A Mother's Strength Doula Services, LLC
Cheryl Wood, Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula
Serving Tulsa area families
You are strong. I'm here to remind you.
Services
Congratulations! Your family is growing!
The addition of a baby to your family is a wonderful event. However, both birth and the postpartum period or "4th trimester" can be full of unknowns. Like a tour guide in a foreign country, I want to help you navigate this journey as peacefully as possible, drawing on and reminding you of your strengths all along the way.
Early Pregnancy Information Class and Childbirth Education
The 2 hour Early Pregnancy Information Class is a unique, one of a kind opportunity that will help you plan and prepare in the first or early second trimester for the months ahead leading up to your baby's birth. The main focuses of this class are learning how to choose the best healthcare provider and birthing location to meet your specific goals as well as provide you and your partner or support person with the knowledge you need to obtain informed consent and make evidence based decisions in pregnancy and childbirth
Group class (Only available at select times. Please contact me for details): $10/family
Private In-home class $25/family
If, after taking the Early Pregnancy Information Class (EPI), you choose to take my Childbirth Education Class (CE), the fee paid for the EPI class will be applied toward the CE class
The Childbirth Education series is a comprehensive set of classes that takes place over a total of 6 - 8 hours. It includes hands on opportunities for practicing comfort techniques and labor positions. Although there are multiple Childbirth Classes available online and in group settings, this in-home class allows us to tailor the class dates and times to your schedule. It can be taught all in one day or spread out over multiple days
Private In-home class $150/family
Prenatal Visits
To help you decide if I am the best choice to provide your family's Doula care we can schedule a meeting either in person or virtually. This is a great time for you to ask questions about what birth and/or postpartum care might look like. Additionally it's a good opportunity for me to get a sense of your family's needs and preferences and possibly offer suggestions that might help your transition to parenthood go a little more smoothly. This meeting is complimentary and does not commit you to hiring me. I like to think of it as an interview.
If you do choose to hire me as your Birth Doula after this meeting, we will schedule a few more opportunities to meet (generally 2 or 3 times) and work on the things that feel most important to you before your baby arrives. If hiring me for Postpartum services, we will begin scheduling those visits for the times that work best for your needs.
Birth Doula Support
The birth of your baby is an event you will remember all of your life. I want to do everything I can to porvide opportunities for that memory to be a satisfying one.
I am generally available to come to your home to help you and your partner manage before heading to your birthing facility. At the Hospital or Birthing Center, I can attend to your needs throughout labor and the delivery of your baby. My services will include:
• Assistance in creating a Birth Vision
• At least 2 prenatal visits
• Facilitation of your Birth Vision as far as it is safely possible within the circumstances of your labor and delivery, including but not limited to comfort measures, movement, positioning, or almost anything else that feels supportive to you
• Working with your partner (if applicable) to establish and maintain a peaceful and positive environment
• Working with the staff and providers to establish rapport and to ensure that you have enough information to make informed decisions about your care
• A visit to your home approximately 3 weeks postpartum
As your Birth Doula I will be on call 24/7 beginning 3 weeks before your due date until the birth of your baby
• My fee for Birth Doula support is $950
Planned Cesarean Birth Doula Support
Most mothers in the U.S. do not envision the birth of their baby taking place surgically. However, there are times when that vision shifts and requires some adjustment. This does not mean that you cannot have a beautiful, supported experience. Doula support for planned cesarean birth includes the following:
• Assistance in creating a Cesarean Birth Vision
• A prenatal visit in your home
• Facilitation of your Birth Vision as far as it is safely possible within the circumstances of your situation
• Being with you at the hospital immediately before and after your baby's birth to take amateur photos and record details for your birth story. While most of our local hospitals do not allow Doulas in the operating room, if an exception is made I will join you during the birth as well
• Working with your partner (if applicable) to establish and maintain a peaceful and positive environment
• Working with the staff and providers to establish rapport and to ensure that you have enough information to make informed decisions about your care
• A visit to your home approximately 3 weeks postpartum
•My fee for this service is $450
Birth Vision Assistance
Birth Visions are an important way to express your desires for what is most important to you during labor and the birth of your baby. But do Doctors, Midwives and Labor and Delivery Nurses read and respect them? The general answer to that question is "Yes!" But how they are worded and presented matters! I will assist you in creating a Birth Vision that can help ensure you and your medical team are on the same page.
My fee for this service is $50
I offer a 5% discount off of the total when hiring me for combined services
* Please add $5 for an in-home visit outside of a 15 mile radius from Midtown Tulsa
Postpartum Doula Support - I am currently not taking Postpartum Clients but would love to refer you to some wonderful Postpartum Doulas!
Every family has different needs that may change from day-to-day. Each postpartum session provides a check-in on how the last 24 hours have gone, formulation for a plan for the session, and can include anything that feels supportive inside the home. Examples:
• Basic Breastfeeding support (including referral to a lactation consultant if needed)
• Troubleshooting with feeding and sleeping cycles
• Spending time with your baby so you can rest
• Non-medical assistance with after-birth healing (both physical and emotional)
• Organization of supplies
• Assisting with baby & sibling care with a parent present
• Basic household tasks
• Grocery shopping and errands (with funds needed for purchases provided by client in advance)
• Simple meal preparation
• Helping with laundry
• I am certified in Basic Life Support (CPR) for adults, children and infants
• I offer services starting at a minimum of 12 hours
• Each visit is a minimum of 3 hours.
• My fee for Postpartum Doula support is $25/hour *
* Please add $ 1 /hour outside a 10 mile radius from my home in Midtown Tulsa
Can I afford Doula care?
Often families recognize the need for Doula care, but do not know if they can afford it. Here are some things to consider:
While many insurance policies do not cover the cost of Doula services, many Health Savings Accounts or Flexible Spending Accounts do reimburse for these services. If you have an HSA or a FSA check with your account provider to see if Doula services are covered.
Doula services make a great gift, especially if this is not your first baby and you already have all the needed supplies. Maybe a family member, friend or group would like to contribute toward the fee. I do offer gift certificates. Also here is a link to Babylist, an easy way to add Doula services to your registry. https://www.babylist.com/index
I like old fashioned bartering and am open to that in some cases. Are you or your partner or a family member skilled in carpentry or landscaping? Does someone in your family love to wash windows or do yardwork? These are ongoing needs in my family (and we're not so great at them) Ask me if I have bartering opportunities available.
A tenth of all of my receipts is set aside to enable me to help Moms in need.
Rebozo Certified, February 2019
Ask me about bringing the benefits of the rebozo into your birth experience. The definition of "rebozo" is a long scarf covering the head and shoulders, traditionally worn by Spanish-American women. In some cultures the rebozo has been used for generations for everything from hauling vegetables in from the garden to carrying babies. It is gaining use among women in the U.S. as a valuable and practical tool for use during late pregnancy and labor to help ease discomfort, and it's a great way to help Dads and other birth partners get involved in that process. I am happy to announce I am Rebozo Certified!
Do I Need a Postpartum Doula?
Numerous studies and the personal experiences of women show that mothers who receive support in the weeks following childbirth (especially the first 3 months) are less prone to suffer the effects of peri-natal mood disorders such as depression or anxiety and generally enjoy a faster physical recovery.
This healthier transition to parenthood happens for several reasons. A Postpartum Doula provides:
opportunities for the new mom to rest
support for better outcomes whether bottle or breastfeeding baby
confidence in developing infant care skills
the benefit of a safe, objective ear for the mom to process her birth story and her feelings about parenting
an outside source to pick up on potential problems before they escalate and help the family of a newborn navigate those issues