Birth

Support During Baby’s Birth

A Birth Doula is a non-medical professional labor assistant who provides physical and emotional support to you and your partner during pregnancy, childbirth, and early postpartum.

What do birth doulas offer?

Physical Support

A Birth Doula’s most important role is to offer continuous support during labor and delivery. This includes providing position ideas for comfort and labor progression in addition to hands-on comfort measures such as providing a comforting touch, counter pressure, breathing techniques, and other “birth doula magic” for families. A birth doula’s skilled hands can often help a mispositioned baby find its way through the pelvis and into the birthing parent’s arms.

Continuous support from birth doulas during childbirth might be associated with:

  • A decrease in the use of pain relief medication(s) during labor
  • A decrease in unplanned C-sections
  • A decrease in the length of labor
  • An increased rate of neutral and/or positive childbirth experiences
  • An increased transition rate of a positive breastfeeding experience

Emotional Support

Birth Doulas help families feel supported, easing the emotional experience of birth while helping to create a space where labor hormones can work optimally. Whether a birth is completely unmedicated or medically complex, every family can benefit from nurturing and connection at this tender, incredible time in their lives.

Partner Support

Birth Doulas provide guidance and support for loved ones. Whether it’s a romantic partner, a friend, or another family member like the baby’s grandma, the birth partner’s experience matters in birth. Our birth doulas are there to support every birth partner in being as involved as they’d like to be with the birth. Genuine physical and emotional support makes a huge difference, and our birth doulas work hard to provide reassurance, comfort, and encouragement for everyone involved.

Better communication

Birth Doulas help facilitate communication between birthing parents and the medical staff. They also keep the information flowing when it comes to what’s happening during labor and the postpartum period.

Evidence-Based Information and Advocacy

Birth Doulas are trained to help families connect with evidence-based resources so they can feel educated and empowered to not only ask great questions and make informed decisions but also to better understand what is happening to influence decision-making during birth. Birth Doulas serve as a bridge of communication between families and their medical team.

Delivering a baby is no small thing. The Birth Doulas at Gentle Giraffes can help you in person and virtually during the delivery of your baby. However, it should be noted that a doula does not provide medical advice, nor can they change the clinical recommendations of a midwife or an obstetrician.

In Person

This is geared to set you up and provide in person support so that you’ll feel confident and secure being at home with your baby. We provide peace of mind during those early hours post-birth. From answering questions to guiding you through essential newborn care practices, we’re here to ensure you feel prepared and empowered during this precious time.

  • 2 Prenatal visits, either in person or over Zoom
  • One Birth Rehearsal -In Person 2 hours, 3-4 weeks out from due date
  • Identification of your support needs
  • Meeting with your other birth professional if desired
  • Unlimited phone/text/zoom consultations continually throughout pregnancy during awake hours — from the time of hire to 3 weeks postpartum.
  • 24-hour on-call availability during your due date range (4 weeks)
  • Continuous birth support during your entire labor
  • 2 Postpartum day visits of 5 hours each used within the first 3 weeks postpartum
  • 3 Overnights of 9 hours each (9p-6a) within the first 3 weeks postpartum
  • Ongoing support as needed from day one through the first 3 weeks postpartum
  • List of our extensive referral services as needed
  • Integrated childbirth education information as needed in prenatal.

$3,700

Virtual

Combining our experience, top-of-the-line education, expert knowledge, and a plethora of resources at our fingertips, we’ve designed them around our discovery of what best supports families in the areas they need the most.

  • 1 Prenatal visit virtually-zoom/live.
  • One Birth Rehearsal -In Person 2 hours, 3-4 weeks out from the due date (This is where the Birth Doula can show the partner how to support the birthing parent)
  • Identification of your support needs
  • Meeting with your other birth professional if desired
  • Unlimited phone/text/zoom consultations continually throughout pregnancy during awake hours — from the time of hire to 3 weeks postpartum.
  • 24-hour on-call availability during your due date range (4 weeks)
  • Continuous birth support during your entire labor Via Zoom or other virtual platform
  • 1 Postpartum day visit of 5 hours each used within the first 3 weeks postpartum
  • 2 Overnights of 9 hours each (9p-6a) within the first 3 weeks postpartum
  • Ongoing support as needed from day one through the first 3 weeks postpartum
  • List of our extensive referral services as needed
  • Integrated childbirth education information and resources as needed

$2,700

What Our Clients Are Saying?

“When my husband and I found out we were pregnant, we knew we needed extra help, (especially at night), was a necessity, so we found Gentle Giraffes. The newborn care specialists we worked with were reliable, caring and professional.”

~ Emily, Brookline

“We used Erin for the birth of our third daughter, Freja. It was our first time using a Newborn Care Specialist, and honestly, our only question has been why didn’t do it for our others!”

~ Amanda, Jamaica Plain

“When you are leaving your child in someone else’s care, especially a newborn, you need to have the full confidence in the caregiver – The Gentle Giraffes team epitomized that confidence.”

~ Ana, Cambridge