DOULA/CLIENT AGREEMENT - Daytime Only Birth Support Contract
Explanation of Doula Services:
Labor and Birth Support:
Heather is 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). Heather has never missed a birth before 38 weeks or after 42 weeks, but a backup doula will be provided if she is unavailable for any reason.
Early labor may last just a few hours, or it could last a few days. Heather aims to arrive when surges are strong enough to require support.
The goal is to offer physical, emotional and information support. Heather 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.
Heather can provide 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.
Heather will take breaks to rest, eat and use the restroom.
Agreement (non-negotiables)
As your doula, Heather is committed to providing non-medical support. What Heather does not do as doula:
Perform clinical tasks such as blood pressure, fetal heart checks, or vaginal exams.
Make decisions for you. Heather 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. Heather will discuss concerns with you and suggest options.
Please maintain communication throughout the birth process to the best of your ability so that Heather can come promptly when needed and make arrangements with her family and other clients so she can be fully present with you.
The vast majority of the time doulas 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 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 $1535 fee includes:
Email, text, and and phone support throughout your pregnancy (client led - please reach out any time!)
2 Prenatals: Birth Preferences (Zoom) and Comfort Measures (In-Person). Similar to your OB, Heather holds weekday daytime business hours for prenatals.
Up to 8 hours of birth support between 6am and 9pm
Early labor support: During daytime hours Heather can make suggestions and help answer questions.
In-person support at home before transferring to the birth location and/or in-person labor support at the birth location until about 1-2 hours post birth.
If no birth support is provided due to nighttime laboring hours, Heather offers two 90 minute daytime postpartum sessions in your home to help with feeding and caring for the baby.
$35 for hospital parking/tolls (if it’s less Heather will refund the difference).
The payment is to be paid at the time of the contract signing and payable by Venmo (@Heather-Charmatz) or check to:
Heather Charmatz
2233 Lake Street
San Francisco, CA 94121
Additional Fee Information:
The client is responsible to pay for doula parking at the birth location; Heather charges a $35 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 $35, Heather will bill post-delivery and expect payment within 14 days.
Heather charges a travel fee of $150 - $350 for births outside of her service area (San Francisco + Southern Marin).
Ability to Provide Service:
Please CALL during daytime hours when you are ready for in-person doula support. Do not text!
Heather is 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 doula services in full! There are no refunds, credits, or substituted services for labor support (virtual or in-person) or missed prenatals.
The full $1535 fee is non-refundable for any reason, even if you choose not to use Heather’s 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, the fee will remain the same. Doula priorities still include supporting you, helping you find resources, and assisting in steering for this new course.
When Labor Begins:
Please keep Heather informed of early labor signs. This enables her to make the necessary personal arrangements to attend your labor as soon as possible. Heather may require up to 90-120 minutes of preparation/travel time once you’ve requested her presence.
If your labor is induced, Heather is still available for call, texts and video support during daytime hours. Heather will join you during daytime hours 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.
Heather is unable to support you in-person if you or your partner are sick due to the risk of transmitting covid/illnesses to other clients or her own family. Heather has lots of virtual support experience and will switch to virtual daytime support if needed, but of course Heather’s preference is for everyone to stay 100% healthy so she can join you in-person for support!