The Planted Doula

09/13/2023

The end of summer is flying by and I am looking ahead for the rest of 2023 and into 2024 for bookings.

I am taking the fall off-call, but am booking births in the new year. In the meantime, I have space for pregnancy-only support, postpartum support, private classes, and more.

In the last few years of my practice, working with families to help them prepare for postpartum and as they enter into the postpartum period has quickly become a particularly joyous part of my work. As I take a little time off-call, I am excited to be able to hone in on postpartum preparation and support. Get in touch if you'd like to work together!

***rdoula

07/10/2023

If you've worked with me you know that I am BIG on preparing for postpartum. Our culture places a lot of emphasis on birth and don't get me wrong, birth prep is important, but birth is temporary while postpartum lasts forever. Here are some of my favourite tips:

⭐ Gather your support team: who can support you emotionally, physically, and educationally? Who do you feel safe being vulnerable with? Who can you share tough feelings with without judgement?

⭐Learn about infant feeding: whatever way you plan to feed your baby, learn as much as you can! If you are planning to bodyfeed, it can help to get clear on why that is important to you, so if it gets difficult you know why you are pushing through.

⭐Explore your parenting values: I like to ask clients-- what parts of how you were parented do you want to taking with you into parenting? What bits do you want to leave behind?

⭐Prepare ways you can care for yourself: whether you are birthing a baby or becoming a parent through another avenue, it is a big transition. How do you need to be cared for?

⭐Invest in communities of care, not material goods: I get it, baby things are really really cute and companies do a heck of a good job at marketing to many things as "must haves." But, really, you don't need all that many physical items to parent. What you do need, is a solid support system that you can rely on. Are there ways you can facilitate this, even if it means sacrificing one of the items on your list?

⭐Learn about safe bedsharing: there remains a lot of stigma in our culture about bedsharing. But, in many places, it doesn't have a name, it is just called sleeping, because it is normal. Even if isn't your intention to exclusively bedshare, please educate yourself on how to do so safely, so if you find yourself in a situation where it is the only way for you to sleep at 4am, you know how to do so safely.

p.s. a postpartum doula is a great asset to help you with everything on this list! Live in Hamilton or the surrounding area? I am currently booking into the fall & winter!

***rdoula ***rfamily

07/08/2023

A little peak into summer 2023 so far! I’ve been busy supporting lots of families postpartum this summer, which, since my practice started, has morphed into one of my very favourite bits of this work. When not with new parents & their babies I’ve been swimming & gardening lots, feeling lucky to have a beach 15 minutes away and our very own garden plot this year. Soaking up every bit of summer- it feels like it’s flying by!

***rdoula

03/08/2023

Spent the last week of February in the desert and it was delightful! Lots of hiking, lounging by the pool (when it wasn't raining) and delicious Mexican food. Feeling lucky to have had a little break from our busy lives before we launch into an even busier stretch of time this spring & summer.

01/28/2023

My kitchen on a sunny morning is quite delightful! Sunny days have been few and far between lately so soaking it up when I can.

***rdoula

11/09/2022

Some of the squishy knits I’ve made lately that form a really sweet fall colour palette. 🍂 Making lots of goodies for others but also hoping that this is the winter I finally get around to making a sweater for myself and not just accessories! The trouble is that socks, hats, mitts, etc. are just SO fast & satisfying to make, as are baby items for the little ones in my life. Current project is a hat to match the mittens I made myself last week ✨

11/07/2022

I have space to teach some private classes this fall/winter! If you are expecting a baby, and you'd like to learn more about what to expect in a friendly, non-judgemental environment, get in touch! My private classes are all 100% curated to your needs- we focus on what is important & interesting to you!

Some perks of a private class are that we get to know each other, meaning I can send you resources & further information that is actually relevant to you. And we can take as much time as needed to ensure all your questions are answered.

From Seed to Sprout uses both evidence based information and experience to help prepare you to welcome your little one. There is a big focus on postpartum- I want you to not only feel prepared for birth, but prepared for the time after that as well.

Visit my story highlight for more information, and get in touch or book a free consultation if you'd like to find out if this class could be a good fit for you. Classes are available online regardless of your location or in home if you are local to me.

