Doula Services

TLDR: Doulas are for information, advocacy, emotional and physical comfort support and don’t provide medical care.

A doula is a companion or support person, trained to provide continuous support during a transition (for example, birth, postpartum, abortion, and death). We provide information and resources, physical comfort support, advocacy support, and emotional support and encouragement. Doulas focus on the physical, emotional, and mental needs of the person. We’re a part of your care team and work alongside your medical providers (like Midwives or OBs) to support you during your experience. We can hold space for you to make decisions, support you in gathering information, and connect you to additional resources to meet your holistic needs. We can also model for your loved ones what support can look, feel, and sound like.

For needs beyond our expertise we provide referrals for resources, which can include your immediate care team/provider. Midwives provide medical expertise and clinical care and you can work with them for things like medical advice and charting, medication dosage questions, diagnostic testing, assessing fetal heart tones, performing cervical checks, etc.

TLDR: No, I support a variety of experiences

When some people hear the term “doula,” they might think that a specific type of person is, or works with, a doula. Doulas and the people that decide to work with them are so diverse.

I provide support in any setting (hospital, birth center, home) and have worked with a range of parents and experiences (young parents, first time parents, second time parents, cesarean births, inductions, military parents, stillbirth, and the list goes on). I truly have no agenda for your birth and will look to you to define what success looks like for your experience.

Alongside birth support, I also provide support for miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, and fertility pathways to help people navigate the system, access the care and support they need, and process the emotional/physical/mental journey. When I say I do this because everyone deserves compassion, education, and support-I mean everyone, every experience.

For more information, please email me at jadeisthedoula@gmail.com

TLDR: (1)Your baby, your body, your birth; (2)I’m here to support whatever your definition of success looks like; (3)the intersections of your life are acknowledged and addressed; (4)I can’t guarantee outcomes, but I can support you every step of the way.

JTD was launched with the belief that everyone deserves compassion, education, and support across the range of reproductive and sexual health outcomes. I strive to create personalized experiences that make people feel seen and cared for and remind them of the power and knowledge they already hold.

When it comes to birth, my foundational belief and core (and what I advocate to make a reality for all) is “This is your baby, This is your body, This is your birth”. I hold no agenda for your journey and you are the one in charge of the experience. I support you through things like gathering resources and info, creating space for you to make plans and moving plans forward, and teaching you things like physical comforts and mental preparation tactics but it’s up to you to take charge of your experience and preparation by reading, doing more research/education, and practicing.

I recognize that people’s circumstances, lived experiences, and the intersections that they occupy means that there will be different considerations or sets of parameters that they are asked to operate within. I believe in acknowledging and addressing these things because the care you receive is impacted within certain systems and I help people navigate these things in order to have an informed and affirming experience-in whatever way that means for them. As a doula, certified and maintaining membership through Doula Trainings International, I observe and hold the DTI Compass of Care as one of my professional framework documents.

TLDR: Absolutely not.

The bond that someone has with their partner or family member(s) can’t be replicated. Doulas know things like birth and what to consider for postpartum, but your partner and your family know you and having them involved can enhance your experience so that’s what we want to work together to optimize. Although we’re going to establish a bond and relationship of our own, so I can best support you, I’m not here to replace them. I truly enjoy being able to team up with partners and family members (at their comfort level). Doulas are here for partners and other loved ones too!

Sometimes, partners and families want to help, but they aren’t sure how, or are afraid of doing it “wrong.” Doulas can provide support, information, and encouragement to partners and family members to help them know what to do, when to do it, and to navigate options and information. When doulas are a part of a team, we can assure partners when things are in the realm of “normal,” coach them through providing comfort measures and techniques, and free them up from smaller tasks so they can be active and present in the experience.

TLDR: I’m still here to support and the support is still valuable!

Whether you know going into the birth location that you want medication pain relief, like an epidural, or you decide during the course of labor-doula support is still valuable. I can help you cope with labor to and through the time that you get the epidural with things like information, emotional support and encouragement, advocacy support, physical comforts and re-positioning to help bring the baby down and out. Doulas aren’t just for people who want a “natural” birth-I’m here to provide support for all outcomes, choices, and experiences.

TLDR: I help you refill your cup so you can continue to pour.

The postpartum period is one of significant adjustments and can present new emotional and physical challenges to navigate. While caring for your new tiny human, you will also need support for your own nourishment, rest, recovery, and confidence in your new journey.

During a postpartum visit, we’ll start by checking in about how things have been going, what you’re noticing and experiencing, and we’ll make a plan for the remainder of the visit. My job as your doula during this period of time is to: listen, provide education and resources/referrals, provide practical and tactical support, and model care and support. What that looks like in real time varies family to family but some examples are: light errands (quick store runs), baby wearing and changing (to free you up for things like showers, eating, resting your body), basic newborn care education, light housework (dishes, doing a load of laundry), providing referrals (mental health support, bodywork), support boundary setting, and providing resources (growth spurts, older sibling adjustment, cloth diapers).