Medi-Cal Doula Services
Perinatal Preparation & Integrative Postpartum Recovery
♡ Including Miscarriage & Abortion support
The Whole-Body Approach
My work sits at the intersection of somatic care, functional health education, nervous system awareness, and intentional recovery. It is grounded in the understanding that pregnancy and postpartum place real physiological demands on the body — demands that are often minimized or misunderstood.
Rather than overriding symptoms or chasing outcomes, this approach focuses on:
Supporting your nervous system as the baseline for your baby’s nervous system (a lot of doula care only focuses on newborn care, and I feel their is a huge gap in care for the mother, as well)
Understanding how pregnancy and postpartum impact digestion, metabolism, and energy
Reducing depletion before it compounds
preparing recovery systems before they’re under maximum strain
Beginning postpartum recovery before labor, so you’re not trying to give from an empty well
Creating space for ease, bliss, and joy in this journey
All care is educational and supportive in nature, informed by functional perspectives, trauma-aware practices, and years of working closely with women navigating pregnancy, postpartum, and recovery. We work with the body’s timing, respecting postpartum physiology (especially during breastfeeding), and supporting recovery in ways that are realistic, sustainable, and embodied.
My own journey with a near-death pregnancy, and recovering from two autoimmune diseases led me down this path of holistic and integrative care that I feel every woman truly needs. Even if we feel “okay” in the midst of the adrenaline of labor, my desire is to support women to deepen the true balance within their body, before having to deal with any symptoms or downstream effects.
Have Medi-Cal Insurance or Private Insurance with Doula Coverage?
Your prenatal and postpartum services (as well as support within a year of a loss) may be covered by your insurance at no cost, including some commercial/employer insurances!
What’s covered by Medi-Cal insurance:
9 Regular Visits (For prenatal or postpartum)
9 More Postpartum Visits (can be used up to 12 mo postpartum)
2 Extended Postpartum Visits
Labor Support (note, I focus mainly on prenatal and postpartum, and am only able to do a select few births and typically local home births in Nevada City/Grass Valley. I do partner with a number of doulas who are on-call for labor, and can help with birth and pelvic preparation and focus on postpartum care. Or if you choose to labor privately with your family, I can help you prepare your body and environment for birth and be available by phone or facetime, as well as optionally come for early labor to help you settle in, as well as immediate postpartum care upon delivery.
Most postpartum recovery challenges don’t begin after birth — they begin during preconception and during pregnancy, when the body is quietly adapting to increased nutritional demand, hormonal shifts, metabolic stress, and nervous system load.
From a functional, whole-body perspective, pregnancy is not only about growing a baby — it’s also about how well the maternal body is resourced to recover afterward.
During pregnancy, mineral reserves are drawn down, blood sugar regulation becomes more fragile, digestion and energy shift, and the nervous system is under adaptation. When these systems are already under strain, postpartum recovery often feels harder — not because something is wrong, but because depletion began long before healing had a chance to start.
My work focuses on preparing the terrain now and early postpartum, so postpartum doesn’t become a period of crisis management while trying to find rhythms with sleep and feeding.
Your body then can move beyond getting stuck in labels like postpartum depression and address why the body is feeling out of balance. this approach emphasizes preparation, understanding, and nervous-system-aware support - helping the body move through pregnancy and postpartum from a whole-body perspective.
Preparing the Body for Postpartum Begins Before Birth
Integrative Full Spectrum Support with a Somatic & Subtle energetic approach
Much of the preparation that supports postpartum recovery, hormonal resilience, and nervous system regulation happens through education, attuned conversation, and integration over time. This is where guided, remote program-based support becomes not just convenient, but essential. And it’s why I love still supporting those all over California, because a lot of this care is best done through sessions vs. traditional in-home visits that focus more on cooking, hands-on support, and support around the home. It allows us to go deeper into functional hormonal medicine & functional testing (blood & gut testing analysis) to help get you out of the tough symptoms, education around hormonal patterns and nutrition, somatic healing techniques and nervous system balancing, birth planning and preparation, and pelvic and postpartum recovery.
