Frequently Asked Questions

Working with me

My approach to doula care prioritizes whole-mother wellness. If you don’t see your question answered here, please reach out, I’d love to tailor a support plan to meet the unique needs of your family.

My deepest intention is to offer a steady presence with you through the progression of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum window, as care providers may change along the way.
Helping with physical and emotional preparedness during pregnancy and through the birthing process, helping to create a safe, well-informed, empowering, and satisfying pregnancy and childbirth experience in full awareness of your intuitive wisdom and innate abilities.
This is a great question, as birth and the initial postpartum window are inherently unpredictable.
Often, I find that couples have a good sense of what they may need, and I’m happy to explore this with you to create a plan where you’re set up for success feeling fully supported, nurtured, and nourished.
Each birth and postpartum experience will only happen once. Your whole family deserves a positive and well-cared-for experience. Let’s schedule a time to consider your unique situation and create a plan that feels right for this time in your life.
You can hire a doula at any point in your pregnancy but keep in mind that the closer to your due date, you run the risk of availability issues.
And because I support the journey through pregnancy as well, I welcome and encourage you to call and secure our time together as soon as you are ready so you can take advantage of all the benefits of working together, including prenatal yoga, meditation, childbirth prep, birth-ready fitness assessments, and custom fitness coaching.
If you are considering postpartum care, the sooner, the better. We limit our availability to ensure comprehensive care and support through the first few days and weeks postpartum.
Historically, insurance companies have not covered this investment expense unless specified in their plan, but some will cover it as an “out-of-network” care provider.
As the number of studies connects the presence of a doula with positive maternal health outcomes and the continued cultural shift in desiring doula care, more and more insurance companies and employers are exploring coverage for all or part of doula care services.
Some companies are adding doula care to their benefits packages, so absolutely ask your employer and insurance provider if doula care is covered and request this from them to help raise awareness of this important benefit.
The IRS allows you to pay for doula care through your medical spending and savings accounts: i.e., Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Service Account (HAS), Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), or your health care savings plan. Check the guidelines as some require a Letter of Medical Necessity to be an eligible expense (and it should be a little red flag if a health care provider doesn’t happily provide a letter of medical necessity to make sure you can take advantage of this benefit).
Also, check the language in your benefits plan, as some plans say Birthing Coach vs. As a registered NPI provider, I am happy to provide a universal invoice to submit for reimbursement once you have paid in full.
Add doula care to your Shower registry. Awakening Mother Gift Certificates are available here to put towards your doula care fund.
Finally, have a skill to share? Inquire about an energy exchange for services.
The level of risk each family is comfortable with can vary, so I will discuss your needs and comfort level.
As part of our practice, I continually monitor ongoing developments and guidance for best practices.
For your peace of mind, I follow public health guidelines and I am fully vaccinated, including the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters.
I currently offer in-person support in the Boulder Valley region of Colorado and the greater Los Angeles area. I offer virtual support to aspiring, expectant, and newborn mothers across the country.

Holistic wellness, certified doula, prenatal yoga, birth and postpartum care, Colorado Doula

Birth Questions

You deserve to step into your birthing time feeling supported and at peace. While no one can predict exactly how your birth will go, I’ll be there to help you fully prepare your mind, body and spirit as you welcome your baby into the world.

