WHAT DOES A DOULA DO?
TLDR? It’s so much more than holding your hand.
From preparing for birth to supporting your postpartum recovery, here's what having a Soft Launch doula in your corner actually looks like.
So… what does a doula do, for real real?
Your doctor or midwife handles the medical stuff. Your doula handles everything else.
We’re the person making sure you understand the multitude of options your algo is serving you, preparing you for the birth you envision, and staying right by your side when it’s time to make it happen.
And because no two women, families, or births are the same, neither is the way we doula.
Here’s what your doula support couuuuld look like…
before
Prenatal visits, education, and a birth plan made just for you. We'll learn your vision inside and out and still remember your dog's name.
the big day
On call from 38 weeks. With you through all of it, whatever all of it turns out to mean for you and your baby.
after
Postpartum check-ins for processing your birth, figuring out feeding, and the questions that only show up once you're home.
"But what does a doula do that my husband can't?"
Your husband knows you. We know birth.
Your husband is amazing. He’s also going to be the second most overwhelmed person in that room (maybe the first if we’re being honest lol). He's not supposed to be your advocate, timer, translator, and emotional support all at the same time. We take care of the birthy stuff so he can focus on the one job only he can do.
During pregnancy we're the mom's doula, at birth we become the dad's doula.
Anyone can call herself a doula.
Not everyone is a Soft Launch doula.
Every woman on our team is personally trained, vetted, and mentored before she’s ever in a birth room with you. Because being a doula and being a PROFESSIONAL doula are two different things.. With Soft Launch, you get both: a doula who feels like your person, backed by a team that's raising the bar for birth support in Northern Colorado.
WE DON’T MAKE SCENES. WE MAKE SPACE.
Nobody decides anything about your body or your baby without your yes, and if somebody tries, we speak up, calmly, every time.
The reality of birth is sometimes a provider is dismissive. Sometimes someone starts a sentence with "we're just going to…" Sometimes you tell the team what you need and the room keeps moving anyway.
We don’t hate hospitals or doctors. Some of our favorite people work at PVH and MCR. We just make sure you never feel like you’re another patient moving through the system. But we ARE pro mothers. Pro you knowing what's happening. Pro you being the one who calls the shots on your own damn birth.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Save yourself the search, we’ve got you!
-
Your midwife is a medical provider. She monitors you and your baby, checks your progress, and catches the baby. Your doula is the protector of the plan and never leaves your side. No shift changes, no other patients. Your midwife (or doctor) handles the clinical stuff, your doula protects your experience. Ask anyone who's had both, they're completely different jobs.
-
What DOESN’T she do should be the question… Positioning for progress. Providing pain coping and comfort measures. Advocating for your birth plan. Building a proverbial bridge between you and the provider. We know birth like the back of our hand so you don’t have to be your own sherpa while hiking Mount Everest.
-
At Soft Launch, birth support starts at $1,800 and goes up depending on how many births your doula has under her belt.
Postpartum runs $45–$55/hour.
We don't take insurance, but lots of families use HSA and FSA funds to pay for doula services.
-
The earlier the better, because more time together means more prep (and the price is the same anyway!). Most families find us in the first or second trimester. That said, we've been hired at 38 weeks and made it work beautifully, so if you're further along, still reach out.
-
Yep, and this is our most asked question by a mile. An epidural is great. An epidural does not make decisions for you. You'll still be calling the shots on progress, positioning, pushing, and everything after; usually while you're exhausted and can't feel your legs.
Annnnnd sometimes epidurals don’t work. So you’ll be glad you have a doula whether that epidural works like a dream, needs some troubleshooting, or isn’t part of the plan anymore.
-
How many births she's attended. What happens if she's unavailable. What her prenatal support actually includes. Whether she's supported a birth like the one you're planning. Then ask her something completely unrelated to birth, because you're going to be half-naked in a room with this woman at 3am and vibes matter.
-
A birth doula preps with you through pregnancy and stays through the whooole labor and until a few hours after delivery. A postpartum doula shows up in your home after the baby's here for newborn care, feeding help, and making sure you sleep. Some families want both, and some only want one. There's no wrong answer, just what’s right for YOUR family.
-
Nope. We love a cozy living room and some twinkle lights, but most of our births happen in hospitals and we’re the ones bringing the vibes. In the water? Love it. Epidural? Go girl. And everything in between. We’re not here to sell you on our version of a good birth. We’re here to help you have yours.
Still wondering if a doula makes sense for the birth you’re planning? Let’s talk about it.
