Comprehensive Privacy Policy
Sacred birth work requires unflinching trust. We honor your personal, physiological, and perinatal health data with the highest clinical and global privacy benchmarks.
01 Practice Scope & Privacy Covenant
The River Nest Doula ("the Practice", "we", "us", or "our"), operated by Tatiana Vilas, Experienced Postpartum Doula & Infant Care Specialist, is committed to safeguarding the intimate privacy, human dignity, and physiological confidentiality of every birthing person, partner, and infant in our care.
Postpartum doula care encompasses continuous emotional, physical, and developmental perinatal support throughout the fourth trimester healing window. Because our care necessarily involves sensitive disclosures—including postpartum recovery, feeding experiences, physiological boundaries, and intimate home dynamics—we hold your data to the most stringent ethical and confidentiality standards.
Professional Non-Clinical Scope Disclaimer
Postpartum doulas are certified non-clinical infant care and perinatal support specialists. A doula does not perform clinical procedures, medical diagnoses, surgical wound treatments, or prescribe pharmacological remedies. The health information collected through our intake portal and consultation sessions serves exclusively to tailor physical comfort measures, design developmentally appropriate neuro-play routines, and coordinate restorative overnight and daytime care.
02 Perinatal Health Information & HIPAA Notice
Under the United States Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and 45 CFR § 160.103, private doula support practices that do not transmit electronic healthcare transactions to third-party insurance payers are designated as Non-Covered Entities.
Our Voluntary Gold Standard: While exempt from statutory covered-entity classification, The River Nest Doula voluntarily adheres to the foundational tenets of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. We apply administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect all Protected Health Information (PHI) and Perinatal Sensitive Data (PSD).
Scope of Perinatal Health Disclosures (Document 02 Integration)
Through our paperless onboarding portal (Document 02: HIPAA & Medical Privacy Authorization), you grant explicit, revocable permission for The River Nest Doula to communicate with designated clinical care teams:
- Attending Pediatricians & Neonatal Care Specialists
- Postpartum Obstetricians (OB/GYN) & Certified Midwives
- Hospital/Private IBCLC Lactation Consultants
- Collaborating Doulas within The Nesting Place LI Network
Zero Unauthorized Clinical Transmission: We will never disclose your postpartum health metrics, feeding logs, or medical history to any outside party without your express verbal or written direction.
03 State Health Privacy Laws & Absolute Non-Sale Guarantee
Modern state privacy statutes grant elevated, uncompromising protections to reproductive, maternal, and newborn care records. The River Nest Doula strictly complies with applicable consumer privacy enactments, including the New York SHIELD Act and relevant national frameworks:
New York SHIELD Act
Mandates reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for private personal and health-related data of NY residents.
California CCPA / CPRA
Treats perinatal health, anatomical data, and personal family details as Sensitive Personal Information (SPI) with strict limitation rights.
Perinatal Gold Standard
Enforces rigorous client confidentiality across all communications, postpartum visit logs, and infant care journals.
Absolute Zero-Commercialization & Non-Sale Guarantee
We will never sell, rent, lease, monetize, license, or trade your family's records, due dates, contact details, or newborn care logs to data brokers, formula manufacturers, advertising exchanges, or commercial marketers. Your family's journey remains private.
04 GDPR / UK GDPR & International Data Rights
For international clients residing in or protected by the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) or UK GDPR, The River Nest Doula acts as a Data Controller. We process your data exclusively under the following lawful bases:
| Data Category | Lawful Basis (Art. 6) | Special Category (Art. 9) |
|---|---|---|
| Name, Phone, Email, Address, Borough/Territory | Contractual Necessity (Art. 6(1)(b)) for delivering postpartum doula care | Not applicable |
| Due/Birth Date, Recovery Details, Feeding Preferences, Allergies | Explicit Informed Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) | Explicit Consent for Health Data (Art. 9(2)(a)) |
| Emergency Contacts & Pediatric Liaisons | Vital Interests (Art. 6(1)(d)) in family emergencies | Vital Interests of Parent & Infant (Art. 9(2)(c)) |
Your International Statutory Rights
Right of Access (Art. 15)
Request an encrypted copy of all personal intake notes, care preference matrices, and signature records.
Right to Rectification (Art. 16)
Update or correct contact information, pediatric provider changes, or changing postpartum care goals anytime.
Right to Erasure (Art. 17)
Request permanent deletion ("Right to Be Forgotten") of non-statutory records following completion of care.
Right to Data Portability (Art. 20)
Receive your completed electronic onboarding documents in structured, standard machine-readable text format.
05 Information We Collect & How It Is Utilized
We collect personal and care information strictly through two voluntary channels: our introductory consultation booking wizard (booking.html) and the encrypted paperless onboarding portal (portal.html).
