Doula Mama
Lakeville, MN Service range 45 miles Will travel further with discussion.
Birth Fee
$1500 to $2250
Birth Fee
$1500 to $2250
5 years and 141 births attended
Type of practice: Solo practice
Clients per month: 1 to 3
Attends hospital births? All Hospitals
I will gladly serve you at your hospital birth.
Attends birth center births? All Birth Centers
I will gladly serve you at your birth center birth.
Attends home births? Some Home Births
I will gladly serve you at your homebirth, must be under the care of a midwife.
BA/BS
Volunteered as birth doula with Methodist hospital for 100 hours. Served as one of Everyday Miracles birth doulas for 3 years.
Fee's include prenatal, labor, delivery and postpartum appointments. Please take a look at my site for further details. Different packages available! I work with a partner, so you get two doulas for the price of one!
Lakeville, MN Service range 45 miles Will travel further with discussion.
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Post a testimonial for Terri Schelkoph
9/10/2024
Terri is fantastic! Her calm and genuine support was truly a blessing throughout my pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. So thankful she is part of this journey with me.
8/29/2024
I knew early on in my pregnancy that I wanted a doula on my team to help me achieve the birth plan I knew I was capable of. I wanted to avoid the cascade of interventions that often occur as a result of being uneducated and not supported by a trusted team that knows my desires and prioritizes them during labor and delivery, so I started my search for a qualified doula. Terri felt like family from the first phone call we had and I knew she was a perfect fit. She asked about me, my husband, our marriage, my pregnancy and immediately opened herself up to communication via call or text throughout my pregnancy. During our in home visit she got to know my husband and I and gathered details about my hopes for birth. She wanted to fully understand who I was so she could fully support me during my journey. She educated us on what to expect during early and active labor, what to have prepared, she reviewed positions to help baby's position and ones we'd use during labor. She was calm, compassionate, gentle and immediately made me feel safe and secure in her care. Her experience and love for what she does was radiating from her. I can describe my labor and delivery experience as magical thanks to Terri. She was our first call when my water broke, when early labor started and she coached us through next steps as active labor began. She effortlessly let me settle into her care when we determined it was time for me to get to the birth center. She met me with open arms and never left my side; I knew I was safe in her care. Encouragement, reassurance, love and her knowledge of when to change positions and how to breathe through contractions all poured over me throughout my labor. Terri was an absolute blessing and I am forever grateful for her care and her friendship. Every pregnant woman deserves the birth experience of their dreams and Terri helped me live mine. Oh, and the pictures & videos she took for us during the birth of our son are ones we will treasure forever!
8/31/2023
I can't thank Terri enough for the birth that I had with my second. I got my natural and I medicated waterbirth! Terri was available for support during pregnancy and leading up to my birth when I had a question or concern. She was the peaceful presence that I needed by my side along with my husband. She was steady, patient, calm and assertive. She knew when I needed a snack, rest, and went with my lead as I had hoped for. I will definitely use Terri with any birth moving forward! As a mom of 6, she definitely knows what she's doing!:)
8/21/2023
Terri was such a knowledgable and peaceful presence throughout our pregnancy and delivery. I am so so grateful to have worked with her and would recommend her to any expecting family.
7/27/2023
I’m not sure where to begin with how absolutely incredible Terri is! My pregnancy/ birth was not a walk in the park at all as I had hyperemisis gravitation the entire pregnancy. My gallbladder removed 6 months pregnant, and I was constantly in and out of ER/ hospital stays needing hydration and help from the constant nausea and vomiting.
Terri was a rock by my side through it all, constantly seeing ways she could support me and Cameron. She was able to answer all my questions and help ease any anxiety Cam and I had. I was induced 3 weeks early as I had to get a nephrostomy tube put in and it was going to have to be changed after three weeks. (As a means to not have to go through even more pain of having it changed, I made the decision to be induced- which came with all new fear, frustration and emotions with nothing going “right.” I had to deal with the thoughts of feeling like a failure for not being able to have the “natural at home birth” that I so desired. Terri really helped me voice my emotions and walk through them with grace towards myself. When the induction time came I was in the hospital Monday night and didn’t give birth till Thursday morning around 3 am. Terri was by my side as I fainted multiple times from the pain and ultimately ended up needing an epidural. She was SOOOO incredible- Cam and I were beyond grateful for all the ways she stepped up to help bless our family. We love you Terri!!!
1/5/2023
Terri is absolutely amazing! Her genuine and gentle care and support helped me and my husband through the birth of our son. Her encouragement gave me the confidence to keep going and to feel empowered to advocate for me and my baby. She was with me for my 27 hour labor, checked in on me often before and after my son was born, and came to visit after we got home from the hospital to offer encouragement, support, and be a listening ear and friend. As this was my first baby, I am so grateful that I had Terri by my side. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for that extra care and support through their birthing experience.
1/1/2023
Terri is amazing! Even though I contacted her a bit later than I probably should have (third trimester) to support me during the birth of my fourth baby, she still took me on and came out to meet our family within a couple days of first contacting her. She helped me immensely during a "false alarm" a few days before our actual delivery, and during the birth was incredible with her calm demeanor. Both me and my husband highly reccommend!
10/4/2022
Terri was such a blessing and a joy to work with during the birth of our daughter. My labor, delivery and hospital experience was very difficult (30+ hours of labor, emergency C-section, hospital construction, and some pushy staff members) and Terri was a great resource, advocate and calming presence through it all. She helped us make difficult decisions throughout L&D, held my hand, helped me to relax and push, comforted me during surgery and stayed by my side while my husband helped clean and weigh our daughter. She stood up for me more than once when nurses were pushing or not respecting my wishes. And she came over the week after birth to help unpack and work through the trauma of our birthing experience. All around, Terri was an essential part of our birth experience and we were so grateful for her presence amidst the chaos of birth.
7/28/2022
I highly recommend Terri! She provided the perfect balance of educating and listening, advising and inquiring. I was feeling "behind" on my knowledge of the birthing process, but after meeting with Terri I felt knowledgeable and confident about what was about to come. I'm so grateful Terri was with us during labor. Her presence allowed me to connect more with my husband during the process and the care she provided after the birth was instrumental. Thank you Terri for sharing your talents with us!!
7/27/2022
Terri was the perfect addition to our hospital birth team! Right from our first phone call I could tell it was going to be a good fit by how kind and caring she was. Always checking in those last few week of pregnancy and seeing how things and appointments were going. She was always available to share her thoughts on any questions I had and make me feel more comfortable. Our meeting before hand was SO informative and hands on, which was great for my husband. She definitely helped him feel more prepared to support me in the moment! When my due date came and went and an induction stated to get talked about, I got really down that I wasn’t going to have the spontaneous birth I had envisioned. I called Terri and she walked me through a lot of different scenarios and shared her experiences with inductions and I left that conversation feeling 100% better about what was to come and my attitude towards it had done a total 180! We ended up having a spontaneous labor in the middle of the night before my induction. Terri answered my first call at 2am when I was questioning if I was really in labor and helped me navigate that confusing time. My labor was so quick that we never really got to implement any of the positions or techniques we had learned, but Terri was still so beneficial during our labor in the hospital! She really helped my husband support me, which is exactly what we wanted. He still felt like he was my #1 support person! It was so awesome to have the support of both of them in their different roles. The best surprise were the pictures she sent me after our baby girl was born!
In my opinion, the postpartum meeting is just as beneficial as her support during labor. You have so many questions in that first week, it was SO helpful to just talk to someone about everything that comes into your head!
We can’t recommend Terri enough and we are thrilled we had her as our doula and apart of such a big moment in our lives ??
7/19/2022
I remember telling Terri shortly after I gave birth, "I couldn't have done this without you."
Terri was incredible to have as part of my team for my labor and delivery. Terri was focused and attentive to my needs all while showing up at 3am to a last-minute location change. She provided comfort and support during the entire process and helped coach me through the toughest part of my labor (as well as talk my husband through what to do). Her nurturing and loving manner put me at ease and helped me relax to deliver a sweet and healthy baby rather quickly!!
