Doula Availability

Cincinnati & Dayton Doula Services FAQ

Answers to the most common questions about hiring a doula, what to expect, and how we support your birth journey.

Doula Services FAQ

Cincinnati and Dayton Doula

Being conveniently located between Cincinnati and Dayton, Stork Helpers offers doula services to families across Cincinnati, Dayton, Xenia and Northern Kentucky as well as far east as Highland County.

Cincinnati Area:

Amberley Village / Blue Ash /  Centerville / Cheviot / Cincinnati / Clifton / Colerain /  Delhi / Elsmere / Erlanger / Evendale / Fairfax / Fairfield / Franklin / Hamilton / Harrison / Highland County / Hillsoboro / Hyde Park / Indian Hill / Lawrenceburg / Lebanon / Loveland / Madeira / Madisonville / Maineville / Mariemont / Mason / Middletown / Milford / Monroe / Montgomery / Morrow / Mt Adams / Mt Healthy / Mt Lookout  / Northside / Norwood / Oakley / OTR / Reading / Sharonville / Springboro / Union / Union Township / Walnut Hills / Wayesville / West Chester / Wyoming

Dayton Area:

Beavercreek / Bellbrook / Carlisle / Centerville / Clayton / Fairborn / Germantown / Harrison Township / Huber Heights / Kettering / Miami Township / Miamisburg / Moraine / Oakwood / Riverside / Trotwood / Vandalia / Washington Township / West Carrollton / Woodburne-Hyde Park / Xenia

Northern Kentucky Area:

Alexandria / Bellevue / Cold Spring / Corinth / Covington / Crescent Springs / Crestview / Crittenden / Dry Ridge / Edgewood / Elsmere / Erlanger / Fairview / Falmouth / Florence / Ft. Mitchell / Ft. Thomas / Ft. Wright / Highland Heights / Independence / Kenton Vale / Lakeside Park / Ludlow / Newport / Owenton / Park Hills / Southgate / Sparta / Taylor Mill / Union / Villa Hills / Walton / Warsaw

We work for you, not a hospital or doctors office.  We will go to the hospital/birthing center of your choice in the Cincinnati or Dayton area including but not limited to:

Cincinnati Area:

Atrium Medical Center / Bethesda North Hospital / The Christ Hospital / The Christ Hospital Liberty Township / Cincinnati Childrens Hospital / Clinton Memorial Hospital / Good Samaritan Hospital /  Fort Hamilton Hospital / Mercy Health Anderson / Mercy Health Clermont Hospital / Mercy Health Fairfield / Mercy Health West Hospital / Natural Beginnings at Atrium Medical Center / University of Cincinnati Medical Center / UC West Chester Hospital

Dayton Area:

Family Beginnings at Miami Valley Hospital / Kettering Hospital / Mercy Health – Springfield / Miami Valley Hospital / Soin Medical Center / Southview Medical Center

Northern Kentucky:

St. Elizabeth

The earlier the better! We recommend to start looking as soon as you feel comfortable in your pregnancy to do so.  You deserve someone you feel an easy connection with as birth is an intimate moment and you want someone that fits your personality and your needs. We recommend interviewing a couple of doula’s and securing the one you want as soon as possible.  Doula’s typically do not reserve a space until they have a signed agreement and deposit, including Stork Helpers.  You never know how many others around your due date may be also looking at the same time. We have had clients hire me as early as 6 weeks into a pregnancy and as late as 38 weeks.  On average, many hire us during the early part of their second trimester. To see my current availability, check out our birth availability page.
Many doulas around Cincinnati and Dayton typically range from $800-$1800 with the average at around $1200. We believe that all families should have a doula available if they want one and have aimed to make support as affordable as possible.   For more information on our current pricing, check out our birth doula package page. We require a down payment of 50% up-front with the remainder due at 34 weeks. We do make payment arrangements available for families and can work with you to create a plan if you need one. If you are interested in having a doula, but need to make an alternative arrangement, contact Stork Helpers today to see what can be arranged.

