A birth doula is someone who provides nurturing, educated care during labor and birth. They support birthing people using the four pillar model: physical support, emotional support, informational support, and advocacy.

Physical support: soothing massage, positioning, hot/cold therapy, creating a calming birth environment, etc.

Emotional support: continuous presence, encouragement, reassurance, validation, etc.

Informational support: resources for decision making, explaining medical procedures, unbiased information, etc.

Advocacy: facilitating communication with care providers, asking questions, amplifying birthing person’s voice, etc.

Working with a birth doula is proven to decrease your risk of interventions during labour and increase your overall satisfaction with your birth experience. You can learn more about what a birth doula does here.

Evidence-based research proves that working with a doula results in the following outcomes:

• 39% decrease in the risk of cesarean

• 15% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous physiological birth

• 10% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief

• Shorter labours by 41 minutes

• 38% decrease in the baby’s risk of a low APGAR score

• 31% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience

Learn more about the evidence-based research on doula support from Evidence-Based Birth here.

Receiving support from a postpartum doula has been shown to:

• Decrease the risk of Postpartum Mood Disorders

• Improve quality of sleep

• Improve breast/chest feeding success

• Increase newborn health and safety

• Increase parental confidence

• Improve overall satisfaction with the postpartum period

You can learn more about the benefits of a postpartum doula here and here.

A full-spectrum doula is someone who supports people through a range of reproductive experiences, including fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, pregnancy loss, and abortion.

The term “perinatal” refers to the entire reproductive timeline, from pre-conception and throughout the postpartum period.

Doulas support all births, regardless of where and how! This includes home birth, hospital birth, unmedicated birth, cesarean birth, surrogacy, etc.

A doula is a non-medical support person who focuses on caring for you emotionally and physically, and helps you to feel informed and empowered. While they often have similar values, a midwife is a medical professional, meaning that the primary focus of their care is on the health and safety of you and your baby. A doula does not provide physical assessments, diagnosis, medical treatments, or deliver your baby.

Nope! It’s never too late to start working with a doula, and Laura offers customized packages that can be tailored to your needs.

Putting a birth and/or postpartum doula on your baby registry can be a great option! Prioritizing the support you want, need, and deserve is an invaluable investment. Laura also offers payment plans and can discuss options with you during your initial consultation. A sliding scale based on The Green Bottle system is available for most services, and birth support is always 100% free for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.

In addition, some insurance companies (eg. Sunlife) and many flex funds/health services accounts can be used to cover doula support. Please contact your provider to learn more about your individual situation.

Laura is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and is up-to-date with all other vaccinations including TDAP and MMR. However, Laura supports all families regardless of their vaccination status or views on vaccines.

Yes. Laura has professional liability insurance through the Ontario Association of Doulas.