***rfamily

10/28/2022

A little peek into my life the past few weeks. They days have been filled with walks with little ones, organizing the house, treats, and enjoying the colourful leaves while they last. That, plus lots of time at the computer working on projects, etc. It's a busy season, and I am looking forward to things (hopefully) starting to settle down a little more now that we've been here in Hamilton for 2 months.

In the meantime, if you're looking for an inclusive & completely customizable childbirth education class, reach out! I've got space for private classes (virtual or irl) between now and then new year, and some space for postpartum clients, too.

***rdoula ***rfamily

10/25/2022

Might be interesting for some folks to participate in!

We are recruiting for a new study!

To participate, please click on the link below, in french or in english.
French: http://ls.sondages.umontreal.ca/263879?lang=fr
English: http://ls.sondages.umontreal.ca/263879?lang=en

For each questionnaire, you could win one of the 10 gift cards of CAN50$.

For any questions, you can write to the email address at the bottom of the poster or contact us through the MOTIF Laboratory page, in a private message.

Your interest in our study is much appreciated.

___________________________________________________

Nous recrutons pour une nouvelle étude!
Pour participer à l’étude, veuillez cliquer sur le lien ci-dessous, dans la langue de votre choix.
français: http://ls.sondages.umontreal.ca/263879?lang=fr
anglais: http://ls.sondages.umontreal.ca/263879?lang=en

Pour chaque questionnaire rempli, vous courez la chance de remporter l’un des 10 certificats cadeaux d’une valeur de 50 $ CAN. Nous vous invitons à partager et à aimer.

Pour toutes questions, vous pouvez écrire à l’adresse courriel se trouvant au bas de l’affiche ou encore écrire en privé à la page du Laboratoire MOTIF.
Nous vous remercions pour votre intérêt envers cette recherche.

10/19/2022

One of the sweet corners of our home ✨

Slowly but surely this space is coming together. The final boxes were unpacked last week, and I finally have a shelf for my apothecary! This room was the hardest to finish because it has many purposes: office, apothecary, pantry, yoga room & probably more. But, it’s feeling more-or-less complete now, minus a few finishing touches (let’s be honest, is any space really ever totally “done”?).

I am so excited about shifting my work to help serve my new community in Hamilton, but admittedly, I am on the edge of burnout. With inflation on the rise and likely soon a recession, and having moved to a city with extremely high cost of living (and lower wages), my work will be taking different shapes in the coming months. It is hard to pursue new exciting ideas (of which I have so many!) when you are struggling to make ends meet. I’ve been feeling a lot of frustration lately at how unfair it can feel to juggle care work that is so needed, but often financially inaccessible, while trying to pay myself enough to avoid burnout and pay my bills. I know I’m not the only one feeling this! Care workers- this work is tough!

Sending my love to all out there who are struggling ♥️

09/27/2022

This workshop is back!! I first offered this at the beginning of the summer, and it has been revamped for the upcoming October date, PLUS we'll be making fire cider together this time around. It brings together three of my big loves: herbs, birthwork & teaching.

My intention with this workshop is to share the knowledge that I've gained about herbs, through personal exploration & formal teachings, and present this in a condensed & accessible format, specifically for birthworkers*. My hope is that you will leave this workshop with some concrete tools that you can apply to your work & life, so that you can use herbs, herbal medicine, and food as medicine to help navigate all that comes up with this work: weird sleeping schedules, eating at odd times of day, immense emotional labour, etc.

This rendition of the workshop will have a special focus on caring for ourselves through the colder months, including supporting our immune systems. We will also be making fire cider together! All attendees will receive an ingredient list one week prior to the workshop.

This workshop will be hosted on Zoom at 7pm EST on October 25th. It will last approximately 2 hours, and there will be time for questions! When you sign up (link in my bio) you will also find there is a way to submit specific questions beforehand. You can expect to leave with some specific remedies, herbal formulations, and herbal & food as medicine recommendations. The workshop will be recorded, but please try and attend live if you are able to!

I will be sharing more about what you can expect in the coming weeks, and I hope to see many of you there! In the meantime, follow the link in my bio to read more about it!

*You don't have to be a birthworker to attend, but it is specifically geared towards birthworkers or folks who work in caring capacities.

***rbirthworker ***rdoula

09/25/2022

The fall equinox was a couple days ago and what better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons than to stock up your home apothecary for the winter! These are some of my favourite items to have on hand as the cooler months approach, to support my body and my immune system.

