if you are planning to labor, have continuous support

At Always Birth Centered our doulas are the link between new family additions and care providers.

We support moms and their families during the prenatal, birth, and postpartum periods. We have been proven to drastically reduce labor time and the chances of a having a c-section. We are advocates of natural birth but we support your choices including pain management, medication, and where you choose to birth! We have supported families in home, in birth centers, and at many hospitals. We are driven to reduce the maternal mortality rates in the U.S. especially for black women and babies. Our mission is to empower families to make healthy, informed decisions regarding childbirth, to achieve the best birth outcome possible. We also offer a variety of services surrounding birth including childbirth education, labor hydrotherapy with pool rental, lactation support, postpartum care, and placenta encapsulation. For more detailed information and statistics on the benefits of a doula please click here.

The Typical Doula Things

Birth Doula Services = Non clinical support

You will meet with your doula twice in-person prenatally.

The first meeting is used to ensure you've had proper childbirth education and fill in any gaps in essential knowledge. Knowledge is power, and helps to eliminate fear of the unknown. We also use this meeting to hash out your birth preferences in different possible situations. If possible we like to meet with the entire birth team (care provider, partner, additional support persons including family and friends) to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

The second meeting is used to ensure that your body is prepared for birth. We demonstrate optimal maternal positioning exercises, and stretches that help to ease labor and aid in optimal fetal positioning for delivery. We also use this meeting to discuss nutrition, breastfeeding goals if applicable, and formulate a postpartum care plan including a deluxe meal train for all clients.

Your doula is available for phone contact at any time during business hours and text is available 24/7. Your doula will be on call for your birth 24/7 at 37weeks gestation. Time is of the essence. When you secure services does make a difference, and the pricing does not change.

When you are in labor, your doula will usually support you virtually thru the latent stage (early labor) until things get active. You are welcome to call your doula when you feel in person support is needed- every birth and situation is different. Your doula will then provide comfort measures and different techniques to help facilitate labor progress and ensure that you stay, well nourished, hydrated, and rested. There's a balance.

After delivery, your doula will assist with breastfeeding and help integrate the family as indicated.

Two 4 hour postpartum visits are included with your birth doula package within the first six weeks postpartum.

Birth Doula Investment: $1000

Postpartum and Newborn Care

Our goal is for both mom AND baby to thrive the first year of the newborn’s life, to nourish and support you and empower you in your choices through motherhood.

Imagine someone showing up to your door, not to just take pictures of the baby or drop off a gift, but to pamper and support YOU! Does any of the following sound appealing?

*A meal that you don't have to prepare

*Healing herbal baths

*Light Household cleaning

*A Shower undisturbed

*A skilled professional caring for your little one so that you can take A NAP!!!

Yeah see, we thought so too. Our doulas are basically mama/ baby experts and are trained to help you through recognizing mood disorders including depression and anxiety, breastfeeding support, nutrition, sleep guidance, sibling and partner adjustment, and overall new parent care.

This brilliance is from Elephant Baby Extensive Postpartum Support in St. Louis, MO. You are able to subscribe to their blog, and receive virtual assistance.

ABC's In-Person Postpartum Support

Daytime Postpartum Care Investment: $25/hr

Overnight Postpartum Care Investment: $30/hr

Montrice Services

Always Birth Centered offers montrice services for clients planning to deliver in a hospital setting.

A Montrice is skilled at checking vitals such as blood pressure, fetal heart tones, assessing labor progress via cervical exam, newborn assessment, breastfeeding support, and antenatal education. A montrice does not perform any clinical tasks once you have arrived at the hospital. Your montrice will assume the role of Doula only. A monitrice does not make primary care decisions or give diagnosis.

You will receive all the typical support you can expect from your doula but with added clinical support from a trained midwife.

Upon transferring to the hospital, your Montrice will assume the role of Doula only. No clinical support will be available. Your Montrice is not acting in the role of a Midwife and will not catch or assist in the birth, you must transfer to your care provider. Montrice services are not available for clients with a history of precipitous (very fast) deliveries. While we believe in birth autonomy, if you have no birth professional available such as a CNM or OB, we will not be able to attend the birth event in its completion. This is reserved for our midwifery clients only, and is a higher level of responsibility and investment.