Nicki Ament Certified Doula, ILFS Photo

Nicki Ament Certified Doula, ILFS

Birth and Beyond Doula Services, LLC

Spokane, WA Service range 100 miles I’m more than willing to drive to serve Moses Lake, Tri-Cities and the LC Valley/Pullman areas from April to Mid-October (I don’t do that kind of distance in the snow)

https://www.bandbdoulaservices.com/

Birth Fee

$1250 to $1800

Postpartum Rate

$35 to $40

Availability Remarks: For postpartum shifts, I do require a 24-hour notice before I can book you. Special consideration given to urgent needs! Time-and-a-half rates are applied to all major federal holidays!

Birth Fee

$1250 to $1800

Postpartum Rate

$35 to $40


Medicaid and Third Party Insurers

Currently approved to receive payments from the following programs:


Birth Doula Experience

3 years and 75 births attended

Postpartum Doula Experience

3 years and 18 families served


Birth Doula Certifications

  • EnCircle Doula Training - Certified Birth Doula
  • Pacific Association for Labor Support (PALS) - Certified Doula
  • Stillbirthday - Certified Birth and Bereavement Doula

Doula Training

  • EnCircle Doula Training, February 2021
  • Birth Arts International, March 2021
  • Stillbirthday, August 2021
  • Manhattan Birth, August 2022
  • Birth Beautifully Doula Training Institute, July 2024

Type of practice: Partnership with 1 other doula

Clients per month: 2 to 3 births and 1 to 3 postpartum families

Attends hospital births? All Hospitals
I have experience in birthing rooms with tubs, births of multiples, births with surrogates/intended parents, and also with births in the OR. I have a friendly relationship with nurses and providers.

Attends birth center births? All Birth Centers
I love supporting births at birth centers! Whether on land or in water, outdoors or in, a birth center is one of my favorite locations to support a birth.

Attends home births? Any Home Birth
I love getting to support people in the comfort and privacy of their own space, surrounded by people of their choosing, in their safe and calm environment.


College Education

MA/MS


Special Services Offered

  • Abortion support
  • Antepartum doula support
  • Babywearing education
  • Bereavement doula (pregnancy & infant loss)
  • Childbirth education services
  • End of life doula services
  • First Aid and CPR
  • Lactation consultant/counselor services
  • LGBTQIA+ Support
  • Miscarriage support
  • Photography - Birth
  • Reduced rates for women considering adoption
  • Satellite doula (for remote and rural clients)
  • Sibling support (for your older children at the birth)
  • Stillbirth and infant loss support
  • Surrogates and intended parents
  • Virtual and remote doula support

Training Documentation

credential


Relevant volunteer or advocacy work

I volunteer as a foster mom to a local animal rescue here in Spokane called Murci's Mission, where I’m also an adoption advocate who does reference checks for our applicants, and finalizing of adoptions. I also volunteer as a board member for the Washington Homeschool Organization as an advocate of the law and a mentor to the community. I spent nearly 20 years in home health before becoming a doula. I love helping people! I’ve taken many workshops and trainings on everything from TENS unit use, babywearing, trans masculine fertility, navigating Covid as a doula, virtually supporting clients, supporting VBAC/c-section and even birthing with disabilities and substance use history. I’m also a certified integrative feeding and lactation specialist!

Languages Spoken

  • English

Fee Details

My full birth package includes 2 prenatal visits, continual support during labor/delivery, 1-2 postpartum visits, 24/7 support through text/phone/email throughout your pregnancy, educational support, advocacy, and help building your birth plan. Lite package offers 1 prenatal, full delivery support, 1 postpartum visit. My postpartum rates are: Daytime hours (7am-7pm)$35/hr and nighttime hours (7pm-7am) $40/hr. I do charge +$5/hr more for every additional baby (twins, etc). I offer packaged rates! I work on a sliding scale for birth, so please visit my website for those details! Payment plans are also an option. If you are under the age of 18 and pregnant, I offer my birth package free for you. Bereavement services are donation-based for those needs that occur suddenly and unexpectedly, without time to plan.

Service Area

Spokane, WA Service range 100 miles I’m more than willing to drive to serve Moses Lake, Tri-Cities and the LC Valley/Pullman areas from April to Mid-October (I don’t do that kind of distance in the snow)

Certifications for Nicki Ament Certified Doula, ILFS

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Certification

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Client Testimonials for Nicki Ament Certified Doula, ILFS

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Hannah Reichert

7/29/2024

I loved Nicki as my doula! She gave me quality attention from the beginning and I felt she was really on my team. I appreciated her being so available for any and all of my questions, her kind care during labor, as well as the postpartum support. I highly recommend!

