Gina Benson - Birth & Postpartum Doula

About Gina

I am a Certified VBAC Doula, trained to serve as a birth and postpartum doula, and offer bereavement doula services for those experiencing pregnancy or infant loss. A successful VBA2C using Hypnobabies in 2011 ignited my enduring passion for supporting and achieving optimal birthing experiences and sharing information about pregnancy and birth to advocate for better perinatal and newborn health outcomes. I’m the owner of Atala Doula Services, serving the Sacramento region and surrounding counties of northern California. Having spent most of my adult working life as a technical writer, which involves gathering information from subject matter experts and creating written resources that even non-technical people can easily understand and follow, I realized the work was not as rewarding or fulfilling as I wish it would be. So, I embarked on some introspection to evaluate my personality, my strengths, what I enjoyed about my prior work, and what I most want to do in the future…be a source of support and empowerment for others.

Availability

Taking new clients

Due Mar 2027, May – Aug 2027

Confirmed 3 weeks ago

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Birth & Postpartum Doula packages and pricing

Complete Metamorphosis | Standard Birth Doula Package

This comprehensive birth doula package covers everything you need to prepare for your birthing experience with in-person support for labor/delivery. * Welcome kit (includes rebozo, workbook, pen, and other gifts) * Three (3) prenatal visits (typically 1-2 hours each) * Birth and postpartum plan preparation * On-call for birth starting at 38 weeks * In-person support throughout labor and delivery * Approximately two (2) hours in-person support immediately following delivery * One (1) postpartum check-in visit within first two weeks from birth (up to 2 hours) * Lifetime access to the Atala Doula Services Lending Library * Access to curated digital resources with videos, articles, and PDF downloads * Evidence-based pregnancy and childbirth information and resources * Unlimited phone/text/email support throughout pregnancy and postpartum * Free virtual group birth art session or discount on private birth art journey * Postpartum gift bag

$2,100 USD · Flat rate

Ambrosia | Labor/Delivery-Only Birth Doula Package

This birth doula package provides in-person doula support during labor and delivery with minimal prenatal guidance/preparation with your doula. This birth doula option is ideal for repeat clients and for those who are confident in their own prenatal education/preparation, have previous childbirth experience, want the presence of a doula for a planned cesarean/surgical birth, and/or when you do not have much time before expected delivery (for example, 36+ weeks into pregnancy or planned pre-term birth). * Welcome kit (includes rebozo, workbook, pen, and other gifts) * One (1) prenatal consultation/interview (typically 2-3 hours) * Birth and postpartum plan preparation * On-call for birth starting at 38 weeks (or upon signing of birth doula services agreement if less than 2 weeks from expected delivery) * In-person support throughout labor and delivery * Approximately two (2) hours in-person support immediately following delivery * One (1) postpartum check-in visit within first two weeks from birth (up to 2 hours) * Lifetime access to the Atala Doula Services Lending Library * Access to curated digital resources with videos, articles, and PDF downloads * Evidence-based pregnancy and childbirth information and resources * Unlimited phone/text/email support throughout pregnancy and postpartum * Free virtual group birth art session or discount on private birth art journey * Postpartum gift bag

$1,700 USD · Flat rate

Soul | Prenatal-only Birth Doula Package

This birth doula package covers everything you need to prepare for your birthing experience when you do not need doula support during labor/delivery. This birth doula option is ideal if you have prior childbirth experience but would like specific information/preparation for this upcoming birth, if you want guidance preparing for a planned cesarean delivery without the need for typical labor support information, if you don’t want additional people in your birthing room, and/or if you are confident in your chosen birth team’s ability to utilize the information and strategies we cover during the prenatal visits to support you during labor/delivery. * Welcome kit (includes rebozo, workbook, pen, and other gifts) * Three (3) prenatal visits (typically 1-2 hours each) * Birth and postpartum plan preparation * Lifetime access to the Atala Doula Services Lending Library * Access to curated digital resources with videos, articles, and PDF downloads * Evidence-based pregnancy and childbirth information and resources * Unlimited phone/text/email support throughout pregnancy and postpartum * Free virtual group birth art session or discount on private birth art journey * Postpartum gift bag Add a postpartum check-in visit within the first two weeks from delivery for $100

$700 USD · Flat rate

Accepted insurance

Medi-Cal Kaiser Permanente Message Gina to confirm coverage for your plan.

What to expect

Compassionate, empathetic, empowering support for your birthing experience. Do you have a vision of what you imagine your birthing experience should be? Do you feel overwhelmed by the information and choices you have for your upcoming birth? Having an educated and trained birth doula who believes in your ability to achieve the best birth experience for you and your baby can ease the overwhelming feelings by ensuring you have support throughout pregnancy, labor, and birth. Personal, reassuring, relieving support during your transition to life with a newborn. Have you heard of the 4th trimester of pregnancy? This phase is the first few months immediately following pregnancy and birth, and it’s a time when birthing people and their families should be able to depend on others to help make the transition to their new way of life easier. Having a postpartum doula, even if just for a couple of hours, can provide the support you need when you most need it.

