Threshold Support (Birth and Postpartum)

  • Birth and Postpartum Services Overview

    • Complimentary meeting to see if we are a good fit as a birth team

    • Up to Three (3) prenatal meetings to:

      •  Discuss your birth philosophy and preferences, labor support techniques, postpartum plan and more

      • Provide informational support to ensure your care providers, birth plan and preparation provide the best experience that meet your birth wishes.

      • Help create and establish a postpartum plan and support team

    • Continuous email/phone/text support from the time of contract signing

    • On-call support starting at your 38th gestational week 

    • In-person labor support from the time you feel you need it and through the birth of your baby (and for your partner/support person)

    • Availability through phone/email/text support for reassurance and to answer questions that arise during your postpartum.

    • Continuous phone/email/text support up during the postpartum period

    • Your choice of 4 or 8 postpartum visits - up to three (3) hour sessions to be used whenever you feel you may need them within the first four to eight (4-8) weeks postpartum

    Visits can include but are not limited to:

    • Debrief of birth/hospital stay/how you are doing physically/emotionally

    • Consensual postpartum specific massage to promote circulation and healing

    • Lactation and baby feeding support – ways to widen baby’s latch, nipple care, practice basic positions and ways we might be able to improve your setup and posture, review pumping and Haakaa use, bottle feeding, formula preparation

    • Prepare meals and/or snacks

    • Sitz bath setup and perineal healing

    • Make and drink tea together to support healing, warmth and lactation (if applicable)

    • Pick recipes for future visits

    • Newborn soothing techniques

    • Newborn bath

    • Talk about postpartum mood disorders (baby blues vs PPMD)

    • Sibling care for second time parents

    • Give yourself some personal space to shower, nap or whatever brings you happiness without feeling like a vessel 

    • Go for a walk together with baby, grab some tea/coffee/beer or wine together ;)

    • Practice feeding in public (see how you feel about it)

    • A time for the non-gestational parent/support person to rest, relax, go for a walk or anything they would like to do outside of being the main support person

    • Pet care

    • Light cleaning (nothing like having a clean bathroom or kitchen to walk into!)

    • Sign-up for mom/parent groups, look up classes in neighborhood

    • Review pumping and offer baby’s 1st feeding whether with a bottle or cup. If with bottle, talk about slow paced bottle-feeding techniques

    • Helping to run errands or accompanying the family to the pediatrician or other appointments

    • Home organization and functional flow of space to support parenting

    • Transition points: what to do when your support person leaves/partner goes back to work. Talk about what it would be like returning to work or continuing on as being main support person for your baby

    And much, much more

  • I bring with me:

    • A non-judgmental approach towards clients and their choices in childbirth

    • Patience, staying grounded in the present moment and allowing the process to unfold as it may without putting  pressure or time restrictions on clients or the birth process

    • A beginner’s mind, allowing us to view things with an open mindset and as they really are, in the present moment, and using our past experience as support, rather than doctrine.

    • Trust, supporting all clients in their inherent ability to give birth and parent as they know is right for them, teaching them to trust their intuition in pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, and supporting them in this process

    • Non-Striving, allowing you to move through your birth process and preparing you for all you may encounter without trying to force an outcome or result.

    • Holding acknowledgement, first, and then moving towards acceptance for the outcome of each birth, even if things do not go as planned

    • Letting Go, or Letting Be, resting with all outcomes, with whatever our clients experience, without rejecting what is unpleasant or striving to what is pleasant

    Fee for the above service is: 

    • Birth package plus four (4) postpartum visits: $2,900

    • Birth package plus eight (8) postpartum visits: $3,500

    *I offer sliding scale community support in the following situations: homebirths, single parents, teen parents, and members of the BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA2S+ community. When you pay my standard fees, you are supporting a fair, living wage aligned with my level of experience and education. When you pay a sliding scale, you are allowing your community to hold and support you. Both are acceptable ways of participating and I am honored to be a part of your journey. Everyone deserves a doula’s support and care.