Doula in Florianópolis
I’m Katerina. I work with Russian-speaking families. I’ll be there in labor and, if we agree, at appointments: I interpret and help you understand your doctors.
Choose what’s closest to your situation.
How birth works in Brazil: the public system and private clinics, costs, documents, entry.
Prenatal registration, SUS (public healthcare) or a private clinic, the maternity hospital, your birth plan.
Birth certificate, CPF (tax number), passport, apostille (authentication for use abroad): the steps in order.
None of these fits? That’s okay. Write to me and I’ll point you in the right direction.Message Katerina
Nice to meet you
I’m a mother of four. Three of my children were born here, in Florianópolis.
I know from my own experience how hard it is to settle in another country: an unfamiliar language, new rules, a different rhythm of life. At such times it matters most to have someone beside you with whom you can speak your own language.
I’m a doula and a perinatal educator. I help you prepare for birth, support you, interpret and help you ask your doctors questions.
It matters to me that you feel supported and can speak about your wishes. I respect your choice and will be there for a natural birth and for a cesarean alike — in a public maternity hospital or a private clinic.
It all starts with an ordinary message. Then step by step, at your pace, with no pressure.
Message me on WhatsApp, by email or through the form below. Tell me where you are now and what support you need.
We get acquainted, you ask questions, I answer. No obligation.
We’ll talk through the help you need, what the support includes and what it costs. We’ll put it in a contract.
I’m with you at the agreed stages: preparation, appointments, the birth and after, depending on your package.
It’s okay. We’ll sort it out.
About entry, documents and the limits of my work: with the date checked and no promises I can’t keep.
What is known about pregnant women entering Brazil, and what is still unknown. With the date checked and sources.
What a child born in Brazil receives, and which steps are open to parents. The state makes the decisions.
I’m not a doctor or a lawyer, I don’t guarantee results and I don’t influence entry decisions.
Checked: October 4, 2026. Sources are listed on the pages of the first two cards.
If everything has tightened up inside as you read, stop for a minute. Watch the circle and breathe along with it.
You can breathe like this any time anxiety washes over you. And if you want to talk, write to me: I’m here.
Message KaterinaThis is a simple calming practice, not medical advice.
From getting acquainted and preparing for the birth to the baby’s first documents. The main steps, approximate timing and who is involved at each stage.
Approximate timing 20 minutes, no obligation
You tell me where you are, how far along your pregnancy is and what worries you. I answer your questions, explain how the support works and help you plan the next step.
Approximate timing depends on your plan
Tickets, housing, meeting at the airport. Admission is decided by the Polícia Federal (Federal Police); entry can be refused only after an individual interview and by a reasoned decision (Lei 13.445, art. 45). Rules: “What to know in 2026”.
Source: planalto.gov.br
Details may changeApproximate timing depends on the Centro de Saúde and the hospital
Prenatal care starts at the clinic for your address (Centro de Saúde, UBS). When you register, you are linked to the hospital for the birth and for complications (Lei 11.634/2007). In a private clinic, you choose the hospital.
Source: planalto.gov.br
Details may changeApproximate timing by arrangement with the hospital
Together we learn the hospital’s rules and write a birth plan and questions for doctors. Lei 15.381/2026 (art. 6) and Lei SC 16.869/2016 cover a doula’s presence on request; the hospital may ask for the doula’s documents and your consent.
Source: leis.alesc.sc.gov.br
Details may changeApproximate timing the day of the birth is not known in advance
I’m with you from the start of labor and in the first hours after: I support you, interpret and help you talk with the team. Doctors make medical decisions. A companion of your choice: Lei 14.737/2023 (the operating room may limit this).
Source: planalto.gov.br
Approximate timing passport: 6–10 working days after the visit (per gov.br)
The cartório (registry office) records the birth: registration and first copy are fee-free (Lei 9.534/1997); the CPF (tax number) goes into the certificate (Lei 14.534/2023). The Polícia Federal issues the passport: collect within 90 days.
Source: gov.br
Details may changeApproximate timing up to 180 days per the official gov.br page
A parent of a Brazilian child applies to the Polícia Federal (family reunification, Lei 13.445, art. 37); a CRNM migrant card follows. The state decides. Russian citizens may need to notify the Interior Ministry (60 days, FZ-138, art. 11).
Source: gov.br
Details may changeApproximate timing 1 year of residence; 180-day norm (Decreto 9.199, art. 228)
With a Brazilian child: 1 year of residence (Lei 13.445, art. 66), indefinite-term (Decreto 9.199, art. 221); absences under 90 days a year. Portuguese and certificates needed. The Ministry of Justice decides; the term may be extended.
