Doula - Client Service Agreement
Birth Together Now is dedicated to building a community of families who are ready to connect with others, question systems in order to demand safe, equitable healthcare, and who are ready to come as they are and contribute to a safe and open space where families can share their honest experiences during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Our community has a deep commitment to changing conversations around reproductive health, reclaiming our own narratives, and removing patterns that no longer serve us or the generations after us. We also believe that receiving care and self-compassion will allow us to nurture our babies from abundance and happiness.
About Doulas: Doulas are labor support professionals experienced in childbirth who provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to people before, during, and after childbirth or the postpartum period.
Birth Doula Services:
Meeting with you before your baby is born to learn more about you and discuss your birth plan.
Being available to you via telephone/email when you have questions or at any hour if you think you may be in labor.
Coming to your house or meeting you at the birth center/hospital (depending on circumstances) when you are in labor.
Staying with you throughout your labor and delivery, and helping you with breathing techniques, positioning, comfort, encouragement, and other labor support as necessary.
Birth and/or Postpartum Doula Services:
Helping you right after the baby is born, including assisting with nursing as desired.
Visiting you at home in the few weeks after the baby is born, providing support, and answering questions you may have about newborn care and nursing.
Helping you access resources or referring you to community resources for further help as you need it.
Please note: Doulas specialize in non-medical skills and do not perform clinical tasks, such as vaginal exams or fetal heart rate monitoring. Doulas do not diagnose medical conditions, offer second opinions, or give medical advice. Most importantly, doulas do not make decisions for their clients; they do not project their own values and goals onto you or your family.
NO DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP. THE SERVICES ARE NOT INTENDED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR, NOR DOES IT REPLACE PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT. DO NOT DISREGARD, AVOID OR DELAY OBTAINING MEDICAL ADVICE FROM A QUALIFIED HEALTH PROVIDER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. DO NOT USE THE SERVICES FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL NEEDS. IF YOU EXPERIENCE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, IMMEDIATELY CALL A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL AND 911. NOTHING STATED OR COMMUNICATED BY DOULA IS INTENDED TO BE, AND MUST NOT BE TAKEN TO BE, THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL HEALTHCARE ADVICE, OR THE PROVISION OF MEDICAL CARE.
Your Rights as a Client:
• The right to be treated with respect, dignity, and in a culturally responsive way.
• The right to have information about you and your family kept confidential.
• The right to identify your own goals, wishes, and plans for this birth and/or postpartum time.
• The right to refuse any services offered and to terminate services at any time.
Services To Be Provided:
Upon signing of this contract, the doula shall meet with the client at least once prior to labor, provide the client with phone numbers and email so the doula may be reached in between appointments and 24 hours a day during the on-call period, assist the client with making plans for the birth and/or postpartum depending on the services being offered. The doula will be on-call for a period of 37 weeks of pregnancy until your birth. The doula will also provide at least one postpartum visit unless refused by the client by 1 month postpartum. If a visit is not scheduled by the client, the postpartum visit will no longer be offered and is forfeited by the client.
Doula’s Responsibilities:
It is the responsibility of the doula to inform the client of any dates or times she will be unavailable for service and she shall arrange for a backup doula for those dates or times. The doula shall pay an arranged backup doula for any services rendered per the agreement between them. The doula shall provide physical, emotional, and informational support for pregnancy, labor, and birth. The doula shall NOT perform any clinical assessments (including vaginal exams, fetal heart tones, or taking vital signs, blood pressure checks). The doula shall NOT speak on behalf of the client or make any decisions for the client.
Client’s Responsibilities:
The client is responsible for their clinical and medical well-being. The client is responsible for informing their caregiver that a doula will be present at their birth and/or during the postpartum period and assuring that the doula will be allowed to serve them. The client will notify the doula of any pregnancy or non-pregnancy complications when they arise. When the client is in labor, they shall inform the doula as early as possible to afford the doula time to make any personal arrangements.
Communications and Scheduling:
The Doula strives to respond to emails within the next business day. Sometimes due to birth or back-to-back sessions Doula may not be able to respond so quickly to emails or calls. For any urgent matters please call 206-849-2641. Also, when it comes to scheduling Postpartum Services, Doula asks that the Client remains flexible, as last-minute adjustments may be needed due to a birth or responding to urgent phone calls. The Doula is most responsive Monday-Friday from 10 am to 8 pm via phone call or email.
Postpartum Doula Services.
The doula provides postpartum doula services such as postpartum daytime visits and/or overnight visits. The doula will start the on-call period at 37 weeks. The client will alert Doula when in labor so they can plan their schedule accordingly. Unless otherwise agreed upon, all Postpartum Services must be used within four (4) weeks of the birth or they will be forfeited.
