A postpartum doula is a professional who nurtures and cares for families in the early postnatal period, usually up to 12 weeks after baby is born. In the comfort of your home, we provide infant feeding support, infant care, care of the birthing person, sibling support, nursing information, light housekeeping, light cooking, and emotional support for the entire family.
Doula services with Laura or Sheri cost $35 per hour. Families usually schedule 1-3 doula visits per week, of between 4-6 hours per visit. Doula services can be scheduled for as little as one week, and any amount up to 12 weeks depending on a family's needs and budget. Travel time will be an additional fee if the commute time is over 30 minutes one way. Some insurances cover postpartum doula care, and Medicaid should begin covering some doula care later in 2024.
Yes! Doulas provide non-medical support only. If your doula notices any problem of medical concern, they will make an appropriate suggestion or referral. Doulas do "light housekeeping" which can be confusing at times. On the Yes list: A quick floor sweep or refilling toilet paper. On the No list: Regular mopping or cleaning toilets.
Your doula will greet everyone at home and find out expectations for the day. She is likely to start a load of baby's laundry, fix a snack or meal for parent(s), assist with nursing, empty the dishwasher, put baby down for nap, assist with sling use, fold and put away laundry, then get adults another snack. These things could happen in just about any order, but this is a very common doula day.
First, schedule a FREE meeting with your prospective doula. Text 412.721.7291 or email laura.mccarthy.lcsw@gmail.com to set up a visit with Laura or Sheri.
Second, meet the doula in your home or via video chat. Sheri and Laura offer a complimentary 1 hour acquaintance visit. Try to have all regular caregivers present so they can interact with your potential doula. If things don't feel right, interview another doula.
Great news! The cost to hold your space in Laura or Sheri's scheule is $75. Contact Laura via phone or email to set up your payment. Once your scheduling fee is received, your doula will connect with you about any specifics that need to be discussed. Once baby is born, we can start planning your first visit!
Have a question about infant care? Infant soothing questions? Need babywearing pointers? Maybe some kind words and reassurance? Contact Laura for a 30 minute virtual doula session! Laura will connect with you over FaceTime, Zoom or Facebook Messenger video chat for some virtual nurturing.
This service is intended for people with babies from birth to age 12 weeks.
Minimum shift is 4 hours. Most people schedule 4 to 6 hour shifts, 2-3 times per week.
This service is available on a case-by-case basis to people who utlized doula service with Laura or Sheri during the first 12 weeks, and wish to continue for some part of baby's first year. If available, Laura can continue to provide in home support to families with light housekeeping, light cooking, older infant care, infant develeopmental information, and parental emotional support.
Minimum shift is 4 hours, average shift is 4-6 hours.
As an experienced doula, Laura is available to provide support and guidance to birthworkers such as doulas, nurses, and lactation counselors who may need advice on setting up parameters for their services, discussion of complicated cases, or information and resources around perintal mental health.
A 30 minute consultation may take place by phone, FaceTime or Skype. If rate is a hardship, please contact Laura to discuss.
A longer consult may take place in person at the location of the supervisee's choosing. Phone, Zoom, Skype or Facetime consultations are also available. Please contact Laura if rate is a hardship.
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Laura is an excellent listener and helper. She is extremely sweet and considerate. She's also very helpful at taking care of me and my baby. She is very good at comforting babies."Nien-Jung W.
Sheri helped us with a smooth transition from newborn to infant phase after the birth of our daughter, and we don’t have the words to describe how grateful we are to have her. New parenthood was exciting but also exhausting. It was so great to have someone like Sheri who is patient and knowledgeable to take care of our baby girl, so we can take naps and rest. We have a ton of questions as first-time parents, and it is so reassuring to have Sheri around to address our questions and concerns. Sheri is reliable and responsible, always on-time, and very flexible to work with. She took extreme cautions with Covid during the holiday seasons, and we appreciate that a lot. Other than taking good care of the baby, Sheri is a true multi-tasker who would help us make delicious meals, keep the laundry going, and declutter the house. I experienced some baby blues in the early days, it helped a lot to have Sheri around to chat with. She provided a lot of resources about baby feeding, sleeping, and breastfeeding. Despite how knowledgeable is, we are so impressed that she still keeps learning. We are so thankful to have Sheri and we highly recommend her to any family who is looking for help with newborns! ~ Sylvia
Laura was such a wonderful, calming, and thoughtful postpartum doula. My partner and I are both pretty high strung/anxious people and we knew that we needed someone to balance that anxiety out with our first born. Laura was so, so reassuring during those early days. She taught us how to wear our baby, which was a huge help since her preferred nap surface those first few months was on us. She made us nutritious meals and left the house very tidy. She went above and beyond, bringing us baked items from her home or picking up something she knew we liked from the grocery store. She also really helped with breastfeeding, helping show me positions like laid back and side lying that I couldn't practice in the breastfeeding center and she helped figure out a solution to help get my baby (who favored laying on one side and therefore was only nursing on one side) to nurse on both sides, which greatly helped with some engorgement issues I was dealing with. Most importantly, as I was dealing with a health scare that was going to potentially require that I be hospitalized, Laura offered to come over day or night to help with the baby. Luckily, I didn't need to be hospitalized, but as a transplant to Pittsburgh without much family around, knowing that we had someone we trusted who could come help care for our baby gave us great peace of mind during an otherwise very scary situation. I cannot say enough positive things about Laura and how warm, caring, and wonderful she is. She not only took care of our precious baby during her earliest days, buts also helped care for us. My partner and I are hopeful to have a second baby and one of the things we are most looking forward to if we do haev another, is getting to have Laura as our postpartum doula again! One final note, Laura is very LGBTQIA+ affirming, which was important to us as a queer couple and she made us feel safe and respected during a very vulnerable time in our lives. ~ Aisling
Sheri was an absolute God send during my postpartum with my daughter. Our house was really turned upsidedown with the birth of our second. She was just the support I needed. She always seemed to be in tune with my needs that were ever changing by the day. She could sense when I needed to be fed, when I needed sleep, or needed an ear to talk to. I must say she is also an excellent cook. I was following a mixture of confinement practices and she was willing to learn the recipes I provided. She was a true baby whisperer with my daughter and kept her comforted so I could get valuable sleep. My toddler absolutely adored Sheri, he would ask for her and was excited to see her after preschool. As a person without much of a support system, I was not used to having someone I could lean on and ask for help; I was nervous going into it. Sheri made it so easy, and to be honest I felt truly cared for and it really meant the world to me! I wish I could have booked her for every day of the week instead of 3. ~ Megan
I do not know what I would have done without Laura in those first months - she was a lifesaver. I had a babe with reflux (so not much sleep at our house) and a rough go with postpartum depression. Laura came in, strapped on my baby, and listened to where I was at and what I needed. The amazing thing about Laura, though, is that she was able to intuit far beyond what I had the words for. Her energy is so calming and her capacity to hold my baby and my anxiety at the same time was incredible. We were deep in COVID and did not have much contact with our support network. Laura's visits felt like such a pressure release on our little system. She taught us how to wear our babe, which was critical given the reflux. She also made sure I had nutritious food, had time to bathe myself, and supported in nursing challenges. She built my skills and confidence as a new parent without much infant experience. She cherished my baby and nourished my family - I could not recommend her more highly. ~ Rachel
Sheri has been a dream come true! Her energy is very kind and loving. She is amazing with my son and a huge help around the house as well. Sheri is also very knowledgeable with both baby and postpartum care. Highly recommend her! ~ Elizabeth