“Jessica is THE best! She is a wonder woman, and worked her hardest to make sure that we have a safe, secure and positive birth environment…and most importantly she is always on and by your side! My partner and I could not have done it without Jessica – best money you can spend. She is […]

The birth of Fenya is one I will always remember as a doula. The birthing woman and her partner were strong and committed to questioning the status quo and making choices that felt right for them. Here’s an excerpt from their birth story which touches on how I helped them as their doula. (You can read […]

“I truly feel if it wasn’t for Jessica and her ability to help us navigate some really emotional moments, we might not of had the vaginal birth that we intended…Before having our beautiful baby, who is now 7 months old and incredibly healthy, I would have never thought of the inclusion of a doula. I […]

Photo: Apple Blossom Families “This is the moment of earthly bonding. Oxytocin, the hormone of love, runs high…higher than at any other time in labor and the family falls into love with each other. Mother recognizes her child, partner claims his family. The bonding occurs first on psychic and spiritual level, then the mother reaches […]

“Thank you so much for your help and support. Your time, knowledge and presence was very much appreciated! You definitely made labour and delivery manageable, especially keeping me in line with the breathing and giving me back massages. The whole experience is what I would call “epic” and memorable and I’m glad I had you […]

There has been a surprising amount of media attention on birth lately. From a recent article in the Vancouver Sun on B.C.’s maternal health care system, to a Canadian Chiropractor who chose to broadcast her birth live online this week, people have been talking about birth. As a birth doula with Birth Takes a Village, […]

November is Midwifery Month in Vancouver.  Midwifery clinics all over Vancouver are organizing free events to raise awareness about midwifery care, homebirth and  options for pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Here are the Midwifery Month events I’ll be attending.  Join me! Kegels, Bladder Control and Abdominals: What you need to know – Westside Midwives November 7, […]

I’d like to welcome Teresa Butler to our village. Teresa is a  nutrition student at The Institute of Holistic Nutrition here in Vancouver, and will be working with Birth Takes A Village as part of her co-op hour requirements. Teresa’s interest in nutrition grows from a desire to help women have healthy, positive birth experiences. She […]

Home birth really is the simplest way to have a baby. More and more women and families are turning away from the currently-standard hospital birth and back to having their babies at home the way we have for most of history, choosing to go to hospitals and obstetricians only if there is some specific medication […]

Because birth is unpredictable, it is so important to work with a doula who has a solid and reliable back-up system in place. Here’s a testimonial from a client of one of my back-up partners whose birth I attended a few months ago. (Read more about my back-up system): Jessica wasn’t supposed to be at […]

 I am still trying to find the words to describe the event of Jamin’s birth – and not even close to finding a way to say thank you for all you did to support us in those MANY hours! Your intuition, expertise, sincerity, endurance, humor, sensitivity and care far surpassed what we imagined. Your tireless […]

Photo by Carrie Van Snellenberg We hosted our first Prenatal Workshop for Dads this past Sunday, and it was a great success. I’m so thankful to Louise Fenwick, Registered Acupuncturist, for being my partner in teaching these workshops on prenatal preparation. The idea for this workshop stemmed from seeing something missing in typical Vancouver prenatal […]

I was browsing the WHO section on maternal and perinatal health over my morning coffee this morning (just like everyone else does, I’m sure). I stumbled across an article titled “Need to go beyond “essential interventions” for reducing maternal mortality”. The article states “A large WHO multicountry survey examined data from more than 300 000 women […]

“We knew right away Jessica was someone that we wanted to work with. Over the entire pregnancy she was very professional, very warm, and extremely supportive and she made herself available to answer questions and at times put our mind at ease. Over all we can not say enough good things about her and how valuable […]