Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Doula?

A doula is a person “experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother (birther) before, during, or just after childbirth” (Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus 1993).

What Exactly Does a Doula Do?

The real question should be: What don’t we do?!

In birth, fear is not our friend and so our passion, right out of the gate, is focused on breaking down any fear or mental hangups that you or your birth partner may have about your upcoming birth, your past births, or even a loved one’s birth. We provide birthing people and their families with the tools and confidence to mold their own positive, transformative, and even healing birth narratives through preparation, education, and comprehensive resources. We spend much of our time outside of birth space learning and staying up to date on the most current information and evidence surrounding birth. We are deeply committed to providing these findings to our clients. Is this giving medical advice? Absolutely not. This is providing people with the information that they are entitled to so that they feel like the professionals of their body, birth and baby that they truly are.

As your birth unfolds, our role as your doulas changes moment by moment. Sometimes we live in the “do”: from sibling support in a home birth, to massaging your feet, to braiding your hair, to wiping your butt…and the wildflower doulas have just the right amount of spunk and humour that it takes to wipe another adult’s bottom without making it weird, we promise. Other times, we live in the “be”: witnessing, listening, holding space. We give the gift of being so that you can do the powerful work of giving birth.

After you have birthed your baby (way to go, by the way!), our role changes, yet again. We become your mother, your sister, your judgement free sounding board, your personal chef, and your housekeeper.

They say, “Nap when your baby naps.” Does that mean the baby does laundry when you do? HA! Unfortunately no, but you go right ahead and take that nap. We’ll doula the laundry.

Is a Doula the Same Thing as a Midwife?

No, doulas do not provide medical care. Midwives are medically trained care providers whose primary focus is on monitoring the physical health of you and your baby. Midwives and doulas often have similar philosophies and values surrounding birth, and enjoy working side by side to support birthing people.

Does a Doula REALLY Make a Difference?

Ask any friend that has had a doula, and you will most likely be met with:

“GET THE DOULA!”

Don’t believe your pals or are you the trailblazing birther in your circle of friends? Here is the evidence:

When Should I Hire a Doula?

Of course, when you choose to hire a doula is completely up to you. The current standard is to start looking sometime in the second trimester, but we value connection. Any deep and meaningful relationship takes time to develop, so we always say:

“THREE trimesters of doula support is better than one!”

Some clients even hire us before they start their hunt for a care provider. We love assisting families as they walk through the process of finding a care provider that has the birth ideologies and skills that match their unique wants and needs.

Will my Doula Replace my Partner’s Role in our Birth Experience?

Not in the slightest! We believe that partners are the perfect intimate advocate and our intention is to encourage their involvement every step of the way. We like to think that we enhance a birth partner’s role in any given birth experience, and here is why:

1. Doulas remember what a partner learned in their prenatal education

Even if partner attended every class, during the stress of childbirth they may not remember all of the things that they can do to provide their partner with physical and emotional support. Fortunately, doulas are trained to do exactly that. The doula can help the birth partner be the best possible labour coach for their birthing counterpart by providing hints, reminders, and advice during birth.

 2. Doulas can give partners a much needed break

You can’t pour from an empty cup. Many labours can stretch over a few days and nights. A doula’s presence allows partners to get a bite to eat, take a break, or take a nap without feeling guilty for leaving the birthing person’s side. These breaks can give the birth partner the chance to recharge, while ensuring that their birthing companion feels supported and cared for through the entire experience.

3. Doulas know their way around a hospital

A doula will be familiar with many of the policies and resources available at specific hospitals.  They can inform the birthing team about tools they can request in the hospital that can be helpful in labour, such as hot packs, yoga balls, extra pillows, birthing tubs etc. that the parents may not otherwise know they have access to.

4. Doulas speak the language of labour

Sometimes midwives, doctors and nurses answer questions or explain what’s going on with the birth in complicated medical jargon. A doula can take the time to translate care provider talk in a way that the birthing person and their team can understand, which can decrease anxiety and makes for a more positive experience.

5. Doulas keep partners calm so they can experience childbirth to its fullest 

Childbirth can be an overwhelming experience, especially for first time parents. A doula not only provides emotional support to the birther, but also a critical source of reassurance for their parental counterpart or birth support person.

Do Doulas Only Attend Home Births?

In general, doulas attend births in both home and hospital settings. Doulas are sole proprietors and work for themselves, which means that each doula or doula collective will have their own boundaries about where and with whom they work. We hold sacred a persons’ right to choose their birth setting regardless of what that might look like. We respect everyone’s ability to choose what feels right for them and their unique family. 

We deeply value and love home birth, and we are at a place in our work where we have chosen to work only with clients who plan to birth at home and who choose midwifery care. We know that where you choose to birth your baby can have a huge impact on your birth outcomes, and for this reason we are committed to having very open discussions with all potential clients about home birth as an option. We believe that if everyone understood the physiology and process of birth, and were informed on the risks and benefits of both birth settings, more people would choose to birth at home. 

We view hospitals as a tool in the birth toolkit, just like every other medical intervention at our disposal. In certain scenarios, for very real reasons (including a birther’s uninfluenced intuition telling them to go in), the hospital is the appropriate place for people to birth their babies. When this happens, we walk into hospitals with gratitude and appreciation.