FAQ

What's the deal with insurance?

Here in RI we have passed the Doula Reimbursement Bill! What does that mean for you? It means that if your health insurance is based out of RI then your insurance has to cover the costs for doula services. Each plan has their own policies but on average most will cover up to 3 prenatal visits, the birth, and 3 postpartum visits.

I am in network with all the major RI insurance plans which means that I can bill your insurance for services for you. If you have a different plan then we can always submit forms for reimbursement. Since so much of it is plan dependent we can chat about it and figure out what will work for your health plan!

What is a doula?

A doula (doo-la) is a woman who helps support a mother before, during and after childbirth. This support is usually in the form of education, emotional support and physical support.

I'm not super "crunchy", does that mean doula support isn't for me?

NOT AT ALL!!! The majority of my clients are not super crunchy. Heck- I'M not super crunchy. I honestly believe- not only your birth your choice, but your family your choice. My job is to give you all of your options and educate you on your choices. Whatever decisions you make from there I will fully support.

What is your service area?

Every city and town in Rhode Island. I also travel to many cities and towns in nearby Massachusetts. My service radius is approximately 20 miles from Smithfield, RI or in time about a half hour away. Some of those cities and towns are listed below- if you do not see your city or town listed that doesn't mean that you are out of my service area- contact me and we can chat!

Attleboro, MA
Blackstone, MA
Fall River, MA
Foxborough, MA

Mansfield, MA
Millbury, MA
New Bedford, MA
North Attleboro, MA
Plainville, MA
Seekonk, MA
Swansea, MA

Uxbridge, MA
Worcester, MA
Wrentham, MA

I am planning a hospital birth- would you support me there? What type of births do you attend?

Yes, definitely. There are ways to make your labor room more comforting and personable to you while you birth. I can attend assisted home births, hospital births,and births at a birthing center.

Which hospitals/ Birth Centers have you attended births at ? Are those the only places you will go?

I gladly attend births at the following hospitals:

Women & Infants in Providence, RI
Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, RI
Kent Hospital in Warwick, RI
Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attelboro, MA

St. Vincent's Hospital in Worcester, MA

Now, if you are planning at birthing at another hospital or birth center that is not on this list- that may mean they are out of my service area or a hospital I am not comfortable attending births at. We can certainly talk about it!

Ready to book?

My doctor says I have to have a cesarean- can you support me through that?

Absolutely. With preparation and education before hand, through the surgery itself, and at home while you are recovering. Cesareans are not easier and extra support is very important.

Can't my husband/ partner/ sister/ mother/ friend be my doula?

No they cannot. They can be a support person (and doulas work wonderfully with support people) but they do not have the knowledge and education to be a doula for you.

Why Infant Sleep Education?

Simply put: There are many good and valid reasons your baby wakes up overnight. Parenting at night is tough but I truly believe that once parents learn the biological norms of infant sleep they will see why responding when their infants cry is better for the whole family in the long run.

So are we just supposed to deal with sleep deprivation?

Oh heck no! You cannot approach infant sleep in a bubble- you have to work and fix the situation holistically or you'll always run into issues. Part of what I do in Infant Sleep consults is look at the whole family dynamic- what is working and what isn't. What you're willing to change and what you're not. How is everyone doing? What are sleep challenges doing to your family? What other issues is a lack of sleep bringing up or bringing into attention? And then we make a plan. We work together to come up with solutions that work for you and your family. So you can all get more sleep!

Why did you chose to teach the Better Baby Class?

As a doula I spend a lot of our prenatal time together talking about different things- preparing for labor, comfort measures, birth choices, newborn procedures, postpartum planning, and so on. But we don't have tons of time together before delivery- usually only 2 or 3 hours total. There is no way for me to teach you everything in depth in our prenatal visits. The women who created this Better Baby Class filled in the gaps of what I have time to teach in prenatal visits and all the information I would like you to have- so it only made sense to me to offer this class to my families. It's 4 hours long so we have the time to really dial in and focus on the immediate postpartum period so that once baby is here the whole family can thrive. It is really the perfect addition to all of my birth doula packages!

FAQ