
Mom with Scheduled C-Section Delivers Naturally | Birth Story

In the winter of 2012, I went out with some friends for what I thought was a casual dinner. It turned out my best friend was telling us she was pregnant! I couldn’t have been happier for her.
Friday Feature: Blog post by Brittenay Bell
When we started our journey to a baby in 2014, we had that blissful naivety that it would be easy, and initially it seemed like it would be. Our first month “trying” we became pregnant. I remember shaking with excitement and I remember Aaron panicking because he didn’t think it would happen that quickly. For 3 glorious weeks we basked in the joy of expecting our first baby. It had been a tough 9 months before hand, we were newly married and while Aaron was at basic training for the navy, my mom passed away from a short but courageous battle with lung cancer. Our lives were a constant rollercoaster. But the notion of a baby brought a sense of calm and excitement. It was something good in all that had been so hard. But as quickly as our excitement came it was dashed when I woke up one morning bleeding. After 2 days in and out of the emergency room we confirmed my fears, we lost our baby. Continue reading
If this is not your first time having a baby, what you want from a postpartum Doula would be very different from a first time mom. This is the beauty of having a Doula, your postpartum care supports are designed specifically for you and your desires and wishes. You might not want to spend much of your postpartum time focusing on after delivery hygiene and care, post c-section wound care and recovery, Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Anxiety, transitions at home, etc…, depending on what you already know, but you might rather focus your postpartum time on infant sleep, baby-feeding, postpartum yoga, childcare, light house keeping, etc…, and how I can support your partner and family so they can best support you, etc…
Here is a brief overview to give you an idea of the types of services I can provide, but my services are dictated by my clients in consultation with them. These services are à-la-carte, i.e. a postpartum visit could be swapped for a yoga session, etc…We can tailor/modify these to meet your needs.
So, what do Doula’s do? In brief, a Doula is a support person – or a birthing coach – for the birthing person, their support people, and their family. As your Doula, I would support you and your family with your unique needs – the options are infinite and tailored specifically to what you want. Each parent / family has different needs, thus it is difficult to define the multitude of ways in which I can support you. Essentially, you dictate the best ways I can support you. As a certified , registered, and insured yoga teacher, I can also combine yoga services (Prenatal, Postpartum, family yoga, and/or Yoga for Women, etc…) with my Doula supports. Feel free to visit my online yoga profile with the Canadian Yoga Alliance to view my credentials here.
If this is not your first pregnancy or delivery, what you want from having a Labour & Birth Doula would be very different from a first time mom. This is the beauty of having a Doula, your prenatal, labour, and birth supports are designed specifically for you and your desires and wishes. You might not want to spend much of your prenatal time focusing on the stages of labour, pain medications, medical interventions, c-section overview, etc… depending on what you already know, but you might rather focus your prenatal time on prenatal yoga positions, optimal positioning of the baby, comfort measures during labour, your birth plan, and how I can support your partner so they can best support you, etc…
Here is a brief overview to give you an idea of the types of services I can provide, but my services are dictated by my clients in consultation with them. These services are à-la-carte, i.e. a prenatal visit could be swapped for a postpartum visit, etc…We can tailor/modify these to meet your needs.
Prenatal, Postpartum, Yoga for Women, and/or Family/Kids yoga:
*The investment for yoga services when added to Doula services will be considered on an individual basis.
*Group class pricing to be negotiated
It would be my pleasure to support you and your family on your fertility and reproductive health journey. As your Fertility Support Practitioner, I would support you with your unique needs – the options are infinite and tailored specifically to what you want.
Fertility Support Practitioners support individuals with the following and beyond:
Each individual / couple / family has different needs, thus it is difficult to define the multitude of ways in which I can support you. Essentially, you dictate the best ways I can support you. As a certified, registered, and insured yoga teacher, I can also combine yoga services (meditation, fertility & reproductive health yoga, Yoga for Women, etc…) with my Fertility supports. Feel free to visit my online yoga profile with the Canadian Yoga Alliance to view my credentials here.
The beauty of having a Fertility Support Practitioner is that your supports are designed specifically for you and your desires and wishes. You might not want to spend much of your time focusing on birth control, natural birth control, pregnancy achievement, pregnancy prevention, reproductive health, Assistive Reproductive Technologies, etc…, depending on what you already know/need, but you might rather focus your time on hormone imbalances, cycle charting, regulating cycles, reproductive health conditions, healthy living, available resources, and how I can best support the other individuals who are involved in your journey, etc…
Here is a brief overview to give you an idea of the types of services I can provide, but my services are dictated by my clients in consultation with them. These services are à-la-carte, i.e. a fertility session could be swapped for a yoga session, etc…We can tailor/modify these to meet your needs.
Services by the hour:
I can also customize a monthly package for you if you are looking for a combination of services.
$225
1 or 2 90min after treatment visits to discuss treatment, lend emotional support, any other post medical treatment wound care / recovery support, information, or care/help as needed.
Many of you may have noticed that I have me M.I.A. If you read my July blog post We’re on the Move Again|Moving with the Tides to Halifax then you know that we’ve left Toronto behind for another adventure–we’re heading back to the east coast and to my home province this time: Nova Scotia. I haven’t lived in Nova Scotia since I graduated high school some 15 years ago and I’m ecstatic to make Nova Scotia my home once again. We are moving to our FOURTH city in less than 12 months and with this new transition, I have been consumed with the move and all that it involves as you would expect, especially when relocating to a new province. Although I am not actively posting here on the blog, I am regularly posting on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest . If you want to stay up to date with what’s going on in my life reach out to me on social media as I would love to hear from you. Continue reading
My mother recently shared a saying with me she saw online (even before we heard the news): “Advice from the ocean: be SHORE of yourself, come out of your SHELL, take time to COAST, avoid PIER pressure, SEA life’s beauty, don’t get TIDE down, MAKE WAVES “, and it couldn’t be more true! We are coasting, seeing life’s beauty, and making waves along the way! Looks like we are meant be living back on the OCEAN. Well, as you probably expected, we are on the move again! Surprised? I’m not! I’m moving to my fourth city in under 12 months. The joys of being a pilot wife; everyday is an adventure! We have been transferred to…
If you’ve been following my social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest) then you may have noticed the pictures I posted doing yoga poses all over the Maritimes and northern Ontario this fall. With fall in full swing, I’m preparing for the winter to come. My 10 days of yoga challenge helped me to calm the mind, relax the body, and warm the heart in preparation for the coming winter season. From flying as far north to the Hudson Bay or walking along the Atlantic Ocean in Nova Scotia, my fall season brought me to incredible places in eastern Canada and in Ontario’s northern region. What are your favourite fall memories?
Yesterday’s, guess this turquoise gem is none other than…Carter’s Beach in Port Mouton, Nova Scotia, Canada! Would you have expected this turquoise gem to be located in Canada? Let alone Nova Scotia? It’s not only the Caribbean and tropical destinations that have fine white sandy beaches. Yet this white sand beach is lined by evergreens, not palm trees. The water may be colder up here in the Atlantic Ocean, but this particular beach is still pretty TURQUOISE. Continue reading