Absolutely. I have a wonderful working relationship with the local midwifery groups serving Collingwood, Barrie, and Orangeville. While your midwives handle the clinical safety of the birth, I provide the continuous, hands-on massage in labour, emotional grounding, and photography that rounds out your support team.

Absolutely. Many families in Orangeville, Collingwood, and Barrie hire me specifically for "Family-Centered Cesarean" support. I help you navigate the preparation, provide emotional grounding in the operating room (where hospital policy allows), and am there in the postpartum recovery room to facilitate immediate skin-to-skin and the first feeding.

I also offer in-hospital recovery support and newborn care, including hospital night shifts. This allows you to rest and heal while I handle the baby's needs—such as soothing, changing, and assisting with the first few latches—ensuring you aren't navigating those first few vulnerable nights alone in a clinical setting.

Absolutely. As a queer doula, inclusive care is a foundational pillar of my practice. I am an LGBTQ+ affirming doula dedicated to centering queer and trans families throughout the childbearing years. I offer a 10% Community Discount for LGBTQ+ and low-income families to ensure that mindful, expert birth support and professional photography are accessible to those who need it most.

Doula By The Bay primarily services Collingwood, Barrie, Orangeville, and the surrounding Southern Georgian Bay and Dufferin County areas. I am a local specialist for families in Stayner, Thornbury, Wasaga Beach, and Clearview. For overnight postpartum support, I also continue to serve my established client base in Toronto and Etobicoke.

I frequently attend births and provide professional photography at:

• Collingwood General & Marine Hospital

• Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (Barrie)

• Headwaters Health Care Centre (Orangeville)

• Home Births throughout the Georgian Bay and Greater Toronto regions.

My approach is a blend of "high-touch" and "high-mindfulness." With a background as a Childbirth Educator and Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, I don't just provide comfort; I help you understand the physiology of your labour. I use Spinning Babies techniques and Hypnobabies inspired meditations to help baby descend and rotate through the pelvis with each. I incorporate massage in labour to manage the intensity of surges and use yoga-based movement to keep the pelvis mobile. Because I am also a Musician, I can help you curate a "sonogram" of sound—using specific frequencies and rhythms to help your nervous system stay in a state of rest-and-digest rather than fight-or-flight.

Massage in a birthing context is highly targeted and adaptive. I use specific techniques like double hip squeezes, sacral pressure, and counter-pressure to help manage the intensity of surges during an unmedicated birth.

If you choose an epidural, my focus shifts to comfort and wellness while you are resting. I provide leg and foot massage to encourage healthy circulation and ease the heavy sensation that can accompany an epidural—plus, it feels wonderful during a long induction. I also incorporate head and face massage to help release tension in the jaw and forehead, grounding your nervous system and allowing you to remain in a deeply relaxed, meditative state before the pushing stage begins.

Yes. I believe the "Fourth Trimester" requires a slow, nurtured transition. I provide extended postpartum support that spans the first several weeks or months of your baby’s life. This includes my signature overnight doula care (8–12 hour shifts), basic lactation support, and guidance on infant sleep rhythms. My goal is to create a "Safety Nest" around your family, allowing you to recover physically and emotionally while I manage the practicalities of newborn care.

As a certified Childbirth Educator, my goal is to strip away the fear of the unknown. During our prenatal sessions in Collingwood or Barrie, we do a deep dive into the "mechanics" of birth. You will learn the physiology of labour, how to navigate hospital protocols at facilities like RVH or CGMH, and how to advocate for your preferences. Knowledge is a powerful "anchor" that allows you to move from a place of anxiety to a place of empowered participation.

We stay in close contact via phone or text during your early labour phase. Typically, I join you once you have reached "active labour"—when your surges are consistent and you feel the need for hands-on massage, breathing guidance, or physical "anchoring." For families in Southern Georgian Bay, I can meet you at your home first to help with the transition, or I can meet you directly at the hospital (such as CGMH or RVH) once you are admitted.

As an independent doula—rather than a large doula agency—I prioritize a high level of personalized care and availability for every family. To ensure I am present for your journey, I strictly limit my schedule to no more than three births within any given on-call time frame.

Because of this intentional scheduling, it is very unlikely that I would ever need to call upon a back-up due to an overlap; in fact, this has only occurred a few times in my 10-year career. However, for your peace of mind, I do maintain a trusted network of professional back-up doulas in the Collingwood, Barrie, and Orangeville area who share my values in mindfulness and evidence-based care. In the rare event of a true emergency or overlap, a qualified back-up would support you until I am able to arrive, ensuring you are never without the continuous, grounded support you’ve planned for.

Yes, I do. My philosophy at Doula By The Bay is rooted in the belief that every birthing person deserves continuous emotional and physical support, regardless of their chosen birth setting.