Source: gov.br
Details may changeTimelines are indications taken from official pages as of the date shown, not promises. Government authorities make the decisions.
Legal information
Support formats. Each shows what is included, what isn’t and who does what.
on requestdepends on scope and timing
Birth preparation and support at the maternity hospital: birth plan, prenatal meetings, messenger support, on-call standby, support in labor and help with discharge.
Included
Not included
Who does itKaterina
on requestdepends on scope and timing
Adds to “Birth support only”: help with prenatal registration, the SUS card and the referral to a maternity hospital, appointments with interpreting and postpartum meetings. In SUS, the facility sets the admission procedure.
Included
Not included
Who does itKaterina
on requestdepends on scope and timing
Adds postpartum support and help with the baby’s first documents: birth certificate and Brazilian passport. Prenatal registration and doctors’ appointments are not included: see “Birth and appointments with interpreting”.
Included
Not included
Who does itKaterina
on requestdepends on scope and timing
Includes everything in the other packages and adds arranging your arrival (airport meeting, housing, car) and help submitting the residence permit application. The state makes the decision.
Included
Not included
Who does itKaterina
Package details are current as of October 12, 2026. Final terms are set out in the contract.
What you don’t pay for, what is paid and what is optional. We give amounts only with a source and the date checked.
| Cost item | How it’s paid | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Birth in the public system (SUS)Birth in SUSplanalto.gov.br | No charge | — |
| First birth registration and first copy of the certificateplanalto.gov.br | No charge | — |
| Katerina’s birth support | Optional | — |
| Private clinic: birth by contractBirth in a private clinic | Paid | Amount depends on circumstances |
| Child’s passport: Polícia Federal feegov.br | Paid | from R$257.25 |
| Residence permit: processing the applicationgov.br | Paid | from R$168.13 |
| Migrant ID card (CRNM)gov.br | Paid | from R$204.77 |
| Apostille and translations: a certificate issued abroad, police clearance certificates in Brazilatos.cnj.jus.br | Paid | Amount depends on circumstances |
| Proof of Portuguese for naturalizationin.gov.br | Optional | — |
| Flights, accommodation, food and transport | Paid | Amount depends on circumstances |
About prices
Florianópolis maternity hospitals, the airport and the bridge to the island. Each point opens a card: what is known, its source and date. No rankings.
Coastline and coordinates: © OpenStreetMap contributors (license). The line on the map shows an approximate route along the main roads. It is not a navigator.
HU-UFSC University Hospital
Hospital Universitário Professor Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago (HU-UFSC)
UFSC’s university hospital, SUS only. Obstetric emergencies and births: by referral or by assigned area (18 Centros de Saúde clinics in Florianópolis). Written rules and registration exist for doulas.
Rua Professora Maria Flora Pausewang, s/n, Trindade, Florianópolis – SC, 88036-800
From the airport → Trindade → HU-UFSC
Hospital pageOpen on the mapGoogle Maps
Checked: October 3, 2026
Hospital Universitário Professor Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago (HU-UFSC)
UFSC’s university hospital, SUS only. Obstetric emergencies and births: by referral or by assigned area (18 Centros de Saúde clinics in Florianópolis). Written rules and registration exist for doulas.
Rua Professora Maria Flora Pausewang, s/n, Trindade, Florianópolis – SC, 88036-800
From the airport → Trindade → HU-UFSC
Hospital pageOpen on the mapGoogle Maps
Checked: October 3, 2026
Maternidade Carmela Dutra (MCD)
State public maternity hospital, SUS care at no charge to the patient. Santa Catarina’s first public maternity hospital, about 300 births a month. A doula is admitted under the hospital’s rules.
Rua Irmã Benwarda, 208, Centro, Florianópolis – SC, 88015-270
From the airport → Centro → Carmela Dutra
Hospital pageOpen on the mapGoogle Maps
Checked: October 3, 2026
Hospital Regional de São José Dr. Homero de Miranda Gomes (HRSJ)
State public hospital in São José, a neighboring city in Greater Florianópolis. It has a maternity unit, obstetric emergency care and neonatal intensive care. Check the admission procedure and the rules for doulas.
Rua Adolfo Donato da Silva, s/n, Praia Comprida, São José – SC, 88103-901
From the airport → Praia Comprida (São José) → HR São José
Hospital pageOpen on the mapGoogle Maps
Checked: October 3, 2026
Private women’s hospital in the Med401 medical complex on SC-401 (opened January 28, 2026). Per the complex’s website: obstetric emergency care, operating rooms and neonatal intensive care. Check the rules for doulas.
