Packages

The Birth Doula Package Includes:
Pre-birth planning session/s
Continuous labor support
Assistance 1-2 hours after birth
Postpartum follow-up visit

There are three levels of care available based on experience and credentials:

Experienced doula, may be Certified in Labor Support
Novice doula, pending certification
Trainee doula, who has completed classroom training and is beginning her client experience

Packages are priced according to level.

Postpartum doula and TLC packages are also offered, ranging from 10 hour plans up to 40 hours or more.

Policies

Postpartum Doula and TLC services are arranged from 4-8 hours per visit with extended visits and overnight doula or TLC care for special needs situations. Shorter service plans of care focus more on guidance while the extended care plans allow for additional supportive care measures. Care can begin as early as the postpartum hospital stay.

How we match doulas to clients:
Doulas are matched with clients based on location, due date, length of service and time of day as well as specialty needs. Some of our staff work part-time, full-time, days or overnight and may specialize in a certain area such as breastfeeding, postpartum depression, multiples, preemies, etc. References will be provided upon request.

Labor case assignment:
Two doulas are initially assigned to all labor support cases to assure automatic back-up. One will be identified as your primary and the other as back-up, and a third person will be involved in the selection process as needed.

Postpartum case assignment:
We generally start the assignment process with one doula for you to meet. The earlier you register, the more options available. A second interview can be considered on a case-by-case basis. A back-up will be assigned as needed or during heavy vacation and holiday time. It is understood that in the event of unforeseen problems, if the prearranged staff person is not available at the time of the client's need, whether due to change in the time frame or need of client or staff person's personal schedule, Mother & baby Matters will make every effort to arrange back-up staff to best meet the scheduling needs of the client.

Registration process:

If you are interested in obtaining services, please complete and return the registration form along with the appropriate registration fee, which covers the processing of your registration as well as making arrangements for an acquaintance visit. The registration fee will not be charged until Mother & baby Matters is able to provide staffing for the client. Once the staffing has been provided and the acquaintance visit held, the non-refundable registration fee will be charged.
A credit card back-up is required for all registrations. You may charge your registration fee as well as service payments to your credit card. MasterCard, Visa and Discover are preferred. Following the acquaintance visit, a written contract agreement will be sent to you. A 50% payment is required at the time of contract, and the remainder at the commencement of services.

Other Policies:

Minimum length of visit
A four hour minimum visit is required for day cases unless agreed-upon by the individual Doula assigned to the case. A six hour minimum visit is required for overnight cases.

Differential charges for multiples
A 10% differential charge is added to our normal pricing when the visits are for twins. For triplets, the differential rate is 15%.

Differential charges for siblings
A 10% differential charge is added to our normal pricing when the Doula is responsible for the newborn and one sibling under five years of age. For the newborn and two siblings under five years of age, the differential rate is 15%.

Length of services
Our insurance allows us to care for newborns for a maximum of six (6) months from date of discharge. This restriction may be waived if there is a significant medical issue with the baby.

Notification of family illness
Please notify the office and/or doula of any illness in the family (i.e. viral symptoms, fever, strep, vomiting, etc). Since our doulas often take care of more than one client at a time, it is important for them to know when they may be exposed to communicable diseases.

Hiring Mother & baby Matters' staff privately
Our staff members are or will be working for you on our behalf. They are not allowed (by contract) to work "on the side" for any Mother & baby Matters' client, either before, during or after the six month newborn period. This is not only a contractual issue, but also an insurance and liability issue. Please do not ask our staff members to work for you outside of the Mother & baby Matters contract.

Transportation Policy
Staff must not drive a client and/or client's child(ren) in staff member's car. Staff must use their own car for client errands. Staff may accompany a client to a doctor's office, hospital, etc. while client is driving her own car.

Insurance coverage:
Some insurance plans cover a portion or all of the fees related to postpartum care, newborn care and lactation consultation. Statements and invoices, which include include "CPT Codes" and "Diagnosis Codes" and our "NPI number", can be provided for insurance purposes. Please contact your employer's Human Resources Department for information about coverage.

Cancellation policy:
If a visit is cancelled less than 24 hours prior to the scheduled start of the visit, the client will be charged for one half of the time period originally scheduled (ex. If a visit scheduled for eight hours is cancelled less than 24 hours before the scheduled start of the visit, the client will be charged for a four hour visit).

If services are cancelled prior to the completion of the contracted or agreed-upon amount of hours, a $50.00 cancellation fee will be charged. If the hours used at the time of cancellation fall within another plan rate rather than the contracted plan rate, your final bill will be adjusted to reflect the corrected plan rate. (For example, if you contract for 200+ hours at the lower rate and only use 120 hours, the 120 hours will be adjusted to the higher rate for under 200 hour plans.)

Hints

Registration is encouraged by the 5th month of pregnancy for a birth doula.

Registration for postpartum care services is highly recommended prior to delivery, preferably four to six weeks before due date to ensure placement of appropriate staff.