I am a postpartum doula certified through DONA International, a lactation consultant trained through The Healthy Children Project, and a Ayurvedic masseur certified through The California College or Ayurveda. I’m a personal chef that specializes in postpartum nutrition and have a catalogue of frozen stews, broths and soups to choose from if you need inspiration for your meal planning. I meet prenatally to help organize the home, nursery and any other members of the support team. (Outlining responsibilities and expectations is work that is best done in advance.) I provide a newborn care class and a lactation class as well as meal prep for soups, stews and broths to be frozen. I always encourage my clients to try to book me for a visit right after the birth while in the hospital for lactation support and a modified version of my Ayurvedic massage. Once the family is home I cook nourishing foods rich in iron, protein, collagen, micro and macro nutrients to aid in recovery from depletion and help speed healing. (I also have a Postpartum Soup Bundle that can be purchased ahead of time.) I do dishes, laundry and of course provide even more lactation support. I can also simply care for the newborn while parents sleep. After the first few weeks the focus tends to shift into finding a daily rhythm, newborn care techniques and education on developmentally appropriate sleep habits for the baby. I also help parents with planning childcare help. I can be a sleep consultant one day and provide a massage the next. Maybe I play with the older children while mama naps with the newborn. Sometimes the work is just to sit and talk about all the things that the parents are struggling with. My job and my life’s joy is to simply be an extra set of hands or a sympathetic ear to new parents.

Recovery support, lactation counseling, sleep planning for the family, newborn care, massage, cooking, laundry, dishes and emotional support are all included in my hourly rate. The minimum amount of hours to book me is 40, most clients opt for 60 hours but a few have booked me for 100. A lot of this depends on how many other people are in their support team. I charge $45 and hour and I require at least 50% up front to be added to my calendar and blocked from other clients booking me. The full amount must be paid in full 2 weeks prior to the EDD.