About
What languages do you speak?
English
What is your personal definition of “doula”?
A doula is someone who walks alongside people navigating pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period—offering the support they need, in the ways they need it, to the very best of the doula’s ability.
What brought you to birth and postpartum work?
My journey into birth and postpartum work began with my own pregnancy in my early 20s. I was young and felt unprepared for parenthood, so my first stop was the library. I borrowed as many books on pregnancy and birth as I could, and one of them was Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth—I was instantly hooked. Not long after, I watched Ricki Lake’s documentary The Business of Being Born, where a birth doula supports her through a home birth. In that moment, I knew I had found my calling.
In a climate of caregiver burnout, how are you caring for yourself?
I try to care for myself with the same gentleness I encourage in my clients. I believe small moments, practiced consistently, add up to a more grounded and balanced life. For me, self-care isn’t about perfection, but about patience and presence. Some days that looks like a long walk through the forest followed by tomato soup and grilled cheese; other days it’s simply taking an extra five minutes in the shower by lamplight with lavender oil in the diffuser.
What is a standout book, movie/tv, etc about the childbearing/parenting journey that you return to?
TV
BOOK
- Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
- After the Rain by Alexandra Elle
PODCAST
- Evidence-Based Birth Podcast with Rebecca Dekker
MOVIE
Birth Doula Package
To better understand Brood’s birth package pricing model, read on → Making Birth Doula Care Accessible: The Green Bottle Sliding Scale Method
Tell us more about the ethos in your birth doula practice:
Birth is such a transformative time in the lives of birthing folks and their families, and I believe it’s essential to meet families exactly where they’re at, providing open, nonjudgmental support for their specific needs during their pregnancies and births. I’ve supported families through the full spectrum of birth, from unmedicated births to planned c-sections, and what I’ve consistently seen is that gentle, caring support is what’s needed. Birth work is heart-centred work for me, and I love to build relationships with clients that go beyond “clocking in” for work.
Training + Education
BIRTH & POSTPARTUM
- Birth Doula Certificate, Doula Training Canada
- Holistic Support & Knowledge, Doula Training Canada
- Breastfeeding Knowledge & Support, Doula Training Canada
OTHER
- Healthcare Provider CPR-C with AED
- Certified Criminal Record Check, including Vulnerable Sector Screening
- Carrot Fertility-Approved Doula
- Sun Life Coverage-Approved Doula
WORKSHOPS
- EQ + You: for Care Workers with Jessica Robson
- Lactation + Nursing for Doulas with Allison Mennie of Milky Way Lactation
- Running Your Care Practice with Emma Devin of Brood
- Full Spectrum Roundtable with Gina Badger of Long Spell, Dr. Madeline Ennis, Julia Santana Parilla of So I Had an Abortion, and Zuzana Betkova, Registered Midwife and Adjunct Professor
- Bookkeeping for Doulas with Courtney Ewan of CCE Consulting
- Who You Are Affects How You Care with Anna Balagtas of Pocket Doula
- Supplements & Nutrition with Dr Jennifer Fitzgerald of Bird&Be
- Twins, Triplets, and Multiples 101 with Emma Devin and Lolo Chaumont of Brood
- NICU 101 for Doulas with Tracy Karp, (NP) Neonatal Patient Care, Nursing Education and Leadership
- Perinatal Mental Health: Identifying and Supporting Clients with PMADs, with MomWell
- Sleep Training Roundtable with Desiree Russell and Jessica Peters
- Acupuncture and Acupressure for Doulas with Courtney Morris
- Values in Action: Boundaries & Balance in Care Work with Saphren Ma and Emma Devin of Brood
- Queer & Gender Affirming Care: Supporting and Celebrating Queer & Gender Diverse Families with Dia DP
- Lactation Support for Doulas: Common Ailments and Hands-on Resources with Allison Mennie of Milky Way Lactation
- Enhancing Doula Care: How to Address Clients’ Body Image Concerns and Combat Anti-Fat Bias with Vinny Welsby of the Fiercy Fatty + Weight Inclusive Consulting
- Values in Action: Care Considerations for the Perinatal Period with Roberta Stuart
- Babywearing 101 with Karla Castro of the Babywearing Club
- Trauma & Care Work: Integration and Healing from Birth & Postpartum Experiences with Melissa Medjuck of the Perinatal Collective
- Responsive Doula Care for Families with Complex Needs with Lolo Chaumont
- Sex and Relationships After Baby with Erin Davidson, MA, RCC, CST, CHST
- Pelvic Floor Support Through Pregnancy to Early Postpartum with Lauren Sutherland of Core Connection Physio
For your personal learning, what is the workshop/training on your radar?
