You deserve to be respected, informed, heard, safe and in charge of your birth. I am here to make that happen.
What is my role as your doula?
My role as your Doula takes place during pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period where I provide mom and her birth partner with evidence based information and resources, emotional support, and comfort measures so that they feel reassured, comfortable and confident.
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During pregnancy and birth, there are things we can control and things we can’t. The parts we can’t control can often be a source of anxiety and fear that then take over our ability to make informed decisions in critical moments. To best prepare, in our prenatal sessions we cover:
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Pain Management Toolkit: Breathing, Visualization, Affirmations, Massage
Possible Interventions during labour: What are they, benefits and risks
Leveraging the unique strengths of Mom, Birth Partner and Doula
The most important questions to ask your care provider
How to ask questions in stressful situations
Mental, emotional, and social preparation
Labour/pushing options and positions
Access to my "Doula Library"
Letting go of fear
Self-Advocacy
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Doulas are not responsible for the clinical well-being of mom and baby, as that is the job of the OB’s and midwives. This means we have the freedom and space to focus on the mothers and her partners needs entirely so that birth can unfold in a space where they feel safe, heard and seen. Doulas put moms at the center of the birthing space. This can mean many things for each individual family but it can include:
Encouraging movement
Providing reassurance and support
Supporting birth partner in dealing with their own fears
Assisting mom in trying different positions that helps baby descend
Reminding mom of her affirmations, visualization or breathing techniques
Applying massage techniques, counter pressure, and affirming words for pain management
Helping the partner fulfill the role that they want to take on specially when its hard for mom to communicate
Helping during the pushing stage i.e asking nurses for a warm compress in moms perineum area to prevent tearing
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After birth, the postpartum period is a profound time of transition and adjustment. Moms often feel very exhausted and overwhelmed. Postpartum sessions are focused on:
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Facilitating the understanding of the change in family dynamics i.e sibling adjustment
Referrals to additional support i.e Pelvic Floor Therapy, lactation consultant, etc
Assisting the mother with her physical and emotional recovery
Newborn care and establishing breast/bottle feeding
Promoting and facilitating self-care for mom
Practical household assistance