Sally Owuor

5/9/2024

My heart is filled with so much gratitude & I can’t stop thinking about Nicki amazing work as a birth Doula. Just from her showing up for me in the middle of the wee hours of the night . holding my hand , to being right next in my bed the whole time I was pushing & contracting & her constant warm smiles that kept reminding me I was safe in the labor room hospital despite it being overwhelming with so many medical staff in one room . I remained calm . Nicki literally saved me from alot of birth trauma story & I have beautiful birth story to tell everyone forever. You are too awesome Nicki & for sure meant for this job. It’s definitely your calling . ????????????

Elyse Wittman

3/18/2024

I had the pleasure of having Nicki support me though my pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. When I was calling around to find a doula I knew I had found the one after talking with Nicki. She is easy to talk to, very knowledgeable, kind, considerate, thoughtful and dependable. She is professional and really wants to get to know you and your family, your needs, expectations and tailors her support to meet those. Nicki is wonderful at creating a calming, safe and nurturing environment, even when things don’t go as planned. She is always willing to listen without judgement and has a wealth of knowledge, providing emotional support, breastfeeding guidance and helping me to adjust to the new role of a mother of two, as well as navigating postpartum recovery and over all well-being. She is passionate about the work she does, she genuinely cares and it shows. My family and I really enjoyed our time with Nicki and absolutely recommend her to anyone seeking a doula. If the need arises for our family again, I know who to call, thank you for everything Nicki!

DaiJanai J.

8/23/2023

If you’re thinking about choosing Birth and Beyond DO IT! As a first time mom Nicki helped me feel confident and prepared for labor. And when I needed support postpartum she was there, whether it was tips to get rid of a clogged duct, someone to help with baby or just someone to talk to. Both me and my husband loved our visits with Nicki and will choose her again if we have another baby!

Meredith McCoy

8/12/2023

If you need someone to come out fighting, advocating, and supporting from your corner, Nicki is your person. Nicki's kindness, connections, and advocacy cured an inaccurate diagnosis and eased the devastation that I felt when I thought no one else would hear me. She listened. She renewed my hope with her resources, and I am blessed that I didn't miss out on the amazing homebirth I wanted because she fought with me and for me. She was there as a shoulder, a better "all things baby, pregnancy, breastfeeding" Googler/researcher than I will ever be, a photographer, an encourager, a doula, and most importantly as a guide through all the trials that came with my childbirth journey. She became a friend through a beautiful and hard fight for the homebirth she knew (and helped me know) was possible. I cannot thank Nicki enough for every wonderful difference she made in my story!

 

Hallie Wiseman

7/5/2023

Wonderful Doula providing a stellar experience!

 

Nicki was my doula and I’m so glad that we chose her to support us during this special time in our lives. Her pre-delivery visits to our home were very helpful. She answered all of our questions and came with so much advice that helped ease our nerves and educate us so that we felt prepared to welcome a new life into this world. During birth, she made our atmosphere relaxing and truly advocated for the experience and decisions that we wanted. After birth, her experience in lactation was extremely helpful as she helped us with latching, production and pumping. We would highly recommend Nicki to anyone in the area looking for a great doula.

Jasmine

6/19/2023

Nicki worked with my family after the birth of our first daughter this spring. We reached out the day we came home from the hospital and she immediately responded, set up an initial phone call and chatted with me at length about how she could support us in our postpartum period. Not only was this first point of contact with her so informative but she was incredibly reassuring, kind, and warm. In the hazy and overwhelming swirl of coming home with a new baby, talking to Nicki on that first call gave us so much hope! Once she started working with us, it felt like a dear friend or sister had come to save the day and teach us how to step more into our identity as parents. She helped us process the birth, taught us about babywearing techniques, held our daughter so I could catch up on sleep, and even sneakily did some light chores for us! At about 6 weeks PP, she also stayed overnight and did an overnight PP shift so my husband and I could catch up on some sleep. Nicki's work ethic, knowledge, and empathy was invaluable during our fourth trimester phase and we all loved seeing her when for her visits (my daughter included... she always took beautiful, long naps on Nicki!) If you want a non-judgmental, kind and supportive person to help you after the birth of your baby, don't hesitate to work with Nicki. 

Bree Mills

5/5/2023

My husband and I chose Birth and Beyond after doing a consultation with Nicki.
From the very beginning she was so positive and accepting of everything we hoped for, and she was a wealth of knowledge throughout our time spent together before and after my son was born! She helped us prepare for all the possibilities ahead of time so we wouldn’t be blindsided, and every time she asked our preferences it was obvious she genuinely wanted to know as much as possible so she could give us the best experience.
I was a terrified first time mom and my husband was nervous as a new dad too, and undoubtedly we felt so much more capable and confident with her support.
Nicki started as our doula and definitely became our friend ??

