Consultant and Doula Services
Mary Haseltine - Disciple, Wife, Mother, Doula
Offering Doula Support for Home Birth in the Greater Buffalo, NY Area
Loving, wise support for physiological birth so you can experience the transformative rite of passage into motherhood that God designed
How I serve...
Standard Doula Services
As your doula I work with you to plan for and support the birth you've been dreaming about. Offering information, emotional support, 15 years of professional experience, 22 years of personal experience, guidance, and in person labor support, I walk with you through this life-changing experience so that it can be the healthy, happy, and holy experience God designed it to be.
This standard doula package includes:
• one obligation-free mutual interview for us to see if we are a good fit. Working with a woman before and during her birth is a very intimate experience and relationship. For that reason I am discerning in the clients I work with and my desire is to only work with the women who God wants and whose plans for birth align with what I am able to support and offer.
• two prenatal consultation meetings of 1-2 hours each to discuss your pregnancy, birth plan, and how I can best support you for your birth
• text availability throughout pregnancy through your 40 days postpartum for concerns, questions, or talking through decisions
• 24/7 on call availability for your birth from 37 weeks until birth of baby
• labor and home birth support from the beginning of active labor until 2-3 hours after the baby is born
• one postpartum follow-up meeting several days after the birth of about 1 hour for postpartum support, breastfeeding help, newborn questions, birth processing, and to wrap up our time together!
• access to my lending library as well as other support tools such as birth pool rental, birth ball, peanut ball, affirmations, and other birth resources
• one year subscription to the Made for This Birth app
Investment: $1400
*cash or repeat client discount available
*I do not work directly with insurance companies but am happy to provide a billing receipt to submit to your insurance provider, HSA, or health share plan.
Traditional Birth Ministry
In traditional birth ministry I can walk with you and witness you more intimately as a sister in Christ and as a mother and birthworker who's been through it before many times. This is especially helpful for first time mothers and for women working outside the system for their pregnancy and birth who are looking for a feminine witness and wise woman to accompany them through this life-changing process. We meet monthly during your pregnancy and three times during your postpartum time, giving us more opportunity to truly build intimacy, hear your heart, work through fears, talk through options, pray together, answer questions, and more for a sacred, intimate, and intentional pregnancy, birth, and postpartum transformation.
Traditional Birth Ministry includes:
• one obligation-free mutual interview for us to see if we are a good fit and if I can provide the support you are looking for
• six prenatal meetings of 1-2 hours each (approximately once a month). In these meetings, I want to develop a real relationship with YOU, your husband, and your baby. We discuss your pregnancy, birth plan, answer questions, work through fears, connect with your baby, pray together, and equip you with tools, strategies, and education to address various scenarios for the best birth and postpartum possible
• text availability throughout pregnancy through your 40 days postpartum for concerns, questions, or talking through decisions
• 24/7 on call availability for your birth from 37 weeks until birth of baby
• labor and birth doula support from the beginning of active labor until 2-3 hours after the baby is born
• three postpartum visits of about 1 hour each occurring within the first days or weeks after the birth for postpartum support, breastfeeding help, newborn questions, birth processing, troubleshooting issues, or practical help
• access to my lending library as well as other support tools such as birth pool rental, birth ball, peanut ball, affirmations, and other birth resources
• one year subscription to the Made for This Birth app
Investment: $2800
*cash or repeat client discount available
*I do not work directly with insurance companies but am happy to provide a billing receipt to submit to your insurance provider, HSA, or health share plan.
Virtual Birth Support
It may be that you want to keep your birth as undisturbed as possible or that you're outside my service area but would like someone on call throughout labor and immediately afterwards who is familiar with physiological birth and can support you virtually through your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum time.
A virtual support package includes:
• one 15-30 minute interview via phone or Zoom to see if this support is a good fit for both of us
• two virtual prenatal meetings of 1-2 hours to pray together, discuss your birth plan, strategize how I can best support you through birth, ask questions, and provide feedback and ideas to help you have the best birth possible
• text availability throughout pregnancy and through your 40 days postpartum for concerns, questions, prayer, or other support
• 24/7 on call virtual availability via FaceTime, text, or phone call from the time of active labor through 2-3 hours after birth to provide emotional, mental, informational, and spiritual support as you go through the labor and birth process
• one virtual postpartum meeting lasting 1-2 hours during the first two weeks postpartum to talk through concerns, process the birth, answer questions, and check in on how things are going with your postpartum time
• one year subscription to the Made for This Birth app
Investment: $1000
Last Minute Doula
You didn't think you would need a doula or maybe you didn't even know it was an option.
