Doula FAQs
​​
WHAT IS A BIRTH DOULA?
A birth doula is a trained professional who provides emotional, practical and physical support to women and their families before, during and after birth. Doulas take client’s individual needs and desires into account and provide customized care to the birthing person and their support team. The doula also provides their client with evidenced based, unbiased information so that they can make decisions that are right for their specific situation. A birth doula is essentially your birth coach or birthing best friend who makes it their priority that their clients experience the best birth possible.
WHAT DOES A DOULA DO?
A doula provides evidence based information to help couples prepare for pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. Doulas use a combination of massage, aromatherapy, homeopathy, breathing exercises, labour positions, suggestions for labour progress, and emotional support and encouragement. Doulas also facilitate communication between the labouring person / couple and the birthing staff to ensure that they have all the information needed to make confident and informed decisions regarding their baby’s birth.
A doula’s magic is in holding space for couples during the exciting, powerful and transformative experience of birth. Having a birthing best friend by one's side can help the birth person / couple feel more confident and empowered by their birth experience.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HIRING A DOULA?
“If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it." Dr. John H. Kennell
Doulas lower the rate of medical interventions, reduce anxiety, and improve the birthing person’s overall experience of pregnancy, labour and birth. Studies show that continual birth support results in better outcomes for both the birthing person and the baby!
Birth Doulas are also amazing support for partners and dads! Our birth services include emotional and practical support for birth partners to help them feel guided through the intensity and magnitude of childbirth. Our support for partners can look like making suggestions about how they can best care for and encourage the labouring woman, help with important decision making, sharing massage duties or providing a break to grab a coffee or pay a visit to the washroom.
WHAT AREAS DO YOUR DOULAS SERVICE?
As Ottawa Doulas we serve Ottawa City and the surrounding areas including:
-
Carleton Place
-
Carp
-
Dunrobin
-
Clarence and Rockland
-
Orleans
-
Barrhaven
-
Gatineau
-
Hull
-
Aylmer
Not sure if you are in our service area? Just ask!
​​
WHAT TYPES OF BIRTHS DO DOULAS SUPPORT?
All births! Doulas support natural birth, medicated birth, c-section births, hospital births, home births and birth center births! We support you in YOUR vision of your best birth.
​
The Nurtured Birth team is dedicated to providing inclusive support. We are honored to serve all types of families including single parents, same sex families and trans families.
​
WHAT IS A POSTPARTUM DOULA?
Postpartum doulas are trained support providers who offer emotional, informational and practical assistance to new parents. This support may include infant care, infant feeding, support for mothers recovering from childbirth, light housework, meal preparation, and caring for the baby while parents catch up on some much needed rest. Whether it be providing evidence based information to help parents make decisions regarding the care of their newborn, taking care of nighttime diapering so that parents can get sleep, or helping parents navigate the physical and emotional landscape of healing from childbirth and becoming new parents, postpartum doulas customize their support to the needs of each individual family.
WHAT DOES A POSTPARTUM DOULA DO?
For many families, once the excitement of birth has passed, they are left feeling overwhelmed with caring for their newborn, caring for their own mental and physical needs, and managing their household. So much focus goes into preparing for birth that many couples are underprepared for the transformation and transition into parenthood. Enter the postpartum doula! Postpartum doulas offer emotional, informational, and practical assistance to new parents during the postpartum period. This may include but is not limited to:
-
Caring for baby while parents rest or sleep
-
Support with all types of infant feeding (breast, body or bottle feeding)
-
Newborn care
-
Providing guidance about postpartum recovery
-
Food preparation – preparing meals and snacks
-
Assistance with older children
-
Laundry and light housework
-
Offering resources
-
Emotional support and reassurance
-
Evidence based information to help families make choices that feel right them
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HIRING A POSTPARTUM DOULA?
We often hear the quote “It takes a village to raise a child.” While this is true for all ages and stages of raising children, there is no time when the village is more needed than new parenthood. Unfortunately, in our culture, it isn’t uncommon that families are left to navigate the postpartum period alone. Simultaneously healing from childbirth, processing the birth experience, learning to care for a new baby, navigating breastfeeding, cooking family meals, doing laundry, waking at night to care for the baby … well, you get the idea. It’s a lot!
A postpartum doula arrives with a full night of rest, free hands, a wealth of experience and a heart full of compassion. Having this type of non-judgemental support when it’s needed most makes a massive difference for the health and happiness of the new family. Benefits include feeling more self-assured, being better rested, being well nourished, and feeling seen, supported and valued. Every family deserves to have a nurtured postpartum!
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PRENATAL NUTRITION?
Nurtured Birth Ottawa also offers Prenatal Nutrition services. As an experienced Ottawa Nutritionist, Julia supports her clients with customized prenatal nutrition recommendations for each trimester as well as the postpartum period. Julia uses dietary, supplement and lifestyle recommendations to achieve optimal nutrition for pregnancy and postpartum. She also provides nutritional counselling for the following prenatal concerns and conditions:
-
Morning sickness
-
Heartburn
-
Difficulty sleeping
-
Muscle cramps
-
Constipation
-
Gestational Diabetes
-
Food Safety
-
Yeast infections
-
Prenatal anxiety
Julia provides Postpartum Nutrition services that address the following concerns and conditions:
-
Postnatal anxiety
-
Postpartum mood disorders including postpartum depression
-
Breast Milk Supply
-
Postnatal Depletion
-
Food sensitivities in breastfed babies
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PRENATAL REFLEXOLOGY?
Reflexology is a treatment that involves applying massage and different amounts of pressure to the soles of the feet. Reflexology aims to keep energy in the body flowing and balanced.
Prenatal Reflexology has been used to improve a number of prenatal concerns including morning sickness, pelvic and low back pain, and fatigue. Reflexology has also been used as a way to encourage the onset of labour in overdue women.
Most evidence about the effectiveness of Reflexology treatments for prenatal clients focuses on it's amazing ability to reduce fatigue and encourage relaxation. There is nothing quite like Reflexology for gently activating the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest part of our nervous system).
​
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PRENATAL REIKI?
Reiki is a beautiful healing art. The meaning of the word Reiki in Japanese comes from “rei” (meaning spiritual or supernatural) and “ki” (vital energy). It is a completely non-invasive modality, a gentle laying of hands that guides the universal energies to bring peace and balance.
During pregnancy, Michele uses Reiki to ease stress and worries, bring a sense of calm and connection, and relax the sensations of being “stuck”. One of the many beautiful benefits of Reiki is that it helps to remind us and our bodies that we have all that we need to heal and thrive.
