Pregnancy + Postpartum Doula Support
©Lisa Gendron | Agroterra Birth
Doulas are skilled, non-medical support people serving pregnant, birthing and new families. Trusted guides from the community has been a tradition all over the world for as long as we have records. In more recent history (50+ years) the scientific community has collected research confirming the importance of this support — including fewer complications in pregnancy, birth + postpartum; reduction of impacts of bias + racism in maternity care; healthier transition into breastfeeding + parenthood; and healthier emotions + relationships. Learn more about the evidence behind doula support.
At Open Circle, Kaeli Sutton, CPD, provides specialized pregnancy and postpartum (after birth) doula care.* She also serves families through abortion, miscarriage, and loss. She does not currently offer doula support during birth except during terminations and pregnancy losses. *Looking for a birth doula? Find lists of practitioners at Doulas of RI, Umoja NIa Collective or RI Birth Worker Co-op.
My family sincerely appreciated the support offered by the Doulas at Open Circle. Our meetings have been absolutely instrumental as we have been navigating our birth options and reconfiguring our birth plan, all during a the intense times of Covid-19.
It has connected us with skilled Doulas’ technical knowledge, history of experience, and emotional guidance as we have made important decisions around our birth. We are so grateful this option has been available to us, and highly recommend this service.
©Agroterra Birth Photography
HOW CAN WE HELP?
All topics + questions welcome. Common areas that families work with us on include:
During Pregnancy
- Physical Comfort Strategies
- Safe Exercise in pregnancy
- Mindfulness-Based Birth Preparation
- Labor Support and Coping
- Partner Support
- Preparing for a Cesarean
- Creating Birth Plans
- Advocating for Your Family
- Understanding Choices + Rights in Birth
- Collaborative Partnerships with Medical Providers
- Creating a 4th Trimester / Postpartum Plan
- Preparing Siblings For Baby
After Birth
- Healing After Birth
- Safely Resuming Exercise
- Challenging Birth Experiences
- Newborn Care
- Breastfeeding
- Family Sleep Support
- Healthy Relationships
- Emotional Health
- Identity Transitions
- Organizing Community Help
- Building Community
- Managing the Household
- Setting Boundaries with Work and Family
Special Circumstances
- Preparing for Babies With Medical Conditions
- Navigating Medical Care
- Birth Prep for Families With a History of Trauma
- Birth Prep for Families With a History of Loss
- Pregnancy, Fetal or Infant Loss Support
- Pregnancy Termination Support
APPOINTMENTS
Appointments can be scheduled online or by calling 401.338.5466. Session durations range from 1-2 hours depending on a your needs.
Following each appointment you will be sent an email or audio recording summarizing our discussion and providing related resources.
INSURANCE COVERAGE + OUT OF POCKET FEES
Insurance Coverage for doula care is now available for many Rhode Island families and includes pregnancy, birth, postpartum, pregnancy or infant loss and termination support. Kaeli Sutton is in network for all Medicaid plans and many private Neighborhood, United Healthcare and BlueCross plans.
Out of Pocket Fee’s: No insurance coverage? Our Income and Resource Based Pricing ranges from $35-$100 per session.
Families may:
-Choose only pregnancy or postpartum support, or choose both
-Choose prenatal, birth and postpartum support (Open Circle does not offer birth support)
-Choose to work with one or more doulas
HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU HAVE INSURANCE COVERAGE
Families are responsible to determine whether their insurance plan covers the doula benefit. Because this is a new program and insurance companies are still educating their employees, correct information can be somewhat challenging to gather.
Here are the steps we recommend:
1. Call your insurance company and ask if you have the Doula Benefit
2. Collect the following information (your doula will ask you for this information)
-name of person you spoke to
-reference number for the call
Still No luck?
3. If you are having trouble confirming or denying your coverage, or are not getting clear answers, we suggest reaching out to the following help:
–Rhode Island Parent Information Network (RIPIN) online or at 401.270.0101
–Office of the Insurance Comissioner
-Your State Representatives
WHAT IS YOUR PRACTITIONER’S EXPERIENCE?
Kaeli Sutton, is a Birth + Postpartum Doula and Innate Postpartum Care Provider. She is a lactation counselor, pregnancy + postnatal yoga and movement specialist, childbirth educator, massage therapist and certificate candidate in Infant Developmental Movement Education (graduating in early 2023). Kaeli has additional training and experience in trauma-informed pregnancy + postpartum care, family care through loss or illness and strategies for navigating medical systems. Kaeli is committed to care for the whole family – partners and siblings as well as birth parents and babies, and experienced in helping families navigate identity and relationship changes.
WHY IS RECEIVING SUPPORT IMPORTANT?
Pregnancy, birth + the first few years of a child’s life are profoundly formative for the whole family — a rite of passage filled with potential for amazing growth, but also for deep challenge. Many American families have limited family or communal support + little or no maternity/paternity leave. We believe that a families health and resilience is be strengthened through having access to support systems and through receiving clear, respectful and trustworthy care.
Kaeli collaborates with other birth professionals + family care specialists. She regularly makes referrals if a family could benefit from additional supports.