which terrified me. Eventually, we did, though contractions did not pick up that much from there. No wonder, though-- I was still mostly laying in the hospital bed. I did love the midwife who was on site, once I got to talk to her for a while, and trusted her. I declined Pitocin and an IV. Instead of taking me at my word, the staff staged an emotional intervention in which I was told that I needed to let go of my emotional baggage surrounding needles and that they were only trying to help me. They told me they were going to give me oxytocin, the same hormone that my body makes during labor. It makes me pretty angry that I was lied to and pressured so much during my labor. If there’s one thing that surprised me most about birth in a hospital, it was the deception! I finally said I would try the Pitocin. I was worried that my body wasn’t doing what it was supposed to, and I was feeling pretty scared and discouraged. This is another point where a doula would have helped- a little bit of encouragement goes a long way at this stage, I think. It would have made a big difference to me if there had been someone there who had confidence in my body’s ability to give birth. I declined pain medication, but was very much pressured to have some, and told that “I would need it” with the Pitocin. I was scared of being numb, and the nurse got quiet. I am still not completely sure whether they added painkillers to my Pitocin drip or not, even having had unmedicated subsequent births.

I think that in the eyes of the staff, I was emotional basketcase and a troubled teen who didn’t know what was good for me. The nurses were nice though, they acted motherly. But soon, a shift change came on and I met and immediately disliked the next CNM who came in. Complicating matters a bit more, she told me that there was another mom progressing the same way I was, and that she was going to have to call a backup OBGYN. I had lost all control of this experience by now. Nothing was going the way I thought it would, and I didn’t really feel like I had a choice in anything. If I expressed a concern, the main job of the healthcare staff seemed to be to talk me out of my fears, as opposed to changing their plan for my care. I was hooked up to their IV, writhing around in pain trying to keep still for their monitors, and I didn’t know if I was ever going to have this baby, because no one seemed to think that I was doing it right. I remember crying when someone told me that the contractions my uterus was producing weren’t adequate. Call me dramatic, but I felt so betrayed by my body. I identified so strongly as a physically powerful person, as an ass-kickin chicken. In the hospital, I felt very powerless. Finally, there came a moment when I was all by myself in my hospital room. I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom, and so I gathered up my IV pole and my determination, and went to the bathroom. It seemed so hard to get around. I remember feeling embarrassed about my bodily functions, and the prospect of even telling someone that I had to poop was outside of my comfort zone. I was glad to be by myself, I realized, and my courage gathered as I navigated my body. After a while, I realized that I was still pushing and pushing even though I had cleared my bowels, and I reached down and felt my baby’s head!! After cleaning myself off I told my mother to have a nurse come check me. It makes me sad that, even though I had actually touched my baby, I felt like I needed someone to tell me whether or not he was coming. I didn’t want these people touching me, but I kept inviting them to touch me, because I thought that was supposed to do. It’s backwards that I felt like the medical staff had more of a right to my body because I was scared of them. I recognize the pattern of allowing unwanted people access to my body because I thought I had no choice- this was a story repeated throughout my teens. Birth is undeniably a sexual experience, and this birth was definitely too coercive to be a healthy one. I thought I was a badass, but I was scared of everybody.

While I was pushing, I kept trying to reach down and feel the baby’s head. I couldn’t forget how amazing it was to realize that there was a soft, perfect little person coming out of my body! The OB wasn’t really responsive to my efforts, but the nurse who was holding my other leg—I was pushing in the lithotomy position—saw what I was trying to do and encouraged me. I wish I’d had a better opportunity to thank her! I think she was the only person on the medical staff who really saw my needs and tried to meet them, as opposed to trying to make me more compliant with the hospital’s expectations of me. I didn’t have to push for that long, maybe 45 minutes. I was so motivated to finally meet this little guy! He slipped out just fine, with just a little unnecessary yanking and an “oops” from the CNM, who had come in at the last minute, when her actions resulted in a small tear. When he was born, at 6:55 pm, I scooped him up as fast as I could. I am still surprised at how strongly I felt about my son when I first held him. I couldn’t get close enough! All I could say for several minutes was “I love you”, over and over and over again. I sniffed him, and snoogled him, and we tried nursing right away. I think my reaction to meeting Leo for the first time was the only thing that day that made everyone smile. Leo weighed 10 pounds, 2 ounces.

