Radiant Heart Yoga: Birth Doula Services

Nichole working with a mother in active labor

Nichole Churchill is a DONA certified birth doula- CD(DONA). A birth doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother (and father/partner) before, during and just after childbirth. Nichole does not replace nurses or other medical staff nor does she perform clinical or medical tasks such as taking blood pressure or temperature, monitoring fetal heart rate, doing vaginal examinations or providing postpartum clinical care. As a doula, Nichole is there to provide consistent and continuous comfort and support for the mother and to enhance communication between the mother and medical professionals.

Studies show that having a doula present at a birth result in:

51% fewer cesarean sections
71% less oxytocin use
28% fewer epidurals
35% less narcotic use
57% less instrumental delivery
33% less maternal emotional distress,
A shorter labor (by an average of 98 minutes)
Higher Apgar scores for babies

Scope of Services
You do not have to be a prenatal yoga student to hire Nichole as a birth doula.
The support you receive will depend on you and your family's needs, desires, circumstances and your birth wishes. You can expect continuous and consistent emotional and physical support prenatally, during birth, and postnatally. She supports women who choose to birth naturally (unmedicated), with pain medication, in hospitals, or at home with a midwife. She believes in doula support for all women and families regardless of income, age, race, martial status, sexual orientation, religious and/or cultural affiliation.

Examples of support that is available to birthing families:

Prenatal visits and support. This can include childbirth/pregnancy education, birth option support, resource referrals, emotional support, phone and in person support as needed.
Continuous phone/text support as needed throughout pregnancy.
Labor support as needed and desired by the family. Support can be at home and/or in the hospital. Support will be continuous and can include: emotional support for mom and dad, informational support during labor, labor positioning, breathing techniques, massage, aromatherapy, and comfort measure suggestions.
Postpartum support as needed and desired by the family. This can include help in the establishment of breastfeeding, emotional support for new family, referral to local resources, visits and phone support as desired by the family.

Doula Fees and Contract
Nichole is a private doula and only accepts 1-2 births per month. Therefore, she will never miss your birth due to over scheduling. When you hire Nichole as a doula, she will ask you to sign a contract which outlines the roles and responsibilities of both the doula and family. Doula fees are $450. If payment of doula fees is a hardship, please contact Nichole. Payment plans, possible barter arrangements, or other modifications may be possible.

If you are interested in finding out more about doula services, please fill out this inquiry form. An initial meeting and interview with Nichole is offered at no charge.

What birthing couples say about Nichole...

“At first my husband was skeptical about the necessity of a doula, but when the birth day arrived, he was the first to say it was the single most important birthing decision we made. We both agree, however, that it wasn't the decision to have a doula...but the decision to have it be NICHOLE. Her non-invasive yet reassuring presence helped us experience a positive, nurturing, thrilling birth. She gave my husband the confidence to engage fully in the birthing experience through massage and position recommendations. When I needed to vent to a woman, she was there to hear me, whether it was weeks before the birth or weeks after.
Despite having a preemie, she expertly coordinated her arrival as if he had come exactly when expected. When faced with medical alternatives that we had not expected, she calmly and reassuringly explained them all so we could take the best decision with confidence. I know that without her my birth would have been much more stressful and painful, the experience would not have been as positive, and the health of our child would not have been as great. Not to mention, we wouldn't have had wonderful pictures for our album! She did so much, and, as anyone who is extremely good at their craft, she made it look so easy...and, in turn, made us feel like experts, too!” – AM and PT

“Choosing Nichole for our doula, without a doubt, was one of the best decisions we made surrounding the birth of our child. Throughout the entire laboring process, she instilled complete confidence in us. Even at the peak of intensity, we never felt insecure due to her knowledge and her calm/confident demeanor. Nichole’s presence allowed for an awesome synergetic care environment to be created for the soon-to-be-mother. This environment not only encompassed doula and father, but it also reached out to the midwifery team and our additional assistant.
Nichole was able to read the situation and provide the support accordingly. Throughout the early and mid stages of active labor, she was able to keep the mood light and exciting. When things got very serious, her support and motivation was excellent. She never left us; not for a break, not for food. It was amazing how focused and in-tune she was with us. It was almost like Nichole could feel exactly what we were feeling. Her observation is next-to-none. Moving on from this, when the time came to change things up during pushing, Nichole was able to motivate via a more forceful (but not intrusive) method to make sure that we kept things moving so that mother and baby would not go into distress.
Nichole was there for us throughout the entire birthing process armed with tips, ideas, excitement, humor, knowledge and motivation. In addition, her pre and post birth support was also excellent. She is always a phone call or text away. You can sincerely feel the intense care and excitement she carries for you and your family-to-be.
All in all, we are extremely satisfied and would highly endorse Nichole Churchill’s services for any birth plan. We will definitely be giving her a call on future pregnancies of our own. Nichole allowed us to achieve the birth we'd always dreamt of.” – KL and PL