Join our Virtual Support Group for Gestational Diabetes!
Join our Virtual Support Group for Gestational Diabetes!
Learn More Learn More
Learn More Learn More
 

work with me

Nutrition Counseling
& Doula Services

Nutrition Counseling

Initial session (90 min) In this deep dive assessment we’ll review your health, diet and body image history, discuss your goals for working together and develop a plan for how we’ll move forward with actionable steps for incorporating intuitive eating and body kindness to help you manage your gestational diabetes, disordered eating, and relationship to food.

Follow up sessions (45 min each) These weekly or bi-weekly sessions will continue the process of healing your relationship with food and working with your body (not against it) during pregnancy. We’ll figure out what is working for you, what needs changing and adjust based on your needs and progress.

Investment:
$260 for initial session
$115 for follow up sessions

Most insurance companies cover nutrition counseling. You are responsible for any co-payments, co-insurance, deductibles, etc. as determined by your individual insurance plan.

Services are available virtually or in-person at Richmond Wellness in Richmond, VT.

 

You want to manage your blood sugar without triggering disordered eating
You want to balance your food preferences with your blood sugar
You want to eat confidently without worrying about every bite
virtual gestational diabetes support group, intuitive eating pregnancy

Virtual Support Group

This group is a safe space to share your individual experience navigating gestational diabetes with others. This group is a great compliment to nutrition education or counseling.

Birth Doula Support

Individual Childbirth Preparation
2 prenatal visits at your home to plan physically and mentally for birth and postpartum. Always available for questions and requests for resources.

On-Call at 38 weeks
Frequent checks ins at the end of pregnancy. I’m ready to join you at home or hospital when the big day arrives! Back-up doula on call in case of illness or emergency on my part.

Continuous Labor Support
Support for the birthing person and partner. Relaxation, encouragement, positioning, massage, counter pressure, water therapy, food and hydration, support during medical procedures, support with self advocacy and making informed decisions. Trained with Spinning Babies. Photos as requested.

Immediate Postpartum Support
Bonding with baby, support during any repairs, assistance with latching and feeding baby, helping transition for those first 2 hours. Photos as requested.

Postpartum Visit
A chance to reconnect after you settle in at home within the first 2 weeks. We’ll debrief the birth, talk about the transition, provide support and connection to additional resources and providers. And of course I’ll bring you a nourishing meal!

Postpartum Support
Always available via text for questions. Postpartum doula support available if scheduled for additional fee.

Locations Served 
Emily serves hospital and home births in Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamollie and most of Washington and Addison counties.

​Investment
$1800*

*We seek to provide doula services to all. If you are in a position where this is a financial burden, please inquire about payment plans, barter, cash discount, or scholarship. If you are in a position to pay it forward, your contributions will help off set the cost for someone through a scholarship.

Part of these services are reimbursable through BCBSVT Better Beginnings Program. Other insurance plans may offer reimbursement as well.

You want the continuity of support from a trusted person all the way from pregnancy to birth and postpartum
You want to feel empowered and respected in the birth process
You want encouragement and unconditional support in your birth space

Nutrition Counseling plus Doula Support, a powerful combination…

Combine Nutrition Counseling with Doula Support to maximize your benefits. Book a discovery call with me today and together we’ll craft a custom plan that’s right for you.

As an Intuitive Eating Dietitian:

I am here to help you navigate through all the information, listen to your own inner wisdom, and hold space for cultivating self compassion so you can eat with confidence and pleasure. 

What to expect

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Easy Eating

You will be able to eat with confidence that you are nourishing yourself and your baby. You will be able to balance your hunger, fullness, nutrient needs, blood sugar and enjoy the food you are eating. Meal planning will be easy and work for you.

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Individualization

Our sessions are driven by your goals, values, and unique needs. Drawing on Intuitive Eating, Health At Every Size, self-acceptance, self-compassion, radical acceptance, personal self-care to shape your holistic journey.

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Encouragement and Support

I will compassionately and unconditionally support your process as you dig deeper than you thought possible to deal with those things you’ve considered too difficult. Yes, sometimes this feels like therapy. We’ll focus on your relationship to food and your body, especially if it pertains to gestational diabetes or other medical conditions. Having a mental health professional may also support you.