I feel strange about giving such a negative account of the labor that led up to my first birth—it was an uncomplicated, vaginal birth. Meeting my son for the first time is my one most precious memory, and I can’t tell folks about it without tearing up. I feel really grateful for this birth: grateful that my mom was able to be there for me, grateful that my baby and I were and continue to be healthy, and grateful that I remember the whole thing. I am even grateful for the aspects that I consider to be less than positive, because I learned so much from this birth. I know that it’s controversial to say this, but I really don’t think that hospitals are a good place for low-risk birth. I don’t think that I could have realized this without seeing the effect that the hospital environment can have on a normal birth that is going just fine. I acknowledge that many, many young mothers don’t get nearly as good of an experience as I had with my first. I guess that I realized that if this is the best outcome a hospital, a really progressive hospital, could provide, then hospitals weren’t good enough for my babies. I think I did the best that I could for my son at the time, and I feel pretty good about that. It was an empowering birth in that I put in everything that I had, and that I didn’t let previous trauma completely own me during the birth process. I was able to build on that power with subsequent births, which is something that I might have been too scared to do had I had a truly traumatic birth experience the first time. My main regret is that I had put it upon my poor mother to be the sole support person at this birth—for her sake. I think it was really hard for her to watch her youngest daughter go through what seemed, to her, like a difficult labor. Next time, maybe I’ll finally hire a doula!

Doula Profile: Marja Sovero

2011-12-20T13:01:00.000-08:00

This post is the third of a series which profiles each of the doulas of Welcome Home Doula Services. This post profiles WHDS apprentice doula and childbirth educator Marja Sovero.

What first got you interested in becoming a birth doula?
With the birth of my first child, I had what’s considered a “good outcome”. However, I left the hospital feeling violated and confused about what had happened. I saw the difference it can make, with my second and third births, having real support. Talking to other women, I saw what a large need there is for women to have someone by their side, to advocate for them and help them to make sense of the birth process. The more I learn, the more I see the need for a doula, particularly in a hospital setting. There is a huge disconnect between women’s expectations of care, and the information that they have about the birth process, and the outlook of their care providers. Doulas can help bridge that gap. Birth is such a transformative time for women and their families that this seems like the most important work I could be doing right now; I certainly can’t think of anything that I’d rather do.

How long have you been a birth doula? What training have you undergone?
I’ve been working as a birth doula for just a few months now, though I attended the birth of a friend four years ago in what I consider my first doula-ing experience. I trained with ALACE as a doula in 2007, and have been steadily accumulating information and studying on my own since I had my oldest son, in 2004. I began working as a childbirth educator, having trained through ALACE and also through ICEA, in 2010. My children are old enough now that I feel comfortable being on call, so I’m glad to be able to finally get out there and help women at their births!

taking a quick rest at a birth!

What has been your most triumphant moment as a birth doula?
I suppose it’s ongoing. I just feel really lucky to have found a way to help meaningfully help women. The satisfaction that I get from doula work comes in a series of “ah-hah!” moments—for me, and also in seeing those moments happen for mothers that I work with. The triumph comes from realizing how much we are teaching each other. This is what happens when women reach out to each other during the unique time of pregnancy and childbirth!

What has been your most humbling moment as a birth doula?
I am constantly humbled by this work; it’s not easy! I suspect that even much more experienced doulas feel the same way. Every day I am looking up something new, coming up with more satisfying, complete answers for questions that I realize I need more information about.

Is there any birth-related subject about which you are particularly passionate?
I am passionate about justice and compassion for women and their families during childbirth. I am passionate about humane care for human beings, by human beings. My main goal is to help everybody involved to maintain their integrity and humanity through the birth process. I guess that’s a pretty far-reaching goal! There’s magic in birth that gets lost when we—mothers and care providers—try to operate as automatons.

What are some of your favorite resources for new mothers?
Doulas are my favorite resource for new mothers! Other caring people, like fellow mothers, and community in general are the most important resource for new mothers. For specific issues, I like books! I like to read Magda Gerber, who is a great source of wisdom on the topic of infant care. There are great blogs out there—it can be hard to seek people out in real life—and I think the best way to find them is to ask someone who usually has good advice for you, or whose opinion you respect, what they like to read. And then find out who that person has been listening to! If you have a question, track down your local midwife! She will be busy, but she will have a wealth of information.

Birth Story: Quick, Smooth Pitocin Induction

2011-12-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

Hilary is a friend of mine from high school who recently welcomed her first son into the world. I am so glad she took the time to share her birth story here with us and with all of you! Congratulations Hilary and Joe, and Happy Birthday baby Cole!

