Included in the birth package

Prenatal doula visitin Montreal

Two hours in your home, on Montreal Island, usually in the third trimester. Most people arrive knowing birth is coming and not much about what will actually be asked of them. We spend the time on that: what you want, what worries you, and what your partner can actually do once it starts.

Lina teaching a pregnant client and partner with a pelvis model during a prenatal visit

Who this is for

First-time parents, mostly. Anyone who has been handed a birth plan template and had no real idea how to fill it in. And partners who would rather have a job than stand there worrying.

Your picture of the birth

What matters to you, what you would rather avoid, and what you want said out loud in the room. I write it down in your words, not in a template.

The decisions ahead

Induction, monitoring, pain relief, caesarean. I go through what is likely to be offered and what each choice involves, so that nothing arrives as a surprise and you are the one deciding. I can point you to reading and classes for anything you want to go into further.

Comfort that actually works

Positions, breathing, counter-pressure, movement, the ball, the shower, and the rebozo. We practise them, because a technique you have only read about does not hold up at four in the morning.

What your partner does

Where to stand, where to press, and how — I show partners the counter-pressure and the massage I use, so it is in their hands too and not only mine. When to speak, when to stay quiet, and when to eat. Most partners want to help and are simply never told how.

The bag, the route, the middle of the night

The bag, the route, who to call and in what order, and what to do when it starts in the middle of the night. We also go through how my part begins: you call or text me whenever it starts, we talk it through, and I come to you when you want me there.

What this visit is not

It is not a medical appointment. I do not examine you, measure anything or give medical advice, and nothing we do replaces your midwife or doctor. What I add is the preparation that clinical appointments rarely have time for.

What this visit can help with
  • A birth plan in your own words, not a form
  • Comfort techniques you have practised, not only read about
  • A clear idea of what is likely to be offered, and what each choice involves
  • A short list your partner can follow under pressure
  • My number, and no limit on how often you use it
The practical details
  • Two hours, in your home
  • Montreal Island
  • In English or in Spanish
  • Included in the birth package
  • Extra prenatal visits can be added
Questions about this visit

Usually in the third trimester — late enough that the birth feels real, early enough that there is still time to act on what we decide.

If you have one and they can come, yes. A good part of the visit is about what they will actually be doing, and it is much harder to relay second-hand.

That is normal, and it is most of what the visit is for. You do not need to arrive with answers.

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