Birth Doula Services
In Portland
Looking for more personalized support for your pregnancy, labor, and birth journey? We’ve got you covered! Our birth doula services in Portland, Oregon bridge the gaps in care to ensure that there is at least one birth professional who works just for you, knows your family’s unique hopes and goals, and is dedicated entirely to improving your childbirth experience. Let us provide a personal touch on your powerful journey.
What Is A Birth Doula?
Birth doulas are professionally trained in how to support families during pregnancy, labor, birth, and immediate postpartum. Doulas do not perform any medical procedures but instead provide you and your partner with continuous emotional, physical, and informational support. The important role of a birth doula in helping to create better birth outcomes for families is widely embraced in Portland area hospitals and birth centers. As a result, Portland doulas are welcomed into the birth room and considered a vital member of your team. Our birth doulas are agenda-free and never assume there’s a “right” way to give birth. Your goals are our goals, so no matter how your baby comes into this world (unmedicated birth, epidural assisted birth, or cesarean birth), our birth doulas will support your family 100% so you’ll have all the tools you need to navigate the medical system, birth your baby, and make informed decisions each step of the way.
Our Portland Birth Doulas Are Agenda Free
Birth doulas do not have an agenda, give advice, or assume there is a “right” way to give birth. Your goals are their goals, and they offer education and information so you can make informed decisions that are congruent with your family’s needs and values.
Our Portland Birth Doulas Are Flexible
A birth doula is flexible and knows how to navigate birth’s unexpected twists and turns. If unforeseen circumstances should arise, your doula remains calm, keeps you informed on what is happening, and helps you adapt to changing circumstances. Doulas are attentive to your hopes and fears, respectful of your choices, and inspire confidence in your ability to labor and birth.
Our Portland Birth Doulas Support Partners
Birth doulas do not replace the vital role of partners or other family members. Instead, birth doulas encourage partners to engage in the process with greater confidence and effectiveness and relieve partners of the pressure to know and do everything by themselves.
Our Portland Birth Doulas Work Collaboratively
Birth doulas knows how to work collaboratively with medical staff even while advocating for your rights, needs, and preferences during labor. A doula works for you, not for the hospital, so their care can be individualized to fit your needs.
The Birth Doula Package
Package starts at $1,400!
Our Birth Doula Package is one of the most comprehensive in the Portland Metro area and includes all of the following items:
Free Matchmaking
Our matchmaker will answer all your questions about how our services work and provide tailored matchmaking so you and your partner can narrow down the options and interview with doulas who are likely to be a good match.
Free Interviews
Most people interview two or three of our birth doulas to get a feel for each doula’s unique style, better understand the services they offer, and determine which connection feels like the best fit for your family.
Prenatal Visits
A trusting relationship is the foundation of birth doula care. Prenatal visits are offered in-person and/or virtually and provide opportunities to discuss your hopes and goals and create a real connection.
Ongoing Contact
Your birth doula is available via text, email, phone, and video as needed throughout your pregnancy and postpartum. It’s reassuring to know that when you reach out, your birth doula will be there for you.
Childbirth Classes
As Birth First clients, you will get free and discounted birthing classes, newborn classes, and parent-baby groups so you and your partner can feel more confident and prepared for the childbirth journey.
On-Call Services
Being on-call means that once you reach 37 weeks of pregnancy, your doula has their cell phone on at all times and will answer the phone 24/7. It’s so reassuring to know that your birth doula is just a text or call away.
Back-Up
Our team of professional birth doulas provides a wide net of backup in the unlikely event that your doula happens to be ill when you go into labor. You and your partner are sure to have all the support you need!
Home Support
If you want to labor in the comfort of your own home and avoid going to the hospital too soon, your birth doula’s presence can be especially reassuring and helpful in determining when to go to the hospital or birth center.
Labor Support
During labor, your birth doula provides hands-on comfort and progression techniques, mental and emotional encouragement, advocacy in the medical setting, breaks for your partner, and much more!
Photos
Your birth doula can help capture memorable moments of the day your baby was born by taking photos or videos to ensure your family has priceless images that can be cherished for a lifetime.
Breastfeeding Help
After the birth, your doula stays with you for 1-3 hours to assist with breastfeeding and recovery, encourage family bonding, remind pediatric staff of your newborn choices, and rejoice in your baby.
Postpartum Visits
Your doula will provide in-home postpartum visits to help process the birth experience, answer newborn questions, review your recovery, and discuss whatever is on your heart and mind.
Resources
Your birth doula is available six weeks after delivery for informational support by phone, email, or text to help answer any questions and provide excellent local resources that can help your family to thrive!
Parenting Circles
These non-judgemental support groups are offered every week for new parents and expecting couples. These welcoming groups are facilitated by birth doulas, Portland postpartum doulas, and lactation consultants.
Discounted Services
As a Birth First client, you will receive special discounts on services offered by Portland’s best prenatal and postpartum practitioners, including massage, lactation, acupuncture, chiropractic, and more!
