Vancouver, B.C, Canada

Vancouver Home Birth Memories

Grada & Andy

"We were lucky enough to have Debra as our doula for the home births of both our children. It was not easy to decide on a home birth and to be honest we felt judged by a surprising amount of our acquaintances and colleagues, but having an amazingly talented and experienced team around us offered the confidence I needed to make a decision. When we found out I was pregnant I started in the maternity department of our local hospital and we were not happy with our experience. We went to meet with midwives who were referred by a friend and ultimately recommended having a doula and gave us Debra's name. Her vast experience gave me both the comfort and confidence that I needed to commit to having a home birth and give our little one the best beginning and introduction to the world we could imagine. Birthing in the calm and cozy environment of our home was one of our hardest but most rewarding decisions we made in starting our family and Debra led us calmly and patiently from step one. Thank you for everything!"

Peggy & Clay

Water Birth among the tree tops.
 
November 6th at 6:30 am was the dramatic climax to our home birth. Dramatic in that OMG a human baby just came into the world!  Beautiful, warm, Intense, Intimate, raw.  A natural drug free water birth, with a wonderful Doula and a young competent midwife at our side.  My wife, a chemist from France, and I, a marketing manager from Canada, are in our late 30's and were not planning to have children (although the absence of birth control may indicate otherwise). When we came to terms with being pregnant, the first thing I said was “home birth”?  She said “yeah”.  I said “in water?” She said “yeah?”  So we set out to research all we could about these options.  For the full story read here...

Monita & A.J.

"The birth of my child Kali was a beautiful and powerful event in my life. Having Debra as my doula gave me the confidence, knowledge, and support I needed to fully embrace my home birth experience. She listened to my concerns, helped me navigate confusing and conflicting information, and made my partner feel comfortable and confident with assisting me during labour.
​Debra has an infinite well of experience, knowledge, wisdom, and insight about pregnancy, labour, birth, mothering and women. I think every woman, regardless of the type of birth they desire, can benefit from having a doula and I would highly recommend Debra. She is an absolute gem." 
"Doulas are an essential part of any birth plan. Home or hospital it's a must. A Doula gave me peace of mind that the comfort measures are in place. She helped me fulfill the role and my potential as the father during birth. I am thankful Debra was our Doula. Couldn't imagine our experience without her. Thanks" Arron

Alex & Carly

“Having had a previous hospital birth with my eldest son more than 10 years ago, having a home birth was very foreign to me. My partner enlightened me on the whole process and the more I learned the more excited I got. I met with our midwife team and we enrolled in Hypno-babies classes. Then we interviewed a couple of doulas and after we met Debra we knew she aligned with our ethics and vision for our birth plan. Debra met with us several times before the birth to discuss our wishes and share vast knowledge and ideas. She erased all my anxiety towards home birthing so I was able to focus on our baby. When I was uncertain or needing a moment Debra seamlessly stepped in for me or guided me. It honestly felt like she was part of our family.
I am so grateful to have experienced such a beautiful process. Having a home birth made our day so personal, beautiful and incredibly spiritual & empowering and Debra was a huge part of it.”  
Update: In June 2021 Carly and Alex welcomed their daughter into the world in another wonderful home water birth with Debra's support. Their older son was present. Truly a family affair!​

Meredith & Derek

“From the moment we hired Debra we knew we had someone special on our birth team. She shared her knowledge & resources openly and freely, building trust and helping us feel at ease as we got closer to the birth of our first child.
She stayed with us through the night during our most challenging time. She was there, guiding, supporting and encouraging us mentally and emotionally. We were ultimately able to have a natural, home water birth, as we planned. We also hired Debra for postpartum support.  Again, her honesty, experience and heart-felt support were incredibly valuable as we adjusted to life with our son.
Debra joined us again in January this year to welcome our second son into the world. Another wonderful home water birth."

 Catherine & George

“From my research I knew that a home birth, as opposed to a hospital birth, was more likely to be a natural birth with as little intervention as possible. When we went searching for a doula we wanted one with the same philosophy and tons of experience.  Debra was a great fit.  
I wanted a tranquil birth whereby I breathed out my baby. Debra was supportive of this but reminded me to go with the flow when the time comes. This was sound advice as my birth experience was more intense than I had imagined and quicker than my midwife had imagined as well!     
When she arrived I immediately felt reassured. As my body went through a storm of contractions, Debra guided me through, knowing just what to say to help me relax through the process and keep the midwives aware of my quick progress.  I believe my birth experience would not have been the beautiful progression it was without Debra by my side!  I would not hesitate to recommend Debra to any other mothers-to-be!”
Update: Catherine and George welcomed their second addition to the family on March 5, 2019. Another incredibly tranquil, sweet birth. Big Congrats to the whole family!

Yunita & Mark

"Fortunately for my husband and I our first interview for a doula was with Debra. Immediately we knew we found the person we wanted to be with us, when we would bring our first child into the world. And since then, she was also with us to bring in our second son. Knowing that Debra has been passionate about caring for pregnant mothers and loves being at home births was really important to us. Debra's energy is very calming and help set the tone for 2 beautiful water births at home. She was supportive and loving. She coached and guided me through my contractions. She truly embodied what I hoped a perfect doula would be. My births were beautiful, wonderful experiences and she played an important role in creating that."

