Our Toronto Birth Doulas and Postpartum Doulas
Our professionally-trained doulas support families in Toronto and the surrounding GTA. Offering various skills sets and experiences, our doulas work directly with you to understand what your personal journey is.
CORINA TUDOR Doula Care Coordinator COrina's BIO
Corina is nurturing and gentle in her approach to care. She is a certified DONA doula, yoga teacher, childbirth educator, and former archaeologist. Her diverse background, including sexual diversity studies and medical anthropology paved the path for her full spectrum doula work and childbirth education.
Corina believes that there are as many ways to start a family and give birth as there are people. Her approach to doula care focuses on holistic, evidence based, and non-judgemental support - focusing on honouring and supporting people's journey. Her style is soft spoken, encouraging, and guiding. Corina is passionate about creating a safe, compassionate, personalized, and loving space for each client's birth and postpartum journey. She uses her training in yoga (including prenatal and trauma informed yoga), childbirth education, acupressure, and medical anthropology to gently guide people through their fertility, pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Corina's main focus to care is compassion and grounding encouragement. After her own birth in May 2020, she found that those two things were most helpful. Credentials:
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GISELLE JOHNSTON Currently on parental leave giselle's BIO
Giselle provides support to birthing people during labour, postpartum families and those experiencing pregnancy & infant loss & termination.
Giselle became a doula because they wanted people to feel safe, validated and well cared for during the unique transitions that one experiences once they become pregnant. Giselle is a lactation counsellor with clinical training (Newman Clinic). They continue to provide in person & virtual care for families through perinatal education, evidence based information, and an attentive ear-free of judgement. Their full spectrum practice is rooted in reproductive justice and anti-oppression. Credentials:
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MARJ WONG Marj's BIO
Marj is a birth and postpartum doula, a yoga / fitness instructor, an essential oil educator, and a mom of two! She is deeply committed to wellness as a holistic lifestyle.
As a DONA certified doula, Marj believes that it is within each birthing person’s innate wisdom and ability to give birth. Further, she believes that birthing should be an empowering experience. Throughout both of her own pregnancies Marj practiced prenatal yoga, and she attributes her own remarkable birth experiences to her yoga practice and the HypnoBirthing method. From motherhood, becoming a birth and postpartum doula was a natural progression for Marj and she quickly found herself fully immersed in supporting clients through pregnancy, labour and beyond. It is in this role where Marj feels her intuition, guidance, and personal experiences to be incredibly supportive and valuable. Marj is a diaper free, breastfeeding, and HypnoBirthing advocate. She is trained in many comfort techniques and keeps her approach educational and informative. With her help, you will gain the confidence to nourish and care for your baby and yourself in the best way possible. Credentials:
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SUKI GAETZ SUKI's BIO
Suki has a genuine, creative and real approach to life, whose passion for all things Birth and Babies motivated her to begin her next career journey as a fully trained Birth Doula. She comes from past work experience in the field of Social Services helping women, children and families advocate for support through difficult stages and experiences of life.
As a doula, she is eager to assist women through their births, so that they can have the kind of experiences that they envision as they go through this beautiful and unpredictable moment. She brings an easy-going, kind hearted and vibrant nature to the work with birthing people and their partners, and her ability to listen and empathize helps birthing individuals feel heard and understood. Suki's credentials: • Dona trained postpartum and birth Doula • certified birth Doula through Dona • social service worker diploma • bachelors of sociology • certified medical transcriptionist • Health Canada standard infection control • Dona infant sleep care for Doula’s course |
VIDYA TASA-CHADHA VIDYA's BIO
Vidya is a perinatal wellness specialist who has supported individuals and families in their fertility, pregnancy, and parenting journeys for nearly a decade. She has a degree in Gender and Women's Studies with an emphasis on Maternal and Child Mental Health and holds over 1,000h of formal yoga education specializing in perinatal functional movement. Practicing birth work in Mexico and apprenticing under traditional midwives has given Vidya an intersectional and culturally-sensitive approach to birth support, and has allowed her to witness the diversity of birth and matrescence in many forms. Her doula support is aimed at helping you connect to your innate rhythm and make grounded, evidence-based decisions about your birth journey. She also offers meal preparation and planning, wellness counselling, and yoga.
Credentials - Bachelors Degree in Gender and Women’s Studies with an emphasis on Maternal and Child Health (York University, 2020) - 1,000hr RYT (Yoga Medicine, ongoing education) - Certified Women’s Hormonal Health Specialist (Yoga Medicine, 2018) - Certified Sexual Health Educator (City of Toronto, 2018) - Certified Ayurvedic Wellness Counsellor (Hale Pule, 2021) - 3 years of apprenticeship experience under a traditional birth attendant - Volunteer experience with Indigenous midwives across Central America - Masters of Psychology (Kings College London) *in progress, graduating 2024 |
VERA KEVIC vera's BIO
Attending birth since 2004 (if you count her own 2 births!), and since 2014 as a professional doula, Vera is committed to bringing ease and fostering confidence in people during pregnancy and birth. Her goal as a doula is to prepare people to be the kind of parent they want to be right from the start with beautiful experiences along the way.
