4th Trimester Family
Postpartum Doula Support with Lauren Thompson
Postpartum Doula Support with Lauren Thompson
$55/hour
1-hour prenatal visit before birth, in-home or virtual
5-hour or 6-hour postpartum visits spaced at your choosing
Prioritization of the birthing person’s rest, healing, and needs in the weeks following birth
Education, guidance, and care for:
Breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and pumping
Postpartum healing
Partner and sibling support
Newborn care
Babywearing and baby soothing support
Safe sleep practices
Hands-on help with light cleaning, organization, sibling care and meal preparation
Text, call or video chat check-ins during your postpartum period
Resources and referral network catered to your family’s needs
$600
1-hour virtual prenatal visit before birth
Two 1-hour video chats a week for 4 weeks following birth
Text and calls during your postpartum period
A warm, compassionate listening ear for you and your family’s needs
Education, guidance, and care for:
Breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and pumping
Postpartum healing
Partner and sibling support
Newborn care
Babywearing and baby soothing support
Safe sleep practices
Resources and referral network catered to your family’s needs
Feeding support: Whether you’re nursing, bottle feeding or doing a combination, I can observe a feeding and make suggestions about ways you can adjust your body, bottle, or baby. I can teach you the basics of nursing, help you understand normal feeding patterns and teach you how to recognize whether your baby is getting enough milk. If you’re feeding formula, I can provide information about safe formula preparation and paced bottle feeding.
Pumping: I can get you started with pump set up and use, provide guidance about storing milk, and help you come up with a pumping and bottle feeding routine, including a back to work plan.
Breastfeeding is natural but not intuitive. It requires education, gentle guidance, and ongoing support. This class explains the mechanics of breastfeeding/bodyfeeding, milk supply, troubleshooting, and more for the first few weeks and into your child's first year of life.
$250
2-hours in-home lactation class
Topics include:
Breast changes in pregnancy
Skin-to-Skin: The Nine Stages of Awakening and baby's first latch
Understanding supply and stages of milk
What to expect in the first week at home
The ins and outs of latching, pumping, and milk storage
Troubleshooting with ties, nipple types, and your unique feeding situation
Feeding through the first year following birth - introducing solids, birth control, baby-led-weaning
You receive printed support materials
Ideal for days 3-5 following birth when milk has begun to transition from colostrum to transitional milk. This is a crucial window for lactation support and milk supply!
$150
1-hour visit in the comfort of your home
Feeding assessment
Guidance on latch corrections, positioning, nipple and breast care, supporting milk supply, pumping, and other concerns
Review of protecting your sleep, mental health, and getting in-home support from other caregivers
Referral to advanced lactation care provider if needed
A typical breastfeeding journey often waxes and wanes, with difficulties and new challenges presenting themselves from time to time.
Lactation can at times be uncomfortable and often involves a learning curve for you and your baby, however, you should not being in pain, dreading feeding sessions, or suffering to feed your baby! If this is the case, please get in touch so we can find a solution together for the wellbeing of both you and your baby.
$150
1-hour visit in the comfort of your home
Feeding assessment
Guidance on latch corrections, positioning, nipple and breast care, supporting milk supply, pumping, and other concerns
Review of protecting your sleep, mental health, and getting in-home support from other caregivers
Referral to advanced lactation care provider if needed
$120
1-hour visit over video chat
Feeding assessment
Guidance on latch corrections, positioning, nipple and breast care, supporting milk supply, pumping, and other concerns
Review of protecting your sleep, mental health, and getting in-home support from other caregivers
Referral to advanced lactation care provider if needed
What is a Certified Lactation Counselor?
“The Certified Lactation Counselor® (CLC®) is a clinical, professional lactation care provider who has demonstrated the necessary skills, knowledge, and abilities to provide clinical breastfeeding support and management to families who are thinking about breastfeeding or who have questions or problems during the course of breastfeeding/lactation.