Reviews for Gina Benson

5.0 3 reviews

5.0

June 25, 2025

Hire Gina if you're looking for a positive birth experience! I was the first of my friends to have a Doula and wasn't quite sure what to expect. It ended up being one of the best decisions involving my pregnancy/delivery because she was so supportive and valuable every step of the way. Gina helped me prepare for giving birth by meeting with me and discussing my fears about labor, how to best support me, strategies for a smooth labor, etc. She was on-call for me and met my family and I at the hospital immediately when we called her (at midnight) when I went into labor. Gina was so professional with the hospital staff and my family. She provided strategies and aid to keep me comfortable throughout labor and helped me understand what was happening and what to expect next. Yes there were nurses to help, but they had other patients requiring their care and Gina was a constant, knowledgeable, and calm presence. Gina was also extremely helpful during the delivery and did not leave my side afterward until she knew that I was stable and moving to the postpartum room to rest. She's been so supportive during these postpartum weeks and I'm so grateful to her! While Gina's support was a service that I paid for, she has genuinely felt like family throughout this experience. She went so above and beyond for me and my baby and made our experience a special one.

— Katherine Clark

5.0

March 19, 2025

Gina/Atala Doula Services is the best! She helped us prepare for labor with thoughtful consideration to the needs of my partner and me. She was so supportive and aware to help advocate for sticking to my birth plan while I was in labor and directly afterwards! Postpartum Gina has been a great resource and incredible support to us. For anyone looking for prenatal support, labor support, and/or postpartum support I could not recommend Atala Doula Services more!

— Sophia Ferris-Green

5.0

March 15, 2025

My husband and I are first time parents who were very anxious about labor and delivery and therefore were looking for a doula who could offer additional support to help keep us calm and informed with what was completely normal versus not and offer labor support and coping strategies. We found Gina and were very impressed by the wealth of information she had in her website. When we spoke with her about what we were looking for in a doula, we appreciated her supportive perspective in informed decision making. She helped us understand the pros and cons of each decision for our birth plan and allowed us to decide independently without pushing her opinions or “shoulding” (i.e. you should do this not this) in terms of what our birth should say or be. During labor, Gina was very helpful with labor support strategies, she helped me get through the worst of the contractions with encouragement, a TENS machine, creating a calm environment, and physical touch such as sacral squeezes. She was incredibly prepared and had everything she needed to support me through a days long labor (which thankfully was not needed in my case). She also helped support my decision for an epidural when I couldn’t cope anymore with contractions and made sure I was changing positions frequently to keep labor progressing. I really feel Gina helped make my labor a positive experience and appreciated her support when changing my mind and making deviations from my initial birth plan, such as my decision to move forward with an induction when I passed my due date due and getting an epidural during labor when both of those were not on my initial birth plan. I would recommend Gina to anyone seeking a supportive doula, she is very dedicated to making sure you have the birth YOU want.

— Leslie

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Certifications, training, and specialties

Certification and training

Birthing From Within Birth Art Training (2023)
DONA Postpartum Doula Workshop (2023)
Comfort Measures for Birth Professionals (2023)
Yiska Obadia's Comforting Touch for Doulas Virtual Training (2023)
Gena Garcia's Online Rebozo Course (2023)
VBAC Doula Certification, TVL (2023)
Trauma-informed Care for Birth & Postpartum Professionals (2023)
Essential Breastfeeding Support Skills for Doulas & Birth Workers (2023)
Dancing For Birth Level 1 & Level 2 Professional Training (2024)
DONA Birth Doula Workshop (2023)

Memberships and affiliations

Professional Member, International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN)
Professional Member, Evidence Based Birth (EBB)
Member, DONA International
Professional Member, Placer Birth Connection
Member, Capital City Birth Collective

Languages

English

Credentials

CVD

Specialties

Birth Doula Birth Support Breastfeeding Assistance and Support Breastfeeding Support Exclusive Pumping/Bottle Feeding Labor Doula Loss and Bereavement Doula Multiples Natural Birth Natural Childbirth Parenting Support Perinatal and Infant Loss Postpartum Adjustment Postpartum Doula Care Sibling Preparation Support during Labor, Birth, and Postpartum Support in Pregnancy Loss Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) Childbirth Education Evidence-Based Care Newborn Care Overnight Newborn Care Self-Compassion Somatic Techniques Placenta Encapsulation

Frequently asked questions

Is there a discount for booking both birth and postpartum doula support?

Yes, birth doula clients are eligible for a 10% discount on postpartum doula support.

Do you offer payment plans?

Yes, I offer an easy, automated monthly payment plan option that provides at least 12 months to pay for doula services.

My insurance covers doula services. Can I use that for your services?

I am an approved Medi-Cal doula for most Sacramento-area Medi-Cal plans, and I am happy to work with you to provide doula support as part of your Medi-Cal benefits and will handle billing Medi-Cal for payment. I am also able to submit payment claims directly to Kaiser Northern California on behalf of their members for covered doula support services. For private/employer insurance benefits, I do not directly bill private/employer insurance carriers for services rendered. If your private/employer insurance coverage includes birth and/or postpartum doula support, I will be happy to work with you to provide the appropriate invoicing, payment records, and other information you may need to be reimbursed by your insurance carrier. You may also be able to use FSA/HSA funds for payment of doula services.