You can reach out to me through my “Contact me” page to check my availability and schedule a time to meet via FaceTime or Zoom.
After meeting virtually, you’ll receive my detailed contract. If you decide to hire me, the contract and full retainer fees should be sent as soon as possible in order to ensure my availability. My time is reserved for you once a signed contract and payment in full have been received.
My schedule books up quickly, so the sooner the better just to ensure my availability.
I offer both daytime and nighttime support but I specialize in nighttime support. I also offer “day of hospital discharge” visits and 24/7 services.
The latest I arrive is at 10:00 pm and then leave at 6:00 am. Some families book a 9, 10 or 12-hour shift.
There is no exact time frame of how long a person’s postpartum period can be, as it varies based on the amount of time the birthing person needs to heal fully: physically, mentally, and emotionally. I typically recommend hiring a postpartum doula for at least the first 6 weeks postpartum and up to 4 months. Typically clients book for 3-5 times per week for 6+ weeks. Every family is different and has different needs. I don’t look at how many nights the doula IS THERE instead, I look at how many nights the doula IS NOT THERE. So, if you have a doula only 2 nights a week, that means you will be solo 5 nights a week!” Typically, what we see is families end up needing 4-5 nights a week for at least 6 weeks… Sometimes more.
WEEK 1-2: We are focusing on the recovery of mom after giving birth (c-section or vaginal). We are working on establishing breastfeeding and a good latch, I will help you with all that. The baby will drop weight after being born. A healthy newborn is expected to lose 7% to 10% of the birth weight but should regain that weight within the first 2 weeks or so after birth. During their first month, most newborns gain weight at a rate of about 1 ounce (30 grams) per day.
WEEK 3-4: Now the baby should be back to birth weight so you can start to try to do longer stretches at night with your baby. So, before you may have been getting 2-2.5 hours between feedings but now you can start to get longer breaks… Maybe 3-4 hour breaks!! EVERYBODY LOVES THAT! So, you will need to adjust your feedings during the day because what happens during the day will affect what happens at night! When we work together, I will help guide you through those steps and figure out what’s working and what’s not!
WEEK 5-6: During these two weeks we are working on fine-tuning the baby’s sleep and feeding schedule. The baby should be gaining weight and the feeds will be a little different than before. We won’t really know until we get to week 5 what we will need to work on because every baby is different. Our GOAL is to have the baby into a pretty good pattern by week 6, but some babies (and parents) need longer than that. Also, it can be very easy for a baby to get off track with the tiniest things like congestion, a family trip, and getting off track with feedings. Sometimes, that’s all a family will need, but it’s hard to know for sure until that time.”
If you sign a 6-week contract, that locks you into a solid 6 weeks of doula support. I try to manage my schedule around the contracts my families sign. So, I might be going on call for another family right after your 6 weeks ends. If you decide you want to do additional weeks, I can continue to come until the family I am on contract with has their baby and is discharged from the hospital. So, that could be a couple of days or a couple of weeks, we don’t know because the babies don’t always let us know in advance! If you are thinking that you might want longer than 6 weeks, then you can contract for 8…10…12, or whatever you want to guarantee your spot.
Doulas are different from family members who come to “help out” because we come equipped with all the most current info regarding baby safety and can help establish a sleep/eat routine for the baby. Most family members (unless they are pediatric nurses or doctors) don’t know the recommended amount of food a baby should get for a 24-hour period, they don’t know what healthy weight gain is… things like that. And, it’s nice for the family to bond with the baby, come and cook, help clean, and enjoy spending time holding the baby.
I require a flat space to rest or I can bring a small foldable mattress that can be stored in a closet.
Daly City, Pacifica, South San Francisco, San Bruno, San Mateo, San Carlos, Burlingame, Millbrae, Belmont, Hillsborough, Foster City, Redwood City, Half Moon Bay, Palo Alto, Los Altos and Menlo Park.
Santa Clara, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Campbel, Cambrian Park, Alum Rock, Morgan Hills, Gilroy, Saratoga, Seven Trees, Los Gatos, Los Gatos Hills, Lexington Hills, East Foothills, Monte Sereno, Loyola, Milpitas and San Jose.
Oakland, Berkeley and Walnut Creek.
Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, Union City, Ashland, Castro Valley, Cherryland, Fairview, San Lorenzo, and Sunol.
San Ramon, San Pablo, Lafayette, Brentwood, Danville, Blackhawk, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Orinda, Dublin, Hercules, Richmond, El Cerrito, and Pinole.
Sausalito, Tiburon, Belvedere, Mill Valley, Tamalpais Valley, Marin City, Headlands, Corte Madera, Larkspur, San Anselmo, Fairfax, Kentfield, Greenbrae, Ross, and San Rafael.
