Birth Your Way Doulas

Services & Prices

"Not my first baby" Birth Doula Services - $1300

I (Karen) will use -and help your partner use- many techniques to keep you comfortable. Those include Acupressure, Aromatherapy, Spinning Babies, and Guided Meditation, to support you mentally, emotionally and physically as you welcome your baby. Spinning Babies techniques help with comfort during the last months of your pregnancy and you on the road to an efficient labor.

You decide when you want me to join you (typically while you are still at home), then I follow you to the hospital or birth center and stay until you are resting comfortably with your new baby in your arms. My goal is to keep you relaxed, positive, comfortable, informed and help ensure you are heard and respected. This is your birth and I want you to get the birth you want. I will also happily snap lots of photos of the first moments, after birth, on your phone or camera. This captures the fleeting moments of your reactions and the cutting of your baby's cord.

Prenatal topics include how your partner can help, hands on instruction in Spinning Babies, prenatal and postpartum planning, postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, infant sleep and more. All topics are backed up by notes for you to keep and reference.

First Baby Birth Doula Services - $1400

I (Karen) will use -and help your partner use- many techniques to keep you comfortable. Those include Acupressure, Aromatherapy, Spinning Babies , and Guided Meditation, to support you mentally, emotionally and physically as you welcome your baby. Spinning Babies techniques help with comfort during the last months of your pregnancy and you on the road to an efficient labor.

You decide when you want me to join you (typically while you are still at home), then I follow you to the hospital or birth center and stay until you are resting comfortably with your new baby in your arms. My goal is to keep you relaxed, positive, comfortable, informed and help ensure you are heard and respected. This is your birth and I want you to get the birth you want. I will also happily snap lots of photos of the first moments, after birth, on your phone or camera. This captures the fleeting moments of your reactions and the cutting of your baby's cord.

Prenatal topics include how your partner can help, hands on instruction in Spinning Babies, prenatal and postpartum planning, postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, infant sleep and more. All topics are backed up by notes for you to keep and reference. During the additional prenatal visit in this package, we will spend additional time on each of the prenatal topics and spend time reviewing your birth plan.

The postpartum visit from Karen or Sara (our postpartum specialist). is spent checking on breastfeeding, your recovery and answering questions about adjusting to caring for your baby and helping them to adjust to life in the world.

Total Care Birth Doula Services - $1600

This package includes all of the same services as the "First Baby Birth Doula Services" package, and you will be given a TENS device at 37 weeks to have at the ready. With up to three prenatal meetings, this gives us extra time to do a birth rehearsal, write your birth plan and show you how to use TENS, a simple non invasive technique for pain control. Then we can dig into any concerns you may have and talk about what to expect in the hospital or birth center. This package is great for first-time parents who want all the pain control they can get! It's also great for those who have only taken the birth class offered by the hospital, or who may have seen too many concerning things on the internet.

Home Birth Doula Services - $1600

(Sara only)

This package, available from Sara only, includes the services in the "First Baby Birth Doula Services" package plus an in-person meeting with the midwife. This gives us plenty of time to get to know each other, talk about your home birth plans and get comfortable in your home. Sara also offers a meeting with your midwife to introduce herself and have the opportunity to cover any logistics or preferences to ensure that your birth team is cohesive and united in our support of you. This can be a separate meeting with your midwife or I can attend one of your prenatal meetings, depending on your schedule and your midwife's availability.

During our prenatal meetings, we will go over your birth plan and what comfort measures you enjoy and want to use during your birth. We will talk about how you envision your birth, and what steps we can take to achieve your goals. We will also cover what happens if the plan needs to change and what support will look like at different stages of birth. Postpartum planning and early newborn care are covered prenatally, as well as your chance to ask anything in our postpartum visit once your baby is here!

Newborn Care Consultation $125 ($100 for birth doula clients) 1 1/2 hours

(Sara only)

It can be stressful trying to get everything ready for your new baby! Once they've arrived, questions you didn't know you had keep popping up. Sara will meet with you either before your birth or postpartum to go over your questions and help you understand and gather resources to support whatever is going on. You can ask questions, get lactation support, practice swaddling, cloth diaper guidance - anything you need!

Our service area:

Most of our clients choose to give birth in a hospital, and we have helped with births at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, Hoag Irvine, Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills, Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Kaiser Irvine, Kaiser Anaheim, St. Joseph in Orange, Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Scripps Encinitas, St. Jude Fullerton, Jacobs Birth Center UCSD, Sharp Mary Birch, Palomar Medical Center Poway Birth Center and Kaiser Riverside. She loves stand-alone birth center births too! She has assisted births at South Coast Midwifery and at Best Start Birth Center in San Diego. Sara works with stand alone birth center and home birth clients when supported by a midwife for the medical part of the birth itself.

Payment and Insurance Reimbursement

Prices above are for packages only and must be paid in full at the first prenatal visit or when the contract is signed whichever happens first. After the birth, if you like, I will send a superbill for you to submit to your Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account for Medical (FSA), or insurance company for reimbursement. Most HSAs and FSAs will reimburse you without trouble.

Some insurance companies are now covering Birth Doulas! Be sure to check with your insurnace provider. I am happy to provide a great letter to help convince your insurance company if needed. Karen is an in network birth doula for Tricare the insurance for our military and she does all the billing for Tricare Select and Tricare Prime beneficiaries. She is also in the Stork Club and Mahmee networks which may be covered by insurance such as Blue Shield or Medicaid. After all, we do save them money by reducing your chances of Cesarean from a nationwide average of about 30% to less than half of that!