1. Initial Discovery & Booking Intake
- Contact & Location: Full name, telephone number, email address, neighborhood/borough (Queens, Long Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Westchester).
- Care Timeline: Estimated Due Date (EDD) or baby's birth date, singleton or multiples status, anticipated care schedule (overnight vs daytime).
- Family Notes & Care Priorities: Specific postpartum goals, infant sleep priorities, and customized support desires.
2. Comprehensive Onboarding Documents (Portal)
- Document 01 (Postpartum Doula Services Agreement): Care tier details ($50/hr rate, 9-hour overnight shift minimum, 4-hour daytime minimum), 25% non-refundable retainer, 24-hour schedule modification notice, mutual expectations.
- Document 02 (HIPAA & Healthcare Authorization): Specific revocable permissions for your Pediatrician, OB/GYN, Midwife, and partner doulas at The Nesting Place LI network.
- Document 03 (Postpartum Care & Infant Routine Intake): Birth story summary, pediatric contact, feeding preferences (nursing, pumping, formula, or hybrid), neuro-play goals, twin/preemie special considerations.
- Document 04 (Home Sanctuary & Family Harmony): Household rhythms, dietary preferences, visitor guidelines, sibling integration support.
- Document 05 (Overnight Sanctuary Preferences): Night nursery setup, bassinet placement, parent sleep optimization protocols.
- Document 06 (Photo & Privacy Tier Release): Explicit consent tier selection governing whether any family or baby photography is permitted.
06 Photography & Digital Privacy Tiers
The postpartum nest is sacred. Moments captured during recovery and early infancy are profoundly intimate. Through Document 06 in our Client Portal, we operate an enforceable 4-Tier Consent Architecture:
Tier 1: Strictly Private
Zero photography. Cameras and phones remain strictly stored away throughout all home and overnight visits.
Tier 2: Personal Family Use
Doula captures milestone moments on the client's own phone or delivers raw photos exclusively to parents.
Tier 3: Anonymized Portfolio
Artistic hands-on support shots only. Faces of parents and infants are strictly cropped or obscured; requires prior written review.
Tier 4: Full Release
Permits promotional and community storytelling with final written sign-off by parents prior to publication.
Revocation Anytime: You retain the unilateral right to downgrade or revoke your photographic consent tier at any moment with immediate and unconditional compliance.
07 Cryptographic Retention, Storage & Disposal
The River Nest Doula enforces strict data life-cycle protocols to prevent persistent, unnecessary storage of your sensitive family records:
Active Support Phase
Your active intake forms, care notes, and night journals are maintained in secure digital storage and password-protected, biometrically secured mobile devices accessible only to Postpartum Doula Tatiana Vilas.
Postpartum Archival & Statutory Retention
Following completion of your care package, active dossiers are archived. In accordance with professional standards and tax regulations:
- Financial & Contractual Records: Retained for 7 years as required by federal and state tax laws.
- Care Notes & Communication Logs: Retained in encrypted storage for statutory liability periods, safeguarding both family and practitioner.
- Early Deletion Requests: Clients may request deletion of non-statutory personal questionnaires and feedback reflections at any time following care completion.
08 Sub-Processors, Backup Doulas & Emergency Disclosures
We operate with a minimal digital footprint, selecting trusted tools that guarantee enterprise encryption and data protection:
- FormSubmit Backend: Serverless HTTPS transmission directly routing intake inquiries to our verified inbox (
Therivernestdoula@gmail.com). Data is never sold or repurposed. - Zoom Scheduler: Scheduling interface for free introductory Zoom video consultations. No medical history is stored in the calendar platform.
- Backup Doula Covenant: In the rare event of acute illness or emergency, care notes are shared solely with vetted backup doulas from The Nesting Place LI network who have executed identical non-disclosure covenants.
- Emergency Clinical Disclosures: In the rare event of an acute medical emergency, essential facts (e.g., allergies, pediatric instructions) may be communicated directly to emergency medical responders.
09 Exercising Your Privacy Rights & Contact Information
You maintain complete ownership of your personal narrative and family records. To request an export of your signed intake packet, correct your records, withdraw consent, or file a privacy inquiry, contact Tatiana Vilas directly:
The River Nest Doula — Data Privacy & Perinatal Safeguards
Practice Principal: Tatiana Vilas, Experienced Postpartum Doula & Infant Care Specialist
Direct Inquiries: Therivernestdoula@gmail.com
Booking Scheduler: scheduler.zoom.us/tatiana-vilas/introductory-call
Telephone: (914) 382-0059
Service Territories: Queens, Long Island (Nassau & Suffolk), Brooklyn, Manhattan & Westchester, NY
We respond to all verified privacy access, export, or deletion inquiries within thirty (30) calendar days in full compliance with state and federal standards.