Why Colouring in a Colouring Book is my New Favourite Thing   When I’m stressed, I knit. The click of my needles, the repetitiveness of the stitches, and the feel of the yarn in my hands is like a form of meditation. Insert needle, yarn over, pull loop through, slide the other needle out.…

Those last few days (or weeks) while you wait for your baby to decide it’s their birthday can be particularly frustrating. So once you’ve rewatched your favourite TV show on Netflix, cleaned your entire house, unpacked and re packed your hospital bag three times and worn a path in your floor from pacing, it’s time…

How are doulas and lawyers alike? Well, to be frank, they aren’t. And yet, doulas are compared to lawyers all the time. Specifically, they are compared to lawyers doing pro-bono work as a reason why doulas can and should do free or low cost birth. This seems to be the favourite comparison that proponents of free…

By Julia Schetky CD(DONA) from Do It All Doulas- Vancouver, Washington And Meaghan Grant from Toronto Family Doulas – Toronto, Ontario On a weekly, sometimes daily basis, I pop onto the doula forums and see this question: “My client is having a planned section*, do you discount your fee for these moms?” (*So first off,…

One of the most common questions we as doulas get asked is “What should I pack in my hospital bag?” The answer is going to be different for everyone, but there are some things we definitely recommend everyone have. If possible, having 2 bags (a labour bag and a postpartum bag) will help to keep…

There is a lot of attention paid, in society and the media, to women who experience postpartum mood disorders. Research is done, peer support groups are formed, and health initiatives are launched. But very little attention has, historically, been paid to partners. Did you know that is was possible for partners to experience a postpartum…

I remember having to put my child down in his crib, crying, and walk away. I would never ever hurt my baby, but in that moment I was so angry. I needed to yell and scream and I knew if I did any of that near my son, I would scare him.  So I put…

  In the first few days after a baby arrives, it is normal to feel like nothing is ever going to be the same again. In some moments, those feelings are ones of elation: “my baby is adorable!”, “I can’t believe I’m a mom!”, or simply pure love. Then there are the other moments. The…

When life after a baby isn’t what you expected, it might be time to seek help. Today we are going to talk about community resources in Toronto for postpartum depression and anxiety. One of the things that we strongly recommend is that, in conjunction with the treatment plan you develop with your medical care provider,…

  When most people talk about postpartum mood disorders, they are talking about postpartum depression. In online support groups you will see acronyms like “PPD” or “PPMD”. Depression is certainly one of the most common mood disorders that women experience after the birth of a baby, but it is certainly not the only one. Nor…