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The word “doula” comes from ancient Greek, meaning woman caregiver. The term now has now come to mean a “professional labor assistant” or “labor coach” who is hired by an expecting couple to provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a birthing woman and her partner before, during, and after childbirth.

Bearing a child is a natural ability. Unfortunately, it is an art that has long been forgotten. As we have forgotten who and what we are as human beings and disconnect more and more from our bodies, we loose the ability to tune in to it’s inherent wisdom to give birth. Rates of cesarean sections, epidurals, inductions and complications have been on the rise as women turn outside of themselves for the answers to deliver ‘their’ babies.

Pregnancy and birth is a time in a woman’s life that the powerful process of the body begins to wake the Essence of who we are inside our bodies and can become the potential gateway for transformation into a new way of being.

In a WEL-Systems® Birth Experience (what is WEL-Systems®?) you will be invited to consider yourself in an expansive context which redefines who and what we are as human beings. In this context you will be invited to allow your body to lead as you discover that safety exists inside of you and you can trust letting go into this powerful process of the body well before the experience of birth.

It is time as women that we allow ourselves to reclaim the territory of our own bodies and listen to the subtle and not so subtle cues our bodies are giving us during pregnancy and into labour and delivery.
This does not always mean a natural childbirth without medication, but as we learn to listen to our bodies and honor our truth in the moment it means a childbirth of choice- an experience where you honor yourself.

As a doula, I will not have the answers for you. What I will have, is a strong connection to my Self so I may become the reminder for you to stay connected inside where you live. I will become your Guide, fully at ease with the chaos, intimacy and intensity the birthing process can bring. I will encourage you throughout your experience of pregnancy and birth to listen to what it is you need in the moment to stay safe, comfortable and fully at ease with the genius of your body.

It is my belief that each child born into a world where their Mother knows how to trust the genius of her own body and chooses to honor herself in each moment of her experience, whatever the outcome, will begin to change the world, one person at a time.

As a certified CODE Model Coach™, Registered Massage Therapist, certified Doula and trained Yoga Instructor, I am passionate about creating a gateway for birth to become the potential for personal transformation.

Please contact me to engage in a process that will be meaningful to you.

BEING Pregnant

I AM seven months into an incredible journey of pregnancy.  A year & a half ago I stepped into Decloaking and Living Authentically facilitated by Naomi & there is no question that my Decloaking experience has profoundly affected my experience of pregnancy.  My perspective of myself, my world and what it means to be pregnant has shifted dramatically and it continues to change as I change.  I relax into my body as a device designed to process information & I find safety within to explore my own unique world of internal referencing.  I trust that my body knows exactly what to do, & as I interact with the medical model, I possess an awareness that I have choice each step of the way.  My body is constantly changing as it creates space for the being within me to grow, & as I evolve beyond the genius, self-created limitations of my past, I invite movement & flow.    I see this being within me as pure Godforce, a unique essence whose presence is a constant invitation for me to connect to the ever-emerging Godforce that I AM.  ~ Raina McDonald

t’s been over a year since my birth experience but the beauty of that day is alive and thriving, her name is Abigail.

Naomi, I felt your role in our pregnancy and then in our birth was never forced, never narrow, never confined. Through our pre-birth conversations you gently guided us to open up to this new journey, to embrace each moment and to feel all that was holding us back from being present in that time and space. We especially loved our chats which always lead later to hours and days filled with spiraling and very meaningful conversations between Scott and I. I have never felt more alive than during my pregnancy and Abby’s birth. I loved every moment. Some would say I was lucky to have a good pregnancy – but I feel much is to my own credit and yours. I was present, I listened to my body and my growing baby, we thrived together.

Birthing Abby was the most empowering day of my life. To totally given in to the primitive, animalistic instinct and just go with it is incredible! To not care in the least what else is happening around you, or where you are and just allowing your body to take over is freeing. The team of yourself and Scott helped this all happen, allowing me to do what I needed to do to birth. You buffered me from all the outside influences that may have pulled my thoughts and mind back into what was happening. In this act of birthing I was able to let go of all thought process and just feel my body doing what it needed to do!

Thank-you Naomi for simply being yourself. One couldn’t ask for a stronger birth partner. Your full faith and confidence in yourself shone through the chaos of the birthing experience. It was your strength that allowed me to find my strength during the most intense moment of life.

You will always have a special place in our hearts.~Cathy Munroe

 

“It has been almost three months since I’ve given birth to my third son, Judah, and my experience of my birth has profoundly shaped how I’ve experienced my fourth trimester…complete joy.

Leading up to my due date I felt paralyzed with fear about giving birth, doubting myself if I could ‘go through’ it again. Desperately seeking re-assurance outside of myself I would stop moms everywhere asking advice or just wanting to hear about their birthing experiences.   What felt even more torturous, than the fear itself, was that I couldn’t ‘understand’ why on earth I feared childbirth because I had already had two natural and what most would call ‘easy’ labours with no complications. Yet, the fear I felt within my body seemed as real and alive as anything I’ve experienced and I could not numb or tune out what was happening.  Trust me, I tried!  As the days grew closer, the fear became stronger.  Until I found myself willing to surrender to something that I could not intellectually rationalize and it was as simple as having an honest conversation with myself in the presence of my Doula, Naomi.  The conversations we shared leading up to my birthing experience created the space I needed within my body to honour myself and where I was in that moment.   I KNOW that had I brought that fear and tension with me into the delivery room that my labour would have resembled fear and tension.
The trust that Naomi and I created during my pregnancy helped me enormously.  During some of the hardest contractions I wanted to give up and say no….. Naomi whispered gently and yet with fierce conviction that I am not alone and I am supported by AMAZING, strong women whose presence is right here with us and that I AM DOING IT.  I could literally feel these strong women around me as I discovered my own strength for the most powerful moment in my life.   I looked into Naomi’s eyes and her unshakable presence and her strength allowed me to remember my own- she was an absolute goddess! Moments later, I had the urge to push and could feel it all….it was all of me experiencing me in the most sacred way.   Birthing Judah was an experience filled with joy, grace, strength, humour, respect, and by far the most empowering moment of my life.  Sharing the experience with Naomi and my husband was an honour.   What I KNOW to be true is that my body KNOWS how to birth, and Naomi KNOWS how to ‘be’ in birth.”
With honour and gratitude,
Ange Arbuckle