Overnight Doula FAQs
Payments
How much does this cost?
Our overnight doula services are $60/hour and each shift is 8 hours long. We do offer the option to extend a shift upon request. Shorter shifts are not available as we really see that to be not as helpful to families. If your budget is tight, doing less frequent shifts for the full 8 hours is our recommendation.
Do you charge extra for multiples?
No. Our time is our time, no matter what we're doing. If we have a client with triplets, we do request that parents plan to have one of them be "on call" during their sleeping time to assist the doula if all 3 babies need care at the same time. With triplets or other high order multiples, we can also craft a plan that has two doulas for the shift which does come at an extra cost.
Do you take insurance?
I wish. We can take HSA or FSA cards for overnight services and we can give you an invoice that acts as a Superbill so you can attempt insurance reimbursement, but it's never a guarantee. We do work well with Progeny and Carrot Fertility members, crafting a plan that assigns 1-2 primary doulas to your contract so you can submit for pre-approval before the birth.
How is payment structured?
We ask for a $500 retainer for services (unless you are coming into our care after baby is born and care is scheduled to start immediately). Once care begins, you will start receiving invoices every other Sunday night. Invoices are due upon receipt so we can pay our doulas in a timely manner.
I'm using my/my partner's Carrot Fertility benefits. How do you work with Carrot?
Jane will discuss this in more detail during your meet and greet with her, but we have had over two dozen (as of the end of 2024) Carrot Fertility clients and they have all been successful at getting every penny approved. We assign you a primary doula (or two) and go from there. We also strongly suggest that Carrot Fertility members get the Carrot Card offered in your member portal. Our card processing system was upgraded to allow these cards to process and this means you don't have to submit and wait for reimbursement, simply send Carrot the invoice we provide and that satisfies their requirements. We're getting pretty good at Carrot, ha!
Our overnight doula services are $60/hour and each shift is 8 hours long. We do offer the option to extend a shift upon request. Shorter shifts are not available as we really see that to be not as helpful to families. If your budget is tight, doing less frequent shifts for the full 8 hours is our recommendation.
Do you charge extra for multiples?
No. Our time is our time, no matter what we're doing. If we have a client with triplets, we do request that parents plan to have one of them be "on call" during their sleeping time to assist the doula if all 3 babies need care at the same time. With triplets or other high order multiples, we can also craft a plan that has two doulas for the shift which does come at an extra cost.
Do you take insurance?
I wish. We can take HSA or FSA cards for overnight services and we can give you an invoice that acts as a Superbill so you can attempt insurance reimbursement, but it's never a guarantee. We do work well with Progeny and Carrot Fertility members, crafting a plan that assigns 1-2 primary doulas to your contract so you can submit for pre-approval before the birth.
How is payment structured?
We ask for a $500 retainer for services (unless you are coming into our care after baby is born and care is scheduled to start immediately). Once care begins, you will start receiving invoices every other Sunday night. Invoices are due upon receipt so we can pay our doulas in a timely manner.
I'm using my/my partner's Carrot Fertility benefits. How do you work with Carrot?
Jane will discuss this in more detail during your meet and greet with her, but we have had over two dozen (as of the end of 2024) Carrot Fertility clients and they have all been successful at getting every penny approved. We assign you a primary doula (or two) and go from there. We also strongly suggest that Carrot Fertility members get the Carrot Card offered in your member portal. Our card processing system was upgraded to allow these cards to process and this means you don't have to submit and wait for reimbursement, simply send Carrot the invoice we provide and that satisfies their requirements. We're getting pretty good at Carrot, ha!
Scheduling, communication and policies
What start times do you offer for shifts?
We primarily work a 9pm-5am shift. This allows the doula and the parents time to chat about how the day went and then settle in for the night before sleepy parents are too fried to think. This also ensures the safety of our doulas, as driving at those times is easier than later at night or later in the morning. Very rarely, we will shift the timing back to 10pm-6am for infants who are medically-fragile and need a specific routine with feeding pumps or other high-level care.
