Full Spectrum Birth Services
When your labor day arrives, you will be ready to meet it head on. You will know how best to ease into the sensations and help your baby through their labor and arrival. Along with useful tools, hands-on support, and evidence-based information, you and your birth partner will know — not just hope — that a trusted friend is in the birth room with you. As your doula, I seek to develop a deep and lasting connection with you. I want you to trust that you have an experienced guide who genuinely cares about you, your baby, and your transition as a family.
My fee reflects a significantly higher level of care, access and engagement than many birth doulas. It allows me to give you comprehensive support before, during, and after your baby arrives. It also pays forward. For every paying client I serve, I offer one family without the resouces to pay for doula care at no charge. So, know that by choosing to work with me, you are giving back in a unique and needed way. I offer two approaches:
I’ve Got You Birth Care: $3,000
My basic care package includes:
a provider with 21 years experience in all all birth settings: home, hospital, and birth center.
I take no due dates within one week prior to your due date through two weeks after your due date. While it is not a 100 percent guarantee, limiting other due dates for a 4 week period around your due date reduces the chances of “crossover” birth significantly.
24/7 phone and text availability during your birth window and continued phone/text support throughout the first 6 months
A copy of The Birth Partner, 5th Edition by doula pioneer Penny Simkin and the only childbirth preparation book I recommend
use of a labor tub in your home before transition to the hospital or during a home birth
use of a labor TENS Unit, birth balls, rebozo, and other comfort tools
weekly online yoga class from a certified instructor to help you prepare for labor
my back-up provider attendance at one of our prenatal meetings. In the extremely rare case in which I cannot attend some portion of your birth, I want you to have already met the provider
a provider certified in Adult/Child/Infant CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP)
Only You Full Spectrum Birth & Postpartum Care: $5,000
more than 21 years experience in all all birth settings: home, hospital, and birth center. Nearly 2,000 families served in an evidence-based practice.
2-4 prenatal visits
my calendar exclusively reserved for your “birth month.” This means I will take no other due dates in the 3 weeks leading up and 3 weeks after your due date. I am available to you for walks, talks, planning, support, resource referral, or other preparation for your birth. CLARIFYING WHAT THIS MEANS: It is ill advised for any doula to promise 100 percent availability — personal illness, babies outside your 5-week window coming extremely early and other scenarios are always a risk — but limiting other due dates for a 5 week period around your due date reduces the chances of “crossover” birth significantly.
24/7 phone and text availability during your birth window and continued phone/text support throughout the first year
A copy of The Birth Partner, 5th Edition by doula pioneer Penny Simkin and the only childbirth preparation book I recommend
2 prenatal massages from a licensed massage therapist
If you choose, I will accompany you to provider prenatal visits and provide notes from 38 weeks to ensure I am known to your provider and to listen for any unique aspects of care you may need
a 1 to 2-hour baby gear consultation — a humorous and helpful look at what you really need and what you don’t
use of a labor tub in your home before transition to the hospital or during a home birth
use of a labor TENS Unit, birth balls, rebozo, and other comfort tools
weekly online yoga class from a certified instructor to help you prepare for labor
a postpartum home visit from a lactation consultant (IBCLC certified)
2 postpartum recovery visits plus 25 hours of scheduled postpartum care in the first week after birth (includes one overnight if you choose).
my back-up provider attendance at one of our prenatal meetings. In the extremely rare case in which I cannot attend some portion of your birth, I want you to have already met the provider
a provider certified in Adult/Child/Infant CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP)
for clients who request it, I am happy to provide placenta encapsulation. Note that this practice, while anecdotally found helpful to reducing incidence of postpartum depression, is not not considered evidence-based.
A little more about the components of these services
Child Birth Basics Class: During this quick and dirty childbirth class, we’ll you get an anatomy review and overview of the process of labor (where your cervix is, what happens to it during labor, stages of labor, etc.) This is a an immersive, arts-enhanced course -- meaning we will get hands-on with some unusual teaching tools. During our time together, we’ll practice all the measures that help support a mom in labor – positions, counter pressure, use of a Rebozo, swing, massage, use of a TENS unit, music, gentle movement, water, hot sox, cool packs, pressure points and other techniques to reduce pain and give you strength. I'll share tips on making your birth the best experience possible, provide easy lists for for your referral.
At least 2 prenatal meetings: I will visit you in your home, online, or a place where you feel most comfortable. During these visits we will check in, talk about your birth options and any concerns or questions you may have, practice labor support techniques that will help during your labor and discuss the needs of the postpartum months. This is a time for us to connect and build trust, and to build both excitement and confidence about your upcoming birth.
Belly walks: During the two weeks leading up to your labor, you are invited to join me for a walking conversation around Green Lake, in Discovery Park, or your own beloved walking trails. Walking is great preparation for labor and it’s a wonderful way for us to develop deeper connection as we move toward the move intimate moment of your lives.
During your labor: I will come to your home (or hospital or wherever you may be) when you decide you are in need of support. I will remain with you throughout your labor. During this time, we'll use all the measures we have practiced – massage, music, gentle movement, water, counter pressure and other techniques to reduce pain and give you strength. Whenever and wherever possible, I will help your partner be your primary support provider, giving him or her ideas, tips and assistance..
Immediate Postpartum: After baby arrives I stay with you until your baby has eaten and your family is ready for some alone time with baby — generally 1 to 2 hours after birth. I will make a visit to the home, birth center or hospital within 48 hours of your birth to ensure that nursing is getting off to a good start and you are on a healing path. During this visit I'll check in, work on breastfeeding positions, answer questions and otherwise make sure you, your partner and your baby are transitioning into your new family life as smoothly as possible.
25 Hours of Postpartum Support: During the first week after your baby is born, I will provide you with 25 hours of postpartum support and care, including one overnight stay if you so choose. Postpartum care includes assisting you with nursing, referral to needed providers, attending to laundry, giving partner an opportunity to venture out alone, making appointments, tidying, making sure you eat well and other tasks you would find useful.
Partnership / Back-up: I work with one other doula as my back-up partner in Seattle: Tina Dos Santos, LMT, CPD. In Los Angeles, I will choose a back-up partner in your area who feels like a good fit for your hopes. These partnerships are a significant benefit to the families I serve. Because you will spend time with us during prenatal meetings, you’ve already met the back-up in the rare case that I could not attend your birth. In the beyond rare chance of catastrophe in I or my normal back-up could not get to you, a portion of your birth service fee would be paid to a skilled certified doula partner to attend your birth. Emergencies come up – none of us is immune from the little surprises life throws at parents and families, and doulas.
Disclaimer: Cheryl Murfin, MA, CD, CLE and Nesting Instincts partner doulas offer information on childbirth and a variety of other topics. This information sharing is designed for educational purposes only. You should not, and we expect our clients will not, rely on this information as a substitute for, or as a replacement to, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, always consult with a physician or other health-care professional.