Emmit McFadden

3/8/2023

Nicki was so amazing. She is very knowledgeable and was extraordinarilly  helpful in creating my birthplan. During labor she was by my side the entire time. It was souch less terrifying with her there. All in all, working with her was a positive experience and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a doula. 

Rick L.

2/8/2023

We are intended parents who went through a surrogacy journey. Our surrogate chose Nicki to be her doula and she was absolutely incredible in the delivery room (Sacred Heart, Spokane). The value she added to our overall experience by helping to smooth out the most challenging delivery moments that resulted in a healthy baby and a healthy surrogate was incalculable. Her personality alone will brighten any room she is in and then you'll see how experienced and skillful she is at her job. I can't imagine anyone could do this job better than Nicky. We are so grateful for her service. 

Jessica

1/19/2023

Nicole is a very punctual and helpful doula. She was more than willing to help me with anything I requested with my newborn son. She has knowledge on all aspects of newborn care. She helped me to become more comfortable as a new mother to take care of my son. I wish we had more time together. 

Somer Hart

11/15/2022

I had researched the value of a doula prior to getting pregnant and knew having one was a priority to me (especially since my goal was an unmedicated delivery). Having Nicki in my corner to support me (and my husband) during pregnancy, labor and postpartum has been an invaluable experience. She’s always been willing to answer questions (birth plans, breast feeding, etc.), provide resources, and even crack a few jokes. Her receptive, warm and supportive personality are just a few qualities that make her such a rockstar and I honestly don’t think my labor/birthing experience and transition to motherhood would’ve been as smooth without having her there. I feel very grateful for her, and would recommend her to anyone and everyone interested in having a doula.

McKenzie Pillow

9/27/2022

Nicki went above and beyond in doula services. She had amazing communication with the team at the hospital as well as with my partner and I. She has amazing intuition on what I needed and knew what to do when things were getting more intense. She helped me stick to my birth plan of an unmedicated birth and when I was laboring at home she was constantly checking in and rooting for me. I felt fully supported and had an amazing birth experience thanks to Nicki. She was extremely encouraging and loving the while journey. She even took some great photos during the process. Thank you Nicki for what you do and for taking care of us, our whole family thanks you for your support ??

Laura C

4/2/2022

Nicki helped me during my Surrogacy journey and the birth of a very healthy little boy. The continuous support and motivation was exactly what I needed. She was there every step of the way and made me feel like superwoman. I could not have had the labor and birth I wanted without Nicki. 

Deepika Gupta

3/28/2022

Nikki and Kelly are very kind and compassionate. They both have been very supportive of my journey as a new mother and encouraged me with my decisions and choices. They took wonderful care of my newborn as well as me. They are very knowledgeable and experienced with tons of useful tips and suggestions. Seeking their help was the best decision I made as part of my birth plan. Would highly recommend their services. 

Meagan

9/18/2021

I found Nikki when we moved to Spokane and I was 7 months pregnant. She made my husband and I feel comfortable with her approach to the process, knowledge and eagerness to help. She was a great resource for any question I had leading up birth and with encouragement as I encountered things along the way. When it came to the labor and delivery, she was a huge help to me with positive energy and reinforcement of my wishes. My husband was very grateful for her active support (arm relief) while I needed counter pressure on my back every contraction! The post partum visits were very nice to chat about the delivery process, check in on my recovery, and have an extra set of hands to help with baby for a bit. She is also very thoughtful and would come with surprises she knew I liked! I highly recommend hiring her.

Meikayla Schmidt

5/8/2021

Nicole Ament was my doula before, during, and after the birth of my first baby. She was everything I couldve hoped for regarding emotional and physical support throughout the whole experience. 

Nicole helped me keep on track of my prenatal vitamins, all of my appointments, and was always there if I had any questions or concerns. She is very kind and willing to help in any way she can. Before it was baby time, Nicole and I sat down and planned what I wanted my birthing environment to be like, comfort items, etc. Her doula bags are so helpful!

During my delivery I laboured in the bathtub most of the time with my partner in there with me to help me get through the contractions. Nicole was amazing at letting us have our own time to connect but also being right there if we needed her at any moment. She helped me breathe through my contractions, held my hand when they became almost unbearable, and helped me communiicate with my midwife/ nurses if I felt nervous or confused when asking them questions or telling them about my birth plan. She is a wonderful advocate. 

Then it was time to push! Nicole was right there beside me, reassuring me i could do it and guiding me through my midwife's instructions. 

Finally, Nicole helped me throughout my postpartum venture. As my doula, she provided me with resources that could help me with the struggles I was going through and of course provided her own emotional support as well. I honestly feel like I couldnt have done any of it without her.

Birth Availability for Nicki Ament Certified Doula, ILFS

= Available. Calendar last updated: 11-29-2024

Postpartum Availability for Nicki Ament Certified Doula, ILFS

= Available. Calendar last updated: 11-29-2024