We require a non-refundable deposit of 50% up-front with the remainder due at 34 weeks.

We do make payment arrangements available for families and can work with you to create a plan if you need one.

If you are interested in having a doula, but need to make an alternative arrangement, contact Stork Helpers today to see what can be arranged. 

If a doula is not currently affordable to you, we encourage you to check our BeHerVillage.com.   It is a fundraising site that allows you to create a gift registry for items that you need – like birth support – instead of another pack of onesies or baby wipes.  Stork Helpers is a proud partner of Be Her Village and you can register for our services and check out our profile here.

A birth doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the family before, during and after childbirth. Doulas act a birth coach or support companion guiding you through your labor.  

Doula’s do not replace the importance of your OBGYN, midwife or partner; we work with the rest of your birth team to help you through the journey to make sure your experience is what dreamed of.

A birth doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth and labor support who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the family before, during and after childbirth.

Many studies have shown the benefits of having a doula present during labor. A recent Cochrane Review, Continuous Support for Women During Childbirth, showed a very high number of positive birth outcomes when a doula was present. With the support of a doula, women were less likely to have pain-relief medications administered,less likely to have a cesarean birth as well as have a shorter birth.

We are on-call for you 24/7 from the time you sign for services.  We do not believe in an “on-call” time. 

Our belief is that we are there for you when you need care, have questions at 2 a.m or go into labor.  One of our main goals is to be a resource for you and bring relief to all the stressors and fears that come with pregnancy; that can’t occur if you are worried about what time it is.  Just reach out to us and we will get back with you as quickly as possible.

If you have a late night concern (10pm – 7am), we ask that you call our phones to ensure that you reach us.  

If you have a hospital birth, we stay until you get to your postpartum room.   This is on average 2-3 hours after the birth.

We want to make sure that everything goes smoothly after birth including baby is latching and help you get settled moving to the next room and review things with you.

If you have a home birth, we wait with the home birth midwives to ensure that you are okay, including having urinated, and reviewing instructions for postpartum care.  In many instances, we leave around the time your midwife team will or just a little afterwards, this is typically around 3 hours after birth.  

We do everything possible to be at EVERY birth and work hard to understand each person’s birth story and limit the number of births I take to prevent overlap as much as possible.   

That said, due dates are just estimated due dates and it can happen.   Should we be unavailble to be at your birth, we have multiple back up doula’s that we partner with on a regular basis as we cover for one another when needed.  One of them will be by your side for your birth or until one of us can make it.

In the four years (150 births and counting), we have only been unable to make one birth.

A doula is not a medical professional, even though doulas have a lot of experience with labor support.  A doula does not give medical advice, but they are birth helpers that will help you ask the questions you need answers to.  A doula does not perform medical procedures.  A doula does not make any decisions on your behalf, but will help you understand your options. A doula does not push you towards one decision or another, but instead will help you communicate your plan.

We do not make decisions for clients or interfer with the care they receive from their physician/midwife.

We provide informational and emotional support including give you all the resources you need to make the decisions you feel most comfortable with.   This is your birth experience, my role is to empower you to take control of your birth and support you in each decision. 

We work with many clients with different wants or needs and therefore support many birth plans.  Our role is provide non-judgmental support as this is your birth story.  There are many ways to give birth and you need to be confident that you have chosen the right method for you.  We support families regardless of the type of birth you are choosing:

unmedicated (natural) birth / epidural birth / cesarean birth / induction / planned cesarean birth / gentle (family centered) cesarean birth / multiples / VBAC / waterbirth / attachment parenting / babywearing / scheduled parenting / breastfeeding / bottle feeding / formula feeding and more. 

 
 
 
 
 
 

A doula is a non-medical support person whose focus is on supporting you emotionally, mentally and physically through pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum, allowing you to feel informed and empowered.    

A midwife is a medical professional whose focus is on the health and safety for you and your baby.