For those outside my immediate area, or for those wanting continuity of care, this pathway offers space to prepare, orient, and integrate as pregnancy and postpartum evolve. This is where we can dive deeper into preparing your body for labor, preconception/fertility work, functional medicine/reviewing blood tests, gut tests and protocols, teaching tools like self massage, nervous system balancing, somatic work, and castor oil packs, and for creating your birth plan, practicing comfort measures, lactation education, and overall tracking the more integrative aspects of your health.
For others, care takes shape through a hybrid rhythm - weaving the distance pathway with occasional in-person visits. This pathway is especially supportive for those within my extended travel range, or for those wanting birth preparation and recovery support that doesn’t rely solely on physical presence.
And at the heart of what I do is still the in person, face-to-face, attuned, hands-on, in home support. Many of my in-person clients blend some of the above with massage, pelvic recovery, cooking and meal prep, and help around the home. In person postpartum support also focuses on newborn care support, tracking your health and recovery, mother blessings and rituals to support you in your transition to motherhood, lactation education basics, and increasing milk supply when needed. If you're located within an hour of Nevada City, CA, I may be able to travel to you for in-home visits depending on my current availability (typically only within an hour, with the exception of going to the Bay Area and Santa Cruz a few times a year for sessions). If you're outside that area, you're always welcome to come to my office for sessions.
In-Person Bodywork & Somatic Care
For those within my service area, in-person support offers hands-on care for the physical body - supporting tissue health, lactation, supporting the organs back into place, relieving tension, c-section recovery, circulation, nervous system regulation, and embodied recovery.
In-person work may include bodywork, abdominal and pelvic support, somatic care, and postpartum recovery support, as well as prenatal bodywork.
Why we focus on the belly: Your belly is still healing months after birth (and sometimes years) - healing a dinner plate sized wound where the placenta was, as the organs reorganize and your digestion is resetting. Your belly and breasts hold the imprints of birth and the physical and hormonal changes you’ve moved through - even if it looks like your stomach has “bounced back”. Abdominal massage restores mobility, digestion, nourishes milk flow, breaks up scar tissue, allows for gentle detox that won’t affect baby negatively, and helps your nervous system and hormones find steadier rhythm. This is the support I believe should be standard postpartum care.
Birth
While I take only a few births a year locally, my continuous offerings are focused on the pre-natal and postpartum periods. If you’re choosing to have solely a midwife, or to work with me for remote labor support (via phone and video) or in person support if it lines up, I can also support with birth planning, somatic and nervous system prep for labor, comfort measures, and space setting. If you are seeking birth support, you’re welcome to still fill out the request form and we can see if it lines up for us to work together!
Service Areas
Based in Nevada City, CA - serving Nevada & Placer Counties and North Lake Tahoe. Postpartum services are able to extend to Sacramento, Yuba County, and occasional visits in Marin, Santa Cruz, and East Bay Area. My remote perinatal & postpartum program (available still to Medi-Cal clients), is available statewide. Read more below on the Guided Preparation & Recovery Pathway for distance clients.
If you’re not in my immediate area, we can still find you some in person support, while diving deeper into this work because they serve different parts of the journey. You are absolutely able to work with a couple of doulas, as we all have our differing specialties. Many people choose to work with me before and after birth, while having a separate birth doula.
For in person & hybrid clients, View the full availability of offerings you can choose from
The Functional & Somatic Recovery & Preparation Pathway (for distance clients)
This pathway is designed for those using telehealth/distance visits, whether you’re outside of my travel areas or simply want to prioritize this kind of support and blend this with your in-person prenatal, birth, and postpartum care. If you are one of my local prenatal/birth clients, I highly recommend this (and some people really just want mostly hands-on support and that’s totally okay!). If you’d like to do this together, while still having a birth doula local to you, I can work with them to make sure we’re using the visits in the most supportive way to you. With Medi-Cal, you get 20 visits plus labor support, so I find there’s plenty of room for a couple of us :) If you’re using this pathway (or this plus some in person and you’re within an hour of Nevada City) - you can fill out the request form and go ahead and book your first visit at the end if you’re ready.
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This phase is about understanding the terrain.
We look at how your body has been carrying pregnancy or postpartum so far — nutritionally, hormonally, digestively, and through the nervous system. Even if you’ve been feeling great, this is still for you to help the body continue on that trajectory postpartum. Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, this phase focuses on patterns: where depletion may be building, where the body is compensating, and what recovery will realistically require.
