Providing heartful and holistic care to families since 1999
•Doula Services
•Lactation Consultation
•Childbirth & Breastfeeding Classes
•Belly Casts
•Prenatal & Postpartum Fitness Classes
I sculpt heirloom quality belly casts to capture the beauty of your pregnant form.
Doula Services are FREE for Medi-Cal and Partnership Healthplan Members! Please call to arrange a consultation appointment.
Pregnancy and birth are transformative, life-changing events. Doula services provide a continuum of care before, during, and after the birth to support families in making this transition with confidence and joy.
My Lactation Consultation Services are FREE for Medi-Cal and Partnership Healthplan Members and are covered by most private insurance companies! Please call to arrange a consultation appointment. Breastfeeding is natural, and it is also a learned skill. Lactation consultation services support this learning process and bring ease to the experience of breastfeeding.
Childbirth and Breastfeeding Classes are FREE for Medi-Cal and Partnership Healthplan Members! Please call for more information. I teach a comprehensive, holistic childbirth preparation class which is offered as a six week series. I also teach a prenatal breastfeeding class.
Move your body to move your baby! Grow your strength, flexibility, stamina and relaxation for labor. Call for dates and times.
The birth of a baby is an everyday miracle, and it is a profound, transformative life event for parents. I believe that pregnancy and birth are natural states of mind, body and spirit that proceed beautifully with a minimum of intervention. My goal as a doula, health educator, and lactation consultant is to support this process by providing individualized, heartful care that allows each person to give birth and parent in the way that has the deepest possible meaning.
I attended my first birth in 1995 and have provided care at over 600 births in hospitals, homes, and birth centers. It has been a tremendous honor and joy to serve the families of Humboldt County. I am the mother of two wonderful children, born in 1998 and 2005. They are the light and joy of my life.
Sommer Halligan
Licensed Midwife
Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Certified Doula
Certified Childbirth Educator
Certified Prenatal Fitness Instructor
Sommer Halligan (707) 845-1342 sommer@humboldt1.com
Doula Services
My work as a doula is to provide sensitive and compassionate care so that every family can achieve a birth experience that is healthy, joyful, and personally meaningful. I want my clients to have the knowledge they need to give birth and care for their babies with confidence and ease. I also want to support partners as an integral part of childbirth and the life of the family.
Prior to the birth, I meet with families to develop a relationship of comfort and trust and to share information about healthy pregnancy, choices in childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborn care. I help families develop a birth plan and practice comfort measures to help in labor. When labor begins, I am available as soon as the family feels they need me. I am there to provide guidance and support for the duration of labor. I offer postpartum home visits and augment my care by offering full-scope lactation consultation services at each visit. I also offer suggestions about baby care and the physical and emotional changes of postpartum family life.
I’m lucky when I get to serve as a doula for multiple siblings in the same family!
Sommer Halligan (707) 845-1342 sommer@humboldt1.com
Lactation Consultation
Breastfeeding is natural, beautiful, and sacred, but sometimes it can also be fragile and challenging. And it is definitely a learned skill! I offer comprehensive lactation consultation services either in your home or in my office. Services are free of charge for all women covered by Medi-Cal and Partnership Health of California. I accept most other insurances and bill through The Lactation Network (see link below to check your coverage!).
I am available whenever you feel the need, even if it's just to reassure you that everything is going well. There are a variety of situations in which mothers reach out to me for guidance and support to accomplish their breastfeeding goals. Some of the reasons mothers seek out my lactation services include:
•Pain or soreness while breastfeeding
•Concerns about milk supply
•Concerns about baby’s weight gain, growth and development
•Baby is premature, ill or jaundiced
•Breast concerns such as engorgement, plugged ducts, thrush or mastitis
•Questions about choosing a pump, using a pump, or returning to work
•Questions about breastfeeding twins
•Relactation and Lactation after surrogacy pregnancy
•Questions about taking medications while nursing
Prenatal Breastfeeding Class!
The Foundation of Joyful Breastfeeding
I started this class based on my experience serving women in my role as a hospital-based Board Certified Lactation Consultant. After watching families learn to breastfeed in the hours after birth, I learned that they are more relaxed and confident when they have a strong breastfeeding foundation, BEFORE the baby is in their arms! This class costs $10 and is usually on Saturday mornings, 10:00 am-1:00 pm. Please call me for information about the dates of classes.
I provide breastfeeding support in pregnancy, which can include prenatal milk expression. This mom was very excited to see how much milk she was producing before the baby was even born!