-The Birth of Cole Porter-

"Starting around 35.5-36 weeks I started having high blood pressure issues. My blood pressure would be so high that the machine wouldn't even be able to register it. I was put on some blood pressure medicine and would go in weekly for non-stress tests to monitor baby. The medicine helped my blood pressure go down to an almost normal level, and I felt so much better overall while on the medication. At my 38-week appointment my blood pressure had creeped back up to a high level even with the medicine. My midwife mentioned that with my blood pressure still rising despite the medicine that it would be beneficial to schedule an induction for safety of baby and me. So, it was set that I would be admitted to the hospital at 7:30am on 11/7/11 for my induction. She did an internal to see what our starting point was before the weekend, and I wasn't dilated or effaced at all.

Sunday evening we packed my hospital bag and the baby's hospital bag and went to bed early. I woke up around 1AM Monday morning with some cramps that seemed to come and go. I tried timing them, but I was tired and knew I would be going to the hospital soon enough anyways so I just tried to get some more rest. We woke up early, showered, ate breakfast, and headed out the door. I got admitted into the hospital and my Dr. came up to talk to me about the different induction options (Cervadil, and the Foley Bulb). She checked me and I was 1cm and 75% effaced, and mentioned that with the contractions early in the morning and being dilated I could just start with Pitocin. At 9:30am the Pitocin was started and I was on my way to having my baby.

The contractions weren't as bad as I though they were going to be. Even though I had to be hooked up to monitors I was able to move around a bit, and that helped a lot. Soon enough they were getting stronger and closer together. I kept asking the nurses for something in my IV to help take the edge off, but I had to get checked by my Dr. first. At 12:30pm my Dr. came to check my progress and I was dilated 6cm, she mentioned that if I wanted any medication that I needed to go ahead and get it now since I was moving along so quickly. Due to having contractions starting at 1am and not getting much sleep I opted to get an intrathecal to help me relax and get some rest before pushing. With the intrathecal I was still able to feel the pressure and was able to get up and walk around when I needed to. By about 2:10pm the pressure was just too much for me to handle so I paged the Dr. to let her know. I was checked and she said I was a solid 10+ and was ready to push. We started pushing, my water finally broke and there was meconium in the fluid so the baby's pediatrician was called to the hospital to be there for the baby.

After about a 1/2 hour of pushing our baby boy finally came into the world at 2:44pm.

Hilary, Joe, and Baby Cole Porter!

He weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. Cole was born a perfectly healthy and happy baby. He latched on and nursed like a champ right away. We absolutely love and adore him!"

Doula Profile: Claire Sloan

2011-12-05T22:14:00.001-08:00

This post is the second of a series which profiles each of the doulas of Welcome Home Doula Services. This post profiles WHDS apprentice doula Claire Sloan.
What first got you interested in becoming a birth doula?
I grew up with a strong curiosity about childbirth and pregnancy. Having never attended a birth as a child, I was mystified and eager to understand how mamas' bellies magically turned into babies. I imagined it to look something like the opening scene of The Lion King (you know, when Rafiki holds up Simba and all the animals cheer and there's that awesome song playing in the background...)
As I grew older, and continued to express interest in birth and pregnancy, my parents explained to me what midwives and OB/GYNs were. I was immediately intrigued and felt that it could be my life's calling. As a student at UC Davis, I began doing more research about the various pathways to becoming a midwife, and along the way I stumbled upon several websites, birth stories, and books that mentioned women called 'doulas'. The moment I found out that doulas supported women and their families before, during, and after labor with physical, emotional, and informational support, I knew it was exactly the role I wanted to take on. Becoming a doula was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
How long have you been a birth doula? What training have you undergone?
I have been apprenticing with Madeleine Shernock for nearly a year. With her guidance and support, I completed a rigorous birth doula training through Welcome Home Doula Services, after which I attended four births with Madeleine, and one birth on my own. In addition to this training, I took a seminar on using the Mexican rebozo as a comfort tool for women in labor. I am currently working through a basic breastfeeding course to be able to better support our breastfeeding clients. I intend to complete a DONA certified doula training in the near future, and am hoping to become a DONA certified birth doula.