Her niche is working with mature birthers, solo parents, people opting for unmedicated birth, (particularly but not exclusively) out of hospital and especially water birth. She is skilled in acupressure techniques, rebozo use, hypno-birthing practices, infant baby wearing and is a lactation educator. She has had experiences in diverse households and cultures and can provide care that is appropriate and respectful, and always from an anti-oppression lens. Vera strives for a zero-waste life and can help parents with enviro-friendly tips to reduce their carbon-footprints (even the tiny baby one!). Vera is a Certified Labour Doula (CAPPA), Postpartum Doula, Lactation and Childbirth Educator, Placenta Encapsulator and Hypno-Birthing Professional (Mongan Method). She is co-owner of Doulas on Bikes, a business she runs with her sister Mira. |
ADRIENNE WETHERELL CD(DONA) adrienne's BIO
Adrienne is a birth & postpartum doula, yoga teacher, and proud mama. She attended her very first birth in 2012 and was immediately hooked! Adrienne offers caring, compassionate, non-judgmental support to expectant parents and is honoured to work with families during such a life-changing time. As an experienced doula, she supports clients who are low or high-risk, who have had fertility challenges, previous traumatic births or pregnancy loss, anxiety, depression and trauma.
A certified yoga teacher since 2005, Adrienne is passionate about making the practice of yoga a safe, nourishing and fun experience for her participants. She has taught in corporate, hospital and yoga studio locations throughout Toronto and has additional training in mindfulness, prenatal/postnatal yoga and trauma sensitive yoga. Adrienne gave birth to her breech baby in September 2013 and has since been journeying through the joys and challenges of motherhood. Credentials:
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RHONDDA SMILEY rhondda's BIO
Rhondda is a birth & postpartum doula, breastfeeding specialist, yoga & meditation instructor, who offers grounded and compassionate care to diverse families across Toronto. She feels honoured to be invited into some of the most important yet vulnerable moments of their lives.
She began supporting moms and babies over 15 years ago, providing breastfeeding support as a La Leche League Leader. Rhondda completed her first yoga teacher training with The Yoga Sanctuary in 2014, and soon added certification in prenatal and postpartum yoga. She has been practicing as a doula since 2015, and is certified by DONA. Her continuing education and certifications include: Rebozo, TENs Machine, When Survivors Give Birth, Birth Story Listening, Yoga Nidra and more. She holds a fine arts degree in dance, and has been practicing yoga for over 20 years. She has a Toronto Police Services vulnerable sector check, and Infant CPR and First Aid training. Rhondda is devoted to your birth and postpartum experience. All of her training, skills and expertise are at your service, so that you will feel prepared and confident. She listens deeply to what is most important to you, helping you to navigate the many decisions that arise, while supporting your choices without judgement. She is committed to using the most current evidence-based resources. As a movement professional, she shares practices and positioning to optimize your pregnancy and birth. Rhondda's yoga classes are loved for their meditative slow flow that leaves you feeling more ease and joy in your body, mind and heart. |
ALI SANTIN ali's BIO
Rooted in a deep desire to help people, being a birth and postpartum doula comes naturally and easily to Ali. She feels at the heart of her role as a doula is meeting you wherever you are. Which means tailoring her approach to meet that of your individual needs.
As a Mama of 2, she knows first hand that the pregnancy, birth and postpartum period can be overwhelming. In her experience having someone in your corner who is sensitive to your needs can ease the journey. Along with her experience, evidence based information, emotional and physical support Ali will always bring her love and care, nurturing you and your growing family. Credentials:
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NIKITA SHAHAMAT nikita's BIO
Passionate and intuitive, Nikita uses her skills to provide families with comfort and care through labour and postpartum. Her passions of childcare followed her throughout her life and spanned many different countries but this was what she was meant for. This calling has led to helping families through this short and precious moment in their lives. Nikita uses her knowledge to empower her clients to embrace a personal pre & postpartum healing journey. Assisting families through their many fluctuations of birthing, breast & chest feeding and adjusting to life at home. She hopes to change the stigma that women should do it all and do it with a smile.
