Commonly Asked Questions
Do you perform any physical examinations?
Doulas/Birth Sisters are unlicensed. Meaning there is not legal certification process that is mandated nor regulated by any state. The certification is all subjective based on who trained the Doula/Birth Sister. Since I am not licensed, I am not legally allowed to perform any perform any cervical exams on you at any point in your pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. This would be a job for your midwife or OBGYN.
How will hiring you affect my partner’s role during the birth?
I am there to support your supporting partner as well! Providing comfort and education where needed. I make sure that the supporting partner is eating, staying hydrated, and resting when able to ensure they are at 1000% so you can just focus on laboring through your contractions and delivering your baby successfully.
What are your interactions with medical staff like?
As your Doula/Birth Sister, I am there for you! That being said, the earlier I am brought on, the more conversations we can have about advocacy. I make sure the staff- whether home birth, birthing center, or hospital, are aware of who I am before you arrive. I will typically call or send an introductory email within a certain rage of your delivery dates to the necessary persons. Upon arrival, I have a lanyard with my name, credentials, and QR Code to scan to get to my website for any person to validate. Schedule a consultation with me so we can discuss further how I support in whatever your space of birth may be.
What Does your Postpartum Care look like?
Once your tiny human is birthed, I stay with you until they latch successfully from both breast/chest. I return on day 3 after baby has been born to observe the relationship between your body and your baby surrounding lactation. Then is when we can address any issues in positioning, cluster feeding, any oral restrictions the baby may have, and any of your concerns. From that point, I visit you once a week for 6 weeks (from date of baby's birth). These visits are between 1-2 hours where I am there to assits any needs to help support the birthing person.
How far do you travel?
I service the Hampton Roads Area. Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, and Norfolk
Do you offer virtual support?
Absolutely!!!! Schedule a consultation and we can discuss how this affects pricing.
Are you able to provide copies of your certifications if needed?
100% YES! Some doctors will ask for them if you are choosing to have a hospital birth. I typically bring the original documents with me to each birth for validation.