Specifically, during birth, doulas are often found doing hip squeezes, massage, providing guidance to you and your partner and empowering you to keep pushing through.   

Doulas and midwives make an incredible team that supports you in all ways possible. we have some great midwives across Cincinnati and Dayton that you can meet here.  

Absolutely not.  We are there to support you in the birth process.  Your partner knows you. Together, we make a pretty awesome support team!  Doulas help partners as well. Many times, when a mama needs labor support, the partner wants to help but doesn’t know how. We can help the partner know what to do, so the partner also has confidence in their role during the birth.  As questions come up during labor, a doula can reassure the partner when things are normal, or when something needs attention. Doulas can also help partners navigate the confusing options that come up during birth and give them a break too.

As a general rule, we do not disclose the due dates of any of my other clients. On average, we take around 10 clients per month, depending on how due dates fall and a persons previous history with birth. 

Due dates are just an estimated date of birth and rarely does someone give birth on the day they were due.  With over 150 births over the last four years, wehave only missed one birth and this was prior to their being two of us on the team.

While the risk is low of me being unavailable to come to your birth, we do have a team of three other doulas in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas that we completely trust that we can call should the situation arise.   Having a backup doula at your birth does not cost you anything extra, we work out the payment between the backup doula and myself with the funds that you have paid.  

This is YOUR birth. We are here to be your birth helper.  Knowing what you want by having a birth plan in place is a great first step.  An epidural will help to relieve some of the intense sensations you feel during labor, it doesn’t relax your mind.  Our job during labor is to assist you with comfort measures like different positioning and finding a good rhythm that keeps labor moving. You do what you need to do to get through the labor.  If that includes pain medication, we support you and your decisions.

Placenta Encapsulation FAQ

Cincinnati and Dayton Placenta Encapsulation

Being conviently located between Cincinnati and Dayton, I offer placenta encapsulation services to families across Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky up to about 1.5 to 2 hours away from Tamara’s home in Lebanon, Ohio. 

For families that have pickup and drop off locations that are further than 30 miles from Tamara’s home, there will be a travel fee added.

Cincinnati Area:

Amberley Village / Blue Ash /  Centerville / Cheviot / Cincinnati / Clifton / Colerain /  Delhi / Elsmere / Erlanger / Evendale / Fairfax / Fairfield / Franklin / Hamilton / Harrison / Highland County / Hillsoboro / Hyde Park / Indian Hill / Lawrenceburg / Lebanon / Loveland / Madeira / Madisonville / Maineville / Mariemont / Mason / Middletown / Milford / Monroe / Montgomery / Morrow / Mt Adams / Mt Healthy / Mt Lookout  / Northside / Norwood / Oakley / OTR / Reading / Sharonville / Springboro / Union / Union Township / Walnut Hills / Wayesville / West Chester / Wyoming

Dayton Area:

Beavercreek / Bellbrook / Carlisle / Centerville / Clayton / Fairborn / Germantown / Harrison Township / Huber Heights / Kettering / Miami Township / Miamisburg / Moraine / Oakwood / Riverside / Trotwood / Vandalia / Washington Township / West Carrollton / Woodburne-Hyde Park / Xenia

Northern Kentucky Area:

Alexandria / Bellevue / Cold Spring / Corinth / Covington / Crescent Springs / Crestview / Crittenden / Dry Ridge / Edgewood / Elsmere / Erlanger / Fairview / Falmouth / Florence / Ft. Mitchell / Ft. Thomas / Ft. Wright / Highland Heights / Independence / Kenton Vale / Lakeside Park / Ludlow / Newport / Owenton / Park Hills / Southgate / Sparta / Taylor Mill / Union / Villa Hills / Walton / Warsaw

Regardless of whether you are having a home birth or a hospital birth, you should let them know ahead of time of your intentions.