Can I pick my doulas ahead of time?
No. We will assign your doulas based on a myriad of criteria (availability, location, needs and expertise) once your work begins. Our model is based on 'extreme flexibility' and we essentially take the "leftover" availability that our doula contractors have and build our weekly schedule out from there. Our current average is 3.7 doulas per family. (yes, we are total stat nerds)
So how will you communicate my complex needs to the doulas that are assigned?
We have an intake form that you will fill out before care begins and outlines all of your needs and plans and hopes and dreams. Our team uses Slack to communicate amongst all of our doulas and each contract is assigned an internal Slack Channel with our mentorship team and the doulas who are assigned to that family. The doulas and mentors can share updates, discuss how things are going, get extra advice about a tricky situation or rough patch your baby is going through and relay it back to you. With everyone on the same page, it makes working with multiple doulas quite seamless for each family and three heads are better than one!
How do we schedule this care once we sign the contract?
We will reach out to you via text as your due date nears to open up communication. You also have access to this number to text or call with any questions. Our team will reach out every Tuesday to get your care requests for the following week. You will get email notifications when the shifts have been booked and reminders the morning-of each shift. You can schedule weekly as your needs change or you can tell us at any point that you know you want specific nights per week for a set number of weeks.
My baby was already born and I'm really struggling... is it too late to book?
No! The beauty of our flexible model is that we usually always have a contractor ready to work. More often than not, this request is met with, "Actually one of us had a cancellation and can come tonight if that works?"
How soon after birth can we start?
Day 1! We can usually have a doula available for you the first night home from the hospital or the day of your delivery. Well... as long as you tell us when you go into labor... or as close to that as possible. We also offer in-hospital care for clients who would would otherwise be alone in the hospital after birth.
How often do you come?
That is up to you. We will discuss this more in the interview with you but we have families that range from once per week to up to 7 nights per week. This will heavily depend on your needs and your budget. As you start to feel more rested and like you are ready to handle more of the nights, we taper off our time with you in a way that is gentle and paced to the needs of your family. You can see some sample schedules our clients have used here.
What if I plan for the worst and somehow get a dream baby who sleeps 4 hours at a time?
Then we roll off your contract sooner! We are flexible and can craft our schedule with you as you get to know your baby.
What if I plan for the best and somehow get a nightmare baby who only sleeps for 30 minutes at a time?
Then we ramp up care and see what we can do to get your baby sleeping better. We are flexible and can craft our schedule with you as you get to know your baby.
We are very nervous parents and have cameras monitoring the nursery and other areas of our home. Is this an issue?
Yes. We have a very strict no-camera policy and while we welcome video baby monitors on the infant's sleeping space (nannit, etc), we do not allow any recording of our doulas at any point in their shift. You can read more about this policy here.
We primarily work a 9pm-5am shift. This allows the doula and the parents time to chat about how the day went and then settle in for the night before sleepy parents are too fried to think. This also ensures the safety of our doulas, as driving at those times is easier than later at night or later in the morning. Very rarely, we will shift the timing back to 10pm-6am for infants who are medically-fragile and need a specific routine with feeding pumps or other high-level care.
Can I pick my doulas ahead of time?
No. We will assign your doulas based on a myriad of criteria (availability, location, needs and expertise) once your work begins. Our model is based on 'extreme flexibility' and we essentially take the "leftover" availability that our doula contractors have and build our weekly schedule out from there. Our current average is 3.7 doulas per family. (yes, we are total stat nerds)
So how will you communicate my complex needs to the doulas that are assigned?
We have an intake form that you will fill out before care begins and outlines all of your needs and plans and hopes and dreams. Our team uses Slack to communicate amongst all of our doulas and each contract is assigned an internal Slack Channel with our mentorship team and the doulas who are assigned to that family. The doulas and mentors can share updates, discuss how things are going, get extra advice about a tricky situation or rough patch your baby is going through and relay it back to you. With everyone on the same page, it makes working with multiple doulas quite seamless for each family and three heads are better than one!
