I began my work as a doula in 2006, after the birth of my first child. While pregnant, I was entranced with labor and birth. I find that I still am.
My intention as a doula is to support the mother and her partner/mother/sister/friends. Often this means helping you navigate your options, without judgment or coercion. I am not outcome-focused, meaning I do not consider a birth to be a success by a narrow criteria of unmedicated, or vaginal or fast. The only goal I have for you is that you feel supported, respected and loved.
Sometimes this is a very physical task of massage, hip-squeezes, fetching water, etc. Other times this is informational support of helping you get the details you need to make your choices. Sometimes I offer suggestions for positions or ways to help labor progress. And at times I am simply a calm presence, reassuring you and your partner that everything is normal and good. Often I enable the partner to support you fully by giving him/her breaks for food and rest, so that you have no gaps in your care.
I have supported women in home births, Cesarean births, three-day-long births, births with epidurals, VBACs (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean), natural births, births after infertility and births after loss. Every one was miraculous.
Labor Doula Services: $2300
– Monthly Zoom check-ins from the signing of the contract until the in-home prenatal visit
– Email, text and phone support from signing of contract until 2 months after delivery
– One 2-hour prenatal visit in-home
– optional 2 prenatal visits via Zoom between in-home prenatal visit and delivery
– Access to my pre-recorded pain-coping course
– Access to my lending library of books and videos
– $250 to be applied to attendance in any of my Childbirth Classes ($250-375)
– 24 hour on-call assistance beginning at 37 weeks gestation until delivery
– Continuous support through labor and 1-2 hours after delivery, with no hourly limit
– One postpartum visit lasting 60-90 minutes, in-home or via zoom
I only accept two clients per month. Payment plans are available. I am also able to accept payments from FSA or HSA accounts.
Click the button below to view my calendar and schedule an interview to determine if we’re a good fit!
About Kick-Ass Birth
A kick-ass birth is focused on love, connection and flexibility. It embraces the power of biology, the miracle of modern medicine and the intuition of new parents to make decisions in awareness.
It is not about achieving a certain outcome or type of birth. It is meeting your birth with an open heart and open mind, ready to do what needs to be done to care for your Self and your Child.
Launched in 2006 as a local resource for Chicago parents, (originally www.hollyhelps.us), Kick-Ass Birth now supports new parents all over the world through videos, handouts, articles and courses. I’ll take you beyond the practical suggestions (you’ll get that, too!) to get your hands dirty, and your habits changed as you begin to live your values. You’re in the right place if…
- You believe in science AND the power of the mind.
- You are craving something deeper than Pinterest-pretty baby showers and hospital bag check-lists, but want to figure out who you are as parents.
- You care more about self-growth than having the ideal experience (or the ideal life).
- You want a no-BS approach. I will honor your intelligence and your individual path to self-discovery as you traverse this Rite of Passage. I’ll even ask you some good questions to get your emotional gears going.
- You are simultaneously awed and overwhelmed by this task in front of you. “This baby has to come OUT? And then I have to RAISE it!?”. What sacred ground you’re standing on. Holy crap.
- You are a little irreverent and often swim upstream. Or maybe you’re partnered with one of those types.
- You know how important this transition into parenthood is, and you don’t want to mess around.