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I’m really looking forward to the upcoming workshops “Queering up your Doula Practice” and “A Doula’s Role in Reproductive Justice” through National Collaboration for Doula Access.
Testimonials
We received care from Danielle throughout the first month of postpartum. She was super helpful, knowledgeable, patient, and caring, supporting us through the toughest times. Lizzy was also excellent in coordinating all the schedule changes to help us get the support when we needed it the most. I highly recommend Brood for postpartum care to any parents! — Allen C
We used Brood to find our Doula Danielle. Danielle was incredible before, during and after our birth experience. Brood service was easy to use and communicative. We felt the pricing was more than fair considering the number of visits and the quality of the relationship we built. We would highly recommend Brood and Danielle in particular. — Alex Jobin
I just want to start by saying Brood is hands down the most caring, knowledgeable, responsive, and trusting care agency that we have ever encountered. Danielle, in particular, brought such warmth, expertise, and presence to our experience. The personalized service she gave us—from in-person birth support to postpartum doula care—made every day of this process an absolute joy. Her knowledge and attention to every detail ensured our newborn was healthy, happy, and set up for the critical first few months of her life. We cannot say enough good things about the Brood staff. There is nothing more important than making sure a child is brought into this world safely and receives the best care for the gentle beginning of their life. We absolutely love the Brood family and are so very thankful that we found them and had the joyful experience they brought to this already joyful part of our lives. They enter your life seamlessly and curate each experience with your goals and well-being at the top of their list. Thank you, Brood—and thank you, Danielle—for everything. You simply are the best. We take a bow to you 🙂 — From everyone: Presthaya, Conrad, Baby Freya (& Mary).
We cannot say enough good things about Brood! A few days postpartum, we also opted to invest in postpartum doula care. Brood was so responsive and arranged care for us incredibly quickly – faster than we thought would be possible. Danielle was our postpartum doula, and she was hugely supportive. She provided overnight support, took incredible care of our newborn son and enabled us to get some rest and feel generally supported in the early days of parenthood.
We had immediate trust in both of our doulas and would not hesitate to recommend Brood to any other expecting families! More generally, coordinating with Emma and the whole team at Brood was an absolute pleasure from start to finish! They make the process so easy to navigate. — Eleanor Rock
After having experienced 3 miscarriages and a great deal of difficulty getting pregnant, I decided at 8 months pregnant that this was most likely our miracle, and we should get a doula to support us in the delivery. Danielle took the time to get to know us, our strengths, fears and history and worked with us to develop a plan to prepare for the delivery, the changes and challenges we would face as new parents after the delivery and provided invaluable support during the labour.
I was particularly concerned about whether my husband would be able to play a constructive role during the labour. Danielle was able to support him to remain calm and was able to channel his nervous energy into working with her to support me in managing the pain. He even became pretty good at using the Robozo, a tool that I highly recommend and would not go into the delivery room without. Because she created a safe environment for me to be able to let her know my insecurities based on my history of infertility and loss, she was able to tune into moments when these issues surfaced for me in the delivery room and provide affirming words and actions that got me through the long and at times seemingly
endless labour.