How do we schedule this care once we sign the contract?
We will reach out to you via text as your due date nears to open up communication. You also have access to this number to text or call with any questions. Our team will reach out every Tuesday to get your care requests for the following week. You will get email notifications when the shifts have been booked and reminders the morning-of each shift. You can schedule weekly as your needs change or you can tell us at any point that you know you want specific nights per week for a set number of weeks.
My baby was already born and I'm really struggling... is it too late to book?
No! The beauty of our flexible model is that we usually always have a contractor ready to work. More often than not, this request is met with, "Actually one of us had a cancellation and can come tonight if that works?"
How soon after birth can we start?
Day 1! We can usually have a doula available for you the first night home from the hospital or the day of your delivery. Well... as long as you tell us when you go into labor... or as close to that as possible. We also offer in-hospital care for clients who would would otherwise be alone in the hospital after birth.
How often do you come?
That is up to you. We will discuss this more in the interview with you but we have families that range from once per week to up to 7 nights per week. This will heavily depend on your needs and your budget. As you start to feel more rested and like you are ready to handle more of the nights, we taper off our time with you in a way that is gentle and paced to the needs of your family. You can see some sample schedules our clients have used here.
What if I plan for the worst and somehow get a dream baby who sleeps 4 hours at a time?
Then we roll off your contract sooner! We are flexible and can craft our schedule with you as you get to know your baby.
What if I plan for the best and somehow get a nightmare baby who only sleeps for 30 minutes at a time?
Then we ramp up care and see what we can do to get your baby sleeping better. We are flexible and can craft our schedule with you as you get to know your baby.
We are very nervous parents and have cameras monitoring the nursery and other areas of our home. Is this an issue?
Yes. We have a very strict no-camera policy and while we welcome video baby monitors on the infant's sleeping space (nannit, etc), we do not allow any recording of our doulas at any point in their shift. You can read more about this policy here.
What we do and don't do...
So, you come to my house and take care of the baby at night?
Yes... and a bit more than that. We arrive at your home at 9pm ready for our 8 hour shift. The night begins with a discussion of the day and how you and baby are doing, and we then make a plan for the night. This chat can be brief if you know what you want and are ready for sleep, or our team is happy to answer questions and discuss changes you are making or thinking of making. Having a trusted expert on all things baby, feeding, birth recovery and sleep is really helpful.
I had a hard delivery, what type of care do you offer me?
We are very well versed in all forms of support for recovering parents. We can help you process your birth story and offer guidance and insight if your delivery was intense. We use the Edinburgh scale of perinatal mood disorder screening (it's a self assessment tool we provide to you) and we are always watching for signs of perinatal mood disorders. There are tips and tricks for recovery from either a vaginal delivery or a cesarean and we offer all of that support to those who are freshly delivered. We are there for all areas of post-birth recovery. For our clients who welcomed their babies through adoption or surrogacy, we are emotional support as you navigate the ups and downs of finally having your own baby in your arms. Our doulas have all worked with parents who suffered loss prior to their baby's arrival as well, and are happy to listen to you and support as needed during this bittersweetly joyful time.
I'm planning to breastfeed though, so will this even be helpful?
Absolutely, yes. We are passionate about supporting the feeding plan your family is aiming for. For some families, that looks like the doula bringing the baby/ies to you when it's time to feed, or we are happy to bottle feed pumped milk during the night. This is a very individual plan and our expertise in lactation comes in very handy here. We support ALL ways of feeding an infant, be it breast or bottle, supplemented with formula or donor milk... you get to decide and we are here to help you sort it out.
Okay so if I'm breastfeeding, I just feed baby and then I go back to sleep?
