2018: Year in Review
2018 was a year of joyous hellos for Five Elements Birth Services. We welcomed Emilie Sanmartin, Stephanie Gould, and Jules Kisiloski-Cope to our team of incredible, heart-centered doulas. Christine Jennings, Peter Jennings, and big sister Hazel welcomed their newest addition, baby Zoe, in March. What a joy to have Zoe as part of our extended Five Elements Birth Services family.
We were honored to host Jill Thompson of Tharseo Counseling and Gio Dolcecore who presented the Gender & Sexual Diversity Workshop for Doulas & Birthworkers. This inclusivity training was near and dear to our hearts and we welcomed the opportunity to meet with fellow doulas and birthworkers to learn how we can better support ALL families.
Our annual Plush Vulva Making was a fun and bawdy afternoon, as always. We also thoroughly enjoyed partnering with Aditi Loveridge Mindfulness Coach and Teacher to host our Afternoon of Holistic Self-care in September. We look forward to reprising both of these events in 2019.
Rachel Parris was excited to attend the inaugural Alberta Association of Midwives’ Midwifery Matters Conference and subsequently wrote a review for the Winter 2019 issue of Birthing Magazine.
Plush Vulvas Galore!
An afternoon of holistic self-care hosted at joy & vitality centre
L-R Lisa Cowdery (with woman with coffee), cristen pascucci (birth monopoly), Hermine Hayes-Klein (human rights in childbirth), and Rachel Parris at the Midwifery Matters Conference
This year, we added breastfeeding support and our Don’t Worry About a Thing! package to our list of services and were pleased to announce our new, more affordable payment plans across the board. We welcomed Dr. Corrine Seeley as a valued new community partner.
We were honored to support over 90 families this year. Whether it was birth or postpartum doula support, Birthing From Within childbirth and parenting preparation classes, birth pool and water birth supplies, FreeMOM TENS rentals, or Baby Buddy Nursing Pillows, we recognize how special a privilege it is to be invited to support you as you welcome your new one earthside.
Thank you so much to each and every one of you who invited us to be a part of your experience.
Your strength, dedication, love, and connection inspire us every day.
Last, but not least, we were excited to launch our new Facebook group for current and past clients, the Five Elements Birth Services Village, as we saw a need amongst our clients for support beyond the first few weeks of postpartum.
What’s next for Five Elements Birth Services?
In two short weeks, we will be celebrating our 5th birthday and we have an incredible giveaway planned. All of the details will be announced on January 14th.
In May, a contingent of Five Elements Birth Services doulas will be attending Flock Yeah! in Vancouver.
We’ve been talking about it for years now and this summer it is finally happening! We will be hosting our first annual customer appreciation picnic for current and former clients.
And of course we will continue to support families as they welcome their little ones earthside.
Want to make sure you’re in the loop in 2019? Sign up for our newsletter and you’ll get to hear all the news first.
We look forward to continuing to grow our community, to getting to know each of you a little better,
and to offering whole-hearted, unconditional support to you during your birthing time.
Wishing everyone a fulfilling and aligned 2019,
Rachel, Christine, and the Five Elements Birth Services team
Five Elements Birth Services - from all of us to all of you: Happy new year! <3 Photo credit: Bethany Galster
