Birthing Hands offers supplemental services that may be helpful to pregnant women and new parents, addressing their prenatal and postpartum needs and those of their new baby. Please e-mail Claudia for more information and pricing details or call (202) 236-1764.

Supplemental Prenatal Visit(s)                 
In addition to the two prenatal home visits included with the Basic Doula Package, additional prenatal visits can be arranged to best meet your individual needs.

Other supplemental prenatal visits include such services as:

Breastfeeding Basics: A Birthing Hands doula instructs you on the art and skill of breastfeeding basics to get your baby off to a healthy start. The session is designed to ensure a successful breastfeeding experience for both you and your baby. Topics and demonstrations include: benefits of breastfeeding for you and your baby; milk production; anatomy and physiology of the breast; getting the first latch; position and calming your baby; optimal breastfeeding positions; recognizing feeding cues; proper breast care, and feeding management and the working mom.

Optimal Fetal Positioning: A Birthing Hands doula instructs you on the techniques to encourage your baby to find a position that is comfortable for you during late pregnancy. Techniques include belly mapping, spinning babies, yoga positioning, use of the rebozo, and other techniques. These safe fetal positioning techniques also promote shorter labor. Babies who are mal-positioned often create a more uncomfortable and prolonged labor. An optimal fetal positioning session consultation should be scheduled after 30 weeks of pregnancy. A follow-up meeting is recommended to encourage the baby to align herself in a position that will encourage a more stress-free labor.

Comfort Techniques for 3rd Trimester and Labor: A Birthing Hands doula provides  two hour of hands-on instruction on various techniques that can provide support to expectant mothers through the last trimester of pregnancy, help in handling the discomforts of pre-labor, early labor and labor itself (active and transition), and improve the progress of labor. You will practice massage, the use of the birth ball, yoga positions, and various techniques to relieve stress from the expectant mother's body. This class will especially benefit expectant mothers who are experiencing some physical discomforts of the 3rd trimester; couples who are interested in an un-medicated birth or laboring at home before going to the hospital; or for second-time couples who want an abbreviated refresher course in labor.

Private, Individualized Childbirth Education Classes: A Birthing Hands certified childbirth educator comes to your home and provides instruction on the pregnancy, labor and birth to prepare you for your birthing journey and motherhood in a 3 three-hour sessions. Sessions are customized for you and your partner/support person to fit your lifestyle and to help you achieve your birth vision. Classes are available in English and in Spanish. These classes will cover:

• Pregnancy
• Labor and Delivery

 

Pregnancy: You and your partner are taught the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, and the emotional, physiological changes your body goes through during the pregnancy. Classes cover nutrition, diet and exercise, choosing the right care provider and birth site that is best for you, and how to prepare a birth preference plan.

Labor and Delivery: You and your partner are taught the physical and behavioral changes that occur during labor and delivery, the anatomy and physiology of labor, the stages of labor, signs of preterm labor, how to differentiate "practice labor" from labor, how to use practice labor so that you and your partner are better prepared for labor, strategies for laboring at home, and laboring and delivering in the hospital or birth center. You and your partner will learn and practice various breathing, massage and relaxation techniques as well as other comfort techniques to keep your labor progressing and help you cope with any discomfort. In addition, a certified childbirth educator may discuss routine hospital procedures, medications for labor (epidurals and narcotics), obstetrical interventions, and emergency delivery procedures, including C-sections and assisted deliveries.

Prenatal Massage: A Birthing Hands certified massage therapist unbundles your tight, tense muscles with a gloriously relaxing massage focusing on the areas of discomfort you may be experiencing. The massage can improve your muscle tone and flexibility, and reduce stress, leg cramps, muscle spasms, and the general discomforts of pregnancy. Special Note: Women in high-risk pregnancies should consult with their health care provider or midwife before beginning a massage therapy program. Massage packages for multiple prenatal massages or for a combination of prenatal, post partum and infant massages can be customized for each client.

Belly Casting Session(s): A professional Birthing Hands artist captures the beauty of your body's preparation for birth. This loving memory lasts a lifetime.

Postpartum Assistance and Care: A Birthing Hands doula teaches you and your partner skills to help to bond and care for your baby as she assists with newborn care. She provides supportive and nurturing care, attends to your postpartum needs and gives you time to rest. She offers helpful techniques for resting, breastfeeding, and balancing a new person in a family's life. She also presents techniques to soothe a fussy baby, how to get a good nap, and ideas for a healthy snacks.

A Birthing Hands doula provides the following services during the postpartum assistance and care service visits: postpartum care, massage, recovery guidance and information, breastfeeding support with hands-on guidance and information, infant soothing and massage, infant and mom massage, parent attachment and bonding, newborn care (bathing, diapering, baby wearing), day and/or overnight care, snacks for mom and information and referrals on baby and mom issues. Postpartum care is available for a few days up to several months, depending upon the specific needs of the family. A minimum four-hour, daytime service and a minimum six-hour night time for overnight service (8:00 pm - 7:00 am). service package sare available. Weekend service is offered depending upon availability. Call for details: (202) 236-1764.

Other supplemental postpartum visits include such services as:

Postpartum Massage: A certified Birthing Hands massage therapist provides you with a gloriously relaxing massage. She addresses areas that may have caused discomfort during pregnancy. Weeks after delivery, massage can help restore muscle tone in the abdomen and reposition the pelvis. Massage can also stimulate circulation of blood flow and assist in milk production, if breastfeeding. Massage packages for multiple post partum massages or for a combination of post partum and infant massages can be customized for each client.

Infant Massage: A certified Birthing Hands massage therapist gently applies massage techniques to help ensure that your new baby achieves emotional and physical well being. Infant massage aids in digestion and works to strengthen baby's immune system. Massage packages for multiple infant massages or for a combination of post partum and infant massages can be customized for each client.

Lactation Consultation: A Birthing Hands ICEA certified lactation consultant visits your home to assist you with hands-on guidance in the "dance of initial breastfeeding" between you and your new baby. Now that the baby is here, she instructs new mothers on how to use various techniques and positions to ensure that your baby is nourished and is a satisfying experience for both mother and baby. She will focus her attention on you and your baby’s specific breastfeeding issues. She will observe you breastfeeding your baby and give hands-on suggestions to improve your latch and position and she gives special attention to proper breast and nipple care, recognizing feeding cues. Session topics and demonstrations include: nutrition during breastfeeding, increasing your milk supply, "nipple confusion" if you have been supplementing with a bottle, information on baby growth spurts and their affect on nursing, the use of the breast pump, milk storage, and offers advice on how to feed a sleepy or fussy baby.