Rod. José Carlos Daux, 3780, Saco Grande, Florianópolis – SC, 88032-005
From the airport → Saco Grande (SC-401) → Baía Sul Mulher
Hospital pageOpen on the mapGoogle Maps
Checked: October 3, 2026
Aeroporto Internacional de Florianópolis – Hercílio Luz
The main airport of Santa Catarina state, in the south of the island (Carianos).
Checked: October 3, 2026
Ponte Hercílio Luz
A suspension bridge, the oldest of the three bridges between the island and the mainland part of the city.
Checked: October 3, 2026
Short answers to what people ask most often. Answers about law and documents come with a source and the date checked.
Yes, the law does not forbid a foreign woman from giving birth in Brazil. Under the Constitution (art. 12, I, “a”), a child born in the country is a Brazilian by birth, except when the parents are in Brazil in the service of their own state. Access to the public health system SUS rests on the principle of universality (Constitution, art. 196); for tourists the facility decides how patients are admitted, and a place cannot be counted on in advance.
Entry is a separate question. At the border it is decided by the Polícia Federal (Federal Police), and the outcome is not predetermined. Admission procedures at maternity hospitals and the terms of private clinics differ, so important steps are worth checking against official sources. This is reference information, not legal advice.
For a patient of the public SUS system, birth is not paid for: Carmela Dutra, the state maternity hospital in Santa Catarina, states directly that there are no payments for SUS care. SUS is built on the principle of universal access (Constitution, art. 196).
The migration law ensures access to healthcare for a “migrant” without discrimination by citizenship or status (Lei 13.445/2017, art. 4, VIII). But the paragraph that extended these rights to short-term visitors (visitante) was struck down by a veto (art. 4, § 4). For tourists and other non-residents, the order of care, referrals and admission rules are set by the municipality and the particular hospital, so you cannot count in advance on either a place or a birth without payment. Check with your UBS (the neighborhood clinic) and the maternity hospital. In private clinics, birth is paid for under a contract.
Yes: under the Constitution (art. 12, I, “a”), a child born in Brazil is a Brazilian by birth, even if the parents are foreigners. The exception: the parents are in the country in the service of their own state.
Citizenship arises by the fact of birth, and the birth certificate (certidão de nascimento) confirms it. Whether the child also gets the citizenship of the parents’ country is determined by that country’s law: check with the consulate.
The decision on admission at the border is made by the Polícia Federal, case by case. By law, entry may be refused after an individual interview and by a reasoned decision, for example if the purpose of the trip does not match the visa or the stated reason for visa-free entry (Lei 13.445/2017, art. 45, VII).
It is not possible to promise in advance that you will be let in, and Katerina does not help hide the purpose of a trip. Current information with dates is on the page “What to know in 2026”. Before traveling, it is worth consulting a lawyer who specializes in migration law.
There is no single total: birth in SUS is not paid for by the patient (the admission procedure depends on the facility), and in a private clinic the price is set by the contract with the clinic and the medical team. Support, flights, housing, food, government fees (the child’s passport, a residence permit), apostille and translations are paid separately.
Katerina’s support comes in four packages; what is included, what isn’t and who does the work is described on the page “Services and prices”. Amounts with dates and sources are collected on the page “What it costs”, in the table “What the cost is made of”; figures from the media and chats are not used.
Katerina is responsible for birth preparation, support at the maternity hospital, interpreting and support in the first weeks. Organizational tasks (airport meeting, finding housing, car rental) are included only in the extended package; who exactly does them can be clarified on the first call.
The scope of a package is set out in the contract: compare it with the description of the chosen package and ask your questions before signing.
Katerina speaks Portuguese: she interprets at appointments and in the maternity hospital and helps you ask questions and understand the answers. She interprets as a doula, not as a sworn translator: official translations of documents are done by sworn translators.
A few key phrases for birth, with their English meaning, are collected on the page “Portuguese for birth”. It is normal to ask someone to repeat or to speak more slowly.
Katerina is a doula and perinatal educator, a mother of four; three of her children were born on Santa Catarina Island. She holds a certificate of participation in a doula and perinatal educator course (Curso de Doula e Educadora Perinatal, organized by Ama Nascer, Florianópolis, October 6–12, 2025, 60 academic hours). The scan is not published on the site.
More details are on the page “About Katerina”. You can ask about experience, documents and reviews directly on the first call: it is an ordinary question.
Tell me where you are, how far along you are and what you’d like to discuss. On a first call we’ll meet and go through your questions, no obligation.
I’ll reply in whatever way suits you and suggest a time for a call.
Your message has arrived. I’ll reply in the way that’s most convenient for you.
Short questionnaire, in Russian: 2 minutes, optional.
Or reach out directly
+55 48 99939-4076This is not an emergency line. In an emergency, call an ambulance (SAMU) at 192 or go to the nearest hospital.
