About
What languages do you speak?
English
What is your personal definition of “doula”?
A knowledgeable person who helps prepare a pregnant person, for labor. They should have tricks for all changes and challenges. Most importantly, be gentle, kind and understanding!
What brought you to birth and postpartum work?
In 2001 I visited my brother and sister-in-law, the day after my niece was born. They raved about their Doula! Walking out of the Birthing suite, I decided to change careers. I wanted to have the opportunity to not only help people during labor but also to guide them, to become the best parents they could be.
In a climate of caregiver burnout, how are you caring for yourself?
What is a standout book, movie/tv, etc about the childbearing/parenting journey that you return to?
TV
- I love Call The Midwife!
BOOKS
- The Birth House by Ami McKay
- Get Me Out: A History of Childbirth from the Garden of Eden to the Sperm Bank by Randi Hutter Epstein, MD
Birth Care 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:
Your birth journey is unique, and I’m here to support you every step of the way—wherever and however you choose to deliver. My focus is on providing personalized care that empowers and supports you and your partner. Having experienced labour four times myself, including a cesarean and three VBACs, I understand the unexpected challenges and emotions that can arise during birth and postpartum. I’m dedicated to offering the compassionate, hands-on support you need so that you can navigate this special time with confidence.
It truly takes a village, and I’m honoured to be a part of yours.
Prenatal Care
- Free In-Person Foundations Visit → Once your contract is signed and your first-choice doula has been confirmed, your doula will visit your home for around 1+ hour so you can chat, connect, and ensure the fit feels right—for both of you!
- Personalized Prenatal Visits → Enjoy 2 visits, either virtually or in-person, tailored to your needs as we connect and plan for your birth and postpartum experience. Each session is designed to empower you with knowledge and support.
- Focus on Your Preferences → In our prenatal sessions, we’ll explore your birth preferences, comfort measures, and procedures, all while prioritizing your feelings of safety and support through trauma-informed care models.
- Text and Phone Support → From the moment you hire me until 6 weeks postpartum, you’ll have unlimited access to text and phone support, ensuring you feel confident and cared for every step of the way.
- Customized Movement Plan → Together, we will create a personalized pregnancy preparation movement plan, enhancing your comfort and readiness for labor.
- Trauma-Informed Digital Birthing Resource Packet → You’ll receive a curated packet filled with evidence-based resources to help you navigate your birthing experience with confidence.
- Wellness Gift → As a token of care, you will also receive a special wellness gift to support you on your journey.
- (Optional) Perinatal Sexual Health and Intimacy Workshop → Available upon request, this workshop provides valuable insights and tools to navigate intimacy during the perinatal period.
- Brood’s Family Membership → Gain exclusive access to five online courses covering prenatal and newborn care, plus join our virtual private clubhouse and member area for downloadable resources.
- Postpartum Product Guide → A curated list of our top postpartum must-haves, based on what we see support families again and again.
Birth Attendance
- Dedicated One-on-One Support → You’ll receive continuous, one-on-one support throughout your labor and birth journey, ensuring you feel safe, empowered, and cared for from early labor until 2 hours after your baby arrives.
- Holistic Labor Support → My labor support involves helping you know when to rest and when to be active, making you snacks, and running soothing baths to help you stay calm. I will guide you in deciding when it’s time to go to the hospital or call your midwives, advocating for your needs and preferences every step of the way.
- Comprehensive Doula Bag Access → Enjoy access to my doula bag, which includes essential tools such as a TENS unit, essential oils, and lighting options to create your ideal birth environment.
- Comfort Techniques and Pain Relief → I’ll provide support with a variety of comfort techniques, including acupressure, optimal birthing positions, and hands-on techniques for pain management. I’ll guide you through breathing techniques and ensure you’re well-hydrated and nourished throughout your labor.
- Immediate Postpartum Support → After the birth, I will assist you with your first feed, latching, and basic newborn care, helping you settle into this new chapter with confidence.
- Birth Photography and Videos → Capture those precious moments with optional birth photography and videos to cherish your experience for years to come.
- Guaranteed Back-Up Doula Service → Rest easy knowing that I provide guaranteed back-up doula service, ensuring you have continuous support, even in unexpected situations.
Postpartum Support
- Personalized Postpartum Visits → Enjoy 1-2 visits, virtual or in-home sessions, as needed. Our visits provide an opportunity to discuss your birth experience, check in on how you’re feeling, as well as any resources or information you may need on self-care and newborn care.
- Transition Support → Providing guidance you may need during those early days of parenthood; infant comforting, burping, feeding, sleep patterns, diapering, and other newborn behavioural norms.
- Ongoing Communication → Benefit from text and phone support for the first 6 weeks postpartum, ensuring you have access to assistance whenever you need it.
- Resource Assistance → I’ll help you navigate postpartum resources, connecting you with valuable community support and information tailored to your needs.
Training + Education
BIRTH & POSTPARTUM
- Birth Doula Training, DONA International
- Postpartum Doula Training, CAPPA
- Feeding Baby Support Training, La Leche League
OTHER
- Reiki Master
- Registered with the Doulas for Aboriginal Families Grant Program (DAFGP)
- Healthcare Provider CPR-C with AED
- Certified Criminal Record Check, including Vulnerable Sector Screening
- Carrot Fertility-Approved Doula
- Eligible for Extended Health Reimbursement
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?
