FAQ

We're so glad you asked! Our benefits are limitless but to name a few: -8 hr Childbirth Education Class -Education about pregnancy, labor and postpartum -4 Week Prenatal Group focused on community and education -Call/Text/Email us questions prenatally -Referrals & remedies for ailments -Comfort Measures Class -Infant Care Class (before baby is born) -Breast/bodyfeeding Class (before baby is born) - Understand labor signs - Normalize physiological labor - Comfort measures during early labor at home - Advise when to go to place of birth - Communicate birth preferences with birth team - Educate on varying degrees of normal labor - Educate on different options of augmentation - Help ask questions & advocate during labor - Assist support person in their involvement during labor - Assist with positional support after epidural placement - Assist with pushing phase - If breastfeeding, assist with baby's first latch - Ensure birthing person gets a good meal after birth - Lactation Support - Infant Care Class (after baby is born) - Breastfeeding Class (after baby is born) - IBCLC & other referrals - Call/Text/Email us questions postpartum - 1 week follow up after birth of your baby - Daytime postpartum support customized to your needs - Nighttime postpartum support focused on getting you sleep - 6 Week Postpartum Support Groups focused on community and education

Every day of the year, we have at least two doulas on the schedule. When you go into labor, simply call the doula hotline and one of our doulas will triage you over the phone. When it's "go time," whomever is on the schedule at that time will be your doula and she will meet you at your home, hospital or birth center. Once she's with you during labor, she stays with you until you meet your baby. We rarely swap out unless we feel you would benefit from a fresh doula brain and set of hands (usually 24+ hrs). If another person calls in labor that same day, the backup doula goes to them. From there, we have the ability to add more doulas to the schedule if need be. This model allows us to guarantee a doula at your birth any day of the year with no black-out dates. It also allows our doulas to plan their schedules around their scheduled days, so that you always get a well-rested doula at your birth.

We hold virtual and in person "Meet the Doulas" sessions that are free to register for on our calendar. We host two virtual Meet the Doulas Q&A sessions per month and a very informal in person meet & greet every month. Pick one, or all, that work for you and come learn all about how we work! A typical virtual Meet the Doulas consists of: Birth story from an ATX Doulas client -- Real life testimonials from moms and dads who used our services (Bonus! Cute babies are usually in attendance) Team Introductions -- Who we are, how we operate, why every woman deserves a doula, and why every partner will thank us Q & A session -- Spend some time getting all of your questions answered OR Our in person meetup is an informal meet & greet where potential, current and previous clients can visit on a lunch break or stay and play with their kiddos. Locations may vary around central Austin but it's typically held at Central Market on North Lamar, be sure to check the calendar. For birthing people due immediately (39+ weeks pregnant), contact us about scheduling a one-on-one meet & greet. We cannot promise that we will be able to accommodate a private in-person meeting, and if we do, the doula you meet may not be the doula at your birth. Because of this, we highly recommend attending at least one Meet the Doulas to meet our team. Email info@atxdoulas.com for more information. *Note that not all of our doulas can be at each meet up as some of them may be attending births or working postpartum shifts.

When you hire ATX Doulas, you hire the whole team. Because we operate with an collaborative model, clients don't have to interview and choose their individual doula -- they let us know when they're in labor, and the doula on call will join them. If you would like to meet the doulas on the team beforehand, we encourage you to attend our Meet the Doulas meetups to get to know us better and secure our refund policy.

Collaborative Model: Because we work collaboratively on a rotation, we always have a rested doula and back up doula (and a back up to the back up) available. You can meet our doula team at our Doulapaloozas and Doulas in the Park as often as you like. Collective Experience & Education: We work as a team, and we share knowledge, experience, and resources. We support 200+ births a year and we all learn from every one of those experiences. In turn, we are able to share that collectively-sourced knowledge and experience with the families we support. We have worked at every major hospital and birthing center in and around the Austin area and have built solid relationships with many of the OBs and midwives in town. Vetted Team: Our doulas are thoroughly vetted by our management team. Before we hire a doula, we vet their experience, we run a background check, check references, and attend a birth with her. This is our interview process, and it allows us to make sure that we have only quality doulas on our team. We do the leg work so you don't have to!​​ Affordable and Transparent Pricing: Our pricing is competitive, and it is all available on our website. No sliding scale, no case-by-case basis, no need to email us to inquire: our prices are posted on our website so you know exactly how much each service costs. We figure you have enough things to do to prepare for baby, searching for doula pricing shouldn't be one of them. One Stop Shop: At ATX Doulas we have everything you need for the childbearing year: birth doulas, postpartum doulas, childbirth education, infant care and breastfeeding classes, placenta encapsulation, lactation counselors, photography, sleep help, nutrition, and more. We make it easy for you to get all the support you need under one roof. Great Reviews!: Check out our testimonials page, our Yelp reviews, and our happy clients album on our Facebook page. We have a proven track record and scores of satisfied clients. We know that the best compliment we can receive is a referral, and we are proud that so many clients have been willing to sing our praises.

The short answer is that we join you in active labor when you feel like you are ready for additional support. The long answer is that it depends. In an ideal world, you would let us know when you're feeling any rumblings of early labor so that you're on our radar. That way, we can keep in touch with you throughout the day or night and can check in periodically on how you're coping. We'll talk with you on the phone and assess your progress -- are you still chipper and chatty, or are you stopping to breathe and moan through your contractions? Whenever it seems like whatever you're doing is no longer working and you're ready for support, then that's go time. We'll be with you in an hour or less. ​ If you're being induced, this plan is basically still the same except we'll touch base with you when you check into the hospital and give you the low-down on what to expect depending on your induction technique. Then, just as in spontaneous labor, whenever things start to ramp up and you'd like additional support, that's when you call.

Our postpartum team works a little differently than our birth doulas. Depending on your needs, we will work with you and try to assign the same postpartum doula to fill the hours that you're needing. Typically, we have families that need daytime support (at least 4 hours) or night time support (at least 8 hours) or a mixture of both. If you're needing a couple of nights a week, for example Mondays and Wednesdays, we'll assign the same doula to your family. However if you're needing multiple nights and daytime support, we'll assign 2 doulas to your family so that the doulas can get the rest that they need.

You can read more about our encapsulation services here and fill out the agreement form.

You can read all of our refund policies here.

Yes! When you choose your service(s) you'd like, simply pay with your HSA or FSA account at time of checkout.

On all of our invoices we provide our business name, contact information, logo and our EIN number. If you need more information provided on your invoice, let us know and we can customize it for your needs. Some insurance agencies will ask for liability insurance and because we do not provide medical services or give medical advice, this is not something we require our doulas to have.