DOULA/CLIENT AGREEMENT
Explanation of Doula Services:
Labor and Birth Support:
We are on call for labor support from 38-42 weeks. Doulas support all types of births and are available 24/7 (except for unforeseen circumstances including but not limited to attending another birth, personal/family illness, pandemic mandates, tragedy, etc). We have never missed a birth before 38 weeks or after 42 weeks, but a backup doula will be provided if we are unavailable for any reason. If you or your partner are sick, we are unable to provide in-person support as this would risk our own health and the health of the other clients we serve. We would continue to support you virtually.
Early labor may last just a few hours, or it could last a few days. We aim to arrive once active labor begins and surges are strong enough to require support.
Our goal is to offer physical, emotional and information support. We will provide reassurance and perspective, make suggestions for labor progress, assistance with comfort measures/ techniques such as relaxation, optimal fetal positioning techniques, massage, positioning, visualization, etc.
We will provide active labor support in your home until you’re ready to transfer to the hospital/birth center or meet you at the hospital/birth center if you prefer.
We will take breaks to rest, eat and use the restroom.
Agreement (non-negotiables)
As your doulas, we are committed to providing non-medical support before, during, and after your birth. What we do not do as doulas:
Perform clinical tasks such as blood pressure, fetal heart checks, or vaginal exams.
Make decisions for you. We will help you get the information necessary to make an informed decision.
Communicate to the clinical staff directly on your behalf regarding matters where decisions are being made. We will discuss concerns with you and suggest options.
Please maintain communication throughout the birth process to the best of your ability. If your needs change, you have an issue with doula care, or decide you no longer need/want doula support please communicate your wishes as soon as possible.
The vast majority of the time we work seamlessly with the medical staff and are welcomed and loved as a vital part of the team. We work hard to build and maintain strong and positive relationships with the hospital providers. Occasionally clients get assigned a nurse or provider that is not doula friendly and in these rare instances we request that you ask for a doula friendly provider. Travel fees apply to locations outside of SF and Marin.
The $3085 fee includes:
Email, text, and and phone support throughout your pregnancy (client led - please reach out any time! We love to hear from you.)
2-3 Prenatals: Birth Preferences and Comfort Measures. Similar to your OB, Heather holds weekday daytime business hours for prenatals.
Early labor support: During daytime hours we recommend checking in every hour or two over text/phone calls so that we can make suggestions and help answer questions. At night, please call anytime you need support.
In-person active labor support at home before transferring to the hospital.
In-person active labor hospital support until about 1-2 hours post birth.
$10 donation that goes directly to SisterWeb*.
$75 for hospital parking/tolls (if it’s less we’ll refund the difference).
The payment is to be paid at the time of the contract signing and payable by Venmo Friends/Family payment (@Heather-Charmatz) or check to:
Heather Charmatz
2233 Lake Street
San Francisco, CA 94121
*SisterWeb and Our Commitment to Equity
We believe that every birthing parent should receive loving, non-judgemental and culturally concordant support during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum time. We fundraise for SisterWeb SF Community Doula Network; a local non-profit providing free doula services to low-income black, Latinx and Pacific Islander families from doulas from within their own communities. This peer-doula model provides exceptional care, while paying doulas for their work, and addressing the well-documented health disparities and inequity experienced in these communities. Your $10 donation (you're always welcome to donate more if you'd like) goes directly to SisterWeb San Francisco Community Doula Network. Your contribution directly funds crucial training and supplies for the doulas.
Additional Fee Information:
The client is also responsible to pay for doula parking at the hospital; we charge a $75 parking/tolls fee due at the time of signing and will refund the remainder if the charge is less. If the charge is more than $75, we will bill post-delivery and expect payment within 14 days.
We charge a travel fee of $250 - $450 for births outside of our service area (San Francisco + Southern Marin).
Ability to Provide Service:
Please CALL when you are ready for in-person doula support. Do not text because it won’t wake us up!
We are committed to providing the services described in this Doula / Client Agreement. Doula fees are very similar to an insurance policy. You pay full price and may or may not use the services. However, most families utilize our services in full! There are no refunds, credits, or substituted services for labor support (virtual or in-person) or missed prenatals.
The full $3085 fee is non-refundable for any reason, even if you choose not to use our services or change birth plans in any way. If your situation requires planning a cesarean birth or pandemic mandates alter doula support in the hospital, our fee will remain the same. In the event that the hospitals do not allow doulas to switch out after a 12 hour shift, our support is limited to 12 hours. Our priorities still include supporting you, helping you find resources, and assisting in steering for this new course.
When Labor Begins:
Please keep us informed of early labor signs. This enables us to make the necessary personal arrangements to attend your labor as soon as possible. We may require up to 90-120 minutes of preparation/travel time once you’ve requested our presence.
If we arrive at your home and you are still in early labor, and no longer need us, we may go home. You will want us to be well rested and ready to support you in active labor.
If your labor is induced, we are still available for call, texts and video support any time. We will join you for an induction in active labor when contractions are strong enough to require support. It typically takes 12-24 hours or longer before induction contractions are strong enough to require support. We can answer questions and make suggestions over the phone.
We are unable to support you in-person if you or your partner are sick due to the risk of transmitting covid/illnesses to our other clients or our own families. We have lots of virtual support experience and will switch to virtual support if needed, but our preference is for everyone to stay 100% healthy so we can join you in-person for support!