Be Prepared: Plan Ahead and Book Early

1. Program your phone with the contact numbers and email addresses of both your primary and secondary doulas.

2. Complete your Intake Form in section two (previous menu item).

3. Schedule your private lessons/sessions with your primary doula:

   Labor Lesson around 33 weeks gestation (if Full Bundle client)

   Birthday Planning session at 35 weeks

4. Enroll in the Ultimate BF Class. Use the code HAPPIEST since we’ve already paid for your registration.

5. Review our blog often for helpful articles regarding pregnancy and parenting.

6. Consider the recommendations below and please read the educational emails you’ll soon receive in your inbox. The bulk of the emails will arrive around 34 weeks gestation.

7. Prepare your Birth Preferences / Plan. Read our sample birth plans and draft your own so we can review it together at our Birthday Planning session. Please don't begin writing your plan until your childbirth class or Labor Lesson is complete.

8. Review our recommended list of items to pack in your hospital labor bag. It is a good idea for you to own a birth ball (for home use), an essential oil for relaxation/aromatherapy, a string of Christmas lights, and a rice sock or heating pad for comfort.

Recommended Reading

• The Birth Partner - a childbirth class in a book! THIS IS A MUST-HAVE.

• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth - lots of birth stories and statistical information about birth in America.

• The Baby Book - one of the many reference guides by Dr. Sears.

• The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding - exactly what you'll need if you plan to breastfeed.

• Tips for the Labor Partner - our recommendations for your labor; timing contractions, staying relaxed.

• HypnoBirthing - a review of using hypnosis / guided meditation for relaxation while pregnant and during childbirth.

• Hypnobabies - a self-study course on how to use hypnosis for childbirth.

Recommended Viewing

• The Business of Being Born - an eye-opening movie about the state of childbirth in the US.