Birth Client Guide
Thank you for inviting me to be part of your birth day. I am honored and excited to document your labor, birth, and immediate postpartum. Below is a guide about how to contact me and what to expect during the weeks leading up to your birth as well as your birth day. As always, please feel free to text or email me with updates, questions, or concerns. I’m here for you!
Your final balance needs to be paid by 37 weeks so that I can officially go on-call for you. You can pay your balance in increments here. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email or text if you have specific questions or requests.
Early Labor
Please send me a text message when early labor begins or if your water breaks. This will allow me to prepare for when active labor starts. We know that sometimes it can be hard to differentiate ‘end of pregnancy’ sensations with early labor.
If you really aren’t sure, and feel like you can rest…I’d encourage you to wait until daytime hours to reach out. But I also totally understand that false alarms are normal and part of the process. I would rather receive a false alarm than miss your birth!
I am here for you, and you know your body best!
Active Labor
I typically arrive around active labor. This looks different for each person and birth story, but we tend to look for the following signs:
if checking dilation: 6 cm or greater
if not checking dilation: strong, consistent contractions that you can’t talk or walk through for at least one hour. Usually these contractions are 3-4 minutes apart. If you have a history of precipitous births, we may need to join you sooner.
I do need 1.5 hours notice to arrive to your birth location once you ask us to join you. Often I’m able to reach you much sooner, but 1.5 hours allows for traffic, distance, and weather conditions.
Contacting Me
A text message is the best way to contact me both during the day and at night. Phone calls tend to wake up my cosleeping toddler and husband…and after doing this work for a decade, I’m a light sleeper!
Monet: 719-360-1125
I almost always respond immediately to text messages regarding labor. If for some reason you don't receive a text response within 10 minutes, please call my number. Below are back up numbers you can also call if you are having any issues reaching me.
Back up number: 719-339-3059 (Monet’s husband, Ry)
Back up number: 719-237-6200 (Monet’s Backup, Lexi)
Back up number: 720-651-3843 (Monet’s Backup, Miranda)
Induction or Cesarean Birth
If you are having an induction or cesarean birth, please let me know as soon as possible when a birth/induction day has been selected.
I generally arrive at the hospital around one hour before a scheduled cesarean birth. Please update us once you check in and let us know if everything is on schedule…
During an induction, I ask that someone updates us during the process. Inductions can sometimes take as long as 48+ hours, and you may or may not feel like being on the phone. Ideally, your partner can provide me periodic updates so that I can offer support, guidance, and plan my arrival. I usually come once active labor has been established, but as always: I ultimately come whenever you want me to arrive!
Long Births
In the event of an exceptionally long birth, Monet might swap out with one of her partner doula/photographers to allow you to have a rested and refreshed birth worker. If labor has stalled, I may make the decision to rest at home until labor progresses again. This is always a shared decision I make with my clients and their care team. I have no limits on how long we’ll support/document a birth, but I do have policies in place to make sure that we are rested and safe to drive home.
Backup and Emergency
Due to the unpredictable nature of birth, I strive to always have a backup available in the event of a birth conflict, sickness, or the need for rest. Monet works closely with Alexa (Lexi) Faye and Miranda Garcia. Both of these women were trained by me…and are exceptional birth workers. In the rare event neither Lexi or Miranda is available, I have a trusted team of backups that are both trained doulas and birth photographers. Monet will edit and deliver all images regardless of who attends the birth.
After Birth
I typically stay 1-2 hours after birth. Many providers will complete the newborn exam during this timeframe, but some homebirth and birth center midwives perform the newborn exam closer to 3-4 hours postpartum. If you’d like the newborn exam to be documented, you can always ask your midwife if it can be done before I leave. Some families find these images meaningful while other families prefer to have longer uninterrupted skin to skin time. The choice is entirely up to you! But in order to be available for our families during the unpredictability of labor, we do leave at 1-2 hours postpartum.
If you have older children and would like to capture them meeting the baby, it’s best to have them come during the 1-2 hour window OR schedule a Fresh 48 session for the following day. These sessions are just $500 for birth clients.
Images
I will send you 10 preview images within 24 hours of birth. Please feel free to share any of these images with your friends and family on social media. I love for you to share!
The remainder of your gallery or birth film will be hand-edited by Monet within 6 weeks of birth. These images will be delivered in a password protected gallery. You will be able to download the high-resolution images directly to your computer. Your birth film will also be delivered via the same password protected gallery. Please make sure to download the images & film and back them up.
Lifestyle Newborn Sessions
Monet also offers lifestyle newborn sessions to birth clients. These are beautiful ways to capture the first weeks of your baby’s life. Learn more here.
