Contract

Contract of Services for Doula Support

-We will have 3 meetings for a minimum of an hour each time, or more if needed. 1 of which needs to be a private location so I can teach you breathing techniques, use of the rebozo, and physical support training for your partner.

-Help with Birth Plan

-Accompany you on a tour of the birth center if you are not taking childbirth classes that offer it.

-I will attend birth/breastfeeding classes with you if you would like me to attend

-1 prenatal doctor appointment if you would like me to attend

-Unlimited phone calls

-Unlimited texts, messenger and emails

-1 pre-labor hospital visit (also known as false alarm, even though it is actually making progress)

-If you are induced, I will be there from the beginning until 2 hours after the baby is born.

-Labor, Delivery and 2 hours postpartum

-Education on pregnancy, labor, and postpartum

- It may take me a minimum of 1 hour to arrive where ever you want me to once you go into labor

-I will meet you when you go into labor wherever you would like me to come.

-I will provide early labor support as requested, including in your home.

-I will remain with you once active labor has begun until at least one to two hours after your baby is born. I will utilize non-medical support techniques for labor and birth and maintain a birth log as circumstances allow.

- I will assist in providing information and supply emotional support by telephone on postpartum care, breastfeeding, and newborn care after the birth, as requested.

-I will meet with you once between 1 to 4 weeks postpartum to discuss the birth and any other concerns you may have if you wish. I am available for 2 weeks after the birth to assist you via text/phone/email/messenger physically and emotionally. For example, if you need an hour or so with your partner I will take care of baby, or if you need help with shopping, or organizing, or cleaning, I include this in my fee. I will also help with these things during pregnancy. If you just need help getting the house ready for baby, I will help you. After the 2 weeks postpartum, my fee is $25.00/hr.

What is my role as a doula? I escort the birthing person in labor to help you have an empowered birth. I draw on my knowledge and experience to provide physical, emotional, and informational support to the birthing person and partners. I am independent and self-employed. As your doula, I am working for you, not for your caregiver or the hospital. I cannot be held responsible for any outcomes of the birth however. My role is to help you be empowered to speak up for yourself and to feel confident about your choices and to help educate you about what your choices are to the best of my knowledge. I do not speak up for you. A birth plan is important because it help you advocate for yourself. We will make the most indepth birth plan that we can.

My availability- I consider my on-call period for a birth to be from two weeks before a due date to two weeks after the due date. I generally will only take a client if I plan to be in town and available for this “on-call” period. Limits of availability near your due date: I would list specific dates and times here when I would not be available and my apprentice would attend…. I do have a cell phone, and in general I can be reached at any time. In the rare instance where I am away from my phone during an on-call period, I try to check it at least every half to 1 hour for voice mail. This is very rare, there are only a couple of reasons I would not be able to answer the phone. I will call you back immediately upon checking my phone. It may only take a few minutes, it may take 30 minutes, but usually I call back within 30 minutes tops.

I do not go anywhere that takes me over 30 minutes to get back for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after your due date. I try to be available at all times through your whole pregnancy. I don't travel, so that is not a concern. I rarely go anywhere further that from you.

Prenatal Conference. We will have a prenatal meeting to review your Birth Plan, and give us a chance to talk in detail about your preferences regarding your birth. I will ask about your knowledge of the birth process, and can provide information and education as needed. I will want to know your own personal ways of coping with pain and fatigue and difficult situations, and what internal resources we can draw upon to assist you with the birthing experience. I will want to know how you and your partner foresee working together, and the roles of others who may be attending the birth. We can discuss together what fears and concerns you have regarding the birth. We can review your preferences regarding the use of pain medications. My role is to help you have a satisfying birth as you define it. The more we explore this in advance, the better I will be able to fulfill this role.

Late Pregnancy I am available for phone consultations, email, messenger and texts, and encourage clients to call with questions or updates. Once we enter the on-call period, I encourage clients to check in with me every few days to let me know how they’re doing.

During Labor

We will discuss in prenatal meetings what you expect to want during labor, and will also evaluate by phone once your labor has begun, and you know more what your needs are. When you think labor has begun, call me and let me know, and I can begin making arrangements for attending the birth. We will then plan to check in every few hours by phone, so I can provide information, ideas for comfort techniques, and reassurance. It is up to you to decide at what point in your labor you want me to come and be with you. Once you make that choice, I will generally be there within 30 minutes to an hour, and will remain with you until after the birth.

When you are in Labor

Comfort techniques: I can offer help and advice with comfort measures such as guiding your breathing, enhancing relaxation, encouraging movement, suggesting effective positions for labor, and doing massage. I will also work with your partner to help you in your labor if they are able or willing to be involved.