Her hopes are to turn her clients into a village of people who learn and grow and feed each other with what they need for their families to grow harmoniously. Nikita is an inclusive LGBTQ+ advocate and believes all families should have the opportunity to experience birth and childbearing in their preferred way. She is here to provide knowledge, a sense of calm and support each family to their individual needs. Credentials
ANUTA BODARENKO ANUTA's BIO
Anuta is an experienced prenatal movement specialist who is also a birth and postpartum doula. Anuta focuses on helping her clients prepare their body for a birthing experience that is rooted in body awareness, trust and intuition, not in fear. As a somatic yoga teacher and certified Body Ready Method® pro, she identifies body imbalances and provides personalized movement tools to deepen your body awareness and ease pregnancy discomforts. She prepares you for childbirth and offers continuous support during labor and early postpartum.
Anuta joined Yoga Mamas in 2016 as a prenatal and postnatal teacher and her regular classes have been highly popular, often described as especially helpful for various discomforts associated with pregnancy and early postpartum. She also teaches a quarterly educational workshop on stages of labour and the role of movement called “Birth Flow”. Anuta completed her 200-hour Yoga teacher and personal development training with Downward Dog Yoga Centre in Toronto in 2012. She subsequently trained with Sasha Padron of Yoga Space to complete her advanced prenatal and postnatal yoga training in 2016. She regularly deepens her knowledge of human anatomy, biomechanics of childbirth and functional movement through various workshops and has acquired over 1000 hours in additional training. Anuta holds certifications in Functional Range Conditioning (FRC), MovNat and Body Ready Method® and has completed birth and postpartum doula training with DONA International. Anuta is passionate about helping moms have the most empowering experience of childbirth and postpartum as well as enhancing their busy lives with embodied, diverse everyday movement for healthier, happier lives. She enjoys a movement-rich life herself with her husband and three kids in Riverdale, Toronto. Credentials:
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SANDRA FARIAS SANDRa's BIO
Sandra Farias offers comprehensive doula care based on evidenced knowledge for all types of births. She is a certified birth doula, prenatal yoga instructor and breastfeeding counsellor since 2015. Her doula training started at the Scarborough Health Network, the first formal, non-volunteer-based doula program in an Ontario hospital.
As part of her hands-on experience, she completed a full-year mentorship at Transitionings™ and became a HypnoBirthing® practitioner (The Mongan Method). As part of her immersion in childbirth, she joined the mentorship program Awakening the Village at the Centre for Growing Families. She has completed trainings in Spinning Babies®, rebozo techniques, acupressure, TENs machine and water births. As a postpartum doula she completed trainings to support early breastfeeding, safe sleeping, and infant massage. An engaging prenatal educator in English and Spanish, Sandra has worked with families from a perspective of cultural diversity and anti-oppression framework in her practice at Doula for Mama®. Her interactive classes help parents to learn in-depth about the newborn’s microbiome and benefits of skin-to-skin, early breast/chest feeding, babywearing and infant parent attachment. Sandra understands that having a child is a unique opportunity in life for growth, but fears and misinformation could become an obstacle. She became a knowledgeable doula to help all types of families transitioning this learning phase, staying well-informed about their choices, and feeling empowered ahead of a lifetime journey. Credentials
SARA TOMENSON SARA's BIO
Sara is an energetic, outgoing and friendly person and is passionate about supporting
new and expecting parents by providing practical support, education, and encouragement to families while they make the adjustment to parenthood. She has been working closely with families and young children for 16 years and has exceptional knowledge and education to help and support you with your postpartum journey. Empowering you as new parents and assist in making the transition to parenthood easier with loving and caring support. Whether it be feeding, bathing, diaper, caring, and so much more! Just having more arms to help new parents cope with the added responsibility of a baby. Credentials:
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BRITTNEY NORMAN BRITTNEY's BIO
My name is Brittney and I am a trained Birth and Postpartum Doula as well as a Breastfeeding counsellor. My goal is to support and educate new parents and families, and help integrate a newborn into their home and lives. From a young age I’ve always been very passionate about childbirth and babies and like the “original doulas” (our neighbours, sisters, friends) I’ve supported those around me. I absolutely love being able to help during such an incredible time in people’s lives as they adjust to parenthood. I consider my role to be about making your experience beautiful and as stress free as possible, whether it be your first child or fifth. I know that not all aspects of being a parent of a newborn are easy and as flawless as the movies portray, but that’s why I’m always here to listen and support through it all.
