Your Team
Midwifery Assistant/Monitrice
A midwifery assistant has the knowledge and skills to help the midwife provide you with the highest level of clinical care available in the out of hospital setting. She has special training in midwifery to perform clinical tasks such as listening to baby’s heart rate, assessing cervical dilation, and mother’s vital signs. She also has advanced training in emergency and life saving procedures. The assistant is focused on the what the midwife needs, and is often training toward their own midwifery career. A midwifery assistant will be present at every delivery.
Postpartum Doula
A postpartum doula is an invaluable resource to a new family. She helps keep the household running smoothly while allowing the family to focus their energy on bonding with their new baby. She comes to your home on a prearranged schedule and helps out by taking care of basic household duties. She can do light cooking and cleaning, run errands, laundry, etc. She is also knowledgeable about breastfeeding and can help troubleshoot many common issues before they become a problem. An expert in newborn care, she will lovingly answer your questions and concerns about your new baby.
Birth Doula
This is a person who is solely focused on caring for the birthing mother. She has training and expert knowledge in supporting a woman through an unmedicated birth. Often, doulas also attend births in the hospital setting, and so are familiar with hospital practices, and medical interventions. Doulas offer support to parents before, during, and after the birth. They provide education as well as physical and emotional support. Doulas also have basic training in breastfeeding and can help troubleshoot common issues.
Advanced Practice Doulas — A Vine of Life Exclusive
An advanced practice doula has not only completed a standard doula training program, but also has additional skills necessary to facilitate a home birth. These include, emergency procedures and skills training for both the mother and baby, the use of a doppler to listen to baby’s heart tones, a unique understanding of the home birth parent, and how to naturally support women without the use of medical interventions (unless medically necessary). Vine of Life exclusively trains advanced practice doulas, who must meet stringent educational and birth attendance requirements prior to certification.
So, what do I need?
Every client will have a midwifery assistant attend their birth along with the midwife. Birth doulas and postpartum doulas are optional services contracted with the doula directly. The birth doula’s job is to focus solely on the mother and family. A doula can be an invaluable asset to a mother, especially a first time parent, or VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) because she provides emotional, physical, and education support prenatally, during the birth, and afterward. Expecting to be exhausted and overwhelmed after the birth? A postpartum doula helps you fold your new little one into your family.