Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does overnight support look like?
A: For an overnight shift, we have 10 hour minimums. 8pm-6am or 9pm-7am are or most commonly scheduled shifts. You can request to have us come a bit earlier or later, but that would be based on the availability of your doulas. The point of overnight care is to help you maximize the amount of sleep as much as possible! If your baby is breastfed, your doula will either bring your baby to you or you can come to us - whichever you prefer! And then you go back to sleep and the soothing, burping, changing of your baby is taken care of. If your baby is bottle-fed, you can get a full night of sleep. If you are a pumping parent, you can get up to pump when needed & go right back to sleep. We support parents no matter how they choose to feed their babies & will offer advice and support based on your goals & what fits your family's best interests. Overnight shifts are 10 hours minimum.
Q: After my initial consultation, what are the next steps?
A: During your initial consult, we will learn about what your goals are for your postpartum experience (Sleep. New parents want sleep.), how we can help you, and determine who to pair you with based on your family’s needs. Immediately following your initial consult, you will receive the contract & invoice for the retainer. Some families wait until they’ve met with their team to sign and pay the retainer, but many sign & pay right away to secure their spot! Your team will be handpicked by the Family Care Coordinator (Mary Pope) & will be in contact with you to say hello. Once they connect with you, it’s up to you whether you want to do a one-on-one phone call, a video call or a group Zoom meeting. Your doulas will help you coordinate that.
Q: Do I get to interview my team in advance?
A: Absolutely, yes! We want you to be comfortable with the people in your home. While all of our professionals come highly recommended, we know that not all personalities are suited to some. However, many of our families opt out of the interview process because they know that our professionals are vetted, screened & amazing!
Q: What if I don’t love love love one of the team members I’m paired with (eek!)?
A: We cannot guarantee that you will love all of our professionals. But we also do not take it personally if you don’t. If you do a shift with one of us & your personalities really don’t “click” - that’s okay! That is what the Family Care Coordinator is for. Email or text Mary & let her know what you are feeling & why it’s not a good fit. She will swap out the team member for someone else! Easy peasy!
Q: What if NONE of my team members are good fits?
A: This is not a situation we've ever had come up. But if this happens to you, and you cycle through ALL of the professionals of Oh Baby! KC, you are only responsible to pay for the time you use and you can cancel services after that. You are not locked in to using a certain amount of hours.
Q: What will my Postpartum Doula NOT do?
A: There are a few things that are outside of our scope of practice. Those being: Giving medical advice, Issuing medication to you or your baby, driving you or your children anywhere, Scrubbing toilets (We can refer you to a great house cleaning business or two though!)
Q: What does the retainer cover & how does the payment schedule work?
A: The retainer is based on the first week of requested services and holds your place with us. We do not hold spots for families without a signed contract & paid retainer. The retainer is applied to your first week of services & you will be invoiced weekly for the upcoming week based on your requested weekly schedule. If you choose to cancel services before you start, the retainer in non-refundable.
Q: What if I use half of my hours & decide to cancel the rest? Do I qualify for a refund?
A: We totally understand that sometimes, babies are easier than we expected them to be. However, due to the nature of this work & how we schedule our families, you can choose to discontinue using the services, but once you pay for a week, we do not issue refunds.
Q: Once I hire, is there a time frame I should start using your services?
A: We specialize in immediate postpartum support. Our services are prioritized for families in the first 12 weeks after giving birth, so we definitely don’t recommend waiting for too long! Most of our families start with us within the first 2 weeks of their birth depending on family members visiting, partners going back to work, etc.
Q: If I choose to start out with one month of support, can I extend out further if needed?
A: Absolutely! We understand that every baby and postpartum experience is different. So if you start out thinking you might only need a month, but decide you need more, you are welcome to stay for as long as 12 weeks.
Q: If I start out with overnight support, can I switch to daytime?
A: Unfortunately, we do not offer daytime support. If you are needing daytime support more than nights, we will send you our list of recommended daytime doulas.
Q: What if I want to start with Sleep Coaching?
A: We work closely with a few sleep coaches and often partner up to help parents follow through with plans laid out for them. You can find our list of sleep coaches we work with here.
Q: How far in advance should I book you?
A: We are currently fully booking up 4-6 months in advance on average, while some parents-to-be are booking us when they start to try to get pregnant! Don’t wait until after your baby arrives to start the process. If you wait until last minute, you may not be able to book us at all.
Q: Do you have a cancellation or refund policy?
A: We do not offer refunds. However, if you need to cancel our services for any reason, you may do so, but the deposit paid is not refundable.
Q: What lactation resources do you have available?
A: We have a list of IBCLCs we recommend, but because they accept insurance, booking is done directly through them.
Q: Speaking of lactation - if I choose to NOT breastfeed, will I be judged for that choice?
A: Absolutely not! We support parents no matter how they choose to feed their babies.