Long Labors:
If you have extended labor (lasting more than 20 hours), and the doula feels she is unable to support you appropriately due to exhaustion, the doula reserves the right to call in a backup doula to come to be with you for the remainder of your labor or for a period of time that will allow her to get adequate rest. You have the right to decline the backup doula, but there will be no reduction in fees. The doula will also require breaks during your labor ideally about every 4 hours until your birth.
Cesarean Births:
If the client has a cesarean section, planned or emergency, all fees remain the same. The doula will stay and offer as much support as the medical staff will allow. It is up to the client to secure the doula’s place in the operating room. If it is a scheduled cesarean, the doula will meet you at the hospital at your scheduled time. The doula will accompany the client in the operating room (if allowed by medical staff) and remain with the client during recovery, and offer emotional support and breastfeeding support after the birth. If for some reason the doula is not allowed to be present in the operating room (emergency, policy, etc.) she will join you after the birth if possible so that client will not be left alone for the rest of the surgery. If breastfeeding is delayed more than 4 hours due to complications, the doula will return at an appropriate time to assist the client with breastfeeding and newborn care issues.
Fees & Payment Schedule:
As consideration for the Services, the Client shall pay a fee depending on the Services selected 50% of the total fee will need to be sent to Doula with a signed contract to reserve that space in Doula’s calendar. The deposit will be kept regardless of whether or not the client chooses to move forward with the services. The 50% balance is due at 36 weeks. The total service fee includes being on-call, reserving space for the client in the calendar, research, education, and communication with the client on the effective date of this agreement through completion of postpartum services, transportation when applicable. For clients who live out of the doula's travel range or requesting that the doula not ride public transportation to home visits, an additional travel fee will be added.
Refunds and Price Adjustments:
The Doula cannot offer refunds if the Client decides not to use part or all of the Postpartum Services under this Agreement. Partial refunds will be decided on a case-by-case basis as outlined below.
If Doulas’ inability to provide the postpartum services agreed upon is because of the Client’s decision to not work with the Doula, Doula will keep the full fee.
If Doula is unable to provide in-person support due to a city or nation-wide lockdown due to public health or safety concerns, or Doula decides, in their sole discretion, that in-person support is not safe, in-person visits may be postponed until it is feasible to do so, or Doula will refund 50% of remaining visits.
Term and Termination:
The Term of this Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall continue until completion of the Postpartum Services or otherwise terminates as provided herein (the “Term”). The client may terminate this Agreement at any time by providing ten (10) days' written notice to the Doula. In the event of earlier termination of this Agreement, the Client shall be responsible for all fees due up to the date of termination.
Failure of Doula to Provide Services:
The doula will make every effort to provide the services described herein. Sometimes this is impossible due to factors beyond our control. If a failure to attend your birth is an error of the doula, nothing else will be owed by the client or the client will be refunded all fees paid less the non-refundable deposit of 50% of the service fee paid at contract signing. If failure to attend your birth is not an error of the doula, such as precipitous labor, failure of the client to call or notify the doula, or natural disaster, the contract stands as is. In the case of precipitous labor or failure to notify the doula, the doula can join the client after birth. The doula will remain with the client for the normal period of time to help them get settled in and establish breastfeeding just as the doula would have if present during the actual birth. The doula will also provide the postpartum visit service per this agreement.
Back-up Services:
Sometimes illnesses and family emergencies happen. These situations are not considered by either party a failure of the doula to provide services. If the doula is unable to attend your birth or postpartum session she will contact one of her backups. You have the right to decline the backup, but there will be no reduction in fees.
Waiver and Release:
The client is aware of the existence of the risk of the physical presence of the Doula during an in-person visit, if the Client so chooses to receive such services, may cause injury or illness such as, by contracting any communicable disease, including but not limited to COVID-19. With full knowledge of the risks involved, Client hereby releases waives, discharges Doula, and its representatives, successors, and assigns from any and all liabilities, claims, demands, actions, and causes of action whatsoever, directly or indirectly arising out of or related to any loss, damage, injury, or death, that may be sustained by Client related to such communicable disease during the receipt of the Services, or that may lead to unintentional exposure or harm to a communicable disease.
Limitation and Liability:
IN NO EVENT SHALL DOULA OR ITS AGENTS, BE LIABLE TO CLIENT OR TO ANY OTHER PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO PROPERTY DAMAGE, PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH, HOWEVER, CAUSED AND UNDER ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHER THEORY OF LIABILITY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER DOULA WAS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES AND NOTWITHSTANDING THE FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY LIMITED REMEDY. IN NO EVENT SHALL DOULA’S LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT EXCEED THE AMOUNTS PAID BY THE CLIENT TO DOULA UNDER THIS AGREEMENT FOR THE SERVICES.
By signing this agreement, I consent to receive services from Birth Together Now and my Doula.