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Doula Services
Westchester & Rockland County
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The CHRF Doula program is dedicated to ensuring that every pregnancy is both healthy and wanted, and that all women and families receive comprehensive support and services in a respectful and nurturing environment. This initiative is particularly focused on providing education and support for women of childbearing age, especially those who are at high risk. By offering postpartum services for up to 12 weeks, the program aims to promote a smoother transition into motherhood and enhance overall family well-being. To achieve these objectives, the program sets forth several key goals: increasing early entry into prenatal care, reducing the incidence of preterm births and cesarean sections, and decreasing the occurrence of low-birth-weight babies. By fostering healthy behaviors, such as improved nutrition, breastfeeding, and prenatal yoga, the program seeks to empower women and families. Additionally, by addressing and reducing barriers to care, including insurance enrollment and language access, the Vision/Doula program is committed to creating a supportive framework that ensures all women receive the care they deserve during this critical time in their lives.
What can the pregnant individual expect once they are in labor?
The doula will stay throughout the labor and birth no matter how long it takes. This constant support is beneficial to both the pregnant person and birth partner. The doula will offer some control in the clinical environment.
How will doulas be matched with Moms?
A birth doula has a good knowledge and awareness of physiology but does not support the pregnant individual in a clinical role. The medical staff in combination with the pregnant person will make all decisions, however the doula will make sure the feelings are known. Having the doula’s support is invaluable.
What type of doulas have been hired by CHRF?
Our pool of doulas are approachable and easy to speak to, their goal is to provide a relaxing, comfortable and reassuring environment for pregnant people. She will be a good fit for the family and a great person to have around when the family feels vulnerable. These doulas offer a calm presence to aid and be a steadfast pillar of support. Doulas provide a space for pregnant individuals to ask any and all questions about the pregnancy.
What other services will a doula provide?
Doulas will help develop birth plans so that pregnant people can have the confidence to speak for themselves. Doulas will teach pregnant people the benefits of breastfeeding/chestfeeding and the health benefits for babies. Birthing people need support to increase breastfeeding/chestfeeding and improved safe sleep. Therefore, pregnant people will be offered information about CHRF’s biweekly Baby Cafes and will be invited to sessions run by Certified Lactation Consultants (CLC) who work at CHRF. Doulas will support birthing people to continue breastfeeding/chestfeeding while ensuring infants sleep safely by following the ABC’s of safe sleep. Doulas will work in conjunction with Community Health Workers (CHW)’s to educate pregnant people, introduce new parents to other new parents in the neighborhood and help be a resource for other family support needs.
What will be offered to families after the birth?
The doulas will continue to service the family and we will offer the families a voluntary and free home visiting service for these parenting families. Our home visiting program is there to improve maternal and infant health outcomes for high-need women and to reduce racial, ethnic and economic disparities in those outcomes. We offer an education program about breastfeeding, newborn care, and parental bonding. We offer healthy coping strategies for parenting situations, and we connect parents to community resources. In an unmedicated birth, a doula will help a pregnant person with breathing. There will also be advice about laboring positions and movement to allow the labor to move along to improve contractions, and keep the pregnant person motivated as they move through labor. During a medicated birth like an epidural, doulas can be helpful as well. Doulas help find hospital-bed friendly positions and can potentially reduce the length of labor.
How do pregnant people find the right doula?
We want pregnant people to connect with the right doula as this a very personal experience. We want pregnant individuals to have someone they are comfortable with. We want all pregnant people to ask many questions to help them decide if a doula is the right fit for their family.
How do we get pregnant people to connect to doulas at CHRF?
We need any potential pregnant person for the doula program to have the clinical staff fill out the Westchester County Home Visiting Programs referral form and put Doula on the form. These forms should be sent to the encrypted email address: supportwest@lhvpn.net. CHRF will contact the pregnant person and start the process of matching a doula with this prospective family. Upon discharge new parents will be asked to fill out the Patient Reported Experience Measure (PREM) Survey. We want to measure the impact of the doulas on the birthing experience.
Any questions contact Laura Achkar, Executive Director, CHRF/Lower Hudson Valley Perinatal Network, achkarl@husonvalleychrf.org or call 914-922-2240
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All referral forms can also be faxed to 914-922-2255.
Neighborhoods served by county and zip code Rockland County Spring Valley (10977)