Common Questions
What is your favourite thing about being a doula?
“Seeing tiny humans enter the world is super cool! But I really love helping parents access their inner calm and knowing as they begin their parenting journey.”
“My favourite thing about being a doula is getting to support the transformation that new parents go through, from being completely unsure and overwhelmed, to calm and confident in their ability to care for their baby!”
“I love parent mentoring, both in pregnancy and postpartum. I really believe that parenting starts in pregnancy, in the choices you make. For me, it’s really the parent mentoring.”
“Helping parents become empowered in their choices as they learn about psychological birth and work through their birth fears. My favourite thing to hear from my clients is “I feel so much better about birth now!”
Common Questions
If I have a doula, do I need to have a care provider too?
Yes! As doulas, we do not do anything medical. Rather we are an advocate for birthing people and their families, acting as a resource, sounding board, spare hands, and support person. We provide support whether you are birthing at home or in the hospital, with a midwife, OB, or a family doctor.
I really want a doula, but I can’t afford it right now.
We understand that doulas don’t fit well into everyone’s budget, especially in the economy. Give us a call or an email and we will do our best to work something out. We are happy to help you consider alternate arrangements to access the care you need. These options might include putting doula care on your registry, coming up with a payment plan, accessing a community care fund or bartering for services. No one should have to go without a doula because of cost.
What happens if you're sick or unavoidably busy when I go into labour?
At Willow River, a backup doula is part of the service! We have a rotating on-call schedule where each birth doula is on-call one week out of three. The doula who is on the subsequent week will be acting as the backup. If that doula is also busy or sick, the next doula will go on active call. And if we hit a birth storm, where everyone is working, Christine will come to the rescue! (She is also a trained and experienced birth doula).
What about my partner? I don't want my partner to feel replaced or unwanted.
As doulas, we support the whole family during the transition into parenthood. Your doula team brings a deep familiarity with the sights, smells and sounds of birth to be a calm and reassuring presence for both you and your partner. Our knowledge and continual support allows your partner to care for you, without frantically trying to remember what was taught in the birthing class. You can also feel assured that your partner will be able to care for themselves by getting rest, food, or a breather, knowing that you will still be well taken care of.
Do I still need childbirth education if I have a doula?
Need? Maybe not. Do we highly recommend it? Absolutely!!!
There is so much to learn about pregnancy, birth and postpartum. The more knowledge you have walking into our prenatal meetings, the deeper we can go in our conversations, and the better prepared for birth and having a newborn you will be. And coincidentally, we offer prenatal education!
Are you inclusive to all makeup of families?
Yes! We serve all families, including queer families, surrogate families, adopting families, polyamourous families, and single-parents by choice. Willow River is 75% queer owned and we love getting to support parents in the wider queer-community!
Where does the name Willow River come from?
O:se Kenhionhata:tie, the Kanien'kehà:ka (Mohawk) name for the Grand River, means where the willows grow, or Willow River. We chose to use the traditional name for this region rather than the colonized name as part of our movement towards reconciliation. In addition to the cultural significance of the name Willow River, we chose this name based on what the willow represents historically. Willows are a sign of fertility and new life. Cut branches can easily grow into new trees when planted in the ground. Willow trees also hold the meaning of flexibility - a trait we encourage all our parents to develop as it is often needed during both the birth and postpartum period. You can read more about this here.
What is your birth philosophy?
While we all have deeply held beliefs about how birth works for ourselves, when it comes to our clients, our birth philosophy doesn’t really matter. Instead, it’s our doula philosophy - we support our clients in their values and beliefs. If you want all the medical technology in your birth, great! We’re here for you. If you want the least technological birth possible, awesome! We’re so excited to be on your team. However you choose to birth and parent, we’re here to support you, not push an agenda.