For her passion for and knowledge of birthing, her many techniques to manage pain during our pain medication-free delivery and her ability to use our strengths to support us individually and to help us to support each other, she is brilliant at what she does. We truly feel blessed to have had her as part of our team in bringing our beautiful baby girl into the world. Should we be blessed enough to grow our family with more children, I would not want to go through the process without her as part of our team. — Kim O.
Danielle is the best at what she does. We are so beyond blessed that we get to have her by our side through all of this! She has been such a source of comfort for me in this pregnancy; she has eased my anxieties 100%. Danielle, I can’t thank you enough for everything you did for us over the last few months. We couldn’t have done it without you. — Victoria D.
When I found out I was pregnant, it was a shock; we hadn’t been expecting a pregnancy at all. Danielle was one of the first people I told, and she immediately put me at ease about the pregnancy. She was there from the beginning to give me tips about morning sickness, prenatals, birthing classes, and pregnancy books. We spent a lot of time getting comfortable with tricks to make labour less painful, but she didn’t judge me at all when I said I would probably want an epidural. She supported the birth I was planning for.
My actual labour came on my due date and moved quickly. Danielle met us at the hospital and helped us to get comfortable in our birthing suite. She had flameless candles, soft music, fuzzy socks, and lavender lotion to rub on my feet. She helped me negotiate time out of bed because I was on the monitor. We did some walking, took a shower, and she helped my boyfriend Eric rub my back, sway and dance with me, and push on the base of my back when I was having contractions. When I was ready for the epidural, she stayed with me so that Eric could leave the room – he’s very uncomfortable with needles and was nervous about fainting and causing a commotion. After the epidural, she helped me get comfortable so that Eric and I could both take a nap. I got so itchy, and she just scratched my back over and over again with a comb until it went away. She stayed with us until a short time later, when I was fully dilated and ready to push. The baby came out so fast, we couldn’t believe it! She stayed by my side to push out the placenta and get checked – no stitches!! After I got her back in my arms, she helped me to get the baby skin-to-skin and adjusted her latch a little bit when she started breastfeeding.
Eric and I are so thankful that Danielle was with us during the birth of our daughter. We both feel that she was exactly who we needed in the room with us, that she was present and helpful without being overbearing. — Nicole W.
Danielle is the best doula ever! OK, I know she’s the only doula I’ve ever known, but she excels at her craft. Danielle made it possible for me to be the partner Nicole needed during the birth of our daughter. Going into the pregnancy, I was nervous and unsure about my role in birth. In my family, the men don’t have a lot to do with birth, but I wanted to be there and I wanted to be helpful. Danielle helped to guide me through every step, showing me how to support Nicole when I needed the help, and quietly stepping out of the way when I was doing ok. She made me feel more confident. She also made it possible for me to take breaks, to take a nap, and to eat. I would have felt like crap if I’d left Nicole alone to go eat or take a smoke, but I knew that I could trust her in Danielle’s hands while I stepped away. I needed that time to myself- birth is intense! Danielle also provided us with a bunch of pictures after our daughter was born, and it was so special to see those moments again. I doubt I’d have been able to be present for Nicole and also capture the moments, so I was thankful. I tell everyone I know that they should get a doula when they have a baby. We have this amazing story to tell about the birth of our daughter, and it’s much better than most of the stories I hear. — Eric L.
We are grateful to Danielle for all of her support in our pregnancy and birth experience. It was a high-risk pregnancy with a planned C-section. I was very anxious about the whole process, and Danielle was a constant source of comfort and peace to both of us. Apostolos does not speak English well, but Danielle took the time to connect with him and communicate what was happening during the C-section and after the baby was born. I was very out of it after the birth, but Danielle helped establish breastfeeding and supported Apostolos in the first moments of our baby’s life. She took lots of pictures for us, and I cherish them because I don’t remember much about that time. The time we spent together was so special, we consider Danielle a part of our extended family now. — Anita C.