This phase may include:
reviewing energy, digestion, sleep, stress, and nourishment patterns
understanding pregnancy or postpartum hormonal shifts without pathologizing them
identifying areas of depletion that may impact recovery
clarifying what’s normal versus what needs more support
mapping priorities for the weeks or months ahead
This is where confusion often gives way to clarity. Many people realize for the first time why their body feels the way it does - and what it actually needs next.
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If you are pregnant, this phase focuses on preparing the body for postpartum recovery — not through protocols, but through practical, body-literate support.
If you are postpartum, this phase focuses on stabilization — supporting the body as it heals, adapts, and meets increased demand.
This phase may include:
functional nourishment guidance to support recovery reserves
mineral, blood sugar, and digestive support education
nervous system buffering during stress and sleep disruption
cervix, pelvic, and tissue preparation education (non-hands-on)
lactation foundations and early support
realistic postpartum planning rooted in physiology, not ideals
Learn more about my Functional Medicine work here (this is available to my doula clients): https://www.kendallnichole.com/functional-hormonal-medicine
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Once birth has occurred, support turns toward recovery and integration.
Rather than rushing toward “bouncing back,” this phase supports the body as it heals — tissues, digestion, energy, and nervous system — while also helping make sense of what birth and early postpartum have brought up.
This phase may include:
supporting physical recovery rhythms (bleeding, tissue healing, energy)
adjusting nourishment and support needs as postpartum unfolds
lactation troubleshooting and transitions
nervous system regulation after intensity, shock, or exhaustion
integrating birth experiences without bypassing the body
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Postpartum recovery doesn’t follow a neat timeline.
This phase supports the longer arc — whether that means continued postpartum care, breastfeeding transitions, emotional integration, or preparing to shift toward hands-on support or other providers.
This phase may include:
ongoing postpartum nourishment and recovery support
support through breastfeeding changes or weaning
navigating identity shifts and nervous system recalibration
deciding what kind of care is needed next — and when
For some, this phase is brief.
For others, it becomes the steady support that allows deeper healing to happen over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Partnership Health Plan of California (Medi-Cal)
Health Net
Central California Alliance for Health
Alameda Alliance for Health
Anthem Blue Cross (Medi-Cal plans or any plans that cover doulas)
San Joaquin Health Plan
Kaiser Permanente (Medi-Cal and Commercial plans)
Western Health Advantage
BSC Promise Health Plan in San Diego and LA (Medi-Cal) - can accept telehealth clients, or if you occasionally travel here we can do in person sessions
San Francisco HealthPlan
Any health plan that reimburses for Doulas - we can do private pay then I’ll provide an invoice you can give to your insurance company for reimbursement. BlueShield of CA only covers rarely and usually reimburses a partial amount if they do.
FSA or HSA accounts that cover doula
Carrot Employee Health Benefits
Via Raya Health (a Doula group, who will be our sort of concierge, but you’ll get private support from my practice), I can accept:
CalOptima (virtual only)
Mountain Valley HealthPlan
LA Care Healthplan (virtual only)
Community Healthplan of Imperial Valley
CalViva Cares Health (virtual only)
Healthplan of San Mateo
Gold Coast Healthplan (virtual only)
IEHP (virtual only)
Sharp Healthplan (virtual only)
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Yes. Many families choose this support specifically because it complements birth doula care and what I offer is something typically not covered in traditional doula care. With insurance, you can break up your visits over multiple doulas.
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Yes. Support is always appropriate during breastfeeding and focuses on nourishment, recovery, lactation foundations, and nervous system support rather than elimination protocols or detox.
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Utilizing key functional medicine frameworks, as a hormonal specialist, I support women to reclaim true vitality and health by focusing on the interconnectedness of hormones, gut, and mental health. I provide personalized diagnostic testing (GI Map, Blood Testing, & Dutch Test), analysis, consulting & protocols that address the root causes of imbalances, infections, and mystery symptoms. Let’s get to the bottom of symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, low libido, and digestive issues. Together, we heal from the inside out, restoring balance and vitality for a happier, healthier life.