If you are having a hospital birth, you will want to bring this up at the hospital again with your birth team, potentially a couple of times.  Each hospital has different policies and you will most likely have to sign paperwork to take your placenta.   Some hospitals will allow you doula to take the placenta with them immediately after the birth, others will only allow you to take it after you have been discharged and we will need to set up another time in the coming days.

Each placenta and every women is different.   While the average placenta will allow for about 160 capsules, we have seen placentas provide as little as 100 and some over 200.  

We will provide instructions with your pills, but on average, you will see a suggested dosage of approximately:

  • 2-3 capsules up to 3 times per day for the first 1-2 weeks

  • 1-2 capsules up to 2 times per day for the next couple of weeks

  • 1 pill up to 1 time a day until completed.
Many doulas around Cincinnati and Dayton typically range from $800-$1800 with the average at around $1200. We believe that all families should have a doula available if they want one and have aimed to make support as affordable as possible.   For more information on our current pricing, check out our birth doula package page. We require a down payment of 50% up-front with the remainder due at 34 weeks. We do make payment arrangements available for families and can work with you to create a plan if you need one. If you are interested in having a doula, but need to make an alternative arrangement, contact Stork Helpers today to see what can be arranged.

We will not encapsulate your placenta if you have smoked during pregnancy, have any sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis or HIV/Aids. If you have Strep B during pregnancy, we can talk about methods to disinfect the placenta, with the choice ultimately being yours.

If you developer a fever during childbirth, we may be unable to encapsulate your placenta due to risk of infection.  We can work with your doctor or midwife to rule infection out to determine if safety

Research Your Options

As with anything, you should do your own research to determine if placenta encapsulation is right for you.

Research suggests there is limited risk of ingestion by the postpartum person. Occasionally people have experienced jitteriness or dizziness after taking the pills and proper care needs to be taken prior to encapsulation to store the placenta properly to ensure safety. If you observe any negative effects, you should discontinue and consult your provider about whether continuing is the right choice for you.

Safety is important!

You can trust that your placenta is in good hands. You’ll know there is zero risk of cross-contamination. Tamara is certified in safe food handling protocols and in bloodborne pathogen prevention protocols. You can rest easy, knowing that your capsules contain only your pure placenta.

See how Tamara preps her kitchen and prepares a placenta

The cost of placenta encapsulation averages around $200-$350 dollars across Cincinnati and Dayon based on research we did as of June 2022.

We strive to keep my prices as low as we can; most recently we have elected to not raise prices, but to add a travel fee for families that have drop off/pick up locations more than 30 miles away from Tamara’s home.

We also offer discounted pricing on placenta encapsulation to families who are using our birth doula services.

For our current placenta encapsulatoin pricing, check out my information page.

Placenta Encapsulation refers to the processing of your raw placenta in order to receive capsules which the mama can take after birth for postpartum support.

Your placenta can be processed by a certified placenta encapsulator, Tamara received her certification from Childbirth International in 2020.

To learn more about the placenta encapsulation process, check out our informational page.

The placenta is an amazing organ and has many uses post birth.

The placenta can be encapsulated into pills for mama to take during postpartum and can also be used for salves (great for diaper rashes) and tinctures which can be great for extended, long term use.

Planceta encapsulation offers many benefits including helping with giving mama important vitamins and minerals after birth as well as helping with reducing the crash of hormones that typically follows after birth.

You can learn more here with a more in-depth list we have put together about the benefits of placenta encapsulation. We have also put together information about the benefits of placenta consumption.

Yes, you can still have your placenta encapsulated if you test positive for GBS.  

For those who have tested positive for GBS, Stork Helpers would use the Traditional Chinese Method (TCM) to prepare the placenta.  This method involves steaming the plancenta to 220° Farenheit for a minimum of 30 minutes followed by dehydrating the placenta for a minimum of 12 hours.  Any potential bacteria or virus is killed during the process as they cannot survive at temperatures higher than 131° Farenheit.  

Yes, placenta encapsulation is still safe if you have had a waterbirth.