Newborn care specialist, Home birth doula, Ayurvedic postpartum care specialist

As your birth doula, I am part of your birth team, which includes both parents/partners.
During our planning, we will discuss your birth vision and what your partner’s comfort level is with childbirth, to reduce anxiety and build confidence for partners who may feel uncomfortable with what to do during the birthing process.
Our goal is to complement and strengthen your partner’s role and work in collaboration with them and your entire birth team to best support you. Studies have shown that partners actively participate during labor when a doula is present.
Your midwife is your medical care provider, and their priority is to ensure a safe birth for you and your baby. I honor the midwifery model of care, and our prenatal work together will thoroughly prepare your body, mind, and spirit for your birthing time, working in close collaboration with your midwife or care provider.
When your birthing time begins, your midwife will check in regularly through your progression, which can take hours or days, staying rested and ready for when it’s time for your babies’ main event.
Doula support is more continual and compliments the presence of your midwife, there to provide physical and emotional support, supplemental nourishment, suggestions for movement and/or beneficial positions for helping your baby progress, always working with, but not in place, of your midwife.
We’ll be in regular contact as your birthing time approaches so that once your labor begins, we can access progress and review early positioning and comfort techniques for helping your baby engage in the pelvis. And, of course, I will join you anytime you feel ready and ask me to join you. Usually, this is once the active phase of birthing begins, which can take anywhere from a few days to a few hours from the start of your birthing time. I always plan to join you at your home, or if progress moves quickly can join you at your birth center or hospital if that is where you plan to give birth.
If you are being induced, I prefer to join you at the start of the procedure for body balancing and peace of mind, staying long enough to help you ask questions about your hospital’s plan of care, process, and procedures. Then, I’ll return whenever you need me as progress unfolds or next steps are performed. Some inductions can take multiple days, so my goal is to help you pace yourself and offer support and suggestions that feel appropriate as needed in the early stage and then provide continuous presence during active labor.
Having a doula at your birth is beneficial in assisting with planned medicated or un-medicated births. There is much we can do together to help keep your baby moving through the pelvis and keep you comfortable and progressing during labor with an epidural.
You may not feel like you’re in labor with an epidural, but your body knows, and your baby knows. In-between times of rest, I can assist with position changes, comfort acupressure, massage, and hypnobirthing cues to keep you in your birthing flow.
There are many ways to birth your baby, and I support your decision on which way feels right for you.
There is much we can do together in preparing for your surgical birth and your postpartum healing, which is especially important since you’ll be recovering from major surgery as well as nurturing your newborn.
At your birthing time, I can join you at the hospital to help you get settled in and comfortable, ensuring your questions are answered based on our conversations and birth vision planning or unexpected changes in the care plan.
Often, it can take quite a while before entering the operating room, and we can practice our comfort and calming techniques and body balancing for relaxation.
If allowed to accompany you through surgery, I will continue to provide support through your baby’s birth and stay with you in recovery to assist with the transition, initial bonding, breast/chestfeeding, and latch.
I aim to provide a continuous presence and peace of mind until you are ready to be transferred to postpartum care for rest and recovery.
I am on-call for you 24/7, starting at 38 weeks. However, I am committed to supporting you no matter how early your baby is born.
If your labor begins before 38 weeks, I will make every effort to join you as soon as I can and call for backup support in the event that I am not able to join you.
The most satisfying birth experiences happen when you and your partner feel prepared.
I will certainly provide a lot of supplemental childbirth education along the way, so it is essential to have a good understanding of all the choices and options you have from the first pressure wave until your baby is born.
A childbirth education class will provide the in-depth knowledge to start thinking about all of your birthing options.
My Ayurvedic-inspired postpartum support offers non-clinical, compassionate care for physical and emotional wellness to help restore health and vitality. Thru this applied ancient wisdom, you will feel more calm and balanced while nurturing and caring for your newborn.
With a deep understanding of newborn needs and development, I can offer support and resources when and where needed, mindful of milestones and new-beginning challenges.
Each visit includes tidying up and making your home comfortable and aesthetically pleasing for your resting-in period.
The heart of my intention is to allow space for rejuvenation and healing. I can offer practical and objective guidance for attainable and healthy self-care practices in your new life phase.
We’ll work together to restore balance and harmony through gentle movement, meditation, breathwork, massage, and all-natural herbs.
It’s our honor to provide freshly prepared, nutrition-dense meals to support your healing with each visit, if you choose. These delicious and nutritious meals contain lactogenic ingredients to help build milk supply, tonify the blood, stimulate the lymphatic system, and ease digestion for increasing metabolism and gently helping elimination.