A birth doula is a person who provides emotional support, physical comfort, and an objective viewpoint to parents before and during labor and birth. Birth doulas also help parents get the information they need to make informed decisions. As your doulas, we’re hired by YOU - not your hospital or birth center - so our whole purpose is to serve you and your baby.

Studies show that when continuous labor support was provided by a doula, birthing parents experienced a:

• 31% decrease in the use of Pitocin

• 28% decrease in the risk of Cesarean

• 12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth

• 9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief

• 14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery

• 34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience

PHYSICAL SUPPORT

• We can help you find positions that feel good and help your labor to progress

• We can provide soothing touch through massage and counter pressure

• We can help to create a calm environment by dimming the lights, playing your preferred music, or arranging the room in a way that feels most comfortable for you

• We can assist with hydrotherapy (using the shower or tub)

• We can apply warm or cold compresses

• We can hunt down snacks, drinks, ice chips, and bendy straws for you and your partner

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

• We help you to feel cared for, confident, and heard

• We give your partner suggestions of how to best support you

• We provide continuous presence throughout your entire labor and birth

• We help you and your partner work through fears about birth

• We help you to make sure your voice is heard during labor

• We debrief with you after the birth, listen to your story, and hold space for your experience

INFORMATIONAL SUPPORT

• We keep you and your partner informed about what's going on during labor

• We suggest techniques that you can use during labor like breathing, movement, relaxation techniques, and position changes (which can be really useful with or without an epidural)

• We help you find evidence-based information about different options in pregnancy and childbirth

• We can explain medical procedures before they happen

• We help your partner understand what you're going through and what is happening with your labor

As your doulas, we are not medical providers. These are things that we do not do:

• We do not perform clinical tasks like vaginal exams or fetal heart checks

• We do not give medical advice or diagnose conditions

• We do not make decisions for you (medical or otherwise)

• We do not pressure you into certain choices for your labor or birth

• We do not take over the role of your partner

• We do not catch the baby

A postpartum doula is a trained professional who is an expert in helping parents adjust to life with a new baby. Postpartum doulas provide a wide range of services depending on your situation and desires, and each visit is tailored to your needs at that moment. Postpartum doulas work during the day and overnight, so you can get help when you need it most.

Many parents spend countless hours preparing for the birth of their baby, reading books, taking classes, and imagining their optimal birth. However, lots of parents find that they don't feel as prepared once the baby has arrived and throughout the "fourth trimester" (the first 3 months of baby's life). They may have questions, need help around the house, need referrals to specialists, or just need emotional support and someone to listen and tell them that they are doing awesome! This is where a postpartum doula can be invaluable.

Here are just some of the things a postpartum doula can do:

• Provide education, guidance and support to help you become confident and adjusted to life with your new baby.

• Help with breast/chest or bottle feeding, bathing the baby, infant sleep guidance, baby-wearing, and help with older siblings.

• Help with making your home feel comfortable which may include light housekeeping, tidying, laundry, and snack preparation.

• Caring for the baby while you get some much-needed rest, go for a walk, talk with a friend on the phone, do yoga, or do anything you need to feel cared for and nourished.

• Unlimited emotional, physical and mental support for parents and all caregivers involved.

As soon as you want to! Most of our clients hire us sometime in their 2nd trimester, but some hire us as soon as they know they’re pregnant. We recommend reaching out earlier rather than later, as we tend to book up months in advance.

Another advantage of hiring us earlier in your pregnancy is that it gives you more time to use us as a resource. Any time you have questions, need to vent, or need a referral to a pregnancy practitioner in the community, we can help you!

Even if you’re very late into your pregnancy, it’s not too late to hire us! We’ve had clients hire us when they’re less than a month out from their due date. Reach out to us, and if we have availability, we’d love to work with you!

Short answer: yes!

Longer answer: doulas support all types of birth. In fact, most of the clients who hire us choose to birth in a hospital and use an epidural. Our job as your doula is to make sure you know all your options when it comes to birth, including alternative forms of pain management (such as nitrous oxide, movement, massage, counter pressure, hydrotherapy, distraction, vocalization, and more).

If you know you want an epidural, or think you might want one and want to wait and see, doulas are still invaluable. We will help you with hands on techniques and suggestions in the time before you get an epidural (because there are usually several hours of early labor before you go to the hospital, and even then there is time before an epidural can happen).

Once you get an epidural we are there to suggest positions that can encourage your labor to progress, explain what is happening medically throughout labor, make recommendations on how to push effectively, and more.

Doulas and partners are a match made in heaven! Your partner knows you best, including how you cope with stress, what type of comforting touch you like, how to make you laugh, and what to say when you want to cry.

Your doula knows birth best, including how to help labor progress, how to manage discomfort, ways to move and positions that will feel good, and hands-on techniques that will bring relief.

As your doula, our role is to support both the birthing person and the partner, to make sure you both know your options, and to make sure you both feel 100% supported. That might look like tag-teaming with your partner to give them a chance to rest, eat, or take a break. It might look like reminding your partner of ways they can physically support you during a contraction. Or it might look like your doula telling your partner what an amazing job you’re doing and that the intensity you’re experiencing is totally normal.

We sure do! Here it is.

Short answer: no.

Longer answer: all the Heart Tones doulas have taken a professional doula training, which usually entails a weekend intensive followed by reading and writing assignments, and attending a number of births. The doulas are always continuing to expand their knowledge through continuing education classes and workshops.

While it is possible to become certified as a doula, I don't require it of the doulas on my team. Here's why:

Birth support people have existed as long as people have been having babies, and historically it has been family, friends, and community members who have acted in the role of "doula." Although the historical role of a doula has often been held by community matriarchs including Black people, indigenous people, and people of color, the professional doula organizations of today have only existed for the past generation or so, and have often been created and run by white, upper middle class, cisgender, heterosexual women.

The process of certifying as a doula can be time-intensive and financially out of reach for many people who could and should be doulas because they have the skill, drive, and passion for supporting birthing people. Certification can be a barrier to many doulas, and doula certifying organizations have historically been gate-keepers of the doula profession. It's my opinion that certification doesn't necessarily make a good doula, and many great doulas aren't certified.