Our Iowa Baby Ladies Labor Doulas are ready to provide you with the best doula care possible! Here are just a few ways your doula will support you and your family as you prepare for baby’s birth. You can expect your doula to…

• Work closely with you and your family to find your values and goals for this baby’s birth (or babies!)
• Assist in preparation on birth preferences and help you communicate with your birth team
• Teach and encourage you to use Informed Decision Making
• Provide Information on Birth Options and Resources in Des Moines and surrounding areas
• Provide you with labor comfort techniques such as positions and movement, comforting touch, visualization, breathing techniques, and positive affirmations
• Help your support partner with ideas for labor support and/or providing breaks as needed
• Support and assist with initial breastfeeding or bottle feeding, whichever you decide
• Assist in processing your birth experience

Benefits of Doula Support

• Improved Breastfeeding Outcomes
• Increased time spent with baby
• Decreased Postpartum Depression
• More likely to have spontaneous vaginal birth
• Less likely for baby to have low (<5) APGAR Scores
• More likely to be satisfied with birth experience
• Cesarean Reduction by 26-50%
• Length of Labor Reduced by 25%
• Pitocin use reduced by 40%
• Use of narcotics reduced by 30%
• Forceps reduced by 30%
• Epidurals reduced by 60%
• From Evidence Based Birth: Evidence for Doulas 

Meeting Your Labor Doula

We currently have a team of six highly respected professional labor doulas! Each of our experienced team members has attended a CAPPA Labor Doula training and has gained extra education through additional trainings. Visit our “About” page to learn more about our team!

When you contact us via the form below, we will be in touch shortly via email to get the process of finding your doula started. Shortly after receiving that email, you will receive additional emails from our doulas with availability for your estimated due date. We encourage you to schedule free consultations with each doula to select the one who will support you throughout your pregnancy, labor, and birth. We strive to make this process very simple and easy for you!

What’s Included in Your Support

Free Initial Consultations

During this time, you and your doula will get to know each other and see if they are a fit for your growing family. You may interview more than one doula, and if so, you will just let us know which doula that you will be working with for your labor and birth. We will follow up with you after your consultations to see if one of our doulas is a good fit! 

Two Prenatal Home Visits

Your doula will come to your home so you can discuss what your ideal birth experience is. You can review your birth plan or your doula can assist you in writing one, too. She will show you labor comfort methods such as massage and labor positions that will assist with pain management in labor. You can also talk about breastfeeding and other resources should you have any questions. Our Iowa Baby Ladies Team has an extensive digital resource library and can help you find information on a large assortment of pregnancy/birth/breastfeeding topics.

Continuity of Care Through Labor and Birth

Your doula can join you at your home while you are in labor and help with comfort measures throughout this time. She will show your partner how to assist you if needed, and together we help you. Your doula will continue with you at home if you are desiring a home birth, or will meet you at the hospital when your care giver requests that you travel there.

• All doulas with The Iowa Baby Ladies Team have training in Active Labor comfort measures like counter-pressure, massage, relaxation, labor positioning, and many other techniques. Our Doula bags are full of ways to help you!
• After the birth of the baby, your doula remain with you for 1-2 hours to assist with breastfeeding, life with your new baby, or anything else you need.
• At any point in labor or birth that you feel you are handling everything the way you imagined, your doula will gladly step back until needed again.

Post Birth Visit

Sometime during your first weeks at home, your doula will come to your home to go over your birth story and see how you’re adjusting to parenthood. Many times women don’t remember their birth completely or understand everything that happened. It is our goal to preserve your birth memory as accurately for you as possible. Your doula can also help with breastfeeding, baby wearing, diapering, baby blues concerns, or baby care questions.

Other Services Included with Birth Doula Fee

• Take photos & video (if requested) during the birth
• Provide a back up doula in case an emergency arises
• Access to our Resource Library including informational handouts, books, DVDs, community resources, and our exclusive Digital Library too
• Email availability for questions and support 24/7 throughout pregnancy
• Phone and/or in person support during early stage labor, tailored to fit your needs

Fee

Our Labor Doula Fee covers all appointments, on-call time, and labor/birth support. The fee also includes a complimentary 2-Hour Welcome Home Shift! Please fill out the form below and watch your email for our Welcome Packet with details about our services including our various fees and packages. 

A Special Gift From The Iowa Baby Ladies Team!

The Iowa Baby Ladies Team is so excited to be the only group of labor doulas in the Des Moines area who offer a complimentary Welcome Home Postpartum Doula Shift with your purchase of labor doula support! During this 2-hour shift in your home, one of our amazing postpartum doulas will help you get settled and prepared for your first week(s) at home. They are happy to help answer baby care questions, provide ideas to help you recover, and even get some meals prepped during that time! Taking care of new families is our expertise!

We are so passionate about new families getting the support they need as they work through the many transitions to parenthood.