7/13/2022
Terri was very down to Earth, very relatable and just an all around kind and wonderful person. Her work ethic was wonderful. She’s also very informative. My husband and I took some educational classes from her when we were pregnant with our second child, and they were wonderful. Interesting and not at all boring. My husband felt comfortable enough to ask questions too. We both loved our doula. She made the birthing experience so good. We had a VERY VERY quick birth at home, that was high intensity, and I have no clue how we would have done it without Terri. She is worth every penny. I already started putting money aside for my doula and home birth. My midwives were wonderful, and I adored them, but it is the doula that truly makes the birth. If you’re doing a home birth highly recommend. Even if you’re doing hospital birth, I would 100% have Terri also. If I ever have to go to the hospital I would 100% take my doula with too, because she is the person who will make sure my wishes are followed and have my interest in mind. I can’t recommend this doula enough. She also took some nice photos of me after birth with my family and baby, that I really enjoyed. She was wonderful with my older child (who was home due to my quick birth) and helping us manage mom, baby, and toddler.
3/6/2021
We had both Terri and Sarah’s help with our little baby girl born in June of 2019. Terri was wonderful and so helpful meeting in person and through phone calls, and was such a wonderful support through every big decision. She brought such peace to my anxious heart. Our little girl was 16 days behind her due date when the big day finally arrived, and Terri and Sarah both did a wonderful job making sure I was taken care. We weren’t expecting such a late delivery date but they flawlessly made sure someone was always with me, even bringing in a third doula friend for support. We will definitely be using them again for our next baby!
9/24/2020
I used Terri as my doula for the birth of my first child. My plan was to have a home birth, however after 50 hours of labor I transferred to the hospital for an eventual C-section. This was obviously not the birth I had planned, but when I look back on the entire birthing time, I look back with peace and love instead of grief and resentment. So much of that is because of the support that Terri (and her partner Sarah) gave me.
Terri helped me to surrender to the process completely, to trust my body, and to use all of the Hypnobabies tools that I had learned. She adjusted her style based on my ever changing needs throughout the birthing time - she was hands on when I needed it, and hands off when I needed to be alone. I am so thankful that I had Terri to lead me deeper into surrender and trust in my body and my baby.
1/19/2020
Terri was wonderful! She was very thorough helping us to plan and prepare for labor and birth. She helped us to stay calm and focused on the day our sweet baby girl was born. We highly recommend Terri.
1/17/2020
Terri was a fabulous doula! This was our first child, and I wanted to make sure I was educated in my options and had an advocate. Terri did just that and more. We appreciate the time Terri spent to walk us through what to expect before the birth, and she was there via phone and text support in the weeks leading up to the birth. In the early stages of labor, I was in constant communication with Terri who was able to provide assistance from afar, and when I wanted her to join us at the hospital she hopped right in the car. During labor she was a calming presence. It was great having her there to ease my mind about what was going on and telling me what I could expect. There is so much going on during labor and the nurses aren't always present, and I loved having someone else there who knew what was going on. Terri helped talk me through the many decisions to make when giving birth, with no judgement, only support. I also really appreciated the follow up visit after we were home. It was so comforting to have her visit us and provide more love and support. She genuinely cares about her families and we had a wonderful experience.
10/2/2019
Terri was an incredible, fundamental support for us during the birth of our first child. The times we met before labor were very helpful and gave us an idea of what to expect/how she would be there to help us on the big day (or days, in our case!). We definitely had birth "preferences" leading up to the day our son was born, and unfortunately almost nothing went to plan. BUT, Terri was there the WHOLE time after we called her to the hospital to come (25+ hours!), and helped us to remain focused and not get discouraged. She not only supported me physically and emotionally while I was laboring, but she also took care of my husband by reminding him to take care of himself. I honestly don't know how our birth story would have been without Terri, I wouldn't be surprised if we would have ended with a cesarean had she not been present.
I cannot recommend Terri enough! She is sweet, compassionate, knowledgable, calming, intentional, and a wonderful advocate for her clients. If you're in the market for a doula, seriously, LOOK NO FURTHER!!!
10/1/2019
Terri was there for the birth of my second child in February. She was such a blessing to my husband and I during the delivery! She was so supportive of our preferences and really eased my anxieties when I ended up needing to be induced. This delivery went so much more smoothly than my first, and I’m sure Terri played a big part in that!
