Bay Area Doula Services
by Ilana Pearlman
* Mother * Student Midwife * Doula *
San Francisco, CA 94123
ph: (650) 208-3413
ilana
Birth Doula Services
FAQ's
What do your birth doula services include?
- Continuous physical and emotional support during labor (including staying 1-2 hours after your baby is born)
- On-call 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after your due date
- 24/7 pregnancy, postpartum, and newborn care-related advice up to 1 month postpartum via phone or e-mail
- 2 prenatal visits (1-2 hours each)
- 1 postpartum visit (1-2 hours)
- Backup doula support if needed
- Extensive lending library for book/dvd rentals via Natural Resources in SF
- Address: 1367 Valencia St. (at 25th St.)
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 550 2611
- Address: 1367 Valencia St. (at 25th St.)
- Resource Binder with free samples and articles on pregnancy, birth, and postpartum
- Free initial phone consultation
What type of labor support do you provide?
- Physical: massage, counterpressure, accupressure, heat/cold, aromatherapy, and helping you into positions that may contribute toward a more active, shorter, and easier, labor
- Emotional: mindful-meditation and visualization relaxation techniques, continuous verbal support, positive affirmations
- Family: If a birth partner, friend, or other family will be present at your birth, I will support them as well as you. I will ensure that they are nourished and rested. I will provide them with hands-on tools and resources so they may best assist you during labor.
Why did you decide to become a birth doula?
1) To support families in having positive and informed birth experiences. Knowledge is power in the birthing room. I enjoy educating families on all of their options so they can best advocate for themselves. Even if the "birth plan" takes a different direction, my goal is for my clients to feel like they are providing informed consent every step of the way and are active participants in their birth.
2) To help contractions hurt less! Birth may not be pain-free, but the support a doula provides can physically make your contractions hurt less! There is a difference between pain and suffering in childbirth and I feel childbirth should be an empowering experience with manageable or minimal pain.
What types of births have you attended?
I have attended:
- Natural vaginal births
- Natural vaginal births induced with pitocin
- Vaginal births with epidurals
- Vaginal births with narcotics but without epidurals
- Cesarean births
- Naturally-induced births (castor oil, acupressure, aromatherapy, homeopathy)
- Hospital-induced births (mechanically: membrane sweeps, cervical massage, foley bulb catheters; medically: cervidil, cytotec, pitocin, etc.)
- GBS+ Births requiring IV antibiotics
How does a doula's support differ from that of family members or nursing staff?
While family and friends are often well-meaning and provide a lot of emotional support, they may not be educated on techniques that help ease the pain of a woman's labor. While labor and delivery nurses may be helpful, they are often busy charting or are with other patients and often cannot provide continuous support. As your doula, I am a familiar and trustworthy ally and advocate for you and I begin really getting to know your family before your birth, through our prenatal visits. I continue to provide support postpartum, which creates a full-circle, supportive birthing experience
What is your rate?
$1,400 total
What if I want the support of a doula but can't afford your rate?
I work as a volunteer doula in shifts and last-minute emergencies. If I am unavailable I can refer you to another volunteer doula. I believe labor support should be a right, not a privilege.
- I currently volunteer my doula services at:
- St. Lukes Hospital [CPMC]
- San Francisco General Hospital
Doula support:
- Decreases c-section rates
- Decreases episiotomy, vacuum extraction, and forcep rates
- Decreases the use of epidurals and other pain medication
- Decreases the length of labor
AND
- Increases natural childbirth
- Increases vaginal delivery
- Increases mother's well-being during and after birth
Tomato vs. TOEMAWTO! (Birth Lingo)
- Pain --> Sensation, Tightening, Pressure
- Contractions --> Surges, Energy, Rushes, Waves
- Due Date --> Guess Date, Birthing Time
- Pushing --> Breathing Baby Down
The type of language and its use during your birth is also a choice. I accomodate all language preferences. You might even create some new words during labor :)
Comfort Measures
What are some comfort measures you use during labor?
- Counter pressure
- Acupressure
- Breathing techniques
- Water (shower head or bath)
- Aromatherapy
- Music
- Vocalization
- Visualization (specifically geared toward mindful meditation)
- Massage
- Positive Affirmations
- Intuition and experience have taught me when to back off in a labor and when a woman needs more directive support
What is your philosophy on pain medication?
Several factors affect a woman's degree of sensation during childbirth, from the position of her baby (i.e. a baby in posterior position can cause intense back labor) to her ability to relax her muscles during surges. Although I focus on natural techniques to help a woman cope with labor pain, I support all choices in pain management. What's most important to me is that you truly understand the benefits, risks, and alternatives to all pain management choices so that you can make an informed decision about what's best for your family.
Narcotics cross the placenta and may affect your baby, especially when given later in labor. Babies affected by narcotics typically show signs of breathing troubles after delivery which may lead to your baby being evaluated by a pediatrician immediately after the birth. This may lead to a delayed period of mother/baby skin-to-skin contact.
Epidurals do not technically cross the placenta to the baby but may affect the birthing process and/or affect the baby secondarily by affecting the mom.
How do you support moms who choose to get an epidural?
1) I discuss the benefits of not getting an epidural until active/later in labor and then help mom manage the sensations until then
2) I comfort mom, help her relax, and help her get her body into an ideal position for insertion of the epidural
3) I physically help mom change positions every 20 minutes in bed to mimic the movement of a naturally-laboring woman, as these movements help the baby shift deeper into the pelvis
Some epidural cons:
- when received too early in labor it can cause a longer labor and potential need for pitocin
- it is difficult to get into ideal labor and pushing positions when your legs are numb
- sometimes when you can't feel yourself push you are more at risk for tearing (i.e. you may push too quick or hard through a contraction whereas you might have slowed your pushing if you felt a burning sensation)
- it relaxes the pelvic floor muscles, which may make it harder for your baby's head to mold and fit through the birth canal
- as with most interventions, there is a stronger correlation between said intervention and an increase in c-section rates
Benefits of Continuous Doula Support in Labor
Obstetric Benefits of Having a Doula
Extras
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean FAQ
Dads and Doulas: Key Players on Mother's Labor Support Team
San Francisco, CA 94123
ph: (650) 208-3413
ilana
