About Me

I am Anita Mieko, here is the story of my journey into motherhood that brought me to this destination as a doula.

I am a mother of two boys whom I had 8 years apart later in life. With both of my pregnancies they were high risk with stress and situational trauma from domestic violence. I had three pregnancy losses prior to my first sons’ birth, so the constant anxiety put added stress on my journey. Being the firstborn daughter of three girls, I didn’t have any sibling experience to rely on, and was isolated because of the situation. I also didn’t know about doulas, in that era as they weren’t as prevalent as they are now. I read the suggested books and took labor and delivery classes through the hospital, but that only prepared me so much. I ended up having a very hard long labor ending with an emergency C-section. My son was born full term and very healthy, but the experience left me with lasting trauma. It was nothing like I had envisioned or expected it to be. I was emotionally crushed.

8 years later, in a different but similar situation, I was pregnant with my youngest at 40 years old, after being told I wouldn’t be able to have any more children. I was ecstatic, but terrified at the same time, with a whole new list of stresses. My bag of waters broke when I was just barely 28 weeks along in my pregnancy. I was hospitalized and labor was prevented to try to give my baby more time to develop before being born. This time I had moved closer to my family, so I had some support from them, but it was still unchartered territory that none of us had ever experienced. There was no way to plan or prepare for my pregnancy to end this way. And I didn’t feel like I got any support that I needed to prepare me for what was to come from the healthcare system. My last son was born about a week later at 29 weeks. Being so premature and only weighing just about 3 pounds, he had several severe health issues. He barely made it, and I wasn’t even allowed to see him for the first time until he was stabilized almost 6 hours later. And again, there was nothing to prepare me for what challenges and emotions I had to face in those first few hours, weeks and months spent with my son in the NICU. But we both survived with the best possible outcomes, now he is a healthy young boy, and no one would have ever suspected he was born so prematurely. It is truly a wonder what the hospital can do medically for premature babies now. But the experience left its own traumatic scar. And I wished there was a way for me to help other pregnant mothers in similar situations. So, I started researching what Doulas can do to help women have better experiences.

My Journey

When did I begin my journey to become a doula and what do I want to accomplish as a doula?

When my two younger sisters became pregnant, I decided I wanted to be able to advocate for them, so they didn’t have the experiences that I had. That’s when I decided my calling was to be a doula. So, I went through the training and became a birth doula and childbirth educator. Unfortunately, because of Covid issues, I couldn’t be there for each of my sister’s first births in person at the hospitals. But I was able to video chat and provide my assistance with each of them, and to help with postpartum and breastfeeding care and support. I was able to be in person for another birth and advocate for the mother, ultimately avoiding having a C-section. It was the best possible outcome for that mother and child and her wishes and experience were prioritized. It was the positive change I had always hoped I could facilitate.

As a doula, I want to bring my experience and knowledge to help and support women in their time of need. I am a member of the AAPI community and as a minority woman, I understand the challenges we face may be different and our voices may not be heard. I want to help women through the pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum periods of life with their expectations, preferences, and traditions intact, so they can have the most positive experience possible. I want to be able to utilize my training and experiences to help and support mothers who may be facing pregnancy loss, trauma informed births, premature births, and support during NICU experiences.

My Services

As of January 1st, 2024, legislation has been passed to promote coverage of doula services by insurance providers. I am a contracted doula provider for Medi-Cal, Anthem, Kaiser, Molina, Health Net, Centene, and Partnership Health plans. Check with your insurance plan to see what doula services are covered. Most HSA/FSA plans can also be used to pay for doula services as well, with a “Letter of Medical Necessity" from your primary care provider.

The Standard Birth Package includes:

One 30-minute Initial Consultation in person or virtually
One 60-minute Primary Prenatal Consultation to complete the necessary doula paperwork, payment arrangements, or insurance coverage paperwork
Availability by text, phone or virtually for questions
Two Prenatal Visits, in-person or virtually
On call 24/7 for 1 week before and 1 week after expected due date
In-person Doula Support for labor and delivery, VBAC, or C-section until about 1 hour after birth
Procedure only doula support can be discussed at a reduced rate for abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth or loss, support would be for in-person or virtual support
One Postpartum follow-up within a week of birth
Additional prenatal or postpartum support visits as needed can be scheduled for additional fee**

$1500.00 total, a $500 down payment will be due during the 60-minute Primary Consultation, with remainder of payment to be agreed upon before birth. Insurance coverages vary with co-pays and paydowns applied.

**Additional Postpartum support visits can be purchased as an add-on, for support as needed up to 1 Year after birth at the rate of $55 per hour. Insurance coverage may cover up to 9 Postpartum support visits with a Doula Service Recommendation Form from your primary healthcare provider.

I only book 2-3 clients for each month to maintain quality of services. I do book up several months in advance.

Please contact me for most current availability.