experiences

It was long before I was married that I decided I wanted a doula for my birth. 
And it was before I got pregnant that I found Corinne. 
Our pathes crossed in a yoga class, and I knew she was the one.
When I did become pregnant, we of course selected Corinne. 
 
I Loved being pregnant.
I took good care of myself and my body. 
When I became apprehensive, my husband would suggest I call her.
After talking to Corinne, I always felt better.
I took Corinne's prenatal yoga class.
Every week she shared with me in the miracle of my growing belly.
Every week I was so glad we picked her. 
I was so glad she would be with us for delivery.
 
My husband thoroughly appreciated the addition of a great doula to the birth process. 
Corinne answered his questions about the birth experience. 
She provided information from a non-medical and more emotional point of view. 
I was scared and my husband didn't want to leave me.
It was great to have someone we both trusted to stay with me, while my husband updated the family in the waiting room. 
Someone who knew and understood our birth plan, and helped us to follow it as much as possible.
 
My birth did not go as planned.
My body rushed me through labor faster than I thought was even possible.
Corinne arrived as quick as she could, just in time for me to push. 
She filled the delivery room with calm and joy and encouragement.
Corinne was as supportive as I expected, and so excited when our daughter was born.
It was as if she were a sister of mine. 
 
Giving birth is a miracle I am fortunate to have experienced.
I am so glad Corinne was there to share it with my husband and I.
She was a blessing to us both.
I cannot imagine another birth without Corinne there.
Next time SHE will be my epidural.

Love

- Jen & Nick

We had the pleasure of having Corinne as a doula for the birth of our first baby girl.  We met over cinnamon buns and coffee and connected right away with Corinne’s pleasant, outgoing personality and had lots to talk about.  We decided then to include her in our birth team as we were having a hospital birth and wanted an experienced mother and watchful eye over the whole experience.  When labour came around Corinne was able to help identify the cause of a long labour and helped in coping with the hours that ensued.  She met us at the hospital and was able to help guide us to making good decisions, having the most fulfilling experience possible.   Having Corinne with us allowed each of us to focus on the job of having a baby while she kept a watchful eye on the activities around us.  By knowing the process and talking us through it she helped us to fulfill a safe, healthy birth (catching a blood clot that neither I nor the nurse noticed).   I would highly recommend the experience to anyone awaiting the arrival of their bundle of joy.  Corinne is a fabulous communicator and a calm, friendly support in a time of so much activity.  And she’s really good at catching things before they happen, “Aaron would you like to cut the umbilical cord” before the doctor does it first ;)

- Roz, Aaron, and Briley

We would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your energy, guidance and support during the birth of our son.  With your support, we were able to enjoy a truly beautiful birth experience and were blessed with a healthy and happy baby boy.  We will be forever grateful to you for helping us achieve the natural birth experience we desired. 

From the moment we first met, I immediately felt that having you as our birth Doula would be a right fit.  It was both your energy and your skill set that allowed me to know you were the individual we wanted to have share this most joyous occasion in our lives.  You brought the most wonderful, peaceful and focused energy to our birth experience both leading up to and during the delivery of our son.  Having you to call on in the days preceeding his birth was of great help and importance.  And, when you joined us at the hospital, as soon as you entered the birthing room, we felt more supported, more confident and more relaxed.  Your voice, guidance and touch immediately changed my breathing, which had been short and tense up to that point.  It was incredible how quickly our energy changed just by having you in the room with us.  There are no words to describe how incredible and powerful it was to have the support of another woman and mother by our side as we gave birth to our precious children. 

We are now the proud parents of two beautiful children who were both brought into the world with the love and support of a birth Doula.  Should we decide to have more children we would definitely want to have you there with us again to share in our miracle.  We said this after the birth of our first child and will say it again with even more passion - We will never give birth without the support of a birth doula! 

You were incredible and we would gladly recommend you and your services to anyone having a child.

Thanks again for the most amazing birth experience and for sharing in our miracle!  You will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

Your Friends,

Julie, Andrew, Maya and Jalen

Nothing could have prepared me for the absolute mayhem that the delivery of our baby became. I had no idea what to expect, but I really wasn't that worried because Corinne had this way of assuring us that when it comes down to it, moms know how to give birth and babies know how to be born.

As labor progressed, it became clear just how freaked out I would have been without Corinne there. Micaela was going through more pain than I could ever imagine, and I just felt helpless, like what can I say that will make her calm down, the most I had to complain about was missing out on dinner.

Corinne on the other hand would just tell her firmly, "breathe Micaela, one, two, three, etc." and she would. I would try the exact same thing and she'd ignore me and just scream louder. It also felt really good to have a clear head present for the whole thing, as we went through what felt like a million shift changes, so many different doctors, nurses, med students, we pretty much lost track of all the various people that we had to deal with and all of their different advice and opinions on what to do. It was just unbelievably comforting to have someone there that we could trust, that knew how we felt about the birth process, and could make sure that we didn't get pressured into anything that wasn't absolutely necessary. In short, as the helpless father, it is hard to imagine how I would have dealt with such a difficult situation alone, watching Micaela in such excruciating pain for so long and not being able to do anything about it. Corinne's presence made all the difference.

