Doula
Doula Services
So much preparation goes into the birth of a baby. Too often, that’s where the preparation ends. A Postpartum Doula is a non-medical support person: a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, and an educated, experienced partner in the transition to life at home with your newborn. Read on for information about what working with Toula Co can entail.
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“Rachel is the absolute best. Warm, knowledgeable, supportive, dependable and trustworthy, she is everything we wanted and needed in a postpartum doula. She not only cared for our newborn by putting him down for naps, taking him on walks outside when we needed a break, giving him baths, and working on developmental skills like tummy time, but she also cared for us by prepping healthy meals and snacks, helping with laundry for the baby, and most importantly, answering our never-ending questions. As new parents who had spent very little time around babies before having one, it was incredibly comforting to have Rachel around to provide support and guidance during the first few weeks of our son’s life. She offered evidence-based insights on breastfeeding, sleep, newborn care and more.
I felt an overwhelming sense of relief every time Rachel came over and I’m so grateful for her help. She is truly amazing at what she does and I could not recommend her more. -LA
“Becoming a new mom was full of so many unknowns. But from week one, Rachel helped our family navigate through all of the newness. From every ‘is this normal?’ question about recovery or our newborn, to helping us with all of the transitions that the fourth trimester brings, Rachel brought incredible knowledge, insight, and optimism. She took such amazing care of our family and I don’t know what we would’ve done without her! -GM
Postpartum Preparation
Practical physical support in the home after a baby arrives is so valuable, and so is the practical and physical preparation prior to birth!! This category of services is meant to prepare you, your family, your body and your home with all of the resources and tools you will need to make the transition into parenthood as smooth as possible.
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This 2-hour session is meant to help you get your nest ready! We'll go over all the gear you may have already purchased and how to use it, discuss things you might still need to purchase, and talk all about how you can optimize the organization of your spaces to make your transition home with a newborn a bit more peaceful. ***Doula clients with Toula Co receive this session for FREE by simply scheduling your Prenatal Doula Shift here.
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I strongly believe in education around the anatomical and physiological changes that occur during pregnancy so that folks can feel more empowered in their movements and workouts, WHILE preparing their bodies for the most incredible physical feat of their lives! In this session, we'll discuss your current workout routines, goals, how your body is feeling, and how you might consider adapting your practices for pregnancy. I strongly believe in training for birth and planning for postpartum recovery, not just dealing with symptoms and problems as they arise! This session is 3 hours long and includes personalized homework with suggested movements and breath work, typically focused on strengthening and lengthening specific parts of the body including the core and the pelvic floor, and any other areas of concern specifically for YOU! I recommend booking this session as early as you like, or when you're starting to feel like your body needs a little something different from you, typically around the end of the first trimester.
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Movement during the last few weeks of pregnancy is so vital for a smooth delivery and recovery, as it can help to find length in the places we need it, but it's also such great practice for labor, physically getting you into all the shapes that will feel intuitive and helpful during the real thing! This 3-hour session is meant to educate you and your partner on the physiological changes that need to happen in the pelvis and pelvic floor in order to facilitate as smooth of a birth and recovery as possible. We'll use Rachel's training as a Body Ready Method Pro to go over your history of physical activity and injuries, and physically look at your body and watch you move to identify patterns of movement and/or compensation that could make labor trickier. Rachel will give you some short movement/breath work homework assignments to work on prior to labor, in addition to sending you into labor prepped with knowledge (literally a PDF!) on how to move, position yourself, and breathe in order to have a smooth labor and recovery.
Postpartum Doula Support
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Home
Washing Dishes, Bottles, Pump Parts
Laundry
Light Cleaning
Pet Care
Physical and Emotional
Postpartum yoga*, meditation, breath work and stretching
Preparation of cool pads, sitz baths, etc
Encouraging maintenance of healthy eating, hydration, hygiene and sleep habits
Care for newborn (and older siblings) while parent(s) naps, showers, takes a much needed break
Birth story processing
Answers (or referrals) for the endless “Is it normal that…?!” questions
A neutral third-party to help assess postpartum mental health
Newborn Development
Basic lactation and newborn feeding education and troubleshooting
Cleaning, storage and organization of expressed milk and pump and bottle parts
Referrals to experts when necessary
Support for developing healthy sleep habits for newborns and beyond
Attachment-based parenting style education
Virtual
Let Rachel know ahead of time what questions and support you are looking for, and she will come up with a plan to discuss with you over phone or video call.
As new challenges arise and bring new questions, schedule follow-up sessions!
*ALL doula clients will receive body check-ins, suggestions for movement and guided breathwork during their doula shifts. Additional Postpartum Yoga in the form of full hour-long sessions, CAN be scheduled the same day as your doula shifts, but must be purchased separately from your Doula Package. Read more here.
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In addition to all of the support that occurs in Daytime support, the objective of Overnight Support is to help you do one of the most important things for your postpartum recovery: REST.