Claire at Hospital Civil in Oaxaca, Mexico

In addition to this training, I have spent the past three months interning in various hospitals and clinics in Oaxaca, Mexico. During my rotations I spent a significant amount of time working with women through their labors and births at a public hospital. Working in this completely different environment has taught me so much about the importance of compassionate care, and has strengthened my abilities as a doula.
What has been your most triumphant moment as a birth doula?
Towards the end of a rather quick labor, I found myself holding hands with my client as we breathed together and maintained a strong eye contact. We got into such a rhythmic ritual that neither of us were aware that her baby had been born until we both heard her new daughter cry. It was such an amazing moment that I will keep with me forever.
What has been your most humbling moment as a birth doula?
Every experience I've had as a doula has had some humbling element. I have learned something new from every family I've worked with, and have been presented with situations that are completely unfamiliar to me. It is through these experiences that I've realized I have so much more to learn about childbirth, about family structures and about life in general. I am both grateful for this and humbled by it.
Is there any birth-related subject about which you are particularly passionate?
I'm really passionate about women's mental health, and how childbirth experiences can impact psychological health and wellbeing. I'm currently working on a research paper investigating the psychological effects of birth trauma on women and the implications this has for maternal child health as a whole. Through my research and personal observations at hospitals in Mexico, I've become an advocate of the humanized birth movement in Latin America, and am eager to investigate further the issues of psychological birth trauma and women's mental health.
A positive birthing experience should not be treated as a privilege, but rather as a norm. As a doula, I strongly believe in the transformative power of childbirth on women's mental health, and take it as my responsibility to do what I can to ensure a woman is supported not only physically, but psychologically throughout labor.
Also, I'm pretty much just passionate about all mamas and babies in general. Ask anyone who knows me. :)
What are some of your favorite resources for new mothers?
Eats on Feets, La Leche League, WIC, Childbirth Connection, and the Welcome Home Doula Services Facebook page :)

Doula Profile: Madeleine Shernock

2011-11-14T21:14:00.001-08:00

This post is the first of a six-part series which profiles each of the doulas of Welcome Home Doula Services. We begin with the founder of WHDS, Madeleine Shernock.

Q: What first got you interested in becoming a birth doula?
A: I've always been interested in women's health, particularly in helping people make informed decisions about their care. I worked through a community clinic as a sex educator and advocate, teaching high school students how to prevent pregnancy and disease transmission. I eventually transitioned into being a doula originally with the intention of "just attending some births" to see if it was right for me.
Q: How long have you been a birth doula? What training have you undergone?
A: I attended my first birth as a doula in October of 2010. I have attended a DONA-Approved Birth Doula Training (June 2010) as well as seminars on lactation management (July 2011), the Mexican Rebozo (January 2011), common obstetric complications (June 2011), and water birth (July 2011). I invest a lot of my time getting the information I need to increase my knowledge base--being a doula is absolutely a full-time job for me.
Q: What has been your most triumphant moment as a birth doula?
A: I recently watched a woman laugh in ecstasy and excitement while she pulled her newborn baby up to her chest! It was completely surreal, but at the same time it set the bar for something I know as real and achievable in real life.
Q: What has been your most humbling moment as a birth doula?
A: There are times when I am quite humbled by people who disrespect mothers in their most vulnerable moments--we have a long history of this in our culture, of women being hurt. We have a long way to go.
Q: Is there any birth-related subject about which you are particularly passionate?
A: I am particularly passionate about opening up conversations about birth trauma with healthcare professionals and birth professionals. This is a largely preventable situation, and there are concrete ways we can be helping families have positive birth experiences. As a doula, I am there to remind the mother that her birth is a really, really special time in her life--it may just be a day long, but it is something that she will likely remember forever. Birth is to be preserved, and those memories should be worth preserving.
Q: What are some of your favorite resources for new mothers?
A: La Leche League International and KellyMom are great resources for moms who are planning to breastfeed. Childbirth Connection is an excellent page with info on choosing a care provider, pregnancy, labor, cesarean, VBAC, and how to navigate our really bizarre maternity system.

2011-10-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

Our doulas have specialized training and/or previous experience with:

Teen Parents

Inductions

Epidurals/Other Pain Medications

Waterbirth

Planned Home Birth

Planned Caesarean Birth

VBAC

Clients on Bedrest

LGBTQ Families

High-Risk Mothers

Single Parents

Unmedicated Labors

We have attended births or are currently working with families planning to give birth at...

Home

Kaiser Roseville

Kaiser South Sacramento

Mercy General

Mercy San Juan

Sutter Memorial

Sutter Roseville

Sutter Davis

The Birth Center

UC Davis Medical Center

We encourage you to browse the site and contact us if you'd like more information or if you would like to set up an interview.

News for November 2011:

We have some limited availability for Birth Doula Services in December, January, and February. Details on our availability can be found here. We are happy to connect you with other doulas in the area if we are not able to attend your birth. The sooner you contact us in your pregnancy, the better!

We currently have availability in November, December, and January for Placenta Preparation Services.

Claire Sloan will not be taking clients from 9/15-1/07 as she will be in Mexico. She will be finishing up her apprenticeship with Welcome Home Doula Services when she returns. Follow her adventures here!