Learn more on this page: https://www.kendallnichole.com/functional-hormonal-medicine
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You’re totally welcome to do what’s best for you, but I find that the work that I do fills some gaps that are not often filled in the doula world. And a lot of these pieces around preparation, education, somatic guidance, and functional medicine are best done remotely anyway.
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Honestly, wherever you are right now! It’s never too late, and I wish women got support long before week 36. I just never felt it was enough to do a couple of prenatals and one postpartum. So even if you just found out you’re pregnant, especially with the number of visits covered by insurance, we can begin now.
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Of course! Even though I’m holistic, integrative, and like to research instead of just accepting the status quo, I am by no means anti-western medicine. If it weren’t for western medicine I wouldn’t be alive still and so I know it has it’s time and place.
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Not directly, but if you had a loss within the last 12 mo and are trying again, then we could focus on pre-conception.
Kendall’s Background and Approach
Our modern society has forgotten or let go of the support we once had in the birthing space. We see a lot of fear and unnecessary medical intervention, and women without proper emotional and physical support during and after. My mission and desire are to be a part of the shift to integrating ancient ways into the modern world, supporting and holding you in this journey, bringing in ritual and ceremony as desired, and most importantly, being there for emotional, physical, and energetic space holding in preparation for and after labor (or after pregnancy loss). While also honoring and meeting you where you are at, and with the understanding that Western medicine very much has its place and at a time is needed.
I began this journey of Doulaship after my own near-death pregnancy experience that lit a fire in me to support women. Pregnancy can be a magical journey of heightened intuition and sensation, a time to be closer to the earth and Spirit, and birth a profound initiation. I want to be there to hold that space with and for you, so that you feel held and your body can do what it was made to do.
I am mentored and trained by Doula Thrive, taught by world-class Birth and Postpartum doulas, trained by the Rose Lineage Mystery School in hands on womb work, energy worker, herbalist, with backgrounds in bodywork, NLP, and coaching.
Additional Focuses & Support Options:
After 6 Weeks Postpartum
If you desire more support after your initial postpartum stage, we can bring in some of the tools and techniques (similar to what we do in the pre-conception phase) to support with womb healing, nervous system integration and energy healing. Oftentimes, you receive a couple of postpartum sessions from a doula after your birth, but a lot of women are not taught in society how to regenerate, rejuvenate, and heal their womb, tighten their pelvic floor, and support their breasts after the initial postpartum stage. I feel this is highly important and can totally impact your baby's experience as well.
This can be from a distance or similarly to above we can work with hands-on feminine bodywork sessions in-person or in an in-person immersion format with integration sessions from a distance. Together we will create a personalized postpartum program based on your desires and needs.
These can be incredibly supportive and healing after 6 weeks postpartum (you want to wait 6 weeks for these), especially if there were any traumatic experiences during the labor. I also highly recommend these for any miscarriage or loss.
Pre-Conception
For those consciously wanting to conceive, it can be beautiful to prepare your body and womb beforehand. There are certain practices we can work with that are not safe once you are pregnant, but can greatly support the womb for the prenatal/labor process and even increase fertility, and can work more consciously with the conception phase. As well as somatic alchemy sessions to unwind within the nervous system's past experiences or patterns that you wish to work with before getting pregnant. These sessions can include teaching you practices and tools to work with yourself and if you're local we can do in in-person hands-on session. There is also the option to come for a full day or weekend in-person immersion, followed by distance integration sessions. Functional Hormonal Medicine consulting and diagnostic testing can help reveal root causes to any difficulties conceiving, and provide protocols to bring harmony to the reproductive system.
(Note, preconception is not covered by the prenatal/postpartum window for insurance (unless you are covered post-loss), but personalized packages and programs are available).
Miscarriage and Abortion Support
Insurances that cover doulas also cover miscarriage and abortion support at the same level of care (20 visits plus support during the loss). Some of this may look similar to the postpartum services I offer - cooking, help in the home, emotional processing, honoring rituals, womb massage, functional hormonal medicine. In certain cases, I may also be able to be with you during the release to hold space and support you.
Interested in working with me or would like more information?
If you’re curious about what kind of support would be most meaningful for you - whether in person, through the guided pathway, or a blend of both - you’re welcome to request care below. Completing the request form helps ensure this support is the right fit for your needs and timing.