Full newborn exam as a standard part of my lactation care
Sommer Halligan (707) 845-1342 sommer@humboldt1.com
Belly Casts
The henna art on this cast was created by Ilkiko Czigleni
Pregnancy Sculptures that Celebrate and Preserve
the Amazing Beauty of your Body
Capture your pregnancy as a rite of passage and create a family heirloom with a finely sculpted cast of the mother’s beautiful form.
The belly cast session can be done at your home or in my office. The finished cast is pure white. It can be left white or painted by an artist of your choice. Belly casts make wonderful baby shower gifts! Cost: $235
Sommer Halligan (707) 845-1342 sommer@humboldt1.com
Insurance & Billing
Billing for Doula Services
Doula services are 100% covered for all Medi-Cal and Partnerhsip Health Plan beneficiaries.
This member benefit includes up to nine prenatal/postpartum visits as well as my attendance at the labor and birth. We can arrange any combination of prenatal vs. postpartum care that you would like and I can include childbirth education and lactation consultation in your care package.
Self-pay option is available for clients with private insurance. My basic package includes 3 prenatal visits, my attendance at the birth, and two postpartum visits. This package costs $900. If you have private insurance, I may be able to bill your insurance carrier for additional postpartum lactation consultation.
Billing for Lactation Services
Lactation Consultation services are 100% covered for all Medi-Cal and Partnerhsip Health Plan members!
Services for my privately insured clients are billed through my billing service, The Lactation Network. The Afordable Care Act mandated coverage for lactation services, so these services are reimbursed by MOST insurance companies. The link below will take you to my HIPAA compliant portal with the Lactation Network and they will confirm your insurance coverage free of charge! I am able to bill most Blue Cross PPO, Blue Shield PPO, Anthem PPO, Cigna PPO, Humana PPO, and VA CCN(Veterans Affairs Community Care Network) plans as well as most plans that utilize MultiPlan and PNOA.
Click here to check your insurance coverage!
https://go.lactationnetwork.com/SerenadeChildbirthServices
Sommer Halligan (707) 845-1342 sommer@humboldt1.com
About Sommer
I attended my first birth as a doula in 1995 and have been inspired by pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding ever since. I certified as a doula in 1999, followed quickly by my certification as a childbirth educator in 2000. I studied home birth midwifery for several years and obtained my midwifery license from the California Medical Board in 2004. I completed the Lactation Consultant training program at UC San Diego and passed my International Board Certified Lactation Consultant exam in 2022. I completed my certification as a prenatal and postpartum fitness instructor in 2023.
I am the mother of two children, and parenting them has been the greatest joy and inspiration of my life. I have been a dancer most of my life and I am a fan of traditional Eastern European folk music. I enjoy backpacking, gardening, and quilting. Serving the families of Humboldt County has been a tremendous honor and I am filled with gratitude.
Licensures & Certifications
Certified Doula, Doulas by Nature 1999
Certified Childbirth Educator, ALACE 2000
Licensed Midwife, California Medical Board
#LM292 2005 - current
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
#L-310213 2022 - current
Certified Prenatal & Postpartum Fitness Instructor,
NPTA 2023-current
Neonatal Resusitation - current
Basic Life Support/Infant CPR - current
Sommer Halligan (707) 845-1342 sommer@humboldt1.com
CommunityResources
Massage Therapy
September Opal, CST, CMT (575) 494-6174
Jamie Bellerman, CMT. (707) 834-4643
Craniosacral Therapy
Dr. Sarah Griffith 707-443-0695
Physical Therapy
Christine Mateer, PT 707-822-3139
John Schmidt, PT 707-223-1960
Acupuncture
Kelly Hacker, L.A 360-791-6309
Birth Tub Rentals
Oasis Birth Tubs 707-633-9277
Prenatal Yoga
Jodie Diminno 707-616-0930
Doula Services
Jodie Diminno 707-616-0930
Sarah Torres Info@NuevaVidaDoula.com
Jackie Gable 707-633-9277
Belly Cast Artwork
Noelle Cox 661-478-8320
Partnership Health of California
Member Services 800-863-4144
Pregnancy Care Clinics
North Country Perinatal Services 707-822-1385
Redwood Community Health Pregnancy Services 707-443-4593
Home Birth Services
Moonstone Midwives 707-633-3009
Infant Massage
Jodie Diminno 707-616-0930
Herbal Medicine
Moonrise Herbs 707-822-5296
Humboldt Herbals 707-442-3541
Lactation Consultation
Casey Schmidt 707-223-1961
Sommer Halligan (707) 845-1342 sommer@humboldt1.com