Experience Personalized Care with Diane's Doula Support

 A full-spectrum doula provides non-medical emotional, physical, and informational support to people experiencing pregnancy, birth, the postpartum period, or perinatal loss.

A full-spectrum doula accompanies people through each experience while supporting them to make informed choices and to access evidence-based information. 

 A Doula is a non-medical labor assistant who provides emotional and physical support measures to assist a birther through the birthing process and to help the partner participate in birth at his/her comfort level.  The Doula is trained in methods of pain management and birth procedures to assist the parents in their comfort during, and understanding of, the birth process.

Merriam Webster defines doula (dou-la) as a woman experienced in childbirth who provides advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and just after childbirth.

The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the birthing person before, during, and just after birth, or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

My name is Diane Sluus, and I am the mom of 5 young adults ... 3 boys and 2 girls who are now between the ages of 25 and 33 and have my first grandbaby on the way!     Training with Doula Trainings International as a Full Spectrum Doula, I am excited for the opportunity to work with individuals and families in the Capital District to assist in the creation of a positive and fulfilling prenatal, birth, and postpartum experience and to be a source of support to those experiencing pregnancy loss.  More than ever, women need to be supported in our journeys...whatever that looks like individually.  The reality is, we all need to be a little more non-judgmental and supportive of each other! 

Whether you are choosing a home birth with a midwife or a hospital birth with an OB / Provider,  as your doula,  I will be there and will support you in your birth choices.  A common misconception is that working with a midwife or a doula means you can only have an unmedicated or “natural” birth.  It is completely your decision to choose the type of pain relief or birth experience you desire.  I will be there for you whether you have an unmedicated birth,  epidural, or cesarean section birth. 

Childbirth is an empowering event for those giving birth and for the partner. Each person is different, and each birth is different... I know this to be true in the case of my own personal deliveries!  Each birth and postpartum memory is special, and the preservation of your goals and wishes is my mission.  I am here to provide unbiased, evidence-based information and to support you in your journey.   

I am committed to offering professional doula services to people of all genders and socio-economic backgrounds.   

This support typically includes an initial consult and 2-4 prenatal visits to  built a relationship and provide 

support with birth planning, finding community resources,  and preparing for birth and postpartum.  

Physical, emotional, and informational support throughout labor and birth and the immediate postpartum time including feeding support...typically this would be for the initial couple of hours of postpartum. Labor and birth support often looks like breathing techniques, affirmations, comfort measures, invitations to change positions, and support between client and care providers and/or partner(s) so you can make informed decisions. Birth support includes 2 postpartum visits .   Additional postpartum support can be purchased. 

Practical support throughout the first weeks of your life with your new baby, including support for rest & healing from birth, emotional support and support including getting connected to mental health resources, if needed, navigating infant care & breastfeeding or bottle feeding, and light housekeeping and/or meal prep.  While not a medical professional, my training included being infant-child CPR certified.

Heart-centered care through each step, including appointment accompaniment, sensitive aftercare support, and connections to community resources for additional support.  Pregnancy loss includes miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion. 

Are you interested in learning more about my services or scheduling a consultation? Contact me to discuss your specific needs and to learn more about how I can support you throughout your journey!