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Northeast Doulas
Guides for Expecting and New Parents
Plain-language guides for families in Westchester and Putnam counties, Greenwich and the rest of Fairfield County, and New York City. Start with what the New York and Connecticut programs and terms mean, compare your options side by side, then decide what to ask and how to plan. Every guide names its sources and says when to call your doctor or midwife instead. Doulas give non-medical support; nothing here is medical, legal or tax advice.
Learn
What the New York and Connecticut programs, rules and terms mean before you choose anything.
Learn
NY Medicaid doula coverage
What the New York Medicaid doula benefit covers, who qualifies and how to find a doula who can bill your plan.
Read the guideLearnDoula certification in NY and CT
Connecticut certifies doulas, New York enrolls them for Medicaid, and private groups certify too. Here is what each one tells you.
Read the guideLearnNew York paid prenatal leave
What NY paid prenatal leave covers, who can use it, and how it fits with sick leave, NYC rules and leave after the birth.
Read the guideLearnFree and low-cost NYC doula programs
The Citywide Doula Initiative, New Family Home Visits and Medicaid: who qualifies for free doula support in NYC and how to start.
Read the guideLearnTypes of midwives in NY and CT
What CNM, CM and CPM mean, how each state licenses midwives, and how to check a license before you choose.
Read the guideLearnNewborn tests in the hospital (NY and CT)
The heel-stick screen, hearing and heart checks, vitamin K and the questions to ask before you take your baby home.
Read the guideLearnCar seat rules for the ride home (NY and CT)
What New York and Connecticut law require for a newborn, how to check the fit, and where to get a free seat check.
Read the guideLearnPostpartum depression and anxiety help
Baby blues, depression, anxiety and psychosis in plain words, and who to call in New York and Connecticut, day or night.
Read the guideLearnUrgent maternal warning signs after birth
The CDC Hear Her warning signs in plain words, what to say when you call, and how your helpers can back you up.
Read the guideLearnFree newborn home visiting programs in NY and CT
NYC New Family Home Visits, Healthy Families New York, Nurse-Family Partnership and Connecticut Family Bridge, explained.
Read the guideCompare
Options side by side: leave, birth settings, pain relief, payment and kinds of support.
Compare
NY Paid Family Leave vs disability vs FMLA
How NY Paid Family Leave, NY disability benefits, FMLA and sick leave compare after a birth, and the order they can go in.
Read the guideCompareConnecticut Paid Leave vs FMLA
How CT Paid Leave, the Connecticut FMLA and federal FMLA fit together for pregnancy, recovery and bonding.
Read the guideCompareHospital vs birth center vs home birth
How the three birth settings compare in NY and CT, what each state requires of birth centers, and what ACOG says about home birth.
Read the guideCompareLabor pain relief options compared
Epidural, spinal, IV opioids, nitrous oxide and comfort measures side by side, with the questions to ask before labor.
Read the guideCompareGiving birth across the NY-CT line
Which state's leave, Medicaid and birth certificate rules apply when your home, job and hospital sit on different sides of the line.
Read the guideCompareBreastfeeding help: IBCLC, WIC or postpartum doula
Who does what when feeding is hard, and where to find each kind of help in New York and Connecticut.
Read the guideCompareWays to pay for a doula
Medicaid, HUSKY, NYC programs, insurance, HSA or FSA, and private pay, side by side, with who decides and what to ask.
Read the guideCompareFirst baby vs second baby: what changes
Childcare during labor, a past cesarean, recovery with a toddler and helping siblings adjust: how support needs shift the second time.
Read the guideCompareInduction vs waiting for labor
Induction and waiting for labor compared in plain words from ACOG, with the questions to bring to your next appointment.
Read the guideCompareDoula team vs solo doula
Who shows up when labor starts, how backup works, and the questions to ask a doula team or a solo independent doula.
Read the guideDecide
How to choose, what to ask, how to plan the weeks after birth, and what happens next.
Decide
How to choose a doula in Westchester, CT or NYC
A decision path for this region: what support you need, travel and the state line, training, backup, the interview and the contract.
Read the guideDecidePostpartum help for twins
Feeding two, a safe sleep space for each baby, a possible NICU stay and your own recovery, planned before the babies arrive.
Read the guideDecideGetting reimbursed for a doula
The paperwork path for doula costs: calling your plan, itemized receipts, HSA and FSA rules, deadlines and appeals in NY and CT.
Read the guideDecidePlanning support around family leave
Map each parent's leave in NY or CT, find the weeks with the least help, and decide where family or a postpartum doula fits.
Read the guideDecideChoosing a hospital or birth center
Official tools in New York and Connecticut, insurance checks and tour questions for choosing where to give birth.
Read the guideDecidePlanning overnight postpartum care
Which nights, what the doula does with your feeding plan, safe sleep every night, and the questions to ask before you book.
Read the guideDecideGoing back to work after a baby
Pumping rights in NY and CT, how to find licensed childcare, and how to plan support for your first weeks back.
Read the guideDecideHow to make a postpartum plan
A simple written plan for the weeks after birth: who helps with what, who you call, and when your checkups happen.
Read the guideDecideQuestions to ask before placenta encapsulation
Start with the CDC's advice, then the questions for your OB, your baby's pediatrician, your hospital and any encapsulator.
Read the guideDecideHiring a postpartum doula after the birth
It is not too late. What to say on the first call, what a postpartum doula does, and when you need a provider instead.
Read the guideMore answers on our blog
Shorter posts that answer some of the questions families ask us most.
- Doula FAQ
- Does insurance cover a doula in NY and CT?
- How much does a doula cost?
- Labor doula vs postpartum doula
- Doula vs midwife vs OB-GYN
- When to hire a doula
- Night doula vs night nurse vs baby nurse
- The fourth trimester and postpartum doulas
- Where Westchester families give birth
- Where Fairfield County families give birth
- All blog posts
Ready to talk?
Tell us your due date, your town and the kind of support you are looking for, and we will talk through what could fit your family.