FAQ

What is a Doula?

A birth doula is a support person who provides emotional, physical, and educational support during pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period.

What does a doula do?

If possible, a doula meets with the birthing person before labor begins to discuss preferences and help connect with resources and information. We then are available to answer questions, talk through ideas, process emotions and changes, and to check in until labor begins. At that point, we attend your birth as a continuous support person for you and for a partner if one is present. During labor we can do things to help support your desired birth preferences, these might include: guide breathing and visualizations, gentle touch and massage, suggesting position changes, gathering supplies, keeping you hydrated etc. After birth, the doula remains for an hour or two to make sure that everything is settling down well and feeding is established. We then will check in in the few days after baby is born and engage in post-birth visits to support your healing and the challenges of newborn care. In postpartum visits, we can also help you process and reflect on your birth experience and connect you with any additional resources you may desire.

Doulas are adaptable to your needs and desires - I like to say “I figure out what you need, and then I do that.”

What does a doula NOT do?

Doulas don’t provide medical services such as cervical exams or administering pain medication. We will not speak for you or make any decisions for you, but we will support you in advocating for yourself and help you ask the questions you want to ask and to get the information you need, so you can be best informed about your choices. Doulas do not pressure you into any particular birth plan or tell you what is best for you.

click here for more info and evidence on doula impacts

Where I work:

I am happy to attend a home birth where a licensed provider is present, a birth center, or hospital. I typically serve Rhode Island and South Eastern Massachusetts, but if you are out of that range and I seem like a good fit for you please reach out and we can discuss if i can be a good support for you in your alternate location.

Teamwork:

I am a member of the Open Circle Doula Team, which is a group practice of experienced doulas that work collaboratively.

I am also a member of DoRI (Doulas of Rhode Island)

My training:

I trained with Evelyn Conrad and received my Birth Doula Certification in 2017 through Doulas of North America (DONA)

I received my CLC (Certified Lactation Counselor) in 2019 from Healthy Children Project

I also attend workshops and continuing education as often as possible, these are some trainings I have attended and would highly recommend to other birth workers:

Kayden X Coleman’s TransMasculine Birth & Fertility workshop

Gena Garcia-Kirby’s rebozo workshop - A note: The Rebozo has a sacred cultural significance to a culture to which I do not belong, so I do not use the Rebozo in my personal doula practice. However, I think even if you do not plan to incorporate the Rebozo into your practice, Gena’s training is still a wonderful and enriching experience to connect more deeply to birth support and other birth supporters.

Open Circle Perinatal Loss workshop

Hawthorn Grief Care: Supporting Bereaved Parents for Birthworkers

Cornerstone’s supporting Trans and Gender non-confirming birthers with Trystan Reese (a note: due to recent issues I no longer recommend Trystan Reese’s trainings, please follow Kayden Coleman @kaydenxofficial for details, + check out cornerstone’s other course offerings)

Service structure:

During the current COVID 19 crisis, our team has shifted to a remote support model. Our doula team comprises of homebirth first responders, and people health and family conditions that make in-hosptial-in-person birth support not an option for our team at this time. However, we are still committed to supporting folks, and are still providing wholehearted care through a remote support model. The details are outlined really clearly on this page of the Open Circle Website

if you desire in-person birth support at this time, many doulas are still offering this, and most (but not all) RI birthing facilities are still allowing doulas in, with some procedural changes. I highly recommend checking with your provider to see what their policies are, and looking at DoRI (Doulas of Rhode Island)

Pricing

The full fee for a doula package is $1200 (sliding scale available)

As a part of the Open Circle doula team, we are committed to giving care to anyone who desires it and offer a sliding scale rate based on income/resources/ability to pay- please visit the Open Circle RI fee scale (look for “Birth Doula” on the chart).

payment plans are also available.

Additional services

Dial-a-Doula : quick 20 minute check-ins

Additional prenatal meetings

Additional postpartum support - note: While I am not a certified postpartum doula, I am available for extended postpartum support.

available add on: a plaster belly cast for $50 - a great way to commemorate your bump (currently unavailable due to covid)

Contact

Isabel Mattia, CD(DONA) CLC