Other Doula Services

Abortion Doula: An abortion doula provides non-judgmental, informational, physical, and emotional support during medication and surgical abortion experiences. Some of our doulas support pregnancy release, usually free of charge.

Birth Photography: While all doulas are happy to grab a phone or camera and capture moments during the birth, if requested, a birth photographer is a professional who knows how to manage various situations that occur in the birth space. Lighting, positioning and being able to know the right moments are all skills of a birth photographer. A few MDC doulas are trained, professional birth photographers.

Childbirth Education: Doulas generally recommend to their clients to take an out-of-hospital childbirth course during their pregnancy. The better informed a family is, the more empowering their experience can be. As they say “if you don’t know your options, you don’t have any”. Some of our doulas are certified childbirth educators.

Doula Mentorship: Develop your skills in pregnancy support from local practicing professional doulas. A few MDC doulas offer informal or formal mentorships/apprenticeships. If you are exploring your options, please feel free to reach out to the doulas individually (see their individual webpages).

Fertility Support: Fertility support can look like preparing and planning for conception, as well as supporting families who are trying to conceive (TTC), learning how to track the menstrual cycle / ovulation, or folks moving through fertility treatments like stimulating ovulation, ICI, IUI, and IVF. A few of our doulas support people through their fertility journey with emotional and informational support. Inclusive of all gender identities, LGBTQIA+ fertility, and conception.

Lactation Support: In the early hours after the birth, a birth doula will be there to help narrate all the seemingly random movements babe is making (that are actually quite brilliant), make mom comfortable, and reassure the family that they’re doing a great job. The follow-up visits a birth doula does also often consist of assistance, comfort, and resources. Some families need additional support, which some doulas provide. We also often refer clients needing additional support to IBCLC's in the community.

NICU Support: Having a babe in the NICU is one of the most stressful experiences as a new parent. Rarely do families know in advance that they’ll be navigating not only parenting a new babe, but the intricacies of the neonatal intensive care unit as well. Just as with birth, it’s often a huge unknown – and having a helpful presence, a source of information and resources, and a kind listening ear can make such a difference. All of our doulas have experience supporting families with babes in the NICU.

Placenta Encapsulation: Placentophagy – the consumption of one’s own placenta – has been practiced in some cultures for centuries. Though new to mainstream US culture, the practice is one that has been gathering momentum over the last decade, and it is believed to help with postpartum depression (the #1 complication of pregnancy), milk supply, replenish iron levels, as well as help with energy and mood levels. Some of our doulas provide encapsulation and other placenta services.

Prenatal Support: All birth doulas provide prenatal support (at least 3hrs of one-on-one support) but what if you need more or something different? Complicated pregnancies and high levels of anxiety/fear in particular are situations when families sometimes want or need additional support beyond what a birth doula provides. Both birth and postpartum doulas provide a variety of prenatal support.

Somatic Support: Whether you're trying to conceive, are currently pregnant, or navigating the postpartum time ( 3 months or 3 years after your birth!) supporting your nervous system can make the journey a little easier. Unlike talk therapy, where we tell our story using words / logic brains, somatic support focuses on the story the body might be telling, looking at our experiences through a nervous system lens (think fight / flight / freeze) and offering tools & practices for more resilience & flexibility.