HOME BIRTH DOULA

Generally speaking, when you're in active labor with contractions 3-5 minutes apart, lasting for a minute, with this pattern happening for at least an hour, this is a great time to call for me to join you. This is also typically when your home birth midwife will arrive too. However, if you feel you need support before this, I'm happy to join you sooner.

Unexpected changes to your birth plan happen. Sometimes you and your midwife pivot and determine the best care for you and baby is in a hospital. This does not mean your continuity of care with me or them abruptly stops. With your permission, I will accompany you to the hospital and continue providing encouragement and support through birth and a couple of hours postpartum. Your midwife will also continue being a part of your care as much as is within their scope of practice.

I attend home births in Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Marshfield, Wausau, Appleton, Waupaca, and the broader Central Wisconsin area. I do attend births outside of a 60 mile radius of Stevens Point for an additional fee.

As your doula, my job is first and foremost to help your partner support and encourage you in labor. This is a sweet time of bonding, intimacy, and transitioning. Often this looks like encouraging him in ways to affirm you and encourage you verbally or pointers on how to provide supportive touch. Sometimes it's a reminder to eat a snack and take a walk, or a gentle reminder labor is proceeding normally as is it was designed to. It can look like a hundred small details, but the ultimate goal is to encourage him to be the best birth partner for you.

Standalone birth centers are a great way to have a home birth like experience outside your home. Birth centers typically have beatiful spaces with tools like birth tubs, aromatherapy, birth slings, birth balls and more. They have clean linens, towels, and zero clutter or dishes lying around (unlike at home where you might find yourself in labor on laundry day). From Central Wisconsin, you typically are driving quite a distance to a birth center. Birth centers serve women who are low risk and desire minimal interventions during birth. You go home a few hours after birth. A birth center in a hospital is typically staffed by midwives who are more medically trained. There is more hospital policy involved, but often you still have access to interventions like an epidural, alongside the tender, more involved care of a midwife. You will typically have a shorter stay at the birth center before going home. A home birth is where a midwife facilitates your birth at home. This is for women who are low risk and desire minimal interventions during labor and birth. You will remain in your own space, utilize your own linens, eat in your own kitchen, etc. Midwives generally have you order a number of supplies like chucks pads and other one time use supplies to help facilitate simple clean up postpartum, and proper care for mom and baby. Your midwife will tuck you and your spouse, and your brand new baby into bed before they leave to let your rest, bond, and recover.