Chromatic Care: Holistic Doula

02/02/2024

09/14/2023

Great for any of the new families you know

09/10/2023

08/30/2023

Check out what the agency I work with has on the go!

With fall planning in full force, we wanted to share some of our upcoming events:
→ Doing it for the Dads, September 16th
→ Prenatal in a Day, September 24th
→ North Shore Prenatal in a Day, October 21st

Link in bio to get your tickets! We hope to see you there!

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08/08/2023

A great prep for anyone interested in bodyfeeding!

By donation breast/bodyfeeding class at bellies community in Pitt Meadows. Taught by Katy of Simply Nourish

More information and registration at
https://www.belliescommunity.com/breastfeeding-prep-class.html

08/08/2023

A major pillar of postpartum recovery is food and nourishment. The way you birth and feed your baby will impact how you eat for the first few weeks – this may mean you will eat on the fly and in settings you don’t usually eat in. For example, c-sections require you to be comfortable, which may not look like sitting and eating at a dining table – or as a nursing parent you may be required to eat around your babies’ schedule or while feeding them, which may lend to a focus on snack plates and handheld foods.

Here are some things to consider when seeking support around feeding yourself:

→ Would you like others to cook for you? If so, what food brings you joy, what food can be frozen easily, and what food can you eat repeatedly?
→ You can organize your food needs into categories, like snacks/handhelds/sweet treats/meals/breakfasts
→ What are the ingredients you love having on hand and find your family runs through often? These are just as handy as premade meals – and sometimes easier for folks to grab for you as well! Having a shareable running grocery list is very handy so that folks can run out and get you things as you need them, without much effort or needing to spend precious time compiling a list on the fly
→ Having fancy ingredients is also nice, for folks who can’t cook but want to bring you something special! Like that loaf of bread from the bakery, treats from your favourite coffee shops, or frozen meals from the trendy commissary kitchen
→ How would you like the food to get to you? Would you like a social moment/visit as folks drop it off, or would you rather have a cooler for folks to drop and go? You can always have a cooler, and then you can choose when to socialize with people, instead of feeling obligated to every time someone drops off food (which could be 2 - 3x times a day)

Learn more about postpartum recovery food in our course Postpartum and the 4th Trimester.

Links in bio for more!

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06/22/2023

This month is the National Indigenous History Month, and what better time to make folks aware of the Doulas for Aboriginal Families Grant Program.

https://bcaafc.com/dafgp/

DAFGP provides up to $1200 for BOTH birth and postpartum care to any that identify as indigenous and are starting a family. This does not have to be the birthing person applying, but can also be the partner. It is also not required that you are status carrying.

If you know someone Indigenous looking for doula support, please tell them about this great program.

I am pre-approved as a DAFGP doula and will help my clients fill out all application forms. We do not get paid until AFTER services are rendered and sent in to the program. This means there is very little risk to the family, and SO MUCH they can gain.

© 2023 All content is the property of the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres. All rights reserved. Website created by Ursa Creative | Admin

06/22/2023

Hello all!

Folks facing barriers to afford a doula (as we are NOT MSP funded or covered by any insurance) can apply for volunteer doulas to give them the love, support and everything else they need to get the best start with their little ones.

At this point we are both lacking enough volunteers to reasonably attend all the referrals we get, and we are also lacking in any funds to provide stipends for those who do volunteer.

Stipends help us volunteers cover travel expenses to and from clients and births, food at the hospital for extended births (I was there for 16 hours last time), childcare for those of us with children and so much more. It's by no means lucrative - volunteer is still the expectation, but by receiving a stipend we are more easily able to provide this level of support.

For reference for those not in the industry, a birth doula typically provides:
1 consult (30min to an hour)
2 prenatals (1-3hrs)
Continuous labour and birth support (we show up when you ask us to - not when the hospital says you're ready)
Post birth care (1-2 hrs to help assist in those first feeding, testing, stitching and recovery moments)
And a postnatal debrief to see how things are going, connect them with continuing care (1-2hrs)

My last labour was 16hrs, just in the hospital. All tolled a labour doula spends up to 8 hrs in pre and postnatal meetings on top of however long the birth goes.

Postnatal care includes a consult and 12 hours of often overnight care, to be arranged at the family's need.

I offer my services at a sliding scale, equitable trade and/or payment plans for those who can afford any amount, but typical doula services for birth are between $900-$1500 and most postpartum doulas charge between $25 and $35 per hour (day and night rates) for postpartum care.

SO. How can you help?

You can donate directly to the volunteer doula fund, and know that you are providing a coffee, meal, gas, a babysitter, lost regular wages and more to critical volunteers working in potentially traumatic situations.

By donating you allow us to do more, burn out less, and provide what I see as crucial care to those who likely need it most.

https://www.bcdoulas.org/doulafund.html

The Doula Services Association of BC is 100% volunteer run and managed by a great team of a variety of birth workers. We all do this because we KNOW that having an impartial, compassionate, knowledgeable person beside you in this time can help you advocate for yourself, experience less pain and trauma, and set up birth parents for the best '4th trimester' possible.

Thank you for reading, and supporting this practice. Until Canada brings in legislation, we are a private service and that makes us hard to access by those who need us most.

The Doula Fund - Providing Doula Support for Families in Need in British Columbia

05/14/2023

Happy Mother's Day.

To the bonus moms, the siblings parenting, the moms of angels and the moms with a baby on this earth.

Remember the moms whose nests are empty, the ones who are raising their grandbabies, the ones who chose pets over babies, the ones who can't bear children.

Remember those who would desperately love to be a mom, but haven't had the chance.

Remember the moms who are adopting, fostering, aborting and grieving.

Remember those who don't identify as mom, or dad, and are parenting the best they can.

Not every Mother's day is happy for all. Some of us are far away from our mothers or don't have one to celebrate. Some have lost their Mother, some never had one.

So Happy Mother's day, to those who are celebrating. To those who are not, we honor you too.

03/22/2023

I'm passionate about safety, which is why I am happy to announce completion of the BCAA Child Passenger Safety Educator II course.

As your Doula, and a CPS educator, I can help ensure you are following best practices and not just the law when it comes to your carseats!

Message me to book a 1:1 seat check and education session.

*All Labour/Birth clients and Postpartum clients can ask for carseat education at any time.

https://www.bcaa.com/community/child-car-seat-safety

02/21/2023

https://youtube.com/shorts/Sy6u8JKyjXI?feature=share

Normalize every birth!

Had to make a Part 2!Dr. Socko Pregnant Mom Socks AVAILABLE NOW at www.drsocko.comhttps://linktr.ee/steveioeBuy Dr. Socko hospital grip socks: https://drsock...

02/21/2023

https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/reclaiming-body-sovereignty

I hope she has a beautiful birth in her community 💜

Many years ago, birthing centres across B.C. moved to larger towns and cities in an effort to centralize care. Now in Bella Bella, a Haíɫzaqv woman is planning the first birth in her home territory in 21 years.