Mission Statement
Modern Doula Center believes that every person should have a doula present to provide the necessary support during the pregnancy, delivery and the fourth trimester. Whether you are a first-time parent, a single parent or a gestational carrier, Modern Doula Center is here to assist you with your birthing needs.
About Us
The doulas at Modern Doula Center are thoroughly vetted, trained, and certified to provide a truly tailored experience of comfort and ease. Not only do our doulas understand the intricacies of childbirth, but they also have years of firsthand experience with Surrogates, Intended Parents, and Agencies. In fact, many of our doulas are specifically trained to handle cases relating to surrogacy. We believe that socioeconomic status and other factors such as age, race, ethnicity, gender, marital status, income, and education should not dictate the level of support families receive during their pregnancy and childbirth.
Many of our doulas are in Southern California, but we have a vast network of doulas around the country. No matter where you reside, we can help you obtain the support you need.
What is a Doula?
According to DONA International ®, a doula is “a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.”
Doula FAQs
Many times when a woman chooses to use a Doula at her birth it is because she is looking for a more natural alternative to pain and emotional support. Just because a client has a Doula does not mean that the client can’t have an epidural. It simply means the mother would like to try every other alternative before settling for medicated support.
Depending on the need, doulas can fulfill various types of roles such as:
- Labor or Birth Doulas: Provide continuous care during labor.
- Antepartum Doulas: Support women who are put on bed rest to prevent preterm labor. They can also help with household tasks and childcare.
- Postpartum Doulas: Support the new parent(s) during the first few weeks after birth. They help with care and feeding of the baby and household tasks.
- Fertility Doulas: Support mothers during preconception to help them prepare emotionally and physically for pregnancy.
- Abortion Doulas: Provides support before, during, and/or after an abortion.
- Bereavement Doula or “Loss Doula”: Assists families who are experiencing the loss of their baby. Whether that loss is through miscarriage, stillbirth, or a diagnosis that means the baby will not live long after being delivered.
Absolutely not! The Doula is in the room for both the clients as the support system, whether that be her partner and/or family members. Sometimes the client has specific request for certain members of the family and Doula can help make sure that these requests are respected. We can also support thse partner and helping that partner understand better how to care for their pregnancy partner during the labour process.
A Doula can support a surrogate in the same way she supports a regular birthing mother. However, she can also make sure that the Intended Parents are informed and understand what is happening during the process. In the event that the Intended Parents are not able to attend the birth, the Doula can be an additional support system or also the sole support for the surrogate if the Intended Parents do not wish to be in the birthing room.
Absolutely! Supporting someone during a delivery is a completely different situation. For example, would the Intended Parents be willing to help flip the Surrogate from side-to-side if she has a medicated birth? Or would the Surrogate be comfortable having the Intended Parents view her vaginal region during dilation checks, induction medication, catheter placement, or post birth placenta delivery?
As much as Intended Parents have great intentions and want their surrogate to have the best possible delivery, obviously for their own health but more importantly for the health of the baby, having the additional support of a Doula who is mainly focused on the surrogate’s delivery should be a top priority for them.
A client should hire a Doula as soon as they know what type of birth they are hoping to achieve. It is recommended to start your search for a Doula around 5-6 months. However, a Doula may also be brought on sooner or later depending on the needs of the involved parties.
Testimonials
