Birth Support
As a doula + birth keeper, I offer you evidence-informed support, a wealth of traditional wisdom and practices, and over fifteen years of experience.
My feelings about and commitment to the power, potential, and vulnerability of birth are strong, and I work best with people whose feelings are just as strong. I believe in your body’s natural ability to birth, and in your sovereignty to make decisions about this incredibly sacred time in your life. Most of my clients are planning home births, free births, or radically autonomous hospital births.
With my background as a coach and my training in herbal medicine and traditional postpartum healing modalities, one of my greatest strengths is my ability to also help you prepare holistically, emotionally and mentally for birth and matrescence, the transition into motherhood. I always endeavour to invite my clients to dive deeper into the conversations that no one else is having with them as I support them to navigate this radical transformation in their lives.
“Jessie held me through my pregnancy and childbirth – a birth which I did at home without medical presence. She’s gifted at giving women the space to know what is right for them and then supporting bringing that knowledge and hope into reality. I look back on the birth of my son as one of the best days of my life and Jessie was a big part of that.”
“Jessie has supported me through the birth of both of my daughters, and for that, I will always be grateful. From the very beginning of working with Jessie, I felt seen and heard in a way that made me feel supported and at ease. Jessie helped me navigate the complexities of the medical system when I couldn’t access midwife-assisted homebirth for my first pregnancy and then helped me to decide between midwife-assisted homebirth versus freebirth when I was choosing how to birth the second time around. Each time, she held space for my concerns and made sure that I knew my options. She goes far beyond explaining how birth works, but delves deeper into discussing how you actually want to feel throughout the entire birth and postpartum transition.”
Your complete birth support package includes…
> 1 complementary half-hour consultation: your chance to interview me and ensure I’m the right support for you.
> 2-3 prenatal meetings during which you and your chosen support person will learn more about labour and birth, talk about fears and expectations, discuss evidence-based care options, explore comfort measures for birth, create a birth intentions document, and chat about breastfeeding and the postpartum period.
> Continuous support for labour and birth, including on-call text, phone and in-person support, as needed, from two weeks before your due date until your baby arrives.
> Reliable back-up support team for your labour, meaning that a doula or birth keeper with a similar philosophy and experience level will also be on-call in case I am ill or other extenuating circumstances prevent me from attending your birth.
> 2-3 post-natal visits to integrate your birth experience, to provide support with breastfeeding and transitioning to parenthood, as well as ongoing postnatal phone and text support. If you choose, I can perform a traditional closing of the bones ritual during your first postpartum weeks to help you physically and emotionally integrate the experience of pregnancy and labour. In addition, I offer all clients a complimentary birth story integration and healing session anytime during their first postpartum year.
> Other bonuses, including discounts on my retreats and programs!
“I am still overwhelmed with the support you have provided to me. Your ability to put in information and support at the exact time needed or at time, simply your presence in the room built my confidence that all was going to be ok. I can’t say thank-you enough for your support exactly where it needed to be for me! Please never stop doing what you are doing. Many moms out there need you!”
“I wanted to have someone with me who strongly believed in the power of a birthing woman. In the months leading up to my birth, Jessie was an excellent source of information as we prepared to meet our baby. Knowing that she was there with us every step of the way was so reassuring, not just to me, but to my partner as well. During the birth, Jessie’s presence was calming, and she seemed to know exactly when I needed encouragement. Jessie helped give me the confidence to advocate for myself. We felt lucky to have her as our doula.”
“Jessie was wonderful to work with. She provided me and my partner with lots of valuable information so that we could make the best decision for me and our baby. We chose to have an autonomous birth because that felt most aligned with the experience we wanted. I feel very fortunate and grateful for the birth experience we had. It was simple, relaxed and intuitive. Jessie really helped me get clear on what I wanted and I felt very supported by her every step of the way.”
Your investment
$1850
(includes all taxes, mileage and parking)
a $400 deposit is due to secure my support for your birth month
payment plans absolutely available
“For the birth of my second baby, I was looking for support to have a VBAC instead of a repeat cesarean. I’m really not sure how I would have done it without Jessie! I appreciated her gentle support and guidance. I was so glad to have her there to help me stick to my birth plan as much as possible and to offer up suggestions. When the intensity got to be more than what I was expecting it was especially helpful to me to have Jessie’s support.”
“In those many moments of uncertainty in the first few weeks, Jessie was my go-to. A doula, a lactation educator, and a mama of two, I felt comfortable asking for her help and felt good about the information she gave me. I had so many questions about everything and Jessie was helpful with all of them!”
“Our experience was overwhelmingly positive. We fully trusted Jessie and valued her support and we always looked forward to our prenatal meetings. My husband called Jessie during my early labour – he needed to hear her voice and be reminded of what he could do to support me. When she arrived, it felt like Jessie was meant to be there – a natural, comforting presence the whole way through. She encouraged me to move! She locked eyes and moaned with me! She made me feel like a hero! This support Jessie provided was critical for us.”
More About Me
I have been serving the Halifax, Nova Scotia community as a doula + birth keeper for over fifteen years. I was a long-time DONA-Certified Birth Doula and a Breastfeeding Educator (I have recently released my professional affiliations). I am a Sacred Pregnancy Instructor, and have additional birth-focused education in herbal medicine and traditional postpartum practices. I have also trained in the art of birth story healing and integration, and I am a passionate Spinning Babies practitioner. In addition to providing birth support, I am very active in the Halifax doula community, having acted as the Director of Education for the Nova Scotia Doula Association for two years, and as a volunteer doula with the Halifax Volunteer Doula Program, most recently acting in the capacity of Coordinator of this Program for a one year term.
I am also a certified professional life coach from the Centre for Applied Neuroscience and the Centre for Narrative Coaching and Design. I use my coaching background to support women through the life transformation that motherhood represents. I have my Level II Reiki certification, 200HR YTT, and am an Infant Massage Instructor, and bring those aspects of my skill set to birth as well.
Perhaps most importantly, I am the mother of two beautiful children, each birthed powerfully in their own way.
Let’s get in touch!
Use the contact form to set up your complementary consultation session, or to ask any questions you may have!
“There are no two ways about it: a mother must be mothered in mothering her own offspring. Though a woman has an inalienable spiritual and physical bond with her offspring, in the world of the instinctual Wild Woman, she does not just suddenly become a fully formed temporal mother all by herself…for eons this role was served by the older women of the tribe or village. These human “goddess mothers” constituted an essential female-to-female nutritional system that nourished the young mothers in particular, teaching them how to nourish the psyches and souls of their young in return”