Here’s the who, what and why behind doula support:

A doula is a trained support professional that provides emotional, informational, and physical support to pregnant and birthing people and growing families. Some doulas focus on one area such as fertility, labour and birth, postpartum or loss, while others take an inclusive approach. 

A doula’s essential role is to prioritize your agenda, preferences and concerns, all while providing continuous nurturing support. We provide invaluable comfort, patience and education from pregnancy, to labour and postnatally.

Great question, while doulas and midwives often work together, there are a few key differences you need to know.

You can have a doula and a midwife on your birth team because they have different scopes of practice. Midwives are certified medical professionals that specialize in normal physiological birth and immediate postpartum care. Midwives would be your care provider of choice taking care of you and your baby’s medical needs, instead of a family doctor or obstetrician, up to six weeks postpartum. Your doula will be present to care for your emotional, mental, physical, partner support and immediate postnatal care.

Once you’ve found a doula that’s a good fit for your family! We support a limited number of birthing and postpartum families each month to ensure the level of care we know is essential. So the moment you know, don’t delay. And you’re not limited to working with us only during pregnancy - fertility, labour, immediate postpartum, we’re here for it all!

Your family unit, however it’s structured, is important. You, your companion of choice and your baby’s needs are priority. We’re not replacing them. We’re here to support them as well, and to ease some of the pressure they may feel throughout their experience. Our hope is for your partner to feel seen, heard and valued.

This is a very personal question as every person has a different reason for why they felt a doula was useful for them. Now, science does support the use of a doula, but if we also did what science ‘told us’ to do, we all would be exercising three times a week! Am I right?

Doula support prioritizes your birth and postpartum needs. We have no hidden agenda. We have seen time and time again the challenges that parents face throughout their journeys, whether they’re facing fertility, pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum stages. We serve as a bridge to help you navigate the confusing medical system while also educating you on ways to advocate for yourself. Most importantly, we look out for you and center your preferences so you feel supported every step of the way.

There actually have been many studies on how doula or continuous support impact birthing outcomes. According to Rebeca Dekker, from Evidence Based Birth, having continuous support throughout your childbirth experience may result in a:

• 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

No. We offer all our services virtually. Yes, even birth support can be done virtually, it’s just a slightly different approach. Book a virtual cup of tea with us, to chat about how this may work for you.

Everyone’s budget is different. That’s why we offer a number of services and ways to support you. Get in touch, and we can help you decide which path works best for your budget.

A birth doula focuses on the birther (that’s you!) and your partner. We work together during your pregnancy to create a comprehensive birth guide, and we work with your partner to put it into action once you’re birthing. During labour and birth, we coach you to confidently self advocate for yourself in a medical environment, validate your emotions and we use comfort measures to help you courageously meet your baby no matter how you give birth.

Postpartum doulas are experts in infant care and maternal recovery and wellness. While you bond with your baby, we spend time providing hands on infant care, feeding support, and physical and emotional support to your family to reduce overwhelm and anxiety.