Yep. In the earlier days when breastfeeding is getting established, we encourage all feedings to be at the breast. When things are smooth-sailing, we are happy to craft a pumping routine during our nights with you that often have the lactating parent waking only once to pump while we do the bottle feeds and keep your baby on the same schedule as your breasts so we don't interfere with your daytime plans.
Then what happens? You chill with the baby? What do you *DO* for the rest of the night?
There is not usually a lot of downtime between the feeding, diapering, burping, soothing, etc. If you are pumping in the night, we can come and get the milk and all pump parts after you are finished expressing. We then store your milk and wash all of the pump parts, replacing them by your bed for the next pumping session. Our goal is also to start establishing good sleep habits with your baby so we don't like to have a lot of lights or screens on around the sleeping baby. We often will bring our own tablet, cross stitching, or a book. We do ask that families provide a space near the baby (or near a monitor) for the doula to rest or nap during their shift if the baby allows it.
I don't want the doula to sleep while they are in charge of the baby, do you offer "awake care"
No, we do not guarantee "awake care". If the baby gives the doula an opportunity to nap, we strongly encourage them to do so. Sometimes, babies have other plans and the doula is awake all night, so we roll with that. Working a night shift has been classified as an actual carcinogen by many cancer authorities and the health of our doulas is important to us. This is why we ask that every family provide a resting place for the doula in the same room as a safe sleep space for the baby. This can be a guest room with a bassinet rolled into it, a couch in a living room or family room with a pack n play set up, or an airbed, recliner or camping pad in a nursery. The one thing we do not allow is a dock-a-tot, swing or bouncer for baby as they are not considered "safe sleep" spaces.
Do you work with twins?
All the time! Twins are a common clientele of night doulas, and we can help you get and keep the babies on a sustainable schedule, while offering twin tips and advice for surviving the early days with two (or more) babies.
I think we will need some help with housekeeping tasks, can I ask the doula to do that?
No. As overnight doulas are the only person available during the shift to care for the infant, we do not add housekeeping tasks to their duties. The AAP recommends that infants not sleep alone at night so we do like to remain in the same room as the infant during our shift. Daytime Postpartum doulas will do light housekeeping because they have someone else to hold the baby or quickly reach them if they cry. Tasks like scrubbing pots and pans, preparing meals and vacuuming are loud and disruptive and run the risk of the doula not hearing the infant. If there are things that need to be cleaned in order for us to do our job (pump parts and bottles) we will do those during our shift. We are happy to prepare the recovering parent a light snack, refill a water bottle or make a cup of tea in the middle of the night, as the baby allows us, and if there is an odd basket of baby clothes that need folding, most doulas will just do that in the nursery room with baby. Any supplementary insurance coverage (like Carrot Fertility) also strictly forbids doulas from doing any housework at all.
What happens when your shift is over?
Our goal is always to leave you with a freshly-diapered, sleeping baby at 5am when we leave. We can either sneak into your room and put the baby in a bassinet near you, or roll the bassinet in if we have it with us. Alternately, some parents will wake up at 5 and come relieve us in the nursery so we can leave. If your baby struggles with disruptions and transfers, we can also sneak into your room and pop a baby monitor on your nightstand and sneak out. Notes about the baby's care for the night will be sent via text or written on a notepad, whichever the family prefers!
What if I have questions about random baby things between shifts?
Just like with our birth clients, we give all of our postpartum clients access to Kate and Jane's 24/7 phone line. You can use this at any time to text or call with questions related to baby, postpartum recovery, infant feeding, etc. If it seems like the question is out of our scope to answer, we will direct you to the appropriate care provider.
Will you help us sleep train our baby? We have to return to work soon and need the baby to sleep longer.