CLCs are individuals who have successfully completed a minimum of 95 hours of training based upon the footprint of the World Health Organization/UNICEF Breastfeeding Counseling Training Course and a Job Task Analysis; have passed a criterion-referenced examination administered by the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice (ALPP); and have demonstrated the clinical competencies and skills required to provide safe, evidence-based counseling for pregnant, lactating, and breastfeeding families”
Updated September 2025
I operate with both yours and my family's safety as my #1 priority.
I am fully vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19, Tdap, Flu, MMR, and Hepatitis.
During Flu and RSV season (September through April),
I mask in homes as a precaution to you and your baby who is building their brand new immune system.
I am happy to mask outside of that season at your request, no questions asked!
Doulas have been shown to:
Reduce cesarean rates
Foster positive birth experiences
Increase breastfeeding and chestfeeding initiation
Sustain breastfeeding and chestfeeding success
Reduce stress in the home
Foster better parent sleep
Increase parent confidence in newborn care
Improve mental health outcomes like reduced rates of postpartum depression
Lower risks of maternal mortality
Lower risks of infant mortality
Foster parent connection in communities
Now booking for
December 2025
and
2026
Call/text 571-217-7403 or
email lauren [at] 4thtrimesterfamily [dot] com to get started.
Free consultations are provided for interested parents and caregivers.
For in-person doula services, I serve the greater Baltimore-Annapolis-Washington area.
For commutes longer than 30 minutes there may be an additional travel fee or I will refer you to a trusted colleague.
In-Person Doula Services:
In order to reserve your space in my client schedule, a non-refundable retainer applied to the last week of services is due at sign-on
Weekly contracts will be billed at the start of each week
Payment plans are available
Payment is accepted via check, debit, or credit card.
Partial refunds are available case-by-case
In-Person Lactation Services:
Due in-full at booking
Cancellations within 24-hours and no-shows are non-refundable
Virtual Services:
Full cost is due at sign-on
Refunds are available for cancellations up to 50% of total cost
Check your specific insurance plan for covered services. I do not bill insurance directly at this time.
Visit summaries are sent to all lactation clients
Lauren is a Carrot-approved doula provider
Itemized Superbills are available by request for health insurance reimbursement
Did you know you can fund your doula care with help from your baby registry?
Investing in the wellbeing of you, your baby, and your family is never a bad idea.
Lauren is a postpartum doula, lactation counselor, and holds a master's degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where she researched perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, infant feeding, equity & community-based models of care. She co-founded Community After Birth to close postpartum gaps in Maryland and raise doula funds for families unable to financially doula support. She co-chairs the Board of Directors for Postpartum Support International's Maryland Chapter and co-runs Doula Alliance of Maryland with fellow doulas and advocates.
Most important to her, she is mom to 3 wonderful kiddos. She came to this work after a frustrating and painful pregnancy and postpartum experience with her first born when she was a young parent. She struggled with several breastfeeding issues as well as bouts of postpartum depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. She wish she knew what a postpartum doula was then!
After birthing her first two children within an OB/GYN-led hospital system, she decided to have a Midwife-attended home birth with her third. Each birth and postpartum experience taught her something new, and she welcomes all families - no matter their choice of medical care or arrival to parenting - to her doula practice.
When she's not busy researching and working with families welcoming new babes, she loves being outside in nature, singing in the car with the windows down, crocheting, and reading.
G I V E B A C K
Lauren co-founded Community After Birth to further bridge gaps in postpartum care.
Donations go directly to programs supporting families facing hardship in pregnancy and the postpartum period, free and reduced-cost doula care, free diaper porch drops, community education events, and advocacy efforts to support expansion of postpartum mental health support for all.
Doula services are covered by professional liability insurance.
Doula services are reimbursable via some HSA, FSA, and HRA accounts. Check with your employer for assistance. I can supply an itemized invoice as needed.
Doula services are covered by Medicaid, TRICARE, Carrot Fertility, and other insurers in Maryland. Check with your provider for reimbursement and coverages. Ask me how to get set up with a doula serving families using Medicaid Assistance or TRICARE.