Pregnancy, birth and the early days and weeks of parenthood can be a vulnerable and emotional time. Everyone has an opinion (along with a horror story) of what your plans should be. Due to the range of emotions and overwhelm that being in labour creates, it is important for you and your family to feel safe and supported during this process.
You may have heard the word DOULA before, but like many people not know exactly what this means.
To understand what a Doula does during birth, imagine going on a safari. You would not go to a wild game park without a tour guide. You would most likely meet with the guide first and let them know what animals you hope or prefer to see. The tour guide will do their best to help you only see the monkeys and giraffes and avoid the lions. If you do see the lions, your tour guide will reassure you and keep you as comfortable as if you only saw the monkeys and giraffes.
As birth experiences and preferences can be so vastly different, support can look very different from family to family. As birth tour guides, we spend time with you during your pregnancy to get to know you and what your preferences and hopes are for birth and early postpartum. In addition to our prenatal appointments to prepare for birth, we offer unlimited phone, text, and email support.
Is A Doula Right For Me?
Do You Feel...
Nervous or anxious about your upcoming birth? Worried about how your birth journey will unfold?
Do You Want...
Someone who knows you well and will be by your side for the duration of your labour?
Do You Crave...
Feeling calm, supported, prepared, and ready for birth?
We bring two “toolboxes” to assist at your birth.
One is our Doula bag that has massage tools, rebozo scarves, essential oils, TENS machine, and many other items that can offer natural pain management and support.
The other “toolbox” is our knowledge of birth, different positions and movements for labour, mindfulness and breathing techniques, and ways to reassure mom and partner. What we use is different and unique to each birth. We may crack jokes with one couple while massaging moms lower back, and sing lullabies and give foot rubs at the next birth.
The guidance and advice we received from our Doulas were invaluable - both leading up to labour and also postpartum. I had the birth that I wanted and the support I needed afterwards which was amazing. Would 100% recommend everyone to have a doula for their upcoming birth.
- Jennifer R.
Our Role
As Doulas, we see our role as working with both birthing person AND partner (or other labour support people such as close friends or family who will be present at the birth). During birth, we make sure that you are staying hydrated and nourished, and that the partner can take breaks as needed. If either of you is nervous or unsure of what is happening, we offer explanations and reassurance. By working with us, the partner can participate in the birth as much as he or she feels comfortable while knowing that the birth person feels supported through the whole experience.
Our Care
Doulas offer a different type of care than that of medical caregivers. We provide emotional, physical and informational support. We do not do any medical checks, procedures, or deliver babies. Often we are the first to support our clients. Clients can call on us to come to their birthplace whenever they feel they need assistance whereas medical care providers attend once the client is in active labour. We are comfortable attending hospital or midwife-attended home births.
Our Support
We provide support no matter what your birth preferences are or how your labour unfolds. We will never tell you what you should or should not do, but will tell you the pros and cons for each option based on evidence-based information. We can explain further, what is happening in any given situation and provide information to encourage you or your partner to ask the right questions, ensuring everyone is on the same page and you feel empowered in whatever decisions you need to make.
Let's Connect
We know that selecting a Doula is a very personal decision. That's why we offer a free, no-obligation consultation. We connect via phone or video chat to discuss what type of support you are looking for and how we can help. It's your opportunity to ask questions and get a sense if we're a good fit.
Our Doulas were supportive, respectful, and made both my husband and I feel comfortable. They found a beautiful balance between inspiring confidence in my ability to have my desired natural birth while also instilling confidence there would be full non-judgment and support if I chose an epidural for any reason.
- Hannah S.
Learn more about the Balancing From Birth To Baby Team
Our Team
Our Doulas work in a “shared-care” team model, rotating on-call time for births with client appointments. By working with a team of two doulas, you have the benefits of the wisdom, knowledge, and experience of more than just one person. You also have the benefit of knowing that someone is always on call in case you need support earlier than your due date. We take turns being on call for several days at a time so you always have a refreshed doula available to attend to you during your labour. You will receive a copy of our on-call schedule for the time period when your labour will occur as well as an invite to our google calendar that features this schedule.
Communication: All text and email support are done as group communication with your team. Both of us respond therefore giving you different perspectives and wisdom to help you make decisions and feel more comfortable with any issues that may arise during your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience.
Appointments: We attend your pre and postpartum appointments equally, giving you an opportunity to know us individually. Again, we update each other on any appointments with you so that each doula is informed about your needs and care.
Hands down, I'm super happy that we use Bronwyn and Kathy for our second birth. We didn't have a doula for our first child so it was very clear to us the second time around how big of an impact having a doula can have.
- Jake W.
Let's Connect
We know that selecting a Doula is a very personal decision. That's why we offer a free, no-obligation consultation. We connect via phone or video chat to discuss what type of support you are looking for and how we can help. It's your opportunity to ask questions and get a sense if we're a good fit.