• Birth Doula Services
• Postpartum Doula Services
• Lamaze Childbirth Education

Birth Doula Services
Labour Day Doula Support provides DONA-certified child birth doula service. This incorporates:

• Prenatal Visit(s)
• Birth Preferences (sometimes called Birth Plan) Assistance
• Recommended Reading
• Lending Library of Books and Videos
• Telephone Support
• On-Call 24 Hours a Day
• Continuous Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Support
• Initial Breastfeeding Assistance
• Postpartum Visits
• Back-up Doula Support
• Referrals for additional assistance, as needed
• "Over the Shoulder Baby Holders" (see "Slings" page) at reduced rate

My Philosophy
I believe that childbirth is a normal, natural, and healthy experience. Every woman is capable of a positive birth experience. Every woman deserves to have information and education in order to make informed choices and decisions about and throughout labour and delivery. As a doula, I wish to honor the birth choices that you and your partner have made. I believe that childbirth is truly a transformative experience for both mother and father. I bring compassion, knowledge, understanding, strength, and a calming presence to birth. I believe that fathers and doulas work together to provide total emotional, physical, and psychological support to the laboring mother.

Postpartum Doula Services
Babymoon; also known as the Fourth Trimester. It refers to the first several months after the birth of your baby, when you get to know your baby, your baby gets to know you, and - especially if you're having your first baby - you begin the exciting journey into Parenthood. Having a postpartum doula to help you through that wonderful Fourth Trimester leads to a more positive relationship with your baby and a calmer, more comfortable, and more confident mother.

A postpartum doula mothers the mother. A postpartum doula comes to your home and takes care of YOU so that you can take care of your new baby. My services could include:

• help with breastfeeding;
• help with infant care including bathing and changing the baby;
• help with umbilical cord care;
• laundry;
• meal preparation;
• light housework;
• running errands;
• fielding visitors;
• helping with older siblings;
• of course, a listening, experienced, and compassionate ear.

Q: What is the difference between a postpartum doula and a baby nurse?
A: First, it's important to know that a baby nurse isn't often actually a medical nurse (RN or LPN) at all. A baby nurse comes into the home to take care of the new baby, leaving you to care for yourself and everyone else in the family. A postpartum doula comes into the home to mother the mother, help her take care of the new baby, and the rest of the members of the family. I strive, ultimately, to work myself out of a job.

Due to the needs of my own family, I consider postpartum doula support for families for whom I have provided birth doula services and families in the following towns only:

• Alpine
• Bergenfield
• Closter
• Cresskill
• Demarest
• Dumont
• Englewood
• Haworth
• New Milford
• Teaneck
• Tenafly

** Please note that this list of towns applies ONLY to postpartum doula support! I provide birth doula support throughout northern New Jersey and lower New York state. **

My initial postpartum doula package includes:

• 1 one-hour prenatal visit
• 3 three-hour postpartum visits

Additional hours may be requested up front or during our time together and will be considered pending space available on my calendar.

Lamaze Childbirth Education
I am a certified Lamaze childbirth educator. Why Lamaze? Most people have heard of Lamaze; it's synonymous with childbirth education. But what most people do not know is that Lamaze has undergone a major transformation in the past few years. It's not just about breathing (well, without breathing, where we would we all be?!) and "hee hee hoo." If you think you know about Lamaze from what your mother or aunts experienced or from watching TV sitcoms, think again!

Check out "10 Myths About Lamaze" for more details.

Lamaze celebrates and promotes normal birth. Through Lamaze's Six Care Practices, Lamaze brings birth back as a celebration of a normal life event.

I offer a series of five classes during which we will cover:

• physiology of pregnancy, labor, and birth
• stages of labor
• emotional aspects of pregnancy, labor, and birth
• breastfeeding
• skin-to-skin contact and the newborn
• slings
• comfort measures for birth
• optimal foetal positioning
• interventions and medical aspects of birth, including epidurals and other pain medication
• historical perspective on birth
• postpartum emotions
• your baby, your husband, and you!

All classes are held in my Tenafly home. Please contact me for more information and to register for this class.