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Meela is the trusted place for parents to find top-rated doulas, connecting over 1,700 parents with vetted doulas each month. Reach out to doulas directly, or answer a few questions and let us bring you the best available options near you. All for free, no strings attached.
Our doulas are the best of the best and hold the highest standards of evidence-based, inclusive, and compassionate care. Each verified doula on Meela is vetted by a licensed medical professional and comes with multiple client recommendations, active certifications, and has extensive training and experience in perinatal care.
3 reviews • 40 families supported • 4 years experience
3 reviews • 15 families supported • 3 years experience
3 reviews • 50 families supported • 3 years experience
0 reviews • 3 families supported • 1 years experience
0 reviews • 500 families supported • 5 years experience
1 reviews • 21 families supported • 5 years experience
0 reviews • 1 families supported • 1 years experience
A doula is a professional that provides emotional, physical and educational support to new parents before, during, and after childbirth and into the early postpartum period. Doulas are companions who strive to give families a safe, positive, and healthy labor experience. They provide parents with evidence-based information and education on childbirth and are someone who the parent can turn to with questions and concerns about having a baby. Doulas also take an active role in collaborating with the parent to create a birth plan.
A certified birth doula offers advice and techniques to help reduce the stress that the parent often experiences during childbirth and provides you with education about different aspects of delivery and labor and what comes after.
There are two ways you can hire a doula through Meela in Lorain, OH.
You can browse through the available doulas in Lorain, OH and send the doulas you are interested in a message, introducing yourself and setting up an interview. We recommend interviewing at least three before hiring your top doula.
You can also hire a doula in Lorain, OH in three easy steps:
While the cost of a doula can vary based on experience and the services offered, you can expect the average cost of a doula in Lorain, OH to be $746, which is the average cost of a doula in the state of Ohio. The cost of a doula in Lorain, OH can range from $581 to $911. These costs are based on a representative group of 260 doulas surveyed by Meela across the state of Ohio. The average cost of a doula in Ohio is lower than the U.S. national average cost of a doula, which is $971.
When hiring a birth doula in Lorain, OH, you and your doula will discuss and agree upon a fee structure, and your doula will send you itemized invoices through Meela, which you can pay securely through the app.
Some insurance companies will cover all or part of the cost of hiring a doula. Contact your insurance company to find out if they offer any coverage for hiring a doula; not all insurance companies do.
You can hire two types of doulas in Lorain, OH: a birth doula and a postpartum doula. The birth doula is during your pregnancy and through the birth of your child. They provide you with emotional, physical and educational support during your pregnancy, your labor and delivery and for the first few hours after your child is born.
A postpartum doula will support you for the first few weeks after the baby is born. They provide in-home assistance, including teaching you how to take care of your newborn, acting as lactation consultant, and can provide some night nanny services.
Yes, a birth doula can provide support during a Cesarean birth and delivery. Doulas are non-medical professionals and do not replace obstetricians, physicians, midwives or nurses. They are an additive member to the team and provide emotional, physical and informational support to the birthing parent, partner and family. It is up to you whether the certified doula can remain in the operating room during the procedure.
When you hire a doula in Lorain, OH, your services typically include several in-person prenatal sessions, 24/7 phone and text support, full attendance throughout your labor, and several hours of support immediately following your birth.
A doula in Lorain, OH can help you in any kind of birth. Certified doulas are able to assist parents in creating the ideal “birth environment” and help parents deliver their baby safely. A doula can provide support during the birth whether it occurs in a hospital, a home, or another birth center of some kind. Doulas are there to support you in your desired birth preferences, whether that is a preference for natural, non-medicated, assisted, C-section or anything else.
Certified doulas can also act as a liaison between you and hospital staff regarding your childbirth expectations and preferences. For example, if your preference is to have a non-medicated birth, a doula can help guide you through that process and create a personalized birth plan. A certified doula in Lorain, OH does not replace medical staff (such as your obstetrician and nurses).
When a surgical procedure is required, there are some situations in which a birth doula can also remain in the operating room, although this is not an expected obligation. A certified birth doula can also assist hospital staff to improve the overall birthing experience. A doula in Lorain, OH will typically stay with the parents for several hours after birth to help them with birth recovery.
Evidence suggests that a birth doula in Lorain, OH can help improve parent satisfaction with their baby’s birth and delivery. The involvement of a doula can also lead to shorter deliveries with less complications.
Recent studies show that parents who have a support person like a doula by their side throughout labor and childbirth are more likely to:
You can hire a doula early in your pregnancy to allow you time to get to know each other and to begin planning for your later trimesters, labor, birth, and aftercare. It is ideal to hire a doula when you are around 20 weeks along, but you can start looking for one before that.
It is never too late to hire a doula in Lorain, OH; you have right up to your due date to find a doula near you and receive all the benefits of doula support.
While many people think that a doula and a midwife are the same thing, their educational background and job duties are different. Doulas are non-medical professionals who provide emotional, physical and educational support, while also offering actionable advice and guidance to new parents about how to nurture their baby.
A midwife is a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) or a certified midwife (CM). CNMs are medical professionals that are certified and licensed by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. CMs are also certified, but they do not have nursing backgrounds.
Doulas are not medical professionals; they focus on the emotional support for the parents and the family before, during, and after the birth of the baby. Their job is to provide information, advice, and support to the family not diagnose any medical conditions or provide medical advice.
Rebecca
October 10, 2022 at 10:59 am | Client reviewOur pre-birth meetings with Cassandra helped us prepare mentally and emotionally for the process. She especially encouraged my partner as he prepared to help me through the labor experience. Although I wanted to have a completely natural birth experience, Cassandra helped me understand the possible twists and turns that commonly happen during birth so that I was mentally prepared for my unique experience. By the time my due-date approached, we both felt like we had tools to face whatever might happen during labor and delivery.
During our delivery, we had a nurse rotation change and I did not feel comfortable with our new nurse. Cassandra helped me navigate those feelings, she worked with the hospital staff, and advocated for a new nurse to rotate into my room. I was so thankful to have her cool head during that tense moment!
Our birth experience stands out as one of the most wonderful team experiences we’ve had as a family. My partner and I felt so connected as we worked together, and I truly believe Cassandra’s help and preparation gave us the tools we needed to work together effectively.