Community Doula Connection

Birthing Families Foundation (BFF)

We want to be your BFF!

BFF is an a Registered Charity that aims to connect low income and high risk families or individuals with experienced birth and postpartum doula support. We offer holistic, anti-oppressive and trauma informed training to fully equip our doulas so that they can provide specific support for these families. Furthermore, we compensate doulas fairly for their work rather than relying on them to volunteer or work at reduced rates.

“In a society, and at a time where supports (community and personal) for pregnant mothers are often few and far between, doulas can fill the gap by providing continuous support during labour and birth, as is demonstrated in the Cochrane Review – Continuous support for women during childbirth.”

We train doulas with the skills to be able to identify and meet the needs of each unique family, including the ability to refer clients to partnering agencies and other resources in the community. The care will encompass an awareness and sensitivity around trauma, addictions, violence and abuse, mental health barriers, cultural diversity, sexual-orientation, gender identification, physical (dis)ability, and socio-economic status. In order to embody a feminist philosophy of treatment, a holistic and anti-oppressive care model is needed to fully support women through the entire birthing process. With feminist therapy arising in response to the psychological distress that women have experienced, support and counselling of women must demonstrate an anti-oppressive, inclusive, and empowering approach that strives to dismantle power dynamics prevalent in the mainstream medical model. With this as our compass, the Community Doula Connection  aims to offer families a continuity of care model similar to that of the midwife led continuity model, which includes: “continuity of care throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period; providing the woman with individualised education and counselling; being cared for by a known and trusted midwife during labour; and the immediate postpartum period; and identifying and referring women who require obstetric or other specialist attention“.  Our service will entail: one to two doulas offering continuous support for each family or individual for the entire antenatal period.

A feature that separates us from other organizations is that we do not rely on new doulas to volunteer their time. Though it is useful to have a confidant in birth, it is not appropriate to have an inexperienced support person working with families or individuals who need a higher level of care. We invite experienced doulas to take our training, and  along with the in depth training that our doulas receive, they will also receive coaching, mentorship, as well as feedback and support from our team. We believe that they too need an increased level of support.

Recent Research has demonstrated that when families, especially those who are young, at risk, marginalized or low income, are supported through the entire perinatal period and beyond, they experience improved birth outcomes and enhanced early childhood development. Doula support can alleviate the burden on health care staff during, and also before and after labour by ensuring that the woman’s non-medical needs are met while simultaneously enhancing communication between the mother/family and birth staff.  

The community Doula Connection holds the intention to increase support for both families and doulas. Ultimately with this increased support mothers will have improved birth outcomes, children will have healthier outcomes for years ahead, health care providers will be provided with extended assistance, thereby alleviating the burden on the health care system, and doulas will feel more informed and supported in order to extend that care out into the community.

For more information please contact me!

Sadie