• An initial interview to give us a chance to get to know each other. At this time, you and I will discuss birth philosophy and determine whether we are a good fit as your birth doula. The initial interview is at no charge. Please feel free to call and explore Paradise Birth’s services to see if they are right for the birth of your baby.
• One to two prenatal visits to assess your needs and desires for birth, define and understand our expectations of one another, and provide you with useful tools for labor and birth.
• Birth plan assistance to help you clarify your preferences for birth and explain the options that are available to you
• Discuss birthing comfort measures, relaxation techniques, and how they work with the physiology of what is occurring in the laboring mother's body.
• Access to my lending library of books and videos about pregnancy, birth, and baby care, to support your learning and community resources.
• Continuous physical, emotional, and informational support for you and your partner for the duration of labor and birth in your home, hospital and/or birthing center, to help achieve the closet possible vision you created for your baby’s birth.
• Initial breastfeeding support postpartum to encourage the establishment of breastfeeding.
• One postpartum follow-up visit to discuss and process the birth of your baby, and answer any questions you have during the early postpartum period.
• Unlimited phone and e-mail support to answer your questions and offer suggestions, support, and resources throughout pregnancy and early labor.
• Childbirth education classes, as a group or in your home, are offered as a separate service.

Other Services Available:

• referral to postpartum doulas
• referral to lactation consultants
• birth/newborn photographs if desired
• a list of parenting, breastfeeding, and other community resources to explore as a parent

The economics of professional labor support work are a mystery to many people; I offer this information so that you'll have a better idea of what you're paying for:

Hours and Availability-

Couples having a first baby may imagine that I'll only be spending a few hours with them during the labor and birth. In reality, an eight-hour labor would be considered shorter than average; most first labors last 12-24 hours. Average time spent with a woman for her labor and birth is about 14 hours. I spend another 8-10 hours in prenatal and postpartum meetings, and another hour or two in phone calls, emails, and possibly research for my clients. In order for me to provide your family with the highest quality of care, I limit the amount of families I work with each month. I am available to you 24 hours a day for any assistance that may be needed via phone and email up until birth. I will meet with you 1-2 times for prenatal visits to build a relationship and to better understand the needs of each specific family. As a private doula, as opposed to hospital based doula programs, I limit my number of clients per month so that we may meet once or twice before the birth and once after so that I may provide the highest quality of care.

Clients per Week -

When I make a commitment to be available to attend you in labor, I have to limit the number of clients I put on my calendar to avoid birth conflicts. This ensures that I am reasonably rested when you go into labor and to provide you with the a quality of support. The rule of thumb for birth professionals providing in-home services is that one client per week is a full schedule. Since most of my clients are first-time mothers and birthing families are spread out over the Keys, I find that 2 clients per month is a full-time workload to dedicate myself completely to each family.

Insurance -

This is a much debated area in labor support. Some insurance companies will reimburse you for service, some will not. You can talk with your insurance company to find out if they cover labor support or doula services. I will be happy to provide you with a bill used to submit claims, as well as receipts. I do not file insurance claims. I can provide you with the appropriate resources that list the steps to obtain reimbursement from your insurer.
“DONA International is pleased to announce that a new code for doulas in the United States has been approved and defined by the National Uniform Claim Committee. This code will come into effect on October 1, 2009 for services rendered after that date. Pat Burrell, a birth doula and registered nurse from South Carolina, was successful in lobbying for the assignment of the code, which will allow doulas to be assigned provider numbers to submit claims to both Medicaid and third-party payers for their services.”
"While this does not guarantee third-party reimbursement, it is an enormous step forward in our mission to ensure a doula for every woman who wants one" says Debbie Young, President of DONA International. "Individual doulas will have to apply for a provider number and comply with other requirements that have yet to be determined. Regardless, we are excited to announce Ms. Burrell's success with this initiative, which will benefit thousands of women and families for years to come. This is an exciting day in childbirth in the United States."
For more information visit DONA.org

Insurance Companies that have reimbursed clients for doula care in the past include:

*Aetna
*Baylor Health Care System
*Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
*Cigna
*Elmcare
*Fortis
*Great-West Life & Annuity
*Humana
*Maritime Life
*Oschner HMO
*Oxford
*Prudential
*Travelers
*United Healthcare

(From 'The Doula Guide to Birth' By Ananda Lowe and Rachel Zimmerman. Pg. 101)


- Read More about benefits of having a Doula