CLAIRE THOMAS
birth doula & perinatal support

Being a doula for families is an honor. My role as a doula is much different than that of a midwife assistant in that I provide care and support before the midwife and her team come. If the family has a planned hospital birth, I can meet the family at home or when they are ready to go to the hospital. It's also important to know that my primary responsibility is the family I am supporting, not the hospital staff or midwifery team. 

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Here are some statistics on having a doula:

 

- decreases overall Cesarean rate by about 39%

- decreases length of labor by 41 minutes on average

- decreases feelings of being dissatisfied by birth/labor by 31%

- decreases risk of a low 5-minute-APGAR score by 38%

(info from https://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/)

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My birth doula services include the following:

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- 2 prenatal visits plus 1 postpartum follow up

- 24/7 on-call from weeks 38-42

- available for phone calls and texts

- support during labor and post-birth 

- support can be touch, movement, creating a calm atmosphere, explaining medical procedures, etc

- stay with family in the event of a hospital transfer