FAQ

what are your current office hours?

Upon the signing and confirmed receipt of a contract, you can expect a prompt answer to any email, text, or phone call (for urgent questions please call) during the below hours. Once I am on call for you, your phone call will reach me at any time of day or night.

• Sunday – Thursday 9AM – 7PM
• Friday 9AM – 3PM
• Saturday 3PM – 7PM

why birth companion and not doula?

The word doula is a direct translation of an Ancient Greek word meaning female slave of a woman, gifted to her postpartum. We will work together to ensure your birth unfolds as you envisioned. I provide continuous companionship through active labor to give you the emotional and physical support you need. Read more at this blog post.

why hire support when my family member will be there?

My top priority is supporting you. Sometimes this looks like helping with breathing techniques, positioning, massage, and making sure you’re hydrated. Sometimes this looks like sending your partner to rest after a long, sleepless night supporting you. Sometimes this looks like calling your mom, or sending your mom out of the room because you can’t have her there that moment. I work for you to ensure the peaceful, supportive birth you want with the people you want.

I’m having a scheduled cesarean. Do I even need support?

Support looks like a lot of different things. I can help alleviate anxieties and provide clarity on questions before your surgery, help prepare your home for optimal recovery, and stay with you immediately before and after to ensure the birth you want to meet your baby. Oftentimes only one support person is allowed to accompany you, so if your partner accompanies baby, I am there with you. After you are discharged, we have postnatal appointments to check in on you and your health, and provide any referrals to local resources you may desire.

what counties do you serve?

I primarily serve Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, but provide doula / birth companion care to parts of Santa Clara and San Benito counties. Give me a call, and if I’m not the right doula for you, I’ll refer you to someone I think will be.

why sliding scale?

I’m committed to justice and equity for all – repairing the world. Some can afford to pay more, some cannot. Everyone deserves a doula – as Dr. Kennell famously said after a study on the efficacy of doula care, “if a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it.” American maternal mortality rates are abysmal in comparison to other developed nations, with rates for Black and Indigenous birthing parents three and four times higher than that of white. Your payment helps me pay my bills, continuing education for the most up-to-date evidence-based care, circulates locally with ethical, sustainable small businesses and organizations, and supports a scholarship fund for unpaid care. Please pay what you can.

what are your pronouns?

they / elle

what do you mean by inclusive advocacy?

I advocate for your desires and needs. The American system is set up to disenfranchise and silence minority voices, be they Black, Indigenous, or people of color; women, nonbinary, trans, or queer people. I am your megaphone. You deserve the safe, healthy, happy life you want.

can I read your contract while deciding if we’re a good fit?

Yes, please contact me for a blank copy of the latest version.