Doula Support for Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum

Hand holding an olive branch with green olives growing on it.

Person centred support

Continuity of Care for the Whole Family

Lara’s full spectrum doula support is tailored to your needs, 100% of the time. Whether you want continuous support from the first trimester through the fourth, or just a few check ins here or there, I’ve got you covered. My support is always non-judgemental, gentle, and focused on meeting you where you’re at.

Doula Support Packages

Lara is not currently booking in-person clients, but would be happy to refer you to a colleague. Get in touch to discuss ways that Lara can offer support virtually or to request a doula reccommendation.

  • Lara supported me through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. They provided respectful, knowledgeable, and affirming care throughout. Their support and advocacy during my labour was invaluable, especially since it did not unfold as I had hoped. I would absolutely recommend their services!

    Rowan S.

  • My partner and I felt super supported by Lara throughout our whole process. Lara is present, calm, and super knowledgeable. We felt greatly cared for and fully supported. Certainly would recommend Lara!

    Ian & Jen

  • Lara was my birth and postpartum doula. I feel so lucky to have been able to hire them as my doula. Their caring voice and their availability to answer questions and listen to me unpack my worries was a life saver. They helped my partner feel empowered during our home birth. I would hire them again in a heartbeat.

    Kaëlla C.

  • My husband and I reached out to Lara when our first son was 4 months old. Lara was such an amazing person to work with as new and very overwhelmed parents. They were incredibly compassionate and understanding, and took the time to learn about our family and what we were all going through. Lara always shared their suggestions, advice, and resources without judgement or pressure, and even offered to do further research for us when something came up with our pediatrician. The most wonderful thing Lara gave us was the sense that we had options to explore and try out, like their suggestion to visit an osteopath when they noticed how much tension our son had in his little body. Lara really did make us feel like they were there for us as a family, whether it was hands on help with our son or just chatting about how we were doing.

    Victoria

What can I expect if I work with Lara?

What is a doula?

Doulas are birthworkers- individuals who support people throughout the full spectrum of reproduction. Most often, we think about doulas in relation to pregnancy and birth, but doulas also support people through fertility, adoption, loss, and more. Lara currently offers birth support, postpartum support, loss and abortion support as a full spectrum doula. They also offer lactation and infant feeding support and classes. Find out more about full spectrum doula support here!

What does a doula do?

Doulas offer informational, physical, and emotional support. Doulas are also your advocate.

Informational support includes being ready to answer any question that you might have. An answer might be straightforward, or it might include a curated resource list, connections and referrals to local resources, further research for you, and more! I am passionate about education and want to help you have all the information you need and want to feel confident. For folks who have birth support, this includes ensuring that you understand everything that is happening throughout the entire birth process. Postpartum, I am there to answer questions about you and about your baby.

Physical support can be present no matter what type of doula you have, and is often especially relevant during birth. I will also ensure that whomever else you choose to have at your birth is well prepared to provide physical support should you wish for that. During birth, physical support might look like: help with positioning, massage, counter-pressure and other hands-on support techniques, and more. Postpartum, physical support can look like help around the house, support caring for baby, and support for your postpartum period. Read more about postpartum doula support in this blog post.

Emotional support means that I am there for you, no matter what you are feeling. I will listen to you, validate, and strategize with you. Big life transitions like having a baby or terminating a pregnancy can come with big feelings. I promise to never judge you for anything that you are feeling, but instead to provide an unbiased listening ear, and to connect you with other support should you need it. Emotional support starts the moment we begin working together and continues at every step of the way.

Advocacy

The wonderful thing about doula support is that it is tailored to your needs. When I work with clients, I spend a lot of time getting to know you. That means that we establish a rapport and I know what your non-negotiables are, what is important to you, and in what ways you would like to be supported. We will work together to come up with ways in which you can advocate for yourself, ways in which (if relevant) the rest of your support team can advocate for you, and strategize about when and how I will advocate for you. As your doula, you, the client, are my number one priority, and I will do my best to ensure that you leave this experience feeling seen, heard, and supported.

How do I know if a doula is the right fit for me?

If you are reading this, chances are you already know that you’d like the support of a doula! But it might be harder to discern which doula is the right fit for you and your family. I always recommend meeting with several doulas to get a feel for their offerings and how you feel around them. Ultimately, it is all about who you feel the safest and most comfortable around.

An abstract hand-drawn star illustration.
An abstract hand-drawn star illustration.
Lara, full spectrum doula in Hamilton, ON, sits on a chair and snuggles their cat.
An abstract hand-drawn star illustration.

“We’re a queer family, and Lara provided us with the specific, respectful, and affirming care we needed!”

— B.C.W.

Questions?

Get in touch.