Sierra
Doula Services
At Sierra Childbirth Institute we take a community-based approach in caring for our families. We provide birth and postpartum doula services, childbirth education classes, breastfeeding preparation classes, support groups and much more!
At Sierra Doula Services we’re deeply committed to helping you have a positive birth and postpartum experience. Let us know a little about you and your needs and we will contact you to schedule an intake conversation with our coordinator who can match you up with a great doula. You can also learn more about our doulas and our other services during this call, or feel free to contact Brooklyn at brooklyn@sierrachildbirth.com for more information.
Our vision…
… that all families are well cared for during pregnancy, labor, birth and after their baby is born, no matter their socio-economic status. We believe that all families deserve supportive care, and it really does “take a village.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Necessary to Attend a Childbirth Class When I’m Pregnant?
Childbirth education classes help increase your confidence in your ability to give birth. They provide evidence based education and teach you ways to prepare for labor and birth with the use of comfort measures. Classes also help partners and other loved ones know what to expect and how to help. Mothers who have attended CBE classes have reported:
- Increased confidence of their labor and birth
- Improved communication between birthing mother and their care team
- Decreased need for medication to cope with labor
- Increased satisfaction with their birth
- Higher likelihood of breastfeeding their babies
What Is a Birth Doula and What Are the Benefits of Having One?
Birth doulas are trained professionals who provide physical, emotional, and evidence-based informational support to women during labor, birth, and in the immediate postpartum period. Doulas help families connect with valuable resources so they can ask questions and make informed decisions about their births. Doulas serve as a bridge of communication between their client and their medical care providers. With the support of a birth doula, many women experience less stressful births, avoid the use of narcotics and epidural anesthesia and their potentially challenging side effects, minimize the need for artificial hormones to induce or augment their labor, and lower the risk of having a cesarean birth. Research has shown these benefits:
- Reduction in cesarean birth
- Reduction in need for medication for pain relief
- Reduction in use of regional analgesia (such as an epidural)
- Reduction in length of labor
- Increase in spontaneous vaginal birth
What Is a Postpartum Doula and What Are the Benefits of Having One?
Postpartum doulas are trained professionals who specialize in caring for, educating, and supporting families after their baby is born. Postpartum doulas support the family unit. The role of a postpartum doula is to help guide a woman through her postpartum period and nurture the family. Unlike a baby nurse, a postpartum doula’s focus is not solely on the baby, but on fostering independence for the entire family. The doula helps with infant soothing techniques, provides breastfeeding or bottle-feeding support, and educates the family on normal newborn behavior and postpartum recovery. They can also help with light housework, prepare meals, and help siblings adjust to the new baby. Studies show that this kind of support often helps:
- Reduce postpartum mood disorders
- Improve breastfeeding success