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What is a doula? 

“A doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous emotional, physical and educational support to you and your partner during childbirth & the postpartum period.” 

Basically, a doula is like a BFF / life coach / wise sage / maid of honour for all things birth & postpartum.  They support and empower you to make the best choices for you and your family, and leave the medical side of things to the folks wearing scrubs. As a maternity care specialist, birth boss is a trained doula in all aspects of journey to parenthood, starting from fertility all the way to the first year after baby.

Who uses a doula?  

In short, ANY new or soon to be parent. Whether through birth, adoption, or surrogacy, you deserve someone that’s 100% on your team, looking out for you & your wellness. Inclusivity is key to how we operate; we’ll come into your birth or parenting space totally judgement-free - no matter what your family looks like. 

WON'T MY partner FEEL LEFT OUT?  

We LOVE working with partners to create a cohesive team. In the birth space, there is so much pressure on your partner to take all the pictures, text updates to your fam, while being an expert in everything learned from that weekend long childbirth education class you took 4 months ago - all the while not being able leave the room for a snack or a poop. Doulas can complement your partner’s care and gives them the opportunity to grab a coffee when needed. After baby, your partner’s energy levels probably won’t be great either - a doula can make sure their anxieties and self-care needs are addressed too. Read my blog post about getting your partner on-board.

What’s the difference between a birth & postpartum doula?

While most members of a birth team are medical professionals focused on getting the baby out, a doula has all eyes on YOU. We work together throughout your pregnancy; we’re experts in your birth plan, we know that you don’t want your feet rubbed, or that you’ll gag if someone brings peppermint oil near you. If in a medical environment, we coach you to be your own medical advocate and be empowered in whatever choices you make. 

Once the baby arrives, it’s expected that 110% of your energy is put on baby, forgetting that the new parent has just gone through maaajor physical & emotional change in their life. A postpartum doula focuses on your self-care, doing anything from drawing you a sitzbath, to giving you breastfeeding/chestfeeding advice, to even doing some yummy meal prep to make your transition easier. We customize each new parent program to address whatever your needs are; belly laughs & no-judgement TMI convos always included. 

As a maternity care specialist, birth boss has training to serve as both a birth & postpartum doula. If you need one or both services, we got you covered. 

DO I REALLY NEED ONE? 

Trust the numbers. Research shows that when a doula attends births, labours are shorter, there are fewer complications, and there is less need for medical intervention: