“Bonding is the intense attachment that develops between parents and their baby. It makes parents want to shower their baby with love and affection and to protect and nourish their little one. Bonding gets parents up in the middle of the night to feed their hungry baby and makes them attentive to the baby's wide range of cries.” (source: http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/communicating/bonding.html#)
Doulas help assist with bonding. We educate you during pregnancy, support you during birth, and care for you during the postpartum period. All these things help you to feel loved, cared for and empowered. All these things will help you to bond with your baby. 1. Private Infant Massage Class by Jennifer.* Jennifer will come to your house and teach mom and dad how to massage their infant. Infant massage promotes bonding, helps parents to tune into their baby’s cues, helps baby sleep better and more. Class includes a detailed booklet and personal bottle of massage oil. Jennifer Knapp is a Birth Arts trained Birth Doula and a Loving Touch® Certified Infant Massage Instructor. It wasn’t until the birth of her first child that she realized she loved all things birth and babies. With each of her children her desire to learn more about natural birth and parenting grew more and more. After the birth of her third and final baby she knew that being involved with pregnancy and birth was what she wanted and needed to do. Jennifer Knapp- http://www.sildoula.com (845) 849-6404 2. Birth Relaxation Session with Johanna.* Johanna, National Guild of Hypnotists certified Consulting Hypnotist, will guide you through a one hour long relaxation session. Johanna D’Aleo CD(DONA), HCBE, CLC is an experienced labor and postpartum doula, certified HypnoBirthing Educator and Childbirth Educator offering doula support, private or group child birth classes and breastfeeding support as a Certified Lactation Counselor. She also offers belly casting and placenta dehydration/encapsulation. Johanna is also DONA certified in the use of a TENS unit during labor. Johanna D’Aleo - http://calmdoula.com (845) 901-7431 3. $50 Placenta Encapsulation Gift Certificate from Courtney. Ingesting your encapsulated placenta helps to prevent the “baby blues”, increases milk production, shortens healing time and can increase the mothers energy level. Courtney Durfee, CLD(CAPPA), CD(DONA), HCHD, CLC, is a Certified HypnoBabies Childbirth Hypnosis Doula and Trained HypnoBirthing Doula. She is a mother to one wonderful little boy and currently resides in Montgomery, NY. She provides consistent and caring support for pregnant women of the Hudson Valley and their families during pregnancy, birth and beyond. Courtney also offers Commemorative Placenta Preparation & Encapsulation, as an Independent Placenta Services Provider. Courtney Durfee - http://www.placentaservice.com 4. Gentle Baby by Young Living Oils donated by Maritday. Gentle Baby™ is a soft, fragrant combination of essential oils designed specifically for mothers and babies. It helps calm emotions during pregnancy and is useful for quieting troubled little ones. 5. Breastpads and rice sock. Reusable breastpads are a must have for all new moms. The rice sock is perfect to ease all your sore spots. Put it in the microwave to use as a heat pack to release sore muscles or store in the freezer to put on bumps and bruises. Kayla McCullen is the crafty mom who handmade these gifts. She is a mother and trained birth doula. Kayla McCullen - http://www.facebook.com/SacredLotusDoula (518) 742-9638 *All in home services include up to 45 minutes of travel time from the doulas individual Hudson Valley location. Any locations further than this may incur an additional traveling fee.
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Printable Gift CardsThe Doulas of the Hudson Valley have made it easier to afford a doula by now offering gift certificates for our services. You can add these to your baby shower registry so that family and friends can help you fund our support. “But how will they know that I would like a gift certificate for a doula as a gift?” you ask. With this free printable, is the answer! Just print off as many cards you may need and add them to the inside of your baby shower invitation. The URL on the card will take your family and friends directly to our gift certificate purchasing page. Before you know it you’ll be well on your way to having your birthing class, birth doula or maybe placenta services paid for.
A Different Way of “Paying” for Doula Services In the dictionary, the word Barter is defined as follows: A system of exchange by which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. In today’s fast paced world, bartering could be confused with haggling, or arguing over the price of something, sort of like being at a flea market or a yard sale where the buyer tries to lower the price of the item by walking away or talking the buyer down. Bartering is not swapping, it is an even trade. I have been a doula for 20+ years, and have supported dozens of women, their partners and families through labor, birth and the postpartum period. Living in Los Angeles, I have been paid handsomely for my work as a birth and postpartum doula, and have volunteered my services at a maternity home where women from all walks of life found themselves pregnant and homeless. Needless to say, they could not afford a doula. So on the one hand you have “clients” who can pay for a doula, and on the other you have women who are so grateful to have someone with them, supporting them through labor and birth. “What is all this leading up to ”? You might ask. Well, we all painfully aware that our economy is struggling. Many couples and families live on one income, we are all shaving perks from our lives: gone are the family vacations, that new car, the kitchen renovation. But what about the doula you wanted for your birth? Well, you can still have that doula, all you have to do is be imaginative, bold, and ask. Most doulas have “a sliding scale”, many will take payment over time, and some of us will barter our services. I have! A few years ago, I found out my farrier (the wonderful guy who puts shoes on my horse) and his girlfriend were pregnant. He sort of knew what a doula was, and in between trimming and shoeing my horse, I told him about the difference between a doula and a midwife. A light bulb went off! We figured that we both had a talent that we could exchange: I would be their childbirth educator/labor doula and he would shoe my horse for a year. He spoke to his girlfriend who happily agreed to the barter. All three of us were happy! A few months later, their baby was born, and our plan went off without a hitch. As a doula, my “clients” and I sign a birth agreement, and in my barter situation, we did just that, except that in place of the agreed price for my services, we wrote in the nature of the barter. So, in conclusion, if you really would love to have a doula, but think you can’t afford one, think again. Maybe your partner is a carpenter, and the doula needs new cabinets, maybe you are a web designer and the doula needs a new website, the possibilities are endless. We have become more open to seeing life through a different prism, and in the end, we all have something to offer, Jenny Gillespie, ICCE,CD,BDT www.yourdoula.com To read about alternative ways to fund doula service, read part one on gift certificates and visit our gift certificate page. |
Doulas of the Hudson ValleyMany of the doulas on this website will be contributing to this blog. Archives
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