Open Arms Doula
Birth and Postpartum Support, Massage Therapy, Childbirth Education
Behind The Name
Open Arms Doula is all about meeting people where they're at. I want to ensure that every family I work with feels supported regardless of family dynamic, race, social status or sexual orientation. I'm here to support you and your family with open arms (and zero judgement).
My Services
I am passionate about facilitating a positive and empowering birth experience, whatever that means for you. As your doula and childbirth educator, my goal is to provide unbiased, evidence based, empowering support during your pregnancy, birth and postpartum period. As your doula, I support all births, regardless of your birth preferences (vaginal, cesarean, medicated, non-medicated, home birth, hopsital, etc). I specialize in emotional support techniques and physical comfort measures. To schedule a meet and greet, or to learn more about my services, please contact me.
"Whenever and however you give birth, your experience will impact your emotions, your mind, your body, and your spirit for the rest of your life."
Ina May Gaskin
Birth Doula
As your birth doula, I am committed to learning your preferences and concerns to help you build a birth plan that suits your needs. My goal is to provide you with the tools you need to advocate for yourself and have the birth experience you desire. Before you give birth, we will ideally have 1 or 2 visits where we can get to know one another and discuss anything on your mind. During these visits we will also gain an idea of your birth preferences and how I can best support you during your labour and birth. I specialize in emotional support and physical comfort measures and have a bag of tricks ready to go to help you labour effectively. Ensuring that your partner feels included in the experience is important to me; I am not there to replace them, I’m their doula as well. I’m there to help your partner support you during your labour and trade off with them if they need a short break to eat or sleep, ensuring you are never left alone and they are prepared to parent and support you! After your baby is born, I offer 1 or 2 postpartum visits as well. Scroll down to read the Postpartum Doula section for more details on that service. For more details on the specifics, please check out my ‘pricing’ tab at the top of this page.
Postpartum Doula
As your postpartum doula, my focus is to pour encouragement and support on you and your new family. I'm never coming into your space to save the day or take over for you; I'm coming in with tools, resources and support to help you gain the confidence you need to thrive. I will also help with breastfeeding, light housekeeping, care for older children or pets, and ensure you're fed and hydrated. I have you fill out a mental health screening form and provide support and resources as needed. You can't pour from an empty cup and postpartum doula support is designed to fill you back up and help you be the best parent you can be!
"If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it."
Dr. John Kennell
Childbirth Education
As your childbirth educator, my goal is to leave you feeling confident and supported in your ability to ask questions, make decisions and navigate your path through pregnancy, birth and parenthood. This class is respectful, transformative and evidence based. We will go over the 6 Healthy Birth Practices and the most recent medical evidence on the topics covered in the curriculum, giving you what you need to be able to make informed decisions and achieve the birth experience you want. We use a workbook, visual aids, activities, games and discussion to cover the curriculum. Although I have built a curriculum, this class is still very flexible. If there is ever a topic that you want to add or focus on, I'm more than willing to cover it for you. I want to ensure that you get everything that you need from this class, if not more! For more details on the curriculum, don't be afraid to reach out or check out my 'pricing' tab above.
