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I am an experienced pre-natal yoga teacher, birth educator and doula who has supported many women on their journey through pregnancy and into becoming a mama.

I trained to be a doula because I passionately believe in supporting empowered, informed and gentle births, educating new parents and helping families to have the most positive pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum experience, that we can manage.

 

I want you to achieve the birth you hope for and support you as you care for your babies and yourselves once your little one is Earthside!  I strive to dispense empowering education, inform families of their options, and provide the support that pregnant women and new parents seek.​​​​​​​​

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What is a Doula?

A trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.

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What does a Doula do?

Doulas nurture and support the birthing person through pregnancy, labor and birth and postpartum. Their essential role is to provide continuous labor support to the mother, no matter what decisions the mother makes or how she gives birth. Labor support is defined as "the therapeutic presence of another person, in which human-to-human interaction with caring behaviours are practiced." (Jordan,2013).

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What is not included in Doula Support?

Doulas are not medical professionals, and the following tasks are not performed by doulas:

They do not perform clinical tasks such as vaginal exams or fetal heart monitoring

They do not give medical advice or diagnose conditions

They do not make decisions for the client (medical or otherwise)

They do not pressure the birthing person into certain choices just because that’s what they prefer

They do not take over the role of the partner

They do not catch the baby

They do not change shifts (although some doulas may call in their back-up after 12-24 hours)

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The Evidence

There is a growing body of evidence that continuous support through labour will lead to better outcomes. Here are the statistics from a 2017 study in the USA.

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25% decrease in the risk of Cesarean; the largest effect was seen with a doula (39% decrease)*

8% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth; the largest effect was seen with a doula (15% increase)*

10% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief; the type of person providing continuous support did not make a difference

Shorter labors by 41 minutes on average; there is no data on if the type of person providing continuous support makes a difference

38% decrease in the baby’s risk of a low five minute Apgar score; there is no data on if the type of person providing continuous support makes a difference

31% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience; mothers’ risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience was reduced with continuous support provided by a doula or someone in their social network (family or friend), but not hospital staff