During these 8- or 10-hour shifts, Rachel will come to your home, hear how your day went, discuss challenges, victories and resources. Then you're free to take a shower, pump or feed if necessary, and head bed for the night! While you sleep, Rachel will have the following priorities:
1) Making sure your baby is comfortable, changed, fed, and resting as much as possible. If you are breastfeeding, Rachel will simply bring the baby to you when they are hungry (with snacks and water refills of course), or wake you to come to the nursery and feed them, and head back to bed when they're full. If you are pumping, Rachel can wake you to pump, while feeding your baby, then take care of the milk and pump parts.
2) If your baby is happy and resting, Rachel will quietly take care of all of the other typical daytime doula support: dishes, bottles, pump parts, laundry, meal prep, light cleaning etc!
3) If your baby is happy and resting, and all other typical doula responsibilities have been addressed, Rachel will find rest herself! This can be on a couch near the basinet, on a bed with a monitor, anywhere where she can (and will!) easily hear your baby!
Pricing & Scheduling
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If you know you want support, but you want the flexibility to schedule it when it works for you, this is a great option for you! If you’d rather go with Rachel’s recommended schedules, check out the custom packages below.
Daytime Support
$45/Hour Base Rate (larger package = smaller hourly rate)
12-Hour Package: $540
24-hour package: $1026
48-hour package: $1944
Overnight Support
$45/Hour Base Rate (regardless of length of package)
8-Hour/10-Hour Nights:
Single Night SOS: $360/$450
4 Night Package: $1440/$1800
6 Night Package: $2160/$2700
12 Night Package: $4320/$5400
24 Night Package: $8640/$10,800
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A highly recommended schedule of shifts to ensure that you are well rested and supported from the weeks before your due date (in case baby comes early!) through your entire Fourth Trimester.
The Complete Deluxe Packages:
Daytime + 8-Hour Nights: $11,500
Daytime + 10-Hour Nights: $13,500Daytime Only
$4160
3 shifts per week from 2 weeks prior to your due date, through the first 2 weeks postpartum (12 shifts); for the next 4 weeks, we'll taper down to 2 shifts per week (8 shifts); for the final 6 weeks of The Fourth Trimester, we'll taper to 1 shift per week (6 shifts), and include any remaining shifts that needed to be rescheduled! This comes out to 26 shifts.
Overnight Only
8-hour Nights: $7920
10-hour Nights: $99002 nights per week from 2 weeks prior to your due date, through 6 weeks postpartum (16 shifts); for the final 6 weeks of The Fourth Trimester, 1 night per week, plus any shifts that needed the be rescheduled (6 shifts).
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*MOST POPULAR OPTIONS*
These recommended schedules will help you stay well rested and supported from the weeks before your due date (in case baby comes early!) through your Fourth Trimester.
The Complete Basic Packages:
Daytime + 8-Hour Nights: $9,500
Daytime + 10-Hour Nights: $11,000Daytime Only
$3520
2 shifts per week from 2 weeks prior to your due date, through the first 6 weeks postpartum (16 shifts); for the next 6 weeks, we'll taper down to 1 shift per week, (6 shifts), and include any remaining shifts that needed to be rescheduled! This comes to 22 shifts through 12 weeks Postpartum.
Overnight Only
8-hour Nights: $6480
10-hour Nights: $81002 nights per week from 2 weeks prior to your due date, through 4 weeks postpartum (12 nights); for the next 6 weeks of The Fourth Trimester, 1 night per week, plus any shifts that needed the be rescheduled (6 nights). This comes to 18 nights through 10 weeks postpartum.
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Maybe you have plenty of (knowledgeable and/or helpful!) family and friends nearby, or this isn't your first rodeo and you know you're only looking for a minimal amount of support!
The Complete Lite Packages:
Daytime + 8-Hour Nights: $6800
Daytime + 10-Hour Nights: $7900Daytime Only
$2880
2 shifts per week from 2 weeks prior to your due date, through the first 4 weeks postpartum (12 shifts); for the next 6 weeks, we'll taper down to 1 shift per week, (6 shifts), and include any remaining shifts that needed to be rescheduled! This comes to 18 shifts through 10 weeks Postpartum.
Overnight Only
8-hour Nights: $4320
10-hour Nights: $54002 nights per week from 2 weeks prior to your due date, through 2 weeks postpartum (8 nights); for the next 4 weeks of The Fourth Trimester, 1 night per week, plus any shifts that needed the be rescheduled (4 nights). This comes to 12 nights through 6 weeks postpartum.
Sounds amazing. Where do we start?
If you’d like to talk more about the type(s) and amount of support that will be most beneficial for you, please schedule a Free 30-Minute Consultation with Rachel here. If you’re ready to purchase, check out your options below! If you’re purchasing a package, Rachel would always prefer to send you a proposed schedule based on her availability prior to purchase; if you’re ready to see one, just ask!