 Nicole & Ernest

"Expecting our first baby, we reached and interviewed several doulas. I was somewhat worried, as I have back issues, and I was concerned that my back would go out during labour. While most doulas we interviewed were experienced and qualified, we chose Debra.
The depth of her experience was something that gave my husband and myself a lot of comfort, knowing that we were in good hands. I was hoping to start labour at home and then transfer to the hospital to have my baby. Debra, however, recommended that we be open to the possibility of a home birth in the event that labour went really well. Being prepared for a homebirth, would give us added flexibility if we at any point decided to go the hospital, as originally planned. So we decided to plan for a home birth. Best decision we could have made!
A week before our due date my water broke at a restaurant. Our midwife came and decided that it wasn't active labour. We were then on a race against the clock to have active labour start, before medical induction would be recommended (due to prolonged rupture of membranes and possible infection). Debra checked up on us and had us contact an acupuncturist to try to induce naturally. After a one hour session with the acupuncturist, contractions started to pick up again. Through the direction of Debra, who was able to clearly read where I was at, she had my husband help with finishing the setup of the birthing pool. My husband was able to be in the pool with me and we were fortunate to have a completely unmedicated birthing experience. It was wonderful to be able to shower and sleep in my own bed from the very first night.
Needless to say, my back did not go out and we were very happy to have Debra there to support us at every step. She was also able to provide post-partum support when breastfeeding was challenging and also to help me through some of the post-baby blues. We really couldn't have done it without her, and would highly recommend her without reservation.
Having a homebirth was such an intimate and empowering experience. I’m forever grateful that Debra planted that idea in our heads and for all of her help along the way."

Vivian & Cornell

“Seven years ago, when I got pregnant with my daughter, I did not know anyone who had a home birth but I knew I wanted to have my baby at home without knowing why. Things, however, did not go as planned.  There were complications.  I was transferred to the hospital and my daughter was born with more medical interventions than I ever imagined.  I had wanted a peaceful and natural birth for my baby and the birth was far from what my partner and I planned.
A few years later as I was learning about the ideal conditions for a woman to give birth, I came to understand why I had instinctively chosen a home birth.  Emotional safety has always been extremely important to me.  It was news to me that a woman needs to feel safe in her environment and with her care providers in order to labour and birth comfortably.  Otherwise, our bodies tighten and constrict when we are supposed to open to make space for the baby to be born.  Well…I was not entirely comfortable withmy midwife which may have played into why things did not progress smoothly at home.  I became even more uncomfortable when I arrived at the hospital.  While I will never know if I could have avoided the medical interventions all together, I know that my discomfort at the hospital made the birth more difficult.
Armed with all this new understanding, I made very different choices when I got pregnant with my second baby. I shopped around to try to find a midwifery group that I was very comfortable with. I made sure that I found a knowledgeable and supportive doula so that both my partner and I would be well taken care of.  I used acupuncture, Spinning Babies (Debra’s wonderful suggestion) and hypnosis to better prepare myself for this birth.  I am so glad I did all that and I was able to have my baby in the comfort of my own home this time.
Having a home birth and without any medical intervention has made big differences in numerous ways. I was able to go from the birth pool to my couch to my bed.  I didn’t need to put my tiny new born baby into a car seat and drive home!  My daughter was able to be present for the birth of her baby brother.  And I got to feel and experience how miraculous birth really is in ways that were unavailable to me the first time around.  This experience made me feel much more connected to my baby from the beginning.  My baby also got to just lie comfortably on me until he was ready to feed.  He latched on well and has been breastfeeding without any issues.
​Moreover, Debra and the midwives were so efficient that our place was cleaned up within an hour (they even took all the garbage out for us) even though they all brought bags and suitcases full of medical equipment with them.  Thank you Debra for all your support.  Avry’s birth would not be the same without you. “ 

                             Anu & Curtis

"I was 40 when I gave birth. The "system" seems to be designed to scare pregnant ladies over 35. Because of my age, I didn't even think a home birth was possible until my midwife told me it was.  I had been subject to a lot of anxiety during my pregnancy. Hospitals are not happy places for me, and the idea of giving birth at home seemed so much easier logistically, physically, culinarily (that's not a word), mentally and emotionally.
So that's what I aspired for and that's what I did. Although I still had a bag packed and had to be mentally prepared for a change of plans, it happened at home as I had envisioned. I'm so happy for this decision and this outcome. Transition to postpartum care was so smooth. My midwives and Debra supported me throughout and I had full confidence in the medical care I was receiving.
​We are fortunate in that our midwives are well connected to the hospital system, so I knew that if we needed to go, the midwife would arrange this well enough in advance that it wouldn't be an emergency. It is a personal choice, based on one's comfort level and idea of safe space, but we can make that choice ourselves (unless the Universe decides otherwise), regardless of the "system" or random opinions and commentaries that pregnant women tend to be subjected to. We are blessed to have options and home birth is an important one."

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 Laura & Christiane

"My husband and I moved back to Vancouver from Mexico when we were 5 months pregnant. This was a rushed decision and meant that we were without care. We wanted a midwife and a home birth but this was looking impossible since everyone in Vancouver was fully booked. I was trying to accept the idea of a hospital birth with a doctor when we met Debra. She was so supportive of us having our desired home birth and she was able to help us find the best midwife.
In the end we had our home birth and welcomed our beautiful baby into the world.
Debra's ongoing support before and during the labour were amazing. I can't thank her enough for her guidance throughout this wonderful experience.
Update: September 2019 Laura and her husband welcomed their second child into the world with Debra's support."