Warm regards,

Micaela & John

When we were pregnant for the first time with my son Toby we desperately wanted to have a natural experience and thought that we could do it on our own with little professional support.  I had a sense then that a doula would have been helpful for Todd and I but this being our first experience with childbirth we opted out of hiring a doula for Toby's birth.  Toby came into the world happy and healthy but our experience was extremely stressful and highly medically intervened, and this in turn deeply affected my self-confidence and rippled into my relationship with my husband and our new son.  Fast-forward three years and we are expecting again, this time we hired Corinne right at the beginning and the entire pregnancy and birth of our daughter Isabel was what we had dreamed of and more.  Corinne was there to support every decision we made from the start and helped me take some enormous steps towards trusting my body and its ability to birth naturally.  Isabel’s birth was long and hard, but it is the proudest I have ever felt about myself and about my relationship with my husband Todd.   Both Todd and I know that we could not have achieved this without Corinne's un-wavering friendship and support.  If only I had followed my gut the first time when I birthed Toby.  I see now that brining a baby into the world is wholly the mothers job, however if she is not supported on all levels (and often in ways she may not even conceive needing) then this empowering and beautiful experience can easily be stolen from her, even when she is surrounded by the best-intentions.  Corinne you have a gift and I am deeply grateful to you for sharing this gift with me.

All our love,

Jes, Todd, Toby and Isabel

When I became pregnant, I knew almost from the beginning that I wanted to use a doula. Being my first child and not having any close friends or family in the city it seemed to make sense. My husband was a little leery that we were paying someone to replace him. After meeting with Corinne and learning more what her role would be it made perfect sense to him also. I enjoyed talking with her through out my pregnancy and the information she shared with me was priceless. When the big day arrived, we were so glad she was part of our team. Without her, I don't think my husband would've found the birth centre! She was a great support for both of us and made the transition to parenthood that much easier. The phone calls and visit afterwards were such a big help. I wish every woman could have the positive experience that we did. I know that Corinne played a huge part in that. A beacon of support and invaluable resource that every woman should have access to. I recommend her to everyone I know. And am looking forward to my next experience with her.

Love always,

Brandi

“When my wife first told me the she wanted to hire a doula, I was a bit skeptical. I didn't see how having an extra person in the labour room would help, but if she wanted a doula, so be it.  Prior to the birth the main advantage I noticed to having Corinne help us through this process was in the way she listened to and addressed concerns my wife had that I had no experience in.  Her guidance was a great help during the final stages of her pregnancy.  During the labour Corinne was a Godsend.  It was great to have some one there with birthing experience to support us in a non judgmental way through this very challenging time.  My wife's labour was long and I found that it was nice to have someone to stay there with my wife while I went to Tim Hortons for a much needed coffee.  In the end I was glad my wife wanted a doula.  Corinne was a great help in more ways than I could describe.  We will be calling her again in a year or so.”

- Ross K.

“We wanted to have a positive birth experience and Corinne gave us the strength, courage, and ability to do just that. She is not only there for the birthing mother but also for the husband that is unsure of what to do at the moment. She made both of us feel at ease through every stage of labour. It is hard to put into words everything that she did for us but we do not regret for a second having Corinne with us the day our beautiful girl was born. She also wrote a birth story for us, which was great as she got all the details that we forgot during the whole process. Thank you for making our day even more special!”

- Ramona M.

“We want to thank-you for being part of our birth experience.  Your help & support enabled us to have a positive and amazing birth of our first son Ryder-James.  We wanted to have a natural birth and more importantly a delivery that we would have positive memories of.  You helped us get there.”

- Scott & Tanya T.

“Thank you so much for all your support during the birth of our daughter Chloe.  Your words of experience and knowledge, and your reassuring and calming presence allowed me to experience a natural birth in the way that I hoped for and envisioned for myself and my family. You were also able put to rest any anxiety and uncertainty I had about going through with a VBAC.  I hope other moms-to-be get to experience the energy and friendship you offer with your support.”

- Heather O.

“I was so blessed to have Corinne as my doula. She stayed by my side through a long labor, and her support and encouragement helped me stay positive and focused throughout my birthing. I remember feeling so pampered and cared for as Corinne applied counter pressure during my contractions and rubbed my feet in between. I also really appreciated how she created such a soothing environment by lighting candles and playing relaxing music. When my husband was feeling helpless and unsure of himself she encouraged him by showing him things he could do to support me. Corrine was an essential part in making the home birth of our son the most wondrous and beautiful moment of our lives. Thank you again Corrine!”

- Andrea C.

“Corinne was excellent!  She helped relieve the fear I had of child- birth by easing us step by step through my labour.  Corinne was there start to finish and was a reassuring and calming presence!”

- Barb K.

“Thank you for your support, guidance and patience. You made the whole experience more amazing.  I can still remember the sound of your voice and your presence and how much it calmed and encouraged me. I will never forget the birth of Sacha Akhil and you being there through it all, and of course your pre-birth advice was wonderful! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  You are a brilliant doula and I know many other women have felt the same way as I do. YOU ARE THE BEST, could not have done it without you. Lots of hugs!”

- Mona D. & Shawn F