*The information in these mini plant profiles comes from my personal knowledge, as well as through learning with  (check our their fantastic herbal medicine course!), and books written by  & .

Always do your own research and ideally consult someone knowledgeable in herbal medicine before working with medicinal plants!

*Illustrations from  &

09/16/2022

The face of someone who is officially an Ontario resident and is basically finished all the bureaucratic garbage that comes along with moving!!! License plates, driver's license, healthcare registration are all done. You'd thinking moving from one province to another would be simple, but it is in fact not. Our human created colonial borders truly have so many ways of surveilling us 🙃

ANYWAYS, now that all that is done, I've been trying to make time to really connect to this place; explore the hiking trails nearby, go swimming lots in the lake before it gets too chilly, learn about the history of this place and the land that I'm on, and finally carve out time to work on some offerings and business things that have been put on the back burner for a bit. Moving is a heck of a lot of work!!

p.s. please excuse the dirty mirror, I cleaned it right after taking this photo

***rdoula

09/05/2022

Summer 2022 in Montreal was a summer of tomatoes & calendula, mostly ✨

Today it’s starting to feel like autumn so of course I’m reminiscing about the summer harvests and also looking forward to our garden in this new place next year!! We’ve got some garden beds out back which need some TLC and I’m excited to see what will do well here.

08/29/2022

It’s been just a week since my partner and I packed up and made the move from Montreal to Hamilton feels like it was yesterday!

We’re slowly settling in here, piece by piece. Moving (and all transitions) feel so weird and sad and unsettling and happy all at the same time. Reminding myself that there is never any right way to feel! Currently missing our dreamy Montreal apartment — here are some of my favourite photos of our Montreal home 💗

I’ll be back with birthwork content soon, once my office space is all set up ✨

***rdoula

08/10/2022

I am really excited to be bringing this class back! Join me starting on September 10th for four consecutive mornings to learn together about all things pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and more.

This class is taught by myself, a q***r non-binary full spectrum doula & educator. This class is packed with information to help you make the best decisions for you and your family, and to know what to expect, no matter if you're having your baby at home, in the hospital, or in a birth centre. There is a strong emphasis on preparing for postpartum in this class. Birth is just a moment, but postpartum lasts forever. I want to ensure that you feel ready to care for your baby and yourselves as you transition into parenthood.

In addition to the live classes, you get access to:
- A 60+ page PDF course manual packed with information.
- Access to your teacher (me!) via email and text for any questions and concerns that come up.
- An exclusive discount on my doula services (virtual or in-person) and an optional 1-2-1 planning session as an add-on.
- Journal prompts & "homework" to keep you engaged between classes (optional).

Questions? Don't hesitate to get in touch. Or, visit the link in my bio to book your space now. Spaces are limited in order to keep the group small.

***rdoula ***rfamily ***rparents

08/03/2022

The move to Hamilton is coming up in just over two weeks! I’m happy to say that I am now accepting clients in Hamilton and the surrounding areas. For birth clients, I am accepting folks with due dates mid-September onwards, and for everything else (postpartum doula support, in-person abortion support, in-person classes, lactation & feeding support) I am accepting clients as of September 1st.

Get in touch if you’d like to connect!

***rdoula ***rhamilton

08/03/2022

Happy world bodyfeeding week! Before I get into it, yes, I will be using bodyfeeding and not breastfeeding, because it is a wonderful umbrella term to encompass the experiences of a multitude of people who use their bodies to feed their babies, whereas not everyone identifies with the term breastfeeding.

It is amazing that we are able to feed and nourish whole humans with our bodies. It's really really cool! Another thing that is really cool is the plethora of options that we have to choose from when it comes to feeding babies! You do not need to make just one choice! You can change your mind! You can do a combination!

Nowadays, there is a lot of pressure when it comes to feeding babies (not to mention all the other things that go along with parenting) and it can feel like you should make a certain choice. But guess what? The only choice that matters is what's best for you and your family. You do not need to justify it. I work with new parents every day, and everyday I see how empowering it is for them when they feel supported in making the choice that feels best for them, even if it isn't the same choice they initially made or thought they would make. And that is all I wish for all parents during this world bodyfeeding week, and every week.

***rdoula ***rfamily