Info on hiring us!

“I am interested in hiring a labor doula. What do you need to know and what do I need to do next?”

     First, you have made a great decision regarding including a labor doula at your birth. The studies show :

¨      tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications

¨      reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience

¨      reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans

¨      reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals

¨      Feel more secure and cared for

¨      Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics

¨      Have greater success with breastfeeding

¨      Have greater self-confidence

¨      Have less postpartum depression

¨      Have lower incidence of abuse

     According to DONA these are the things that a doula provides:

¨      Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life

¨      Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor

¨      Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth

¨      Stays with the woman throughout the labor

¨      Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision

¨      Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers

¨      Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman’s memory of the birth experience

¨      Allows the woman’s partner to participate at his/her comfort level

     We provide a bimonthly Meet the Doula tea so you can attend to:

¨      Meet all of the doulas and educators within our company

¨      Have a chance to hear about our services

¨      See a short video about doulas

¨      Have an opportunity to mingle and talk to each doula who is of interest to you
¨      Send us your due date, location for your birth and your phone number for our sign in if you plan to attend the tea. Send it to info@alaboroflove.org

     When you contact our company we provide:

¨      A packet of information that details all of our services

¨      Contact information for each doula with fees associated with each doula

¨      You can also email any doula by contacting her by using her first name@alaboroflove.org and can email the team of the Ladies of the Labyrinth with the email lol@alaboroflove.org

     If you are unable to come to the tea:

¨      Call the doula who is of interest to you and chat to determine if she sounds like she may be a good fit

¨      Set up an interview with the individual doulas who may match your needs

¨      Contact the Ladies of the Labyrinth to see if one of their interview/prenatal nights or days is available to meet two of the doulas and then contact the last doula for a phone call to see if they may be a good fit as well

     Once you determine the right doula for you:

¨      Send in the last page of the labor doula agreement with the retainer

¨      Contact the doula to let her know it is on its way to our office

¨      Set up a prenatal with her if you to be done near your 36 week mark

¨      Put a reminder on your calendar to send in the final payment to reach our office by the beginning of the 38^th week when your doula begins to be on call

¨      If you choose the Ladies of the Labyrinth, set up the dual doula meeting based on the scheduled times and set up an individual prenatal with the remaining doula

     Stay in touch with your doula:

¨      We love to get emails about your pregnancy progress

¨      We love to assist you with questions of a non-medical nature to help you have a smoother journey

¨      We love to hear your desires and dreams for your birth

¨      We love to have you visit our blog: www.alaborofloveblog.org and read information that may help you in your pregnancy, labor and postpartum period

¨      We love to have you sign up for classes we offer and hear about the classes you are taking

¨       We love to share and offer input on books that you may find helpful in gathering more information

“I am interested in hiring a postpartum doula, what is the next step?” Most of the labor doula ideas are the same for a postpartum doula.

     According to DONA these are the things that a postpartum doula provides:

¨      Offers education, companionship and nonjudgmental support during the postpartum fourth trimester

¨      Assists with newborn care, family adjustment, meal preparation and light household tidying

¨      Offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents and makes appropriate referrals when necessary

     When considering a postpartum doula:

¨      Where you live is important as some doulas do not go to all areas

¨      What hours are you considering needing

¨      What days of the week are you desiring

¨      We do not provide overnight care since a postpartum doula “mothers the mother” and night time care is really being a night time nanny- we believe if a mom is taken good care of during the day, she can handle her nights

¨      We do provide night care for moms with special needs- postpartum depression issues, surgical births or multiples if it is needed

     How and when do you hire a postpartum doula:

¨      Ideally we like to be hired prior to the birth of your baby, but often times couples do not anticipate a need until after the baby has arrived

¨      Setting up an interview where she comes to your home is helpful although you can also hire a postpartum doula at the Meet the Doula Teas

¨      You mail the agreement with the retainer that pays for the first 5 hours and contact the doula to set up the times you need if your baby has already arrived

¨      Each week you receive an e-bill to alert you to the hours worked and the balance that is to be paid each week for her services

¨      You mail this to our office, it delays things if you give it to the doula herself

¨      If you have hired a doula prior to your baby’s arrival, contact her after you have had the baby and let her know the baby has arrived and when you want her to come

¨      Ideally we need a 48 hour notice on both when you want the doula to arrive as well as if you need to reschedule her arrival on a prescribed time

“I am interested in some classes you offer. What is my next step?”

     Preparing for your birth, for being a parent and for breastfeeding is an essential step.

¨      Information is power and preparing for a new event gives you valuable information

¨      Our classes are very hands on with not only information but how to put that information into practice

¨      We offer a variety of classes to choose from based on your needs

      How do you find out about our specific classes and when they are offered:

¨      Our online calendar on our website is updated frequently. You can access it at http://alaboroflove.org/calendar.html

¨      You can contact us to get the informational packet which has a list of our current classes, dates and prices

¨      We offer childbirth classes that are done in a group setting on two different days and times and also a 2 weekend immersion. For those who just can not get into a group session, we do offer private classes held in our class spaces in three different locations around town We also offer a Birthing Again class for repeat birthers who took some type of class the previous pregnancy.

¨      We offer several specialty types of classes and most are held at least quarterly.

     How do I get signed up?

¨      Email us for an informational packet and fill our the class agreement and send payment for the class to hold your spot

“I still have questions. Who and how do I contact someone?”

Teresa Howard is the owner of Labor of Love Doula and Childbirth Services. You can call her at 770.241.2078 or email her at info@alaboroflove.org. Also visit our main facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Laboroflovedoulaandchildbirth to enjoy a great community full of information!  Thanks!