What not to expect

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Standard Meal Plans

Generic meal plans only work if you happen to like what is on them and only for as long as you are able to follow them. If meal planning is part of your goals, we’ll work together to find ways that you can build meals that meet your nutrition needs and account for your satisfaction and lifestyle.

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Cookie Cutter Recommendations

Every person is unique and has different needs, values, and goals. Your personal health, lived experience and goals matter and are front and center. Clients set their own goals in a collaborative process.

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Surface Level Work

I love talking about strategies for incorporating more veggies as much as the next person, but the real work towards a peaceful relationship with food and body liberation is much deeper. You’ll get the most out of working together if you are ready to dig deep and trust the process.

As a doula:

I am here to support your empowered pregnancy and healing postpartum journey.

What to expect

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Custom Birth Preferences and Advocacy

Using evidenced based information alongside your values and intuition I will help you determine and achieve the type of birth experience you want to have. Rather than creating a birth plan as if you were ordering from a restaurant, we’ll discover and create your birth preferences so you know what kind of ambience and service you want. During birth I will help protect your birth space.

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Emotional Support 24/7

I’ll be there for you throughout pregnancy, labor and beyond sharing in the joy and commiserating in the challenges. I adapt to your needs, morphing from gentle and curious to serious “let’s do this” as needed. If you have a partner or another family member at the birth I will attend to their needs too so they can be present.

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Physical Support

Gentle massage, hairbrushing, position changes, support during different labor positions, warm compresses on an achy back or cool wash clothes on a warm forehead, sleep/rest, food and drinks all go a long way to make sure you are feeling your best during labor. I’ll be there for you (and any partners/family) to make sure you are taking care of yourself and helping baby into an optimal position for birth. I have been trained in and practice Spinning Babies.

What not to expect

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Judgment

There is no right or wrong, or better or worse way to birth your baby. I want you to have the birth that feels right for you and your baby.

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Impersonal Attention

I don’t treat everyone the same standard attention. Some families need and want more support during pregnancy. Some want me to be with them in early labor, others when they go to the hospital. Some have lots of questions about what they want, others know exactly what they want. Being a doula is a bit like being a camelon, I adapt to you.

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My own agenda

I’m not trying to make you have a certain type of birth, or to birth in a certain way or place. My only agenda is that you feel supported and are treated with kindness, dignity and respect and there is informed and collaborative decision making using evidenced based information and honoring your own intuition and bodily autonomy (ok, maybe I do have a bit of an agenda ????).

— Frequently Asked Questions —

Do I have to eat a certain way to manage my blood sugar?

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Should I count calories and manage my weight during pregnancy?

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How much time should it take to lose the baby weight after giving birth?

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If I can't control my gestational diabetes with diet, does that mean I'm not trying hard enough?

No way! Gestational diabetes is complicated and there are many factors that influence blood sugar. Food is just one of them. It is important to look at the big picture of health and what factors influence blood sugar. It is also important to be aware that trying to keep using food as the treatment may cause disordered eating or an eating disorder. Using medication to help manage gestational diabetes does not mean you failed in anyway. Medication is a tool in the toolbox. If you needed a screwdriver to fix something would you keep using a hammer? No, you would use the screwdriver.

Does eating carbs cause gestational diabetes?

No. There is no one thing you did, or didn’t do, that caused gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is by definition, diabetes that is first diagnosed in pregnancy. If you have gestational diabetes it is possible that you had some degree of insulin resistance before or this is new for you because of all the changes your body goes through in pregnancy.

Do you take insurance?

Yes, Nutrition Counseling is often covered by insurance. I am in network with BlueCRoss BlueShield of Vermont, Green Mountain Care/Medicaid, MVP, Aetna, United, and Cigna. You must consult your insurance plan to confirm benefits.

Every person has different nutrient needs and taste preferences!

Gestational diabetes can bring up past challenges in your relationship with food, especially carbs, triggering eating disorders or disordered eating.

As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, I believe in honoring your body’s cues and establishing healthy, enjoyable, and sustainable habits, without strict dieting or food restrictions.

Take the next step…