Ottawa Birth Doula Care

Did you know that hiring a doula is an evidence-based way of nourishing the conditions for a potentially more enjoyable birth experience? This applies to whether you are planning to give birth in a hospital with a doctor or midwife or in a birthing centre or at home with a midwife.

The informational care your doula provides throughout pregnancy, birth, and the immediate postpartum period can help you discover the options available to you in your place of birth that match your personal values. We seek to offer information that is as evidence-based as we can find, as well as draw from our own professional experiences to outline what has felt good to many parents with similar values.

Doulas are skilled at anticipating your need to feel better when the sensations of pregnancy, birth, and the immediate postpartum period need coping support. We offer massage, acupressure, positioning tips and tricks, hydrotherapy/thermotherapy, the creation of an environment that feels relaxing for you, and strategies to reduce stress such as breathing techniques and leveraging your own unique sensory processing style, and anything else we can think of that will help!

Birth is a peak transformational experience. It is inevitable there will be great big feels along the way! Doulas tend to these emotions through deep supportive listening, ensuring you feel heard and validated.

Doulas are advocates for your birth preferences! As much as you and your partner/s (if applicable) can speak for yourselves in birth, the better. But there are high-intensity times in which your logical brain is not as active and speaking for yourself becomes difficult. This is when we can remind your primary care providers what your preferences are. We do not come with our own agenda, it is about what you want and need.

“Of all the ways birth outcomes could be improved, continuous labour support seems like one of the most important and basic needs for birthing people. Research has shown that labour support from doulas is both risk free and highly effective……Doulas should be viewed as a valuable, evidence-based member of the birth care team.” -Evidence Based Birth