Our Services

The Mothering Way Doulas provide the help you need, when you need it.

Historically, family and community provided all the information moms needed to have a healthy pregnancy and a smooth transition after the baby arrived. Today, The Mothering Way Doulas provide the education, the physical support, and the emotional support that is essential for every new or growing family.

We encourage all our families to enjoy this special time and allow others to nurture and care for them. We are here to meet your needs. Please contact us. Let us answer your questions and provide you with respectful, supportive, and knowledgeable assistance.

Labor Support

Research shows that a doula’s presence transforms the birth experience. Numerous clinical studies find that a doula’s presence:
  • results in shorter labors with fewer complications
  • reduces the need for Pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction
  • reduces the requests for pain medication and epidurals, as well as the incidence of cesareans (1)

...After my 4th birth (my first with a Doula), what I remember most is the feeling of having my body doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing - and how very, very right it felt. I really hadn't been sure I needed a labor support doula; now I couldn't imagine giving birth without one.
— Leslie, mom of four

Learn more about our labor support services »

Postpartum Care

With a Doula from The Mothering Way, moms and families get:

  • Time to rest and recuperate
  • Continuous breastfeeding support and information
  • Time to get to know her baby (or babies)
  • Care and attendance to special needs or concerns

Studies have shown that cultures in which women are cared for by others for a defined period of days or weeks and are expected only to nurture themselves and their babies during that time have superior outcomes in postpartum adjustment. (2-3)

Everyone gets peace of mind from the presence of a knowledgeable, experienced professional.

...I wanted my [postpartum] experience to be different with my second baby. Worried that we could not afford a postpartum doula, my husband suggested we hire a college student to work as a mother's helper. I wasn't sure, but I suspected we would not get the kind of help I felt we needed with a mother's helper. No college student would have massaged me when I felt tense or known the people to call when we needed a hospital-grade breast pump over the weekend...
— Stacy, a second-time mom

Learn more about our postpartum care services »

Massage Services

Massage provides women with nurturing therapeutic touch that benefits both mom and baby and helps to combat many of the complications that may occur during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Learn more »

Breastfeeding Support

Concerns about breastfeeding and issues surrounding breastfeeding seem to be the norm in our society. Most of us have not grown up around breastfeeding, and we really don’t know what to do. So many people, understandably, feel unsure about the prospect of breastfeeding. We, at The Mothering Way, realize that early education and support are the keys to a successful breastfeeding relationship. We want to help you succeed. Learn more »

Citations

Hodnett ED, Gates S, Hofmeyr G J, Sakala C. “Continuous support for women during childbirth.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2003, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD003766. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003766.

Kruckman, L. “Rituals and support: An anthropological view of postpartum depression.” In J. Hamilton and P. Harberger (Ed.), Postpartum Psychiatric Illness (pp. 137-148). Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992.

Stern, G., & Kruckman, L. “Multi-disciplinary perspectives on post-partum depression: An anthropological critique.” Social Science and Medicine, 17(15), 1027-1041, 1983.