Frequently Asked Questions

A doula is a vital member of your labor support team, offering continuous physical and emotional support. As independent birth doulas, we can accompany you to any local birth location, including UPMC Magee, West Penn, and The Midwife Center, where we have extensive experience.

Our team is experienced with all kinds of childbirth scenarios—fast, intense, long, slow, medicated, unmedicated, vaginal, cesarean, VBACs, and more. We’ve supported spontaneous labors, inductions, planned and emergency cesareans, and everything in between. We’re here for you, no matter what.

We are strong advocates of a “less is more” approach to childbirth, and often encourage our low-risk clients to consider midwives. Midwives are experts in natural childbirth and strive to minimize interventions. You can work with midwives even if you choose a hospital birth! If you need help finding a provider that aligns with your vision, let us know during your free consultation.

Having two doulas enhances your support experience. Each doula brings their unique style and approach, allowing us to cover all bases and ensure you’re comfortable with someone you know and trust. With two doulas, you also reduce the chance of having a backup doula you haven’t met.

Absolutely! Doulas provide support regardless of your pain management choices. We offer physical and emotional support, patient advocacy, and information to enhance your birthing experience, whether you opt for an epidural or not.

Not at all! Our role is to support both you and your partner. We help guide your partner in ways to assist you during labor, easing their anxiety and helping them be an active participant in your birth experience.

Yes, we are familiar with a range of birthing methods, including Hypnobirthing, Hypnobabies, The Bradley Method, and Lamaze. During our prenatal meetings, we’ll dive into your preferred method and discuss how we can best support it.

We stay with you throughout your labor, no matter how long it takes. Whether your labor is 2 hours or 42 hours, we’re there from active labor through to after the birth, ensuring you are comfortable and supported.

In most cases, yes, we can stay with you. At UPMC Magee and West Penn, doulas are usually allowed in the operating room. We also stay with you in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit to support your recovery and help you bond with your baby. There are some emergency situations when we would not be allowed into the OR, and in that case we would stay with and support your partner.

We typically arrange payments in two installments—50% at signing and 50% at 36 weeks. We offer flexible payment plans and have some scholarship funds available for low-income or marginalized families. While traditional insurance often doesn’t cover doula services, you can use HSA or FSA funds. It’s worth checking with your insurer for potential reimbursement options.