But now you're in labor or perhaps you're at your 40 week appointment and there's a whole lot you weren't expecting. Now you realize you really could use some help and want some skilled support, information, labor help, and advocacy through this process. A last minute doula is NOT the ideal way to utilize a doula but when you're in that situation, it's better than the alternative of having your birth fly out of control, lifelong consequences you weren't bargaining on, or ending up with trauma that could be prevented.
If you're in labor or labor is imminent and you find yourself needing more help, I may be available to come be with you to help you navigate the situation as best I can. This service is not guaranteed and is completely dependent on my availability at the moment. It's important to note that this service does not include the in depth prenatal meetings of normal doula support where we talk through your birth plan, get to know each other, develop skills, and answer questions thoroughly. With 15 years of experience in labor and birth skills and an in depth knowledge of the local birth system, I will do the best I am able on the spot to help support you through birth, make any decisions, and achieve the best outcome in the situation.
This service includes in person birth support and one postpartum follow up meeting.
Investment: $1000
Payment is due in cash or Venmo at time of service.
Birth Consulting or Processing
Are you confused about the many choices you face before, during, and after birth? Need help navigating all the information and options to give you and your baby the best start? Would it be helpful to talk with someone familiar with all the local birth options? During a birth consult I can help you know what choices you have and give you the information you need to make the best choice for you and your baby in your unique circumstances.
Or maybe you've had a birth experience you need help talking through and processing with someone who understands? Through a birth processing appointment you can ask questions, talk freely, pray with me, and gain some understanding, insight, peace, or necessary healing.
Sessions run approximately 1-2 hours in length and are in person. If you proceed with doula services after the consult, your consult payment can be applied to your doula fee.
Investment: $120
For virtual birth consults please see the listing here.
Bereavement Services
When the unthinkable happens, you and your baby still deserve to be treated with dignity, love, and the best possible care and support. During a miscarriage or stillbirth, a woman still has many options but is often too in shock to know or even ask what they might be. Very often the medical system does not offer full informed consent nor does the provider present all the options available to her. I can be with you to offer what other options there may be to consider, support you as you make these decisions, and be with you as you go through the process of miscarriage or stillbirth. I can also help walk you through the options you may have afterwards.
If you are in this situation, contact me and I can help. This can look like emailing and answering questions, being with you during the birth process, going with you to a doctor or midwife appointment, helping you prepare for the process of miscarriage or stillbirth, and more.
(Free of Charge/Voluntary Donation)
A Little Bit of Background
As the mother to seven children on earth and one in eternity, I have a passion for helping women experience their feminine genius through the beautiful, divinely designed rite of passage that is childbirth. I believe that every single woman and baby have the God-given right to have the design of their bodies reverenced and respected. I am passionate about honoring God's physiologic design for our bodies, birth, informed consent, and recognizing birth as the transformative and sacred event it was created to be.
I was blessed to have had six of my babies at home and two in the hospital, one a vaginal breech. I became certified as a birth doula in 2011 when I realized that too many women were not being given adequate information, informed consent, or true support for the beautiful, healthy, and empowering birth experience they deserved. In 2018 I expanded my birth work and published the book Made for This: The Catholic Mom's Guide to Birth. I love bringing the richness and beauty of the Catholic Faith into the experience of birth and motherhood and it infuses everything I do. However, I have served women of many backgrounds and faiths.
I have attended births as a doula at all of the greater Buffalo area hospitals, Strong Memorial, UMMC Batavia, as well as Coit House, other birth centers, and home. I am well acquainted with the local birth options, various protocols, and outcomes. I have experience in natural birth, medicated birth, water birth, VBAC, cesarean birth, induction, and complete undisturbed physiological birth as well as miscarriage and stillbirth. Some of my specialized official training includes Breech Without Borders, Spinning Babies, Neonatal Resuscitation, and LifeCycles Center certification, .
Because of my experiences, my beliefs about the dignity of the human person, and what I have witnessed in the local system as well as the consistently poor outcomes of these institutions, I have chosen to primarily support birth at home, serving women seeking and working toward a physiological birth. This is where I have seen the healthiest outcomes and best treatment for both mother and baby.
In addition to my personal birth experience I also have over eighteen years of personal breastfeeding experience and am able to help you navigate the breastfeeding journey as well as overcome many problems that might arise. I can assist with questions about newborn care, motherhood, postpartum issues, and more.
Please note that due to my family obligations and to provide the best possible care and availability to clients, I currently take about 1-2 birth clients per month. If you are interested in booking me for your due time, please contact me as soon as possible. I look forward to meeting you and sharing in this important and joyful time for you and your family!
Words from Clients...
