Clarissa Michael Photo

Clarissa Michael

The Distinguished Doula

Pasadena, CA Service range 50 miles No Toll Roads

https://www.thedistinguisheddoula.com/

//instagram.com/TheDistinguishedDoula

Birth Fee

$1000 to $1200

Postpartum Rate

$65 to $75

Availability Remarks: My rate is raised if the client is expecting multiples. Day and/or night shifts are the same rate.

Birth Fee

$1000 to $1200

Postpartum Rate

$65 to $75


Birth Doula Experience

0 years and 3 births attended

Postpartum Doula Experience

4 years and 50 families served


Postpartum Doula Certifications

  • DONA International - Certified Postpartum Doula

Doula Training

  • DONA International-Approved Workshop, September 2019
  • DONA International-Approved Workshop, August 2023

Type of practice: Solo practice

Clients per month: 0 births and 1 to 3 postpartum families

Postpartum limits/restrictions: No aggressive animals. I welcome Non-aggressive pets.

Attends hospital births? All Hospitals

Attends birth center births? All Birth Centers

Attends home births? Any Home Birth


College Education

AA/AS


Special Services Offered

  • Antepartum doula support
  • Cloth diapering education
  • First Aid and CPR
  • Infant massage education
  • Lactation consultant/counselor services
  • LGBTQIA+ Support
  • Military families support
  • Newborn care and parenting classes
  • Prenatal or postnatal massage
  • Reduced rates for women considering adoption
  • Satellite doula (for remote and rural clients)
  • Sleep support consulting
  • Surrogates and intended parents
  • Virtual and remote doula support

Training Documentation

credential


Relevant volunteer or advocacy work

I started my doula journey by shadowing experienced Postpartum Doulas. I am also CPR/First Aid certified for Adults, Children, and Infants. Some of my mother-baby experience comes from my volunteering as a Nurse Volunteer at UCLA in the NICU where I soothed and fed premature and full term newborns. My passion, as my references can attest, is to support families and their newborns through emotional, educational, physical, and practical guidance while empowering the parents to prepare for postpartum, and ultimately care for and bond with their child(ren). My other specialty includes basic lactation support as I am a Lactation Education Counselor, and I plan to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in the next 2-3 years to complement my doula practice.

Languages Spoken

  • English

Fee Details

I am willing to work on a sliding scale. As of now, I am only offering postpartum support and not labor/birth support.

Service Area

Pasadena, CA Service range 50 miles No Toll Roads

Certifications for Clarissa Michael

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Certification

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Client Testimonials for Clarissa Michael

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Margaret

9/11/2023

Clarissa was invaluable to us as not only someone to help us care for our most precious new family member but also as an incredible resource for establishing healthy habits and a routine with our newborn. I had a c-section and it gave me great peace of mind to know that Clarissa would make sure my baby's needs were met during the night so I could rest and recover. Having someone who you trust and are comfortable with in this role is paramount and I felt at ease with Clarissa from the start.

Clarissa taught us (first time, exhausted new parents) baby basics like swaddling and diapering to more complex skills like pumping and body feeding. She is passionate about newborn care and extremely knowledgable. Having Clarissa for the first 6 weeks of our newborn's life helped us get into a schedule and have the knowledge to get us off on the right foot and any family would be lucky to have her in those early days following the birth of a little one.

Brandi

5/12/2023

Clarissa was absolutely incredible. Before the baby came she helped us set up the nursery and bedroom bassinet. She came to the hospital for me after my delivery while my son was in the NICU and helped me figure out how to hand express because he couldn't latch on right away. She helped ne calm my anxiety due to my son being away from me. She helped me learn to latch and breast feed successfully until I felt comfortable enough doing it on my own. I felt so at ease at night knowing my baby was in safe hands and could actually rest. She taught me all the safe rules of breastfeeding and listened to me and my partners concerns about being new parents. She showed me different ways to hold the baby and feed him and could get him to stop crying in seconds. She showed me how to set up my pumping station and made sure pumping was comfortable and not painful and helped me maintain my oversupply. Even after her contract was up I would still ask her questions and she would get back to me quickly. She is the baby whisperer and so caring. She is a great support to everyone in the family. I recommend her to every mom I meet she is absolutely great. I plan on using her services for all my future children. 

Reena DA

12/22/2021

My overall experience with Clarissa as one of our postpartum doulas was she is very warm, helpful, and trustworthy.

We hired her as our nighttime doula during the fall/winter 2020. She helped care for our newborn baby, fed him, changed his diaper, put him to bed, comfort him, prepared our bottles for the next day (I would pump and she would prep the bottles), and helped find resources when I was looking for them as well as bounce ideas on baby-related questions, etc.

I recommend Clarissa's services and am happy to connect, should you want to touch base (mom to mom). Enjoy your parenting and ever so life-changing adventure!

Ashley Clemons

8/2/2020

We used Clarissa's services once our little miracle baby came home from the NICU. We were first time parents and I was recovering from horrible pregnancy complications. She was absolutely incredible. She answered every question with proficiency and knowledge and made me so so comfortable. Bonus: being able to sleep at night was CRUCIAL for my sanity. I didn't have to worry that my baby was safe because I knew she was in great hands. Doulas are incredible and I would highly recommend Clarissa's services! To this day, we use the tips and tricks she taught us to keep a very happy little household. ♥?

Birth Availability for Clarissa Michael

= Available. Calendar last updated: 10-31-2024

Postpartum Availability for Clarissa Michael

= Available. Calendar last updated: 10-31-2024