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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I find the right doula for me and my family?
What is your philosophy about birth?
What does a doula do that my partner can't?
How can you reassure my partner that a doula will not push them aside?
Will you meet with us to discuss our birth plan and the role you will play in supporting us through childbirth?
When do you join women in labor?
Will you meet with us after the birth to review the labor and answer questions?
Do you work with one or more backup doulas? May we meet them?
When should we sign up for services?
When are payments due?
What is your fee? Is any part of your fee refundable if you do not attend the birth?
Tell us about your experience with birth, both personally and as a doula.
How do you feel about supporting vbac mothers?
How do you reserve a birth tub?
What is your experience with waterbirth?
Do you offer childbirth education classes? Do we need them?
How do I find the right doula for me and my family?
Interview, interview, interview. The best way to find a doula that will 'click' with you and your partner is to talk to as many as you can. This woman will be supporting you during one of the most painful and trying moments of your life, so you should put every effort into finding someone whose voice and mannerisms you find soothing, whose techniques match your desires, who is supportive of your birth goals, and whose experience meets your expectations.
Luckily for you, the Southeast Louisiana region has a good number of doulas available, so you'll be able to find someone to work with to achieve your birth. An excellent place to start looking for your doula is the Louisiana Childbirth Collective (www.lachildbirthcollective.org).
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What is your philosophy about supporting women and partners?
We believe that childbirth is normal and natural process and shouldn't be looked at as a medical emergency. We believe that every woman has the responsibility to educate herself about her options, and the right to make her own informed decisions in childbirth. We strongly believe that caring, loving people around you during childbirth makes all the difference in the world, whether that be in the form of family, friends, or doulas.
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What does a doula do that my partner can't?
Women have complex needs during childbirth and the weeks that follow. In addition to medical care, and the love and companionship provided by their partners, women need consistent, continuous reassurance, comfort, encouragement and respect. They need individualized care based on their circumstances and preferences.
When it comes to pregnancy, birth, and parenting, today's partner wants to share everything with the mother. They want to be actively involved, ease their partner's labor pain, welcome their baby at the moment of birth and help care for their newborn at home.
A labor doula can help a partner experience this special time with confidence by offering advice based on her knowledge of birth, negotiating with hospital staff, staying with a laboring woman while her partner goes to the restroom or cafeteria for a rest, providing supplies or running small errands so the partner need not leave to get a cool wet cloth or drink of water, and providing constant support and encouragement to both the laboring woman and her partner.
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How can you reassure my partner that a doula will not push them aside?
At times a partner may not understand a woman's instinctive behavior during childbirth and may react anxiously to what a doula knows to be the normal process of birth. They may witness the mother in pain and understandably become distressed. Not all partners can realistically be expected to "coach" at this intense level. Many partners are eager to be involved during labor and birth.
Others, no less loving or committed to their partner's well-being find it difficult to navigate in uncharted waters. With a doula, a partner can share in the birth at a level he feels most comfortable with. The doula's skills and knowledge can help him to feel more relaxed. If the father wants to provide physical comfort such as back massage, change of positions, and help his partner to stay focused during contractions, the doula can provide guidance and make suggestions for what may work best.
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Will you meet with us to discuss our birth plan and the role you will play in supporting us through childbirth?
We will meet for an initial consultation at no cost to you. If you decide to choose MTD as your doula service, we will schedule an appointment where we can discuss your birth plan and anything else you have concerns about. We will then meet monthly until you are 34 weeks, then bi-weekly until the birth of your child. And remember we are on call for you 24/7 from the date you contract our services until 2 weeks postpartum. We want ensure that you get breastfeeding and parent-child bonding off to the best start possible.
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When do you join women in labor?
Typically your doula will come when you are in 'active' labor - contractions are long, strong, and timeable. The exact time when she joins you, however, is totally up to you. When you decide you need her to assist you in staying comfortable and coping with pain, your doula will be there. In most circumstances, she comes to your home and follows you to the birthplace when you feel you are ready to go.
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Will you meet with us after the birth to review the labor and answer questions?
Our doulas will meet you at the Hospital/Birth Center or your Home within 24 to 48 hours after the birth of your child. If you are interested in having a birth story written up, please let us know, as we would be more than happy to do one for our families.
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Do you work with one or more backup doulas? May we meet them?
Yes, Tera and Jackie are primary doulas for Mother's Touch Doula, but we work with other doulas in both the New Orleans, Baton Rouge and northshore areas to ensure that you WILL have a doula at your birth.
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When should we sign up for services?
Although, most women hire us around 20 weeks, we have had clients hire us at 8 weeks pregnant, while others have waited until they were 38 weeks.
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When are payments due?
Please see our "Fees" page. Please remember we have rates to fit everyone's needs. No woman should ever be without support due to financial reasons.
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What is your fee? Is any part of your fee refundable if you do not attend the birth?
Please check out our "Fees" page. Every effort will be made to provide the services described here. Sometimes this is impossible (for example, with a rapid labor). If the failure to attend your birth is due to our error, there will be no charge for our services and we will refund the retainer fee. If it is due to circumstances beyond anyone's control or your failure to call, we will keep the retaining fee, but there will be no further charges.
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Tell us about your experience with birth, both personally and as a doula.
TERA: As a mother, I have labored and birthed all five of my children unmedicated without interventions with my most recent labor being a water birth with a Midwife! Although my son weighed a whopping 10.5 lbs at birth, all of my children were over 9 lbs, enabling me to understand that babies are born different shapes and sizes, even though others often doubted my ability.
TERA: As a doula, I have over 16 years of Birth experience and have had many types of birth experiences, ranging from elected cesarean and home waterbirth to teen mothers and VBACs.
JACKIE: As a mother, I have had the awesome experience of achieving intervention-free childbirth for both of my children in the hospital with a Doctor! Although both of my children weighed under 6 lbs at birth, they were both healthy and 'normal' size babies for my body!
JACKIE: As a doula, I have over 6 years of Birth experience with 'high-risk' pregnancies, water births, natural births, inductions, and first time moms.
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How do you feel about supporting vbac mothers?
As the founding members of ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) in the state of Louisiana, we know how important every woman's choice is in her birth. We will work feverishly to find the mother a healthcare provider who will help her achieve her vaginal birth after Cesarean. We believe EVERY mom is entitled to the birth she CHOOSES, and we are here to support her and her decisions.
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How do you reserve a birth tub?
Birth Tubs are reserved by paying the $50 non-refundable deposit. Please contact us first, before submitting your deposit, to verify tub availability. Please make sure you contact us early in your pregnancy, to hold your tub spot. With 4 hospitals and 2 home birth midwives, the tubs seem to book up early.
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What is your experience with waterbirth?
Tera has had her very own Water Baby born at Kenner Regional Hospital. So you can say she is very experienced with waterbirth. Jackie has used water as a form of relaxation during the births of both of her children. In the comfort of her own home, she used her bathtub and shower to counter the experience of labor until leaving for the hospital.
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Do you offer childbirth education classes? Do we need them?
Yes, Mother's Touch Doulas Services offer many types of Childbirth education, and we do strongly recommend that you take one. Each class teaches a different style of relaxation and pain management technique. Knowing at least one method of dealing with labor pain, whether through breathing exercises or focused imagery or massage, will be of tremendous use to you as your body readies itself for birth. Again, you are the mother so you get to choose the best "fit" for you and your family. Please take the time to read each class' description on our "Classes" page.
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