FAQs

A postpartum doula’s job changes as a family’s needs change. The doula provides transitional support in the early days of having a new baby.

A overnight postpartum doula continues to offer support to the mother but also helps the family get much needed sleep by caring for the baby as needed at night. As the baby ages – the doula helps the baby develop healthy sleep habits while helping the family learn how to support these habits.

Any family looking for a smoother transition into parenting! First time parents find the educational support invaluable. Families with twins or older children will welcome the extra hands. A postpartum doula may also be required for a woman who has a surgical or complicated birth. Adoptive parents find the services of a doula help them through the transition of bringing a new baby into the family.

Yes! Parents who add to their families through adoption or surrogacy will benefit greatly from a postpartum doula. The doulas support in bonding can be even more crucial for adoptive families who did not have the opportunity to get to know their child while in the womb. In addition, Austin Baby Guru classes meet the requirements of most agencies.

Over time, your baby will learn to sleep. Unfortunately, babies do not start to regulate sleep patterns until eight to ten weeks of age. While we do not provide “sleep training”, we do start with “sleep conditioning” once your baby gets back up to birth weight, this helps baby develop good sleep habits. During this time, your best bet for a good night’s sleep for yourself is to have overnight help. Sleep deprivation is a serious handicap to your own good health. Austin Baby Guru specializes in postpartum care because we know how important it is for growing families to get adequate rest.

Our postpartum doulas are professionals who come ready to assist the family with evidenced-based knowledge, experience, and non-judgmental support. We work with the whole family, supporting partners or grandparents in helping mom and bonding with the baby. We also support siblings in the adjustment of having a baby in the house.

Dads are often concerned about the expense of a postpartum doula.

Many husbands do not know that Doula support the partnership of parents. We are there to help the dad’s know the best way to support their partners as well as being there to help mom navigate labor and birth.

We encourage families to accept the help of family and friends. Sometimes, though, family is not available to help or the type of help offered is not what the new mother needs most.

A postpartum doula, by offering safety and care information and by making sure the family gets adequate rest, can significantly increase the health and well-being of the entire household during this once in a lifetime transition.

Austin Baby Guru recommends that you hire your postpartum care early, preferably by the beginning of your third trimester, because our doulas’ schedules often will fill up. It is fine to call us at any time, though, to see if we have availability. We have had some clients hire us in the third month and others call after the baby was born.

How much does it cost to hire a postpartum doula?

While doula care in Austin can range from $30-50, Austin Baby Guru currently charges $40 per hour. We use the same rate for daytime and overnights.

I recognize that our cost is a bit higher than some others. We offer a premium service, backed by many years of experience. Charging a higher rate ensures that our doulas are paid fairly and gives me the ability to hire the very best for our clients.

While our main focus is in helping families through the early postpartum time averaging 3-12 weeks, sometimes parents want more time to fully adjust to the new family dynamic. We work with families anywhere from three weeks to six months. Our goal is to support the family in getting enough sleep, healing from the birth, learning parenting skills, and finding their way in how they want to parent…all working towards leaving the family feeling competent and prepared for parenting on their own.

A baby nurse or night nanny is focused on the care of the baby only. Often this is a long term position, where the caregiver takes over care of the infant.

We accept cash, personal checks, and credit cards used through my site.  Check with your insurance, we may be able to take your FSA or HSA cards if they have a major credit card logo on them. We invoice every Monday with payments due on Wednesdays.