Doula Services Nourishing Your Newborn Family

Oakland Postpartum Doula Services

doula services for all families in oakland california inclusive support nontraditional families nourishing in home care nonjudgemental space for newborn families LGBTQ

Daytime Postpartum Support

Healing, nourishing support for the whole family. Meal planning and preparation. Newborn care, tips, and guidance. Emotional space holding and tending for every family member. Partner support and role modeling of how to care for a newborn and newly postpartum person. Support with household tasks like dishes, laundry and light tidying to create more space for joy, pleasure, and rest.

$65-75/hr sliding scale for East Bay Families.
$75/hr for families located in San Francisco and more than 30 minutes drive from Uptown Oakland or through the Caldecott tunnel.

My postpartum services are CARROT benefit eligible.

I believe all families, regardless of financial means should have access to doula support. I am open to payment plans, as well as partial barter and trade options. Please inquire about my sliding scale rates and I can send you more information about my scale and options for working together, or referrals for doulas that fall within your budget.

Prenatal, Postpartum Planning

A 2 hour virtual or in-person meeting including a fillable planning guide with tips and resources for creating a positive and nourishing postpartum experience for your whole family.

$150 for East Bay Families.
$170 for families located in San Francisco and more than 30 minutes drive from Uptown Oakland or through the Caldecott Tunnel wanting an in-person session.

Monday Muffins

A new parent in-person support group in Oakland offering space to meetup and connect with other new parents, share resources, make friends, and come away feeling a bit more nourished body, and mind. Tea, muffins, and other snacks provided. Come as you are - zero expectations, zero judgements PWYC

$20/Session suggested.

Extra travel mugs, and picnic blankets will be available but you are welcome and encouraged to bring your own.

(NOT CURRENTLY ACTIVE)

DOULA SERVICES TO NOURISH YOUR NEWBORN FAMILY

Moving from surviving towards thriving in parenthood. Cultivating openness and curiosity for finding your way in the journey of parenthood instead of seeking out 'the way'.

postpartum focused ~ full spectrum doula

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postpartum focused ~ full spectrum doula ⋒

Nourishing Newborn Families in Oakland, California

By being a warm, calm, grounded, knowledgeable, and nonjudgemental presence, I support you to identify your values, needs, and goals for early parenthood and beyond. By meeting you where you are at with unconditional support… and loving you with food, nurturing touch, space holding, encouragement to rest, as well as time to connect (with yourself as an individual, with your newborn, your partner, and as a family) I strive to leave you all feeling bit calmer, and more nourished and confident when I leave.

doula services for all families in oakland california inclusive support nontraditional families nourishing in home care nonjudgemental space for newborn families LGBTQ

“We call Nicky the baby whisperer…”

  • “As our postpartum doula, she quickly became a trusted and loving member of our little family of three. This was our first birth and we had some idea that we might need a postpartum doula, but had no understanding of how truly necessary postpartum support turned out to be. Thank goodness we had Nicky ready to help us as soon as we came home from the hospital. Our fourth trimester was more challenging than we anticipated due to some complications at birth and then later, issues with feeding and a hip dysplasia diagnosis for our baby boy. With care and a generous spirit, Nicky met us where we needed to be met in terms of support, guidance, and encouragement. I know my recovery and my son's sweet disposition, despite all the hospital visits and consultants, is due in large part to Nicky and her incredibly intuitive care and calming presence. We are forever grateful!”

    Aimee

  • "Nicky is exceptional. Having had one child without doula support and one with, I wish that every woman postpartum could experience the support I did with Nicky. It fundamentally changed the experience to one that was connected, warm and positive. Thank you Nicky!”

    L.M.

  • “Nicky supported my husband and I during our first transiton into parenthood with our baby girl. Her presence in our home was so grounding and much needed in those early postpartum days. Her warm meals, nurturing care and judgemental free advice helped us navigate all the things parenthood brings. Among everything else, she loved our family with warmth and care like her own. We would recommend Nicky to any family in need of postpartum support no matter first child or 5th! We love Nicky!”

    Erica

  • “Nicky is everything you hear about and hope that your postpartum doula could be. She supported our family in welcoming our second child (we have a toddler) and was literally the fairy that nourished us all both physically and emotionally. We find it difficult asking others for help but Nicky was so impactful and productive while maintaining a gentle, calm air about her so that we truly felt taken care of in the ways that matter most without having a "stranger" in the house during one of life's most vulnerable phases. We will always look fondly on our postpartum phase thanks to Nicky!”