However, it is important to understand the specific nature of my role in an unassisted environment:

• Parent-Led Decision: The choice to free birth (birthing without a regulated medical professional such as a Midwife or OBGYN present) must be a decision made solely and completely by the parents. As a doula, I do not encourage or "sell" free birth; rather, I hold space for families who have already arrived at this decision through their own research and intuition.

• Non-Clinical Support: My role remains strictly non-medical. I provide massage in labour, auditory anchoring, and emotional grounding. I do not perform clinical tasks such as cervical exams, fetal heart rate monitoring, or medical diagnosis.

• The "Safety Nest" Philosophy: My presence is meant to be a calm, mindful anchor. We will discuss your "transfer plan" extensively during our prenatal sessions, ensuring that if your rhythm shifts and you feel the need for clinical support at CGMH, RVH, or Headwaters, we can transition smoothly and without judgment.

• Photography & Ritual: Many families choosing an unassisted path value the sacred, quiet nature of the experience. I can provide film-style birth photography and help facilitate rituals like the specialty newborn herbal bath to honor the transition into parenthood in your own space.

Yes. I am a professionally trained waterbirth support person, having completed specialized education through Birthpedia/Waterbirth International. Whether you are planning a full waterbirth or simply wish to use deep-water immersion as a powerful "hydro-endorphin" tool during labour, I provide the expertise and the equipment to make it a seamless, safe, and soulful experience.

What is included in your Birth Pool Rental Kit?

To ensure the highest standards of hygiene and safety for families in Collingwood, Barrie, and Orangeville, I provide comprehensive Birth Pool in a Box Eco kits. My rentals include:

• The Pool: A professional-grade, specialized birthing pool with integrated handles and a cushioned floor.

• Hygiene First: A brand-new, disposable, medical-grade liner for every single client.

• The Full Setup: An electric air pump for quick inflation, a lead-free/non-toxic 25ft food-grade hose, universal tap adapters, and an educational binder with visual affirmations and printed birth preparation activities.

• The Clean-up: A high-speed submersible water pump to drain the pool quietly and efficiently once the "baby bubble" has settled. I also offer homebirth clean-up and pool takedown for an added charge.

• The Aesthetic: Floating thermometers to maintain the ideal water temperature and waterproof twinkle lights to create your "birthing cave."

What are the benefits of birthing in water?

Water is often referred to as the "midwife's epidural" for a reason. Benefits include:

• Buoyancy & Movement: Water allows you to move effortlessly between positions—squatting, kneeling, or side-lying—which helps the baby descend through the pelvis.

• Perineal Elasticity: The warm water helps soften the tissues of the perineum, which can reduce the risk of tearing.

• Nervous System Regulation: Deep immersion lowers adrenaline and encourages the release of oxytocin, helping you stay in a meditative, rhythmic state.

• The "Gentle Transition": For the baby, moving from the amniotic fluid of the womb into the warm water of the pool provides a serene, low-sensory entry into the world.

Can I use the birth pool if I am delivering at a hospital like RVH or HHCC?

While most hospitals in our region (like RVH Barrie or Headwaters) do not currently facilitate the actual birth in the water due to policy, they often support hydrotherapy during labour. If you are birthing at a hospital, we can use their showers or tubs during the "active" phase to help manage surges. My birth pool rentals are exclusively for home birth clients working with midwifery teams in the Southern Georgian Bay and Dufferin County areas.

My opinion is that the best birth is the one where you feel safe, heard, and respected. As a doula, I do not have a "preferred" way for you to give birth. Whether you are planning an unmedicated physiological birth at home or a scheduled induction with an early epidural at RVH or Headwaters, my role remains the same: to be your steady, mindful anchor.

Here is how I approach epidural use in my practice:

• Evidence-Based Information: During our prenatal sessions, we discuss the benefits and the "trade-offs" of an epidural so you can make a choice based on facts, not fear. I want you to understand how it might change your mobility and what tools we can use to keep your labour progressing.

• The "Wait and See" Approach: Many of my clients aim for an unmedicated birth but keep the epidural as a tool in their "back pocket." If you reach a point where you feel your rhythm is breaking and you can no longer find your "centre," an epidural can be a profound tool for rest and restoration.

• Support After the Epidural: If you choose an epidural, my work doesn't stop—it simply shifts. I focus on leg and foot massage for circulation, using the peanut ball for pelvic alignment, and providing head and face massage to keep your upper body relaxed and your mind in a meditative state.

• No Judgment, Only Support: There is no "medal" for a birth without medication, and there is no "failure" in choosing one. My goal is to ensure that whatever path your birth takes, you look back on the experience feeling empowered by the decisions you made.