Birth + postpartum doula
Hi! I’m Chelsea, and I’m a bit obsessed with plants—the flowers growing in my front beds, the strawberries my little one eats straight from the garden (dirt and all), the 25 (at last count!) houseplants in my home, and the beans and greens on my plate. On any given day, I’m likely to be found reading about plants, tending plants, or cooking up plants for dinner.
I also love exploring the outside world with my toddler, walking with my wildly energetic pup, Ember, playing board games with my spouse (have you tried Harmonies?! so pretty and so fun), practicing yoga . . .or maybe watching re-runs of Bridgerton and Grey’s Anatomy, because everyone needs a guilty pleasure, right? 😉
Before I became a doula, I was an academic. I spent years mostly in my head. I love to think and learn and solve a good puzzle. But something was missing, and eventually my academic work pulled me towards the thing I’d been longing for: the body. I started to study and write about the body, its interconnectedness with nature and its rites of passage. I came to learn that moving from my head into my body—living an embodied life—was what had been missing for so long.
I experienced this embodied-ness firsthand in the days leading up to the birth of my son, when I came home to myself and my intuition in a way that I hadn’t experienced before. I just knew what would be good and right for us. Pairing that with a care team that upheld my autonomy meant that preparing for and giving birth were empowering experiences that I could hold onto when my postpartum journey got rocky. I bring this experience to my work as a doula because my intuition showed me that only YOU can experience that sense of rightness for your body and your baby (just like only I could experience it for mine).
For me, doula work is embodied work. Birth is embodied business—and so is chest feeding, co-regulating, and nurturing an infant. I love this part of being a doula, and of being alive, because bodies, ALL bodies, are amazing and beautiful and worthy of care.
As your doula, I’m committed to your autonomy, your right to choose, and your powerful parent-intuition. I’m committed to slowing down, listening closely, touching gently (with permission), and breathing deeply as I help nurture you so that you can nurture the new little human you’re about to welcome earthside. And I’m committed to honouring your birth and your transition into parenthood for what they are: sacred experiences that shape the rest of your life.
I’d love to be a part of your team, to learn and grow with you, and help you welcome your little one to this wild and beautiful world we share. You can work with me by booking Don’t Worry About a Thing! or Struggle Be Gone.