    Casey

  • “Nicky cared not only for our baby but for us as well. I never expected to need support as the non- birth parent but having her here to text, call, or see regularly made me feel like I could show up and be a better partner to my wife. For my wife, her conversations with Nicky about how she was feeling or concerns over our baby were invaluable. When Nicky’s visits would end each day, our entire home felt lighter and more capable thanks to her.”

    Erica O.

  • “Most of what the internet says about breastfeeding and/or baby sleep is not evidence based and can make you feel like you are doing everything wrong. Nicky gave me the confidence to follow my instincts and recommended high quality sources of information to help guide my parenting choices.”

    Irene

  • "We call Nicky the baby whisperer because she's just such a natural. Though she's not a natural by sheer luck, she's been caring for babies for many years and it truly shows. My son fights off sleep like no one's business yet Nicky could always get him calm and asleep within minutes and then she'd scurry around the apartment somehow get 100 things done, it was amazing! Also, I found it really helpful to watch her in action as she cared for my son, she taught me a lot. If you're looking for an amazing doula, I hope you'll also be lucky enough to work with Nicky.”

    Manali

FAQs

  • I live and work in Oakland, CA and primarily support families living in the East Bay and occasionally work with clients in San Francisco.

  • Nope! Some of my clients have 3 month, 4, or even 6 month old babies but still need postpartum support and care. Birth is a moment but postpartum is forever and times of heightened stress or change like one parent returning to work or family illness or recovery from surgery can all be times when extra support is essential.

  • Often family members are excited to hold the baby but may forget or have not had the experience of how important it is to be held and cared for as a new parent. Anyone who triggers you when you are not postpartum will definitely trigger you when you are postpartum. It is the biggest hormonal shift of your life - bigger than puberty and menopause. It can feel like the most open, most vulenerable you have been or will be. Having non-judgemental support from a non-family member may create space for having your needs met without the complication of having to tend to or manage the relationship, and removes the pressure to host. I will often work with clients prenatally to create a plan for visitors that centers their healing and care. There can be a space for everyone on your postpartum care team, but not everyone can do the same job. I help my clients to strategize about the how and when of family and friend visits to create the best possible outcome for everyone involved. I role model how to care for postpartum people and can be a neutral party to share updated information on infant care practices and role-model being a camp and supportive presence in the postpartum space. My cooking has also wowed many skeptical Grandma’s and while they may be unsure of why I’m there when I arrive, they often comment at the end of my shift “Wow! I wish someone had cared for me this way postpartum. It would have been so different!”.

  • I love that working for myself means I get to tailor my support to the unique goals, budgets, and lifestyles of my clients. I have a minimum number of 3 hours per visit (4 hours recommended if you are interested in cooking in addition to other types of doula support). This allows me to see and support you to feed your baby at least one time during my visit, and leaves time for a nap and/or shower as well as time to make you a snack and/or meal along with the other things that might be on your list for the day that you want support with. It is common for clients to book support 3 or more days per week in the early weeks postpartum, and then to taper to 1-2 shifts per week towards the end of our contract. Some clients will book support for a few weeks, while others for a few months.

  • I am vaccinated and get regular boosters for COVID-19 as well as the flu, and TDAP. I am happy to mask when in clients homes if that is their preference, and may mask if numbers are currently surging for my own comfort and wellbeing.

  • Yes! I offer virtual prenatal postpartum planning sessions for folks living all over the world, and virtual postpartum support, as well as group virtual postpartum support circles.

MEET YOUR DOULA -

Nicky Pariser

I am a postpartum focused, full spectrum doula, providing daytime support to East Bay families. I work with clients prenatally to created a personalized roadmap for the postpartum time, equipping individuals and partners with tools to stay connected to themselves and each other through the big ups and downs of new parenthood. I also work with parents who already have a child(ren) to figure out how to integrate a new tiny member while continuing to meet the needs of their existing ones. I believe that how individuals and families are cared for in the early days, weeks, months and years of postpartum impacts the health and wellbeing of that family and their community for years and decades and generations to come. If we want a more peaceful, loving, healthy world, we need to show up for folks postpartum!