Because lets face it, pregnancy and new parenthood is messy.

Imagine scenario one with baby #1 on the way…

Of course, there are days in your pregnancy where you truly do feel like the glowing beacon of beauty everyone compliments you about. Your skin shines like a harvest moon and your hair does its happy pregnancy flippy dance atop your slim shoulders. You fill out that black dress better than ever, and you are embracing your body’s beautiful expanding form.

You’re trying to eat well, and, you’re eating often, and your boss just gave you a raise. You have bounds of energy to debrief each evening as you and a pal stroll around the neighbourhood to the sounds of playing children, rustling leaves in the trees, and leaping dolphins set against a setting summer sun.

And then, you wake up one day and you’re seven months pregnant and your boobs bulge right out of each and every bra. When you go to put on your comfy Fruit of the Loom undies, they look and feel like a thong. On top of that, you only just woke up at10am on a Saturday morning and are running late for your mother-in-law’s fancypants brunch. And guess what? That nice black jersey dress that fit so well last month has gone pilly and see-through around the torso from being overstretched and used. You root through the dirty laundry pile to find yesterday’s work clothes and at the last moment as you’re walking past the mirror you notice- oh, your shirt hangs only as low as your navel.

You crawl back into bed pouting and think to yourself, ‘wow, this will get so much easier when the baby arrives.’ Sigh.

Like a dozing cat, you fall into another slumber fast, but then, like a bat out of hell you spring from your sloth-like state and yell out loud, “Hoooooooly shit!”

Flowers, lollipops and rainbows pranced around you during your pregnancy. Which was damn awesome. But this right here is the moment you really figured out that you’re responsible for squeezing a thriving, growing, human sized baby out of your vagina in a short two to three months.

Insert curse word(s) of choice here… This is getting real. Real fast.

Pain. Vagina. Ouch. Medication. Nipples. Placenta. Milk. Boobs. Help. Labour. Doctors. Husband. Mother. Mother?! Epidural. Tired. Birthing ball. Squats. Exercise?! Moodiness. Sweating. Cord clamping? Poops. Baths. Sweating again. Choices. Choices. Choices. Choices. Choices. Choices. Help.

Now, imagine scenario number two with baby #2, 3 or 4…

That whole birth thang? You’ve been there and you’ve done that.

Maybe you rocked it, but the only thing your partner could rock was the wooden chair in the corner. Maybe you rocked it, but this time around, you’re left wondering, maybe something could have gone differently, not to mention, you’ve got to bounce some ideas around about whether to involve babe #1 (or 2 or 3). Or maybe your prior birth was nothing that you planned, and you’re looking to make vast improvements this time around.

For all the above reasons, reel me in.

A doula is a trained professional who is passionate about helping you along on your own personal journey into parenthood. My role is to help you make informed decisions about your pregnancy, birth and beyond by having honest and open conversations about evidence-based birthing options and choices that lie ahead of you, in an easy to understand language.

In addition to being someone you can bounce ideas and information off of, my role is also as an emotional coach and a physical support- think massage techniques and position changes. Before the birth, we will practice all these techniques, and at the birth, I will assess which movements will benefit you best in the moment.

One of my personal passions is to help involve your support person as much as they are comfortable. My role is never to replace, but to help supplement your support person’s role, with tips and tricks to help them feel beneficial to you. Here’s the deal: they know you really well, and I know birth, the hospital or homebirth well- so, there’s room for both, without a doubt. Nothing pleases me more than seeing your support people getting involved, because in the end, our relationship may last only three months, but I’d love the day to be one the two of you remember fondly for years to come as something you tackled together.

With a birth plan in hand, we are all on the same page and my job is to support you 100% in the informed decisions you have made for your own family, whether it be a natural birth, a medicated birth, or a wait and see approach.

And when it comes time to meet your little one, I’m there to help you transition into your new life as an objective person in the room, helping you find your own answers to the issues that arise. My goal is never to act as teacher, but to empower and encourage you to make the decisions that suit your family best.

From feeding to bathing, pooping to sleeping, I’m happy to help you navigate all the bumps in the road, and there to congratulate you when you get over them, too.