Birth support every step of the way

The moment your baby transitions earthside and you transition into a parent is powerful and transformative experience that deserves to be treated with reverence. As a certified birth doula, it's my goal to help you achieve a birth that fills you with hope for who your little one will become one day; a birth that brings you confidence that you will be an amazing parent; a birth that you will look back on with joy, not fear.

Sasha's calm energy, encouraging words, and abundance of knowledge about labour positions, breathing techniques and hospital protocols, provided both my wife and I such reassurance and helped put me in the right mindset for labour… Definitely one of the biggest contributions to our positive birthing experience at Grand River Hospital! We were in such good hands and I would highly recommend Sasha to anyone looking for a birth doula!

- Bonnie

The Process

During Pregnancy

  • Initial consultation to ensure compatibility

  • Unlimited email, text, or phone support for questions, worries, etc.

  • 2 - 4 prenatal meetings during which we will:

    • Discuss how your pregnancy is going and your birth fears

    • Review the stages of labour and the pros and cons of medical interventions, focusing on information not often covered in childbirth classes

    • Talk about your intended birth location

    • Create a birth plan, starting with visualizing how you want to feel during your birth

    • Identify and practice coping strategies and positions for labour and birth

    • Discuss infant care, sleep, and feeding including breastfeeding/chestfeeding, formula feeding, and pumping

At Birth

  • On call 24/7 starting when you are 37 weeks gestation

  • As soon as you ask, I will come to wherever you are to begin in-person support

  • I provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support for you and your partner throughout your labour

  • I will stay with you 2 - 3 hours after delivery to establish your first feed with baby

Postpartum

  • 1 - 3 postpartum meetings of 2-3 hours during which we will:

    • Discuss your birth experience, how the first few days with your baby have been, and where you might need more support

    • Discuss any feelings of depression or anxiety and recommend strategies for coping with the newborn stress or additional counselling if necessary

    • Continue with support for your feeding relationship and answer any questions or concerns you may have relating to breastfeeding/chestfeeding

    • Give time for both parents to rest and take care of themselves knowing your baby is safe

Pricing

Sasha is currently working on co-founding Willow River Doula Collective!

All inquires for 2025 will be given information on Willow River Doula Collective and our new shared care model that will bring families better birth experiences and a wider range of support.

Birth packages offered by the collective starting at $1,800!

  • Includes 2 prenatal meetings in your home, continuous in-person support during your birth, and one virtual postpartum meeting.

  • Includes 2 prenatal meetings in your home, continuous in-person support during your birth, and one postpartum visit in your home.

  • Includes 3 prenatal meetings in your home, continuous in-person support during your birth, and 3 postpartum meetings in your home.

Packages are paid in 2 -4 installments.

I offer a few reduced fee / pro-bono births each year for low-income families who are in need. Please email me at sashasiminedoula@gmail.com to inquire about pricing options.

I'm pro-science, and the science is pro-doula!

 

Doulas provide important support methods that are not taught to nurses and midwives such as mirroring emotions and reframing the situation (Gililand, 2011). These methods improve coping during labour and help birthing people feel in control of what is happening in their labour, even when it's not the outcome they hoped for.

Studies have shown that continuous support by a doula is even better at decreasing caesarean rates than continuous support by an employee of the hospital, such as a nurse. Doula support also decreases the likelihood of assisted vaginal delivery, decreases the length of labour, and increases infant Apgar scores (Bohren et al., 2017).

FAQs

  • A birth doula is a professional birth worker trained to provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support and comfort to parents during childbirth.

  • A doula is trained to provide emotional support and physical comfort measures during your birth, and does not have any medical responsibilities. A midwife is trained to do medical procedures, deliver the baby, and is in charge of the well-being of mother and baby. A doula focuses on preparing your for birth during prenatal visits and helping you cope through your labour, while a midwife has medical duties to attend to such as charting, assessing fetal heart rate, and checking your blood pressure. Often a doula arrives to start helping during early labour, whereas a midwife usually only arrives once active labour has begun.

  • You can hire a doula at any point in your pregnancy. However, it is recommended that you begin interviewing doulas during your second trimester. This way there is plenty of time to get to know your doula and develop a bond of trust, as well as have your prenatal meetings by 37 weeks in case you go into labour early.

  • Absolutely! Doulas do not want to replace your primary partner. Instead, we want to support the bond between you two during your birth. Having a doula can take the pressure off your partner to be the perfectly knowledgeable labour coach and allow them to help you in the ways only they know how. As your doula I can suggest coping strategies that you both may have forgotten, remind your partner to eat and drink, and reassure you both that everything is progressing normally.

  • Yes! A doula can be a vital support for a single parent because birth is not something anyone should experience alone. As your primary support person, I’ll probably want to spend a bit more time getting to know you prior to your birth. I want you to feel safe with me and know that you can rely on me 100%. We’ll also spend a lot of time building a solid postpartum plan to make sure you have all the support you’ll need in place after your brirth.

  • As your doula I support your birth plan 100%. If you know that you'll want an epidural once you're in the hospital, I will provide physical and emotional support during early labour at your home. It's important to have a plan for natural pain relief in case there is a wait for the anesthesiologist. Once the epidural has begun I'll offer suggestions to help keep labour progressing and to get baby in the optimal position for pushing. I will also work to keep your spirits up and support your natural hormone cascade that will soon help you bond with your baby.

  • If you require an emergency Cesarean delivery, only one support person is allowed in the operating room. If I’m not allowed in the OR, I will wait at the hospital and meet you in your recovery room. If you require a scheduled Cesarean, I will add 1 session of postpartum support at no extra charge.