What Does A Birth Doula Actually Do?
People frequently ask us what a birth doula actually does, and our answer goes something like, “Well, it depends. We tailor our services to each client’s particular needs, but basically, we offer families professional support during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum.”
While this answer does faithfully represent our services and dedication to individualized care, it does not always satisfy the inquiring mind that asked. Often what the person is wondering about is the hands-on nitty-gritty of what we do when we’re at a birth.
So, in an attempt to make our doula skills more transparent and understandable, here’s a list of things we typically do for clients who are in labor (please note that this is not a complete list, nor does it include the types of support offered during pregnancy or in the immediate postpartum):
Why Hire A BIRTH Doula?
The many benefits of hiring a birth doula are recognized by the World Health Organization, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the National Institutes of Health. Current research consistently shows that women who receive continuous support during labor from a doula are less likely to need medical interventions and are more satisfied with their birth experience. These studies show that a doula’s continuous support, practical knowledge, and labor enhancing techniques help to reduce pain and anxiety in laboring people. When people are less frightened and feel less pain, labor is more likely to progress without the need for interventions.
- reduction in the rate of cesareans
- reduction in epidural requests
- reduction in the use of Pitocin (a contraction induction method)
- reduction in vacuum-assisted deliveries
- shorter labors
- an increase in successful breastfeeding and bonding
- a reduction in “baby blues” and postpartum depression
Source: Rebecca L. Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN at evidencebasedbirth.com
Who Hires A Birth Doula?
Virtually anyone preparing for the experience of having a baby can benefit from the presence of a birth doula, including people who are looking for support with:
Unmedicated Birth
Doulas are well equipped with comfort and coping techniques that effectively support people’s goals for unmedicated vaginal delivery and avoiding pain medications and medical interventions. A doula’s skill set is made up of emotional, physical, and informational tools designed to help people achieve the experience of undisturbed childbirth within a hospital, birth center, or home setting.
Epidural Assisted Birth
Doulas can enhance the labor and birth experience of people who want to use pain relief medications by providing useful information about epidural procedures, suggesting appropriate times to receive an epidural, recommending in-bed positions that enhance labor’s progression, and offering advice on how to minimize the “cascade effect” leading to undesired interventions.
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)
A birth doula may be one of the most important and effective resources available to people striving for a VBAC. Doulas can help you “leave no stone unturned” in your effort to have a vaginal birth and help you to navigate the mental and emotional uncertainty that often accompanies this path. A doula offers indispensable reassurance and encouragement as you strive for the VBAC experience.
Out Of Hospital Birth
In a home or birth center setting, doulas offer an additional layer of ongoing emotional and physical support while your midwife focuses on your medical care and the health of your baby. In an out-of-hospital setting, doulas focus in on comfort techniques, labor progression, optimal fetal positioning, and help with tasks such as setting up the birthing tub, preparing food, and cleaning up after the birth.
High-Risk Pregnancy & Birth
Some pregnant people are considered to be in a higher risk category due to conditions such as IVF, advanced maternal age, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, diabetes, etc. Doulas can help relieve some of the anxiety and tension generated by these conditions by offering clear information and explanations, helping you to talk with medical providers, and ensuring that you have continuous support throughout your pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.
Kind Words From Our Lovely Clients
“I highly recommend Birth First Doulas! They took the time to have a phone interview with me to listen to my story and needs before suggesting a few amazing doulas they thought would be a good fit. This step showed me Birth First goes above and beyond for their clients right from the start. The doula we chose is truly exceptional! It was important to me to find someone who knows their stuff, but who can also keep it real, and that is exactly what I found. Both my husband and I felt completely comfortable with our doula as she supported us in our prenatal journey, throughout labor, and beyond. I felt informed and in control every step of the way with her by my side, and I know she helped my husband become a more empowered birth partner.”
Kaitlyn, Portland, Oregon
“The best decision we made in our pregnancy journey was to hire a Birth First Doula. I had no idea if I would like having or need a doula, but after we had our baby girl, I continue to tell my friends and family it was invaluable. I wanted a medication-free birth and our birth doula helped me achieve my goal with grace and strength throughout the entire process. I didn’t think I could do it once active labor got going, but with her strength and assistance our vision became reality. I’m so glad we had an advocate once in the hospital and she also helped my husband stay calm and cool as he was a nervous first-time dad. Our Birth First Doula helped us achieve the most beautiful birth experience we could have ever imagined. Thank you!”
Jessica, Portland, Oregon
“Our doula and the entire Birth First Doula team were amazing and we couldn’t imagine having our baby without all of their help. Our doula was always there for us before, during, and after the birth, and her calming, trusting, flexible and always listening style, coupled with her wealth of knowledge and responsiveness was a tremendous help. She was a key person on our birth team and truly instrumental during the entire birth journey. She went above and beyond, and we are so grateful! Birth First Doula was very professional and prompt, and the classes that came with the Doula package were very insightful. Thank you Birth First Doulas for all the support. Would definitely highly recommend!”