However, it is important that the placenta is delivered onto a clean surface and NOT into the birthing tub.  

The temperature and condition of the water makes it the perfect breeding ground for bacteria to thrive.  

Most likely you will want to move from the tub shortly after birth for skin to skin contact or your birth team will encourage you to step out of the tub so they can properly gauge any potential blood loss.  

If you are planning a waterbirth and would like to do placenta encapsulation, talk to your birth team ahead of time so they can help make arrangements with you. 

Yes, it is still safe to encapsulate your placenta if there is some meconium on your placenta.

The bacteria in meconium is from your own body, but we will thoroughly wash the placenta and then stream the planceta to 220° Farenheit for a minimum of 30 minutes followed by dehydrating the placenta for a minimum of 12 hours.  Any potential bacteria or virus is killed during the process as they cannot survive at temperatures higher than 131° Farenheit.  

If you used the raw method for your placenta encapsulation, your pills should be consumed within 12 weeks. 

If you used the Traditional Chinese Medicine method, you pills should be good for up to 6 months. 

In both cases you should be storing the pills in a cool, dark place.  

Yes, if you have HIV, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, or Hepatitis C, we cannot encapsulate your placenta.  

Absolutely!  Since your placenta is all natural, it should not interfere wih any other medications you have to take. 

If you any concerns, you should consult with your OBGYN or midwife for more information.  

Yes, it is safe to have your placenta encapsulated if you have been induced or have an epidural.

Childbirth Classes FAQ

Yes, we do offer childbirth classes for those who live outside the Cincinnati or Dayton area or for those who just prefer a virtual setting.

Virtual childbirth classes are held through Zoom and review the same topics that an in person childbirth class would teach.

  • Two pillows and blanket: this is for your comfort as we will spend times on the floor as we practice various labor and birth positions.

  • A birth partner: some positions require you to have a spotter for safety purposes, so bring someone with if you can.  If you can’t – don’t worry, Tamara will spot you.

  • Snacks: just in case you get hungry.

Childbirth classes have been shown to increase confidence for the soon to be parents.   There are many options that birthing couples have whether you are having a home birth or a hospital birth.   

Childbirth classes can help provide detailed information on options you have including where you give birth, positions for labor, information about pain medication and much more.  

Since all our classes are private classes, you will be able to cater the topics of the class specific to what concerns you the most.  

The great thing about offering private childbirth classes, is that the topics are up to you.

We will coordinate with you to see if you have anything you would like to cover specifically, but some of the most common topics include:

  • how your body prepares for labor
  • the four stages of labor
  • how to create your birth preferences
  • relaxation techniques during childbirth
  • pain management
  • optimal positions for labor
  • delivery methods
  • newborn hospital care
  • feeding your newborn
  • baby and information about postpartum life. 

Absolutely!  Whether you are going to change hospitals or birth at home, many aspects of the class remain the same as the goal is to educate you how to have the best and safest birth possible.

During class as we explore topics about birth, often time parents ask questions that open conversations about where to give birth.  For example, parents that want to have a waterbirth should know that while many hospitals across Cincinnati and Dayton will allow you to labor in water (should a tub be available), many will not let you have a waterbirth.

These types of conversations that come from the class are often very beneficial in helping you decide if you have made the right choices for your birth story or if you want to make some changes to your birth plan.  

Of course!  We want you to be as prepared as possible for birth, whether you plan to go natural or have a medicated birth.

We will spend time talking about the risks and benefits about epidurals, along with other interventions that are available.  

Yes, whether you are having an epidural or any other pain medication during childbirth, we support your decisions.

We spend time during all our classes to discuss pain management options as well as the benefits and risks of interventions, including epidurals.  

With having a private class, we can discuss this more in depth if you like.  

Absolutely, while we are based in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas, we are happy to work with you on a virtual childbirth class.

We can schedule a class to take place through Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Through the benefits of technology, much of the class remains the same as an in-person class.

If you are interested in a virtual childbirth class, reach out today.