About me
I am the youngest of four and always wanted a little sister or brother. I remember hounding my mother continuously to have another baby, but it was not to be. So, I became an active birth coach of hamsters, fish and any other animals I could convince my parents to let me have. As I grew to my teenage years, I became the world’s busiest babysitter!
I eventually went on to study agriculture so that I could follow in my big brother’s footsteps to do development work in Africa. After spending 3 life changing years in Sierra Leone, I came to Canada and started my own family of four. My pregnancies were easy and my births ranged from a very long, difficult first birth to 2 pretty easy final births once I got the hang of my rhythm. However, my family lived a long way from us and though my mom would come for a week or so after my children's births, I wished I had more support. As well, my mom could not remember much about her birthing experience and things had changed tremendously over that time period.
We moved to a farm when my youngest was born and we continue to surround ourselves with new life (calves, kittens, puppies, chicks). New life is so precious, even those first few shoots coming up through the soil in the garden. Living as we do, we grow most of our own food.
I eventually went on to study agriculture so that I could follow in my big brother’s footsteps to do development work in Africa. After spending 3 life changing years in Sierra Leone, I came to Canada and started my own family of four. My pregnancies were easy and my births ranged from a very long, difficult first birth to 2 pretty easy final births once I got the hang of my rhythm. However, my family lived a long way from us and though my mom would come for a week or so after my children's births, I wished I had more support. As well, my mom could not remember much about her birthing experience and things had changed tremendously over that time period.
We moved to a farm when my youngest was born and we continue to surround ourselves with new life (calves, kittens, puppies, chicks). New life is so precious, even those first few shoots coming up through the soil in the garden. Living as we do, we grow most of our own food.
When my girls started having babies, they could not keep me away. I was honoured to be present at the birth of all 5 of my grandchildren. These ranged from difficult hospital births to a home birth to two in Germany with midwives in charge. I found I could be of some assistance and with each birth learned more. This led me to training and certification with Doula Canada in 2017 and it was the most intuitive decision of my life. I have found it to be personally empowering as I guide and support women and their partners through childbirth and beyond.
After completing my certification, I have continued to upgrade my skills and have taken courses on breastfeeding, holistic practices, and just completed a “Spinning Babies” class for birth professionals. I am an active member of the Red Deer Doula Association and volunteer for the Red Deer Pregnancy Care Center. I live just outside Lacombe and proudly serve the Central Alberta area of Lacombe, Blackfalds, Ponoka, Stettler, Red Deer, Sylvan Lake and Rocky Mountain House.
After completing my certification, I have continued to upgrade my skills and have taken courses on breastfeeding, holistic practices, and just completed a “Spinning Babies” class for birth professionals. I am an active member of the Red Deer Doula Association and volunteer for the Red Deer Pregnancy Care Center. I live just outside Lacombe and proudly serve the Central Alberta area of Lacombe, Blackfalds, Ponoka, Stettler, Red Deer, Sylvan Lake and Rocky Mountain House.
Why a doula?
Because doulas can provide knowledge and support for your birth journey. They can assist and direct other support persons to know how they can help. They are there for you for your entire birth experience, when the nurses are out attending other patients, when your partner needs a break, when you need someone to rub your back for hours. They know a bit about you and your birth journey and can often help you advocate for yourself.
For an expanded why on this topic read this post to learn more about what a doula does.
For an expanded why on this topic read this post to learn more about what a doula does.
How can we make a difference?
These are the current stats for the impact that doulas can have on the birth experience:
- 40% decrease in the use of pitocin/oxytocin for labour induction
- 50% decrease in the risk of C-section
- 12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth
- 60% decrease in epidural
- 14% decrease in the likelihood of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery
- 25% shorter labouring times
- 34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the labour experience
I had two wonderful birth experiences with @doulasusan - one birth much more difficult than the other, but for both she was supportive, non-judgmental, and hugely helpful. She gave help and advice when it was wanted, but was conscientious to keep myself, my husband, and our new baby at the centre of the experience. I would definitely recommend her as a doula!"
~Bonnie and Philip