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KARLA JASSOY KARLA's BIO
Karla is a dedicated birth and postpartum doula and childbirth educator with over 10 years of
experience supporting families throughout Toronto. Her journey in this field has been driven by her passion for helping families navigate the beautiful and transformative experience of childbirth and early parenthood. Karla's proactive nature, coupled with her skills as a good listener and highly organized individual, ensures that she is always ready to provide the best possible support to the families she works with. Her three young children are her greatest inspiration and motivation to be her best every day. Karla specializes in creating personalized birth plans and providing holistic postpartum care, ensuring that each family’s unique needs and preferences are met. She also has a niche in supporting parents with sleep education, helping them establish healthy routines and confidence in their parenting journey. Karla also has extensive experience guiding parents through breastfeeding, ensuring they feel confident and supported during this crucial time. Drawing from her experience as a ballet dancer, Karla incorporates ballet fitness techniques, such as barre, into her prenatal classes. These exercises are amazing for preparing the body for birth, promoting ease and calm during pregnancy and labour. In her free time, when she’s not supporting families or teaching prenatal classes, Karla enjoys cooking and practicing ballet. She is fluent in Spanish, French, and English, which has enabled her to connect with people from diverse backgrounds. Credentials: ● DONA-trained Birth and Postpartum Doula ● Member of the Association of Ontario Doulas ● Badt-Certified Childbirth Educator ● Hypnobirthing Practitioner ● Certified Sleep Educator ● Member of the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants ● Member of the Sleep Research Association ● Completed Newborn Baby Care Specialization at The University of Colorado ● Nutrition and Lifestyle in Pregnancy certification from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München ● Certified in Clinical Aromatherapy ● Pursuing a degree in Health Science |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a doula? When should you hire a doula? Read more of our Frequently Asked Questions HERE.
Toronto Doula Testimonials
When my husband and I first decided we wanted to hire a doula we didn’t really know what to expect but we did know the kind of support we wanted to have during the birth of our son. Adrienne is an amazing support tool not only pre-birth but during labour and post birth. During my labour she always had my best interest at heart and the entire time she was in total control of my needs and well-being. The best thing we did for ourselves was hiring Adrienne, she really made a difference in our experience ~ Amy
Words can’t describe just how grateful we are to have had Adrienne as our birth and postnatal doula. Her professionalism, communication skills, knowledge, and personal gentle touch was everything we could have hoped for! When I was on the fence about getting a doula, I had a friend say to me “Carla, I’ve never met someone that had a doula and said ‘Oh I really wish I didn’t have one!’ ” The moral of the story is that it’s a service that is undeniably helpful and comforting. And especially with Adrienne by our side. From our first visit all the way to the end, her service to us and our new baby has been nothing short of excellent. Thank you again Adrienne for all that you’ve done! We will never forget it!” With love – Carla, Ara & Baby Ava!
Having a doula for support before/during/after the birth was worth every penny. A huge part of my positive birth experience can be attributed to April’s services, as she prepared us so thoroughly that we were able to go into labour and delivery without fear, and she could anticipate the best way to support both my partner and I during the birth itself. I could relax during the experience knowing that we had a knowledgable person on our team, and that my husband could tag out with someone I could trust as need be. I would recommend hiring a doula 1000 times over! ~ Whittney
Having our doula, Giselle Johnston support my partner and I through the process of welcoming our baby and the early days of parenthood and breastfeeding was the best decision we made for our baby’s birth. Giselle helped us get ready through thoughtful physical and mental preparation, we went into the delivery room confidently and once there had amazing support and advocacy which helped us have a positive birth experience even though we had a number of complications. Not only was Giselle there for me, making sure I was doing well throughout my labour and immediately after delivery; Giselle was also there for my partner, ensuring that he felt supported so that he could be our number one source of support. In addition, following our baby’s birth we were fortunate to have Giselle provide us with breastfeeding support and to ensure that we were doing well as a family during the early postpartum days. I highly recommend having a doula’s support as you prepare to welcome your baby, during labour, and during the early postpartum period. ~ Andrea
We were so amazed with her {Suki's} support and openness throughout the process that I wanted to take the time to share what a great experience that was. I am sure anyone would be fortunate to have her as her doula. ~ Veronica
Hiring a doula was the best decision my husband and I made when preparing for the birth of our daughter. We had no idea what to expect, as it was our first, and we felt so supported and safe throughout the entire journey. We will definitely hire a doula again if we have another child! ~ Doula client
I would 100% hire Rhondda as our doula again. She was considerate, kind and supportive and is an expert in her field!
~ Doula client
As a first time mom I had no idea just how much I needed a doula. I wanted to feel supported in my natural birth plan & advocated for if I was unable to do so for myself. This led me to Yoga Mama's & after a few interviews, I found Ali. She was always there for me through my pregnancy whether it was a phone call to ease my mind or just a text to answer a quick question. Without her I would have made myself panic numerous times googling, & would have felt very unprepared. During my birth I really don't think she could have been more encouraging & supportive. I felt like she was my family & really had my back. Even though it was the most painful & difficult experience of my life, I think back & smile. I felt very safe & taken care of, & my husband could not have been more impressed. Ali is an extremely genuine person & I am forever grateful for the beautiful memory of bringing my little girl into the world. It would not have been the same without her caring presence. Everyone should definitely have a doula.
~ Doula client