9/30/2019
Terri Schelkoph was my doula during the birth of my first son. Terri made me feel cared for and HEARD. She listened to what I WANTED for my birth and stood by me to make sure my voice was heard and I was not in anyway neglected. Of course as a first time mom I was scared out of my mind ! I told Terri I WANTED the epidural as soon as I felt the first contraction... well I made it up to 7cm before I got it ! we were both very surprised and she made me feel strong. During labor she would give me the space I needed when needed but also gave me back rubs when needed. I’m beyond happy with her and would have her for all my future babies. Terri will listens to you, support you and motivate you !
2/21/2019
Terri was so thoughtful and so amazing! She is a very kind hearted person who is really there for you. She listened to what I wanted out of my birth experience and truly helped me achieve it. She was very in tune to my needs and listed to my suggestions about how to keep me calm, during my labor. I was having a difficult time with the on call physician (who was not my primary physician) letting me change positions and I started to feel that I was not in control of my birth. When Terri got there she was very polite with the physician and gently reminded them that I could birth in a different postion that would be better for me. Since we had spoken beforehand and gone over exactly what I wanted she was able to help give me the experience I wanted. She was very encouraging, and helped me feel empowered over my own birth, reminding me of what I wanted when the pain took over, and I felt 100 times better having her in the room with me. If anyone is looking for a positive, in tune to YOUR needs, amazing doula, look no further because you have found her! Thank you Terri I appreciate all of your kind words, encouragement, and motivation!
11/25/2018
Terri was such a blessing to me and my husband! We refer to her as "Angel Doula" because she came into our birthing room wondering if we needed a volunteer doula. I enthusiastically said YES! We were in great need of a doula and she came just in time. We were in labor for three days and it was a tumultuous process that ended in cesarean. Terri was so encouraging and supportive every step of the way. She did not have to be there for us as it was on a volunteer basis, but she came back on her day off to the hospital and held my hand (literally) while we had to make the hard decision of cesarean because our little one's heart rate kept going down. Her time spent with us at the hospital was such a blessing to us, we thank God for her servants heart and gift of supporting mama's in their labor and delivery. She also went out of her way to cook a meal for us and deliver a very sweet gift after our baby was born. I could not recommend Terri enough. She is the best, and I know she will bless many more throughout her doula journey. <3 Thank you, Terri!!
11/3/2018
Terri is a confident, calm, and comforting presence to have as a doula. I previously delivered 5 babies in a hospital, and I was so thankful to have Terri as a doula since we were planning a home birth with our 6th baby. She performed maneuvers to correctly position the baby inside me in preparation for birth. This amazingly relieved lower abdominal pain and pressure that I experienced late in the third trimester. We continued to do those maneuvers throughout labor to relieve back pressure, which would have been unbearable without that assistance. She calmly encouraged me and rubbed my neck and shoulders as i labored, which helped me release tension in between contractions. She also involved our teen daughter who was present for the birth, and reassured her as delivery approached. We were all so thankful to share this birth with Terri, and would not have experienced such a peaceful home birth without her! I would highly recommend her as a doula for anyone seeking additional support for their birth experience.
9/20/2018
Terri stepped up to the plate when my current doula backed out at 36 wks. I was really nervous having someone new again at such a personal moment. But everything happens for a reason and I'm glad we crossed paths. Terri made me feel comfortable and supportive of my birth plan and was non judgemental. Terri checked in adequately betore and after delivery. It is nice having that extra support for the pre labor anxiety and jitters and then the crazy hormone post partum craziness. Having 6 kids of her own you know she totally relates to all your going thru.
9/15/2018
Terri joined us for the birth of our fifth baby back in August and she was such an incredible blessing! She has such a servants heart, and was right there to help with whatever we needed. She is compassionate, respectful, loves what she does, and brings a ton of joy and peace into the labor and delivery room. I felt very loved and well cared for, advocated for, and she fully supported me in all my birth preferences. The biggest blessing was having her there when they had to take my baby away due to breathing problems. She helped me stay calm when things felt overwhelming. I am SO glad we had her as our doula!
9/15/2018
Terri is as amazing as they come! She was the Doula for a friend of mine and she was calming, gentle, encouraging and compassionate. She is very skilled and knowledgeable in her skills as a Doula and is a great resource to have in the delivery room!
= Available. Calendar last updated: 10-06-2024