In the future I might consider being a Death Doula, I have been with people, as they have transitioned. I am intrigued by the unknown of the beyond!
Testimonials
Kim went above and beyond during the birth of my second child. The birth started and stopped many times over 2 days, probably due to my son’s compound presentation (“Superman hand”) although of course, we didn’t know that until he came out. She was quick to respond when birthing started up and ever-patient when it slowed down again. Kim helped us make the most of downtime by encouraging us to eat and sleep, and when I was SO DONE with that, she was able to suggest several activities and exercises to get the birth moving again. She probably came to our house 5 or 6 times over those two days and left us alone when it was needed. She related beautifully to my husband and to the midwives who were attending our home birth. Everyone came together as a team to support us. Kim has attended hundreds of births which provided us with a perspective on the progress of our birth that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. The midwives were very busy at times with important medical-type things so it was great to have Kim be fully present for us throughout the experience. Kim’s energy is maternal, sort of like a cool aunt, which made me feel very safe with her. Her gentle sense of humor kept us laughing between contractions. She showed care in every word and gesture. Her presence was a big part of why our home birth was such a success, despite several hiccups and challenges. I would recommend her to anyone. Thank you, Kim!
We were matched with Kim as part of the South Community Birth Program doula matching. I was planning on attempting a VBAC and Kim’s extensive experience and high success rate with VBAC births made her an excellent fit for us. We had so many questions and fears leading up to labor and birth, but she was very confident and reassuring. She is warm, caring, and a very lovely presence to have around. My husband and I were so glad to have her in our birth space for support through my long labor. I do not recall a moment when she wasn’t there to help, support or lean on, emotionally or physically. She was also kind enough to provide me with a write-up of the timelines and many of the details of my son’s birth. I’m thankful to have had Kim as part of my birth team and was able to have a successful VBAC thanks to an amazing birth team that supported me and never once doubted my abilities. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Kim to anyone looking for an amazing doula.
Kim is a phenomenal doula. Her years of experience helping women and their partners welcome their new babies is so evident in all that she does when the big day comes. My baby came five weeks early so my partner and I yet had to meet Kim. I went into early labor and gave Kim a call and she was right on board with supporting me starting with my initial call. She put me at ease and told me what I needed to hear amidst the nervousness and anxiety that accompanied my baby’s early arrival. Kim was the first from my support team to arrive when I went into labor (even before my partner). This was the first time we met but because she put me at ease on the phone it felt so natural to have her in the room. As my labour progressed and the rest of my team arrived I was so grateful and blessed to have Kim with me. Based on previous experience I knew that my waters would be very hard to break. Kim’s experience shined in helping me try all sorts of things (within my comfort zone) to break my water. She even taught my sister a few tricks of the trade so that my sister could help me through my contractions. Kim also had such great practical tips for the use of the hospital room and she interacted with the staff so well. Without Kim, I doubt labor would have been as smooth. If I have any more children, I know who my doula will be.
It was a pleasure having Kim be a part of my birth experience. She was calm, knowledgeable, and sincere and made my first experience with labor much more relaxed. She was there to advocate for me and my partner and was able to explain things before they happened. I feel that doula services are very beneficial for first-time parents as there is so much anxiety around the birth process and Kim and Im sure other doulas are there to help guide and keep the process as relaxed as possible. I thank Kim for her time and experience.
We were so thankful to have Kim as part of our birthing process! She was a stand-in for us, as our doula was unavailable, so we only met her when we had already been in early labor for over 24 hours. She did a great job of getting to know us and understanding what we wanted very quickly. She was the perfect balance of kind and caring, but also clear and directive when needed. She was a huge support for both mom (suggesting positions, listening, caring, etc) and dad (helping him feel confident, giving him suggestions to support mom, etc). We ended up having a c-section and were so thankful Kim was there. It was so helpful to have one consistent familiar face from labor right through into the recovery room.
Fantastic. Kim has been my doula for both of my pregnancies – my first pregnancy I met her on a Wednesday night. That next morning (contractions started at 1 am) I had my baby. During the first, she was amazing with my husband. I barely noticed her there because she was coaching my husband to be right there for me (which was amazing! My memories from that birth are so sweet because I can still hear my husband coaching me to breathe or to relax, etc). She got him ice when he was flush and feeling funny. During the second birth, it was SO fast we were only together for 15 minutes (of horrible pain) until my daughter was born. She was great, relaxing me and letting me know I was okay. She stayed with us until we were comfortable. She was a great doula, always very easy to get a hold of, and responded to my messages immediately (even at 5 in the morning!). I felt like I was her only client which I know is not true. I highly recommend Kim. She is very sweet and relaxing. She encouraged me and felt like our support network. Always there, just in case. Always supportive and had great ideas during labor/birth. She looked after my husband and I. As a fantastic bonus, she took great photos that I will forever cherish. I didn’t think I wanted pictures until she showed me them.
Kim supported me and my husband through the birth of our first child. She brought calm and confident energy into the room which was exactly what we, as first-time (or any time!) parents needed. We were so happy with the support (and FYI, also her wonderful pictures documenting the experience) that when we were expecting our 2nd child, there was no question that we were going to request her support again. She helped me to focus and motivated me to get the job done. Her sense of humor also had me smiling through contractions! If I was to have a 3rd babe, I’d call her…again. I would very happily and highly recommend Kim to anyone who is looking for a doula.
