When should I hire a doula?

I have been hired anywhere from 5 weeks gestation all the way to 35 weeks! Many couples wait to hire a doula until they are out of the first trimester, past the highest risk of miscarriage. My schedule starts to fill up about 16-20 weeks ahead of most due dates, so don’t wait too long! If you’re birthing at Beginnings Birth Center, the midwives recommend finding a doula by the 20 week mark.

Do you work with LGBTQIA+ families? What about surrogates or adoption?

Of course, YES! I love helping all kinds of families bring babies into the world. Whether you’re partnered or not, part of the LGBTQIA+ community or not, carrying a baby that you’re making adoption plans for, carrying as a gestational carrier, or carrying a baby who is coming right home with you, I want to help you! Even if your life circumstance doesn’t fit what you perceive as “normal,” you deserve a doula.

What happens if I lose my baby?

A loss is devastating for everyone involved. As your doula, I am here for you for birth in every trimester. If you experience a loss before full term, I will be present with you as much or as little as you need me to be. I am happy to help you process, make decisions, and celebrate the life of your baby. If your loss necessitates time in the hospital, for labor, birth, or other procedures, I will be with you as I would in any other birth circumstance.

What if I transfer to the hospital during my planned home or birth center birth?

We always want babies to be born in the safest place possible. For many moms, that can be outside a hospital. But if your care providers feel that a transfer is safest, I want you to feel peaceful about the decision to change birth places. I will accompany you to your new birth place, and continue my support as if we planned it this way all along.

What if I have a cesarean (c-section) birth?

If you’re not planning a cesarean birth, needing one can feel like a HUGE change in plans. I am here to help you navigate this big decision. In our local Colorado Springs hospitals, birthing parents are generally allowed one support person. However, the decision to allow more than one support person is usually the decision of the anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist who is managing the spinal anesthesia for your birth. It doesn’t hurt to ask to have two support people, and I have been able to attend cesarean births at both UCHealth hospitals at my clients’ requests. If you are only allowed one support person, and you choose your partner (I would!), then I will meet you after surgery once you’re in recovery. When you feel ready, I will help you with breastfeeding, and we will talk through some postpartum recovery strategies. In the case of any birth that doesn’t go quite as planned, but particularly a cesarean birth, I want to help you process your experience and feel peaceful, so we will plan for two postpartum birth story visits so that we can talk through your story together. Fees are non-refundable in the case of a cesarean birth.

What if I move out of range of your care?

In a town like Colorado Springs, with military bases galore, plans can change at the drop of a hat. Your initial $350 deposit is non-refundable. If you end up moving, fees will be prorated depending on services rendered.

Do you attend freebirths or unassisted births?

While I respect every family’s right to decide who will attend their birth, I do not attend births where there will not be a trained and certified care provider in attendance.