About Heather
Exhale. You can do this.
Pregnancy can be wonderful, exciting, overwhelming and scary. You want to do everything right — have the healthiest pregnancy possible and be prepared for what lies ahead. I get it. I’ve been there, too. Here’s the thing, as much as you plan and make evidence-based decisions, birth always has a way of bringing surprises (some delightful, some not-so-much). Even for us list-making, meticulous Type-A folks! And guess what? That’s okay and interestingly, it’s where the magic lives.
I want you to know that even if it feels overwhelming right now:
You can do pregnancy and birth in a way that feels safe and right for you — and you can have a birth story you feel good about.
As a doula and birth educator, I help you move through the planned — and the unknown — with clarity, confidence and self-awareness. I help you know what to expect (which includes the unexpected) — and most of all, to know yourself — so that you can enter parenthood supported, empowered, and ready for the journey ahead.
Hello, I’m Heather, a birth doula, childbirth educator, birth story listener, and Evidence Based Birth® Instructor. Here’s how I got here:
I had both of my sons while doing my Ph.D. in Biology at McGill studying cancer proteins. I am a very analytical person, a lifelong learner, a bookworm, a list maker and firmly grounded in Science. So you can imagine my surprise when in the midst of pregnancy I connected with my body and baby in a way that seemed beyond explanation and was dangerously entering into the territory of woo.
Do not get me wrong, I also plunged into the depths of books about birth and hormones but there was a part of me that suddenly saw this whole pregnancy and birth thing as a transformational life experience. And I was right.
The combination of education, connection, and support (hello doula!) were exactly what I needed to help me navigate my transition into motherhood.
Here I am 7 years later, supporting families through their own stories and their own hormone dances. Birth and parenthood can be transformative, sometimes simple, joyous, fraught, calm, gorgeous and wild, and the piece that we all have in common is that we don’t get a preview of what is to come.
In keeping with my scientist self, I support families with information that is rooted in evidence and a good dose of the practical stuff. But I also value the emotional side of pregnancy and birth, and the importance of connection and ritual. Every parent, pregnancy, birth and baby is unique, so it’s also about meeting people where they are and uncovering the strengths and tools they already have.
I have two boys, 5 and 7 years old, who keep my husband and I on our toes. Watching their personalities unfurl and expand is the best part of parenthood. They aren’t kidding when they say that all babies are different. Despite looking like the spitting image of each other, my sons have had their own interests and temperaments since day 1.
My sense of humour is on the British spectrum. Awkward cringey situations? Yes. Satire? Double yes. I love water. Swimming, baths, lakes, oceans, hearing it, being near it, all of it. I have three cats and I joke that I am collecting all of the colours. I love knitting but struggle with starting projects. I have knit the regular things like hats and scarves but I have also knit a praying mantis, eggplant and breast (featured in our classes!).
I am trained as a certified birth doula (2016) and postpartum doula (2017). I am also an Evidence-Based Birth® Instructor (2019) and childbirth educator. I have taken Spinning Babies® training. I am registered with ACNN and maintain up-to-date CPR certification.
I have lots of certifications and experience, but ultimately … You’re the expert in your pregnancy and birth.
My role is to help you keep that power and ensure your journey into parenthood is supported.
Together we’ll figure out what works for you.