Hard no. Sleep training a newborn or young infant is strictly prohibited by every pediatric organization. We can help you understand the realistic expectations for a young infant's sleep pattern, and we will offer tips on building healthy infant sleep habits with you and go over the current guidelines and recommendations, but we will not sleep train a newborn baby. If you are planning to do any form of restricted feeding plan for your baby (letting them fuss or cry before responding to them and only offering food after x hours), we will not be able to work with you as these methods can directly lead to health complications for infants and that is a major liability for us. If you read "Babywise" and got excited, burn it and then call us back to chat. We do offer a sleep training package for babies that are older than 5 months.
My [random family member] will be coming to stay with us to help out but they are not vaccinated. Will you still work with us?
No. We require vaccinations for our doulas and families, especially vaccination for respiratory illnesses. Because most of our doulas are working with 2 families at a time, we cannot risk your unvaccinated family member exposing our doula and then exposing another baby.
I have an older toddler who might need some care in the middle of the night as well. Will you help with them?
No... we have not met them so that would totally freak them out. Our job is to make sure that parents get sleep, ensuring that they can be ready for toddler-wrangling during the day!
So you're basically like "The Babysitters Club" for overnight doulas?
Yes.
Exactly.
Kate is totally Kristy and Jane has a Stacy vibe.
Yes... and a bit more than that. We arrive at your home at 9pm ready for our 8 hour shift. The night begins with a discussion of the day and how you and baby are doing, and we then make a plan for the night. This chat can be brief if you know what you want and are ready for sleep, or our team is happy to answer questions and discuss changes you are making or thinking of making. Having a trusted expert on all things baby, feeding, birth recovery and sleep is really helpful.
I had a hard delivery, what type of care do you offer me?
We are very well versed in all forms of support for recovering parents. We can help you process your birth story and offer guidance and insight if your delivery was intense. We use the Edinburgh scale of perinatal mood disorder screening (it's a self assessment tool we provide to you) and we are always watching for signs of perinatal mood disorders. There are tips and tricks for recovery from either a vaginal delivery or a cesarean and we offer all of that support to those who are freshly delivered. We are there for all areas of post-birth recovery. For our clients who welcomed their babies through adoption or surrogacy, we are emotional support as you navigate the ups and downs of finally having your own baby in your arms. Our doulas have all worked with parents who suffered loss prior to their baby's arrival as well, and are happy to listen to you and support as needed during this bittersweetly joyful time.
I'm planning to breastfeed though, so will this even be helpful?
Absolutely, yes. We are passionate about supporting the feeding plan your family is aiming for. For some families, that looks like the doula bringing the baby/ies to you when it's time to feed, or we are happy to bottle feed pumped milk during the night. This is a very individual plan and our expertise in lactation comes in very handy here. We support ALL ways of feeding an infant, be it breast or bottle, supplemented with formula or donor milk... you get to decide and we are here to help you sort it out.
Okay so if I'm breastfeeding, I just feed baby and then I go back to sleep?
Yep. In the earlier days when breastfeeding is getting established, we encourage all feedings to be at the breast. When things are smooth-sailing, we are happy to craft a pumping routine during our nights with you that often have the lactating parent waking only once to pump while we do the bottle feeds and keep your baby on the same schedule as your breasts so we don't interfere with your daytime plans.
Then what happens? You chill with the baby? What do you *DO* for the rest of the night?
There is not usually a lot of downtime between the feeding, diapering, burping, soothing, etc. If you are pumping in the night, we can come and get the milk and all pump parts after you are finished expressing. We then store your milk and wash all of the pump parts, replacing them by your bed for the next pumping session. Our goal is also to start establishing good sleep habits with your baby so we don't like to have a lot of lights or screens on around the sleeping baby. We often will bring our own tablet, cross stitching, or a book. We do ask that families provide a space near the baby (or near a monitor) for the doula to rest or nap during their shift if the baby allows it.