Advocacy: I can assist with gathering information about the progress of labor to make sure you have the information you need to make informed decisions about your birth. I will help you advocate for yourself.

Emotional support: Our most critical role is providing continuous emotional reassurance and comfort.

After Birth. I expect to remain with a client for 1-2 hours after birth, until you are comfortable, and the family is ready for quiet time together. I can also help with initial breastfeeding. I am available for phone contact to answer questions about the birth of your baby.

My services include one postpartum visit, usually within two weeks of the birth. During this visit, I can provide breastfeeding support, baby care tips, referrals to community resources, and a chance to discuss the birth experience.

When to call: When you feel as though you are in labor please let me know early, so I can clear my schedule and prepare for your upcoming birth. I recommend that you call me as soon as you think you are in labor. Don’t wait until your contractions are a certain time apart, this is not always accurate. I will be with you throughout your whole labor and delivery.

I have a back up doula in case I get sick or the weather makes it impossible to drive. If there is no possible way to get there, I will call my back up doula. Her name is Katie Minich. If you would like to meet my back up, please make an appointment for us all to meet together ahead of time. I highly recommend this meeting so that you are not uncomfortable in case I cannot be at your birth.

After Birth in the following week

We will schedule a follow up to support and review the birth, get feedback and answer any questions you will have. I need feedback for a few places, and I also have a couple of review papers that need to be done as soon as possible after birth. I need it done by our last postpartum visit. I also ask if you would leave a review on Facebook for me. It is very helpful for future clients to know that I am reliable and worth hiring.

Limitation of Services

What Doulas do not do. They do not perform clinical tasks, such as blood pressure, fetal heart checks, vaginal exams, etc. They are there to provide only physical and emotional support and advocacy. They do not make decisions for you. They will help you get the information you need to make your own informed decisions. They will also remind you if there is a departure from your Birth Plan, and will verify if this is, in fact, your informed decision. They will not speak to medical staff regarding matters where health care decisions are being made. They can discuss your concerns with you and suggest options. They can support you in discussions with staff as your advocate, making sure you have the opportunity to discuss concerns, but you or your partner will speak on your behalf to the medical staff.

I will remind you of your birth plan decisions

Extenuating Circumstances

I will provide as much support as possible in these scenarios but must abide by caregivers policy, i.e. not being allowed in the surgical suite, etc. If the birth does not go as planned a refund is not given.

Failure to provide services

Rapid labor is not a failure to provide services and what services will be rendered in its place. If you change your mind after I have met with you several times a refund will not be given.

After this contract is signed if I choose not to have Christina attend my birth, that will forfeit the deposit and that I will be responsible for any outstanding fees owed under this contract.

Understand that I will make every effort to attend your birth and fulfill the obligations of this contract, but in the event of unforeseen events, such as rapid labor, failure to call, or a cesarean section, I may not be able to attend your birth.

If failure to attend the birth is due to unforeseen circumstances, payment my services will not be returned and any outstanding fees for this contract will be owed to me.

Understand that if I am not able to attend my birth due to my own error, I will either call a replacement doula or refund the full fees minus the deposit, due under this contract, at my discretion.

If you get sent out of Klamath Falls for your labor and birth, I need to have my expenses paid to travel. I cannot refund for not being able to attend your birth outside of Medford. I cannot travel further than Medford. If you cannot pay for my expenses, I cannot attend your labor because that is a hotel room, food, gas. I would love to include this in the fee, but that would not cover everything. I will stay at the lowest cost hotel room, bring as much food as I can, and keep the expenses to the bare minimum.

Fee

For the services described here, to be paid as follows:

We will discuss what needs to be paid as a retainer fee, This is due at the contract signing. This is the only way my services are secured and you are placed in my calendar.

The remaining balance is due by the end of your 37th week or two weeks before your date that you are scheduled to be induced or I may not attend your birth and I will not return the deposit. My fee is $600.00.

I/We have read this contract describing the doula’s services and agree to enter into a client-doula relationship for the pregnancy and birth with a due date of ______________.

I have read this letter of agreement describing the doula’s services and agree that it reflects the discussions that I have had with her. All questions have been answered to my satisfaction. I agree to the terms of services and payment of fees outlined above

Client Name ________________________ Client Signature__________________________

Client Name ________________________ Client Signature__________________________

Doula Name ________________________ Doula Signature__________________________

My information:

Phone number and text number: 541-891-0312 and/or 541-591-5414 if you believe you are in labor, or it is urgent and I do not answer one phone, please call the other one. Do not email, text or message me if you think you are in labor, please call me. If it is at night I will not hear anything except a phone call.

Email Address: serenebegin@gmail.com messenger: serenebegin