About Me

My name is Vanessa and I’m a bereavement doula.  There are a variety of reactions I get when I tell people about what I do – most are curious - intrigued even, many are sad, a few are at a loss as to why I’d choose this as a career.  The thing is, it’s not a career for me – it’s very much a calling.  I want families to be loved, supported and honoured during the most heart-breaking time of their lives.  There are many studies which show the benefit of having doula present during the birth of a baby – isn’t this so much more important during a loss?

 

So here I find myself, meeting you on what is possibly the worst day of your life.  It’s a privilege to be invited into this extremely sacred space to help you meet and say goodbye to your baby in the same moment. 

 

I will provide you with non-medical support, free from judgement or personal expectations, in all types of loss of a wanted pregnancy, whether it be an unexpected loss, a termination due to a fatal diagnosis or a decision to continue on the journey of the pregnancy till it’s own natural conclusion. Depending on your preferences, I'm able to provide support to you in a doula capacity throughout the remainder of your pregnancy, support during the birth of your baby, and provide post-natal visits to check in on you.

Being creatively inclined, I'm continually striving to expand what I'm able to offer loss parents in the way of mementos and my current offering consists of maternity photographs, belly casts, photographs during the birth of baby, photographs of baby both alone and with family after their birth, hand and foot prints, clay imprints and 3D plaster casts of baby's hand and/or feet.