Embodied Mother
Adele Loux-Turner
Movement education and childbirth support, serving Brooklyn and NYC
I can't thank you enough for your patience and kindness. It really helped to look into your strong and present eyes when I was going through contractions. Your strength was very powerful, useful to me. Thank you! You are a rock.
--Amanda, doula client of Adele and mother of Elle, born 4.10.2014
Labor and Postpartum Support:
"Doula" is a general term for someone who supports people through a life transition.
Labor, or birth doulas, support birthing people and their partners through the process of childbirth. They provide comfort, education, encouragement, experiential wisdom, and other non-medical support. Having a knowledgable helper present at your birth can normalize the birth experience, dispel fear, and ease communication with medical staff. To me, a good birth experience means that your needs and desires are respected, you have effective communication with your care providers at all times, and you feel met by your support team. This may or may not look like what you expected or wrote down in your birth plan. At the finish line, you come out of it with a healthy baby and body, and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. You just made a person!
Postpartum doulas provide educational and physical support to parents in the fourth trimester, after birth. This can be support of the postpartum body's needs (food, healing practices, etc), helping to emotionally process the birth experience, education around infant care and handling, figuring out how to use all the new STUFF, and helping parents navigate a new dynamic within their relationship to each other. A good postpartum experience is largely about gathering and accepting support from your network, including partners, family, and doula. If your basic needs are met by the community, you can devote yourself to healing: finding overall more rest and making yourself more available to bonding with your new baby.
I'd love to hear from you if you are considering using me as your doula. Book a consultation with me via the button to the left, or contact adele.in.motion@gmail.com
Outline of Labor Services
I am currently accepting labor clients in partnership with Emily Hursch.
Labor support includes:
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Two pre-natal visits in your home (one with each doula, and more or less if we need), during which we will get to know each other, I will ask you quesitons about your pregancy, and I will help you compile a "birth plan" that suits your needs. We will also do a kind of labor rehearsal: we view your home as your labor ground where we can practice positions and breath that will be supportive in your home environment.
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I am on call for three weeks before and two weeks after your estimated due date.
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I stay with you through your labor until after the baby and placenta are born and you settled in to rest, bonding with your new family.
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After the birth, I check in on you the next day. Usually by phone or text. We meet for a postpartum visit in your home about a week after the birth.
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Unlimited phone and email consultations, if you need advice on anything from prenatal tests to breastfeeding. If I don't directly have the answer to your problem, I will refer you to someone who can help.
The fee for our doula services is $3000. The first half of this fee is due at the time that you hire us. The second half is due at our post-natal visit. Alternative payment plan options are available upon request.
Outline of Postpartum Services
Ideally, you will hire me well before you go into labor so we can have a consultation prenatally about how to prepare for your postpartum period. We will also discuss your estimated due date, and for how long and often you expect to use my services postpartum. When you go into labor or soon after your birth, you will then contact me to establish an exact schedule for our time together.
I work in shifts of 4-5 hours at a time, up to four days per week. I currently do not take overnight shifts. I am happy to take on clients for as few as 2-4 postpartum sessions, but you can also book me for ongoing support for up to six weeks after your due date.
Each shift we may address some of the following things:
• Facilitating physical and emotional recovery from childbirth
• Education around infant care
• Helping parents rest
• Help with mastering infant feeding
• Understanding the unique needs of each individual baby and family unit
• Household and nursery organization
Fees for my postpartum services are $50 per hour. I collect a retainer fee of $450 (approximately two sessions) when you hire me, and will invoice you at the end of each week for the remaining costs.