I don't want the doula to sleep while they are in charge of the baby, do you offer "awake care"
No, we do not guarantee "awake care". If the baby gives the doula an opportunity to nap, we strongly encourage them to do so. Sometimes, babies have other plans and the doula is awake all night, so we roll with that. Working a night shift has been classified as an actual carcinogen by many cancer authorities and the health of our doulas is important to us. This is why we ask that every family provide a resting place for the doula in the same room as a safe sleep space for the baby. This can be a guest room with a bassinet rolled into it, a couch in a living room or family room with a pack n play set up, or an airbed, recliner or camping pad in a nursery. The one thing we do not allow is a dock-a-tot, swing or bouncer for baby as they are not considered "safe sleep" spaces.
Do you work with twins?
All the time! Twins are a common clientele of night doulas, and we can help you get and keep the babies on a sustainable schedule, while offering twin tips and advice for surviving the early days with two (or more) babies.
I think we will need some help with housekeeping tasks, can I ask the doula to do that?
No. As overnight doulas are the only person available during the shift to care for the infant, we do not add housekeeping tasks to their duties. The AAP recommends that infants not sleep alone at night so we do like to remain in the same room as the infant during our shift. Daytime Postpartum doulas will do light housekeeping because they have someone else to hold the baby or quickly reach them if they cry. Tasks like scrubbing pots and pans, preparing meals and vacuuming are loud and disruptive and run the risk of the doula not hearing the infant. If there are things that need to be cleaned in order for us to do our job (pump parts and bottles) we will do those during our shift. We are happy to prepare the recovering parent a light snack, refill a water bottle or make a cup of tea in the middle of the night, as the baby allows us, and if there is an odd basket of baby clothes that need folding, most doulas will just do that in the nursery room with baby. Any supplementary insurance coverage (like Carrot Fertility) also strictly forbids doulas from doing any housework at all.
What happens when your shift is over?
Our goal is always to leave you with a freshly-diapered, sleeping baby at 5am when we leave. We can either sneak into your room and put the baby in a bassinet near you, or roll the bassinet in if we have it with us. Alternately, some parents will wake up at 5 and come relieve us in the nursery so we can leave. If your baby struggles with disruptions and transfers, we can also sneak into your room and pop a baby monitor on your nightstand and sneak out. Notes about the baby's care for the night will be sent via text or written on a notepad, whichever the family prefers!
What if I have questions about random baby things between shifts?
Just like with our birth clients, we give all of our postpartum clients access to Kate and Jane's 24/7 phone line. You can use this at any time to text or call with questions related to baby, postpartum recovery, infant feeding, etc. If it seems like the question is out of our scope to answer, we will direct you to the appropriate care provider.
Will you help us sleep train our baby? We have to return to work soon and need the baby to sleep longer.
Hard no. Sleep training a newborn or young infant is strictly prohibited by every pediatric organization. We can help you understand the realistic expectations for a young infant's sleep pattern, and we will offer tips on building healthy infant sleep habits with you and go over the current guidelines and recommendations, but we will not sleep train a newborn baby. If you are planning to do any form of restricted feeding plan for your baby (letting them fuss or cry before responding to them and only offering food after x hours), we will not be able to work with you as these methods can directly lead to health complications for infants and that is a major liability for us. If you read "Babywise" and got excited, burn it and then call us back to chat. We do offer a sleep training package for babies that are older than 5 months.
My [random family member] will be coming to stay with us to help out but they are not vaccinated. Will you still work with us?
No. We require vaccinations for our doulas and families, especially vaccination for respiratory illnesses. Because most of our doulas are working with 2 families at a time, we cannot risk your unvaccinated family member exposing our doula and then exposing another baby.
I have an older toddler who might need some care in the middle of the night as well. Will you help with them?
No... we have not met them so that would totally freak them out. Our job is to make sure that parents get sleep, ensuring that they can be ready for toddler-wrangling during the day!
So you're basically like "The Babysitters Club" for overnight doulas?
Yes.
Exactly.
Kate is totally Kristy and Jane has a Stacy vibe.
