While c-sections can be life-saving for parents and babies in certain situations, they are also associated with higher risks of complications compared to vaginal birth. Additionally, c-sections and its ensuing healing can have long-term health consequences for both the parent and baby. In saying this, belly births continue to be one of the most stigmatized journeys to birth a family can take.
This actually happened BEFORE I officially knew I was pregnant, that in a matter of days, my chest grew exponentially. I thought I was either pregnant or finally hitting puberty at age 30. If I was pregnant I had imagined this would happen over time, but it seemed to happen overnight, and was painful! So painful that I couldn’t even sleep on my stomach for a few weeks. The pain is no longer there – but they are still growing – and don’t show signs of slowing down!
The name Brood was inspired by visions of a large group of squishy babies, toddlers and kids — sunkissed, muddy and laughing. It’s also inspired by the concept of creatures caring for their own, in order to survive – and thrive. Collectively caring for one another through knowledge sharing and hands-on support while finding joyful moments along the way — that’s the spirit of our Brood. It was co-created by two new parents and a full-spectrum doula who not only saw, but intimately understood how in-person care during pregnancy and early parenthood can positively transform the family AND the care worker.
We’re thrilled to be one of the first doula care agencies to become a certified Living Wage Employer one of the 400 Living Wage Employers in BC. A living wage is the baseline hourly amount for families to be able to afford a decent life. With recent economic pressures, especially in the care economy, this movement is powerful and important. And it’s made even more relevant by the City of Vancouver’s recent end to their commitment as a Living Wage Employer.
My answer is always: Why? Why do you want to be queer inclusive? Is it because you’re queer yourself and want to find more supportive ways to care for your community? Is it because you’re cis and/or straight and want to make sure you want to provide safer spaces for people? What drives your needs and wants to make your practice queer inclusive? What are your priorities? Let’s start there first.
Then something happened. Seemingly out of the blue, I had a full blown event-based anxiety attack. My bestie (and one of Brood’s co-founders) Lizzy went into labour with her first child and instead of the expected feelings of excitement (the good kind) I began experiencing deep worry and fear, losing sleep and having repetitive negative thoughts. It felt like I was back in my first few weeks postpartum and those evenings of baby blues. It took more than a week, a therapy appointment, and some serious body detective work to figure out what was actually going on.
Sexual health is an integral part of our physical, mental, emotional, and social health. It’s about pleasure, identity, and intimacy. It’s always influenced by gender norms, expectations, and power dynamics and it changes and evolves throughout our lifetime.
You may have heard this word swirling around your OB or Midwive’s office, dotting your friend’s birth story or on your social feeds, and it may have you going “Doula-what?”, “Doula-who?”. Before reading ahead, make sure you peek at this blog post to get all of your questions answered on what the heck a doula is! Now that you know what we are all about, let me break down some of the ways doulas can support you and your family.
When what we say really does matter. What is it about a pregnant person that elicits such free...
At Brood we believe you can’t talk about pregnancy, birth and postpartum without talking about miscarriage, pregnancy loss and abortion. Sharing about the full spectrum of reproductive care is one piece of the puzzle in helping to eliminate the stigma when it comes to topics like miscarriage and abortion.
We work and live on the unceded and occupied territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. Since time immemorial, the original peoples of these lands have cared for their families and communities. We are committed to honouring their teachings, legacy and their sovereignty.
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