Doula Services

Birth and Postpartum Doulas

Most first time parents aren’t really sure what to expect when it comes to giving birth. Will it be painful? Will my birth partner know how to help me? Will I have the strength to go through with it?

Because we can’t predict how it will go – even when you’ve had a baby before – you may feel like you could use some extra support during your birth.

Postpartum, a doula can help you with the day-to-day, including helping you sort out your new routines as a family,

How It Works

Browse Our Doulas

Using the selection criteria, narrow down your doula choices

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Share some basic info with us as well as your top 3 doula choices

Matchmaking

We'll verify availability with your preferred doulas and get them introduced to you!

Final Selection

Finalize your doula selection and sign your doula contract with them

About Our Birth Doulas

Oona birth doulas provide comprehensive, empathetic and experienced support during your pregnancy and throughout your labor and delivery journey.

  • Ongoing text and email communication
  • On-call support closer to your due date
  • Continuous labour and birth support
  • Backup support in the event that your doula is not able to attend your birth – this is rare, but babies come when they come, and having a backup is important!
  • Two prenatal sessions of 1-2 hours each, focusing on birth preferences and planning
  • 1 postpartum session

About Our Postpartum Doulas

Throughout your postpartum journey, our Oona postpartum doulas prioritize understanding your individual needs. This personalized care recognizes that each parent and family requires a unique approach, resulting in a tailored experience for everyone involved.

Working Hours:

During the day, shifts are a minimum of 4 hours, and overnight care is 8 hours, from 10pm-6am (these hours can be changed – chat with your doula to see what works for both of you).

Postpartum doulas provide assistance with:

  • Newborn and baby care and education
  • Bathing, swaddling, and baby-wearing demonstrations
  • Sleep support and guidance to benefit your entire family’s well-being
  • Infant and baby feeding support – some of our doulas have extended training with this including IBCLC support
  • Help with navigating relationships between your support team, family members including other kids, and pets
  • Light meal preparation
  • Home upkeep including light tidying

Doula Fees

Birth doula package

$ Fees Vary

Our birth doulas each charge a different rate – please visit their individual profiles for details on their fees.

Overnight doula package

$320 / night for one baby
$360/night for multiples

Nights from 10:00pm – 6:00am

Custom (larger) packages are available at a lower rate – ask your doula!

Postpartum doula packages​

Starting from $520​

  • 12 hours of care: $520
  • 30 hours of care: $1230

Custom (larger) packages available – ask your doula!

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Meet Our Doulas

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Common Questions About Toronto & Newmarket Doulas

A birth doula (also called a labour doula) is an experienced professional who provides continuous labour support, both physical and emotional to the labouring person and their birth partner. They are present for your birth. That can be a hospital birth, a home birth, a car birth (we certainly hope not, but it’s definitely happened before), or anywhere in between. Birth doulas also provide educational support before and after labour and delivery.

A postpartum doula provides support after the baby is born and is there to support the new mama. They do things like help with breastfeeding, folding laundry, preparing light meals, tidying up, holding baby so mama can sleep, and they do a whole ton of education with mama to help her know what is normal in the postpartum period. For hundreds of years, we raised children in villages. New parents would have been surrounded by women who would care for her, and allowed her the time to rest after baby was born. They would educate her on how to care for her own baby, and hold that tiny infant so that the mother could rest. Nowadays, we are expected to do this all by ourselves, and many of us realize quickly that it’s not that easy to do alone. Postpartum doulas bridge that gap, assisting after birth to help new parents adjust to their new life.

What a doula is not:

A doula is not a medical professional, and does not give medical advice, perform medical procedures or make any medical decisions on your behalf.

Doulas have a lot of experience with birth and will help you understand your options, help you ask the right questions and will help you communicate them. Doulas do not advocate FOR you; they help you advocate for yourself.

Midwives are healthcare professionals who provide expert primary care to the pregnant person and their baby. A doula provides continuous care throughout labour and childbirth.

Midwives have many responsibilities including performing medical procedures, charting and monitoring both you and the baby – but can’t always be by your side coaching you through each contraction. Doulas remain by your side and provide continuous support. If you have a long birth, you may switch midwives as they change shifts, but your doula will be with you for the duration of your birth.

You can hire a doula anytime. The founder of Oona hired her doula when she was 7 weeks pregnant! Generally, we recommend reaching out to see if our doulas have availability as early as possible – they book up very fast.

It’s never too late to reach out to us – we often get requests at the last minute when people realize that they really would like to have a doula at their birth, so even if it’s late, please reach out.  We can’t guarantee we will have anyone available for you, but it’s always worth asking.  

No, not at all. Doulas do not replace your birth partner. Doulas work as a team with both of you. During your labour, your doula may give your partner a break, and provide support and reassurance to them too.

That’s just fine! Doulas provide unbiased, evidence-based support. Doulas help empower you in your choices. Modern epidurals are gradual, and the medication can be controlled. Doulas will still provide physical support for comfort and positioning and continue to provide emotional support for you and your birth partner.

Doulas are not here to judge your birth plan. They are there to support you in your choices. If you would like a completely unmedicated birth, your doula will support you in that. If you decide after labour begins that you want to throw that plan out the window and get an epidural, they will support you in that too. If your plan is to get the epidural in the parking lot before ever stepping foot in the hospital, they will support you in that too. Birth is tricky and unpredictable. We are here to support you no matter what happens.

Doulas are not medical practitioners. They may be able to provide insight from their own experience at births of what they have seen before, but their job is not medical. However, any good doula will be well aware of your birth plan and will help you achieve that and will help you communicate your desires to your medical team.

We’re glad you asked! A number of studies have been done on doula support. Here are some of the numbers. Having a doula attend your birth can help:

  • Reduce your labour time
  • Reduce unnecessary interventions (Pitocin, cesareans, episiotomy, etc.)
  • Improve your breastfeeding relationship and bonding with your baby from the very first moment that your baby is born
  • Give your birthing partner confidence

Basically, we think that doulas are the bee’s knees. We know you will too.

Every now and then things happen – doulas are at another birth, out of town, ill, etc. Thankfully, all of our birth doulas have a backup available for your birth.  Prior to your birth they will introduce you to their backup and make sure you know what to do in case you need them.  

That really depends on your insurance, but generally insurance companies don’t cover birth or postpartum doula services.  It certainly wouldn’t hurt to call them and ask though, and even better, chat with your HR department to ask for it to be added to the benefits package at renewal.  

Yes, generally our doulas are able to provide support at every hospital in the GTA.

Our birth doula packages include prenatal visits and one postpartum visit.  If you hire a birth doula and then decide you wish to have postpartum support beyond that single postpartum visit, we recommend that you ask your doula if they are available for that.  If they aren’t, we will do our best to find you someone who is available to help you.  We recommend starting this conversation early with your doula, to ensure that they will have availability for you.  

In general, most hospitals will allow a birth partner and a doula in the room during your birth.  Of course, during COVID times this was not the case, but barring another pandemic, generally you should be able to have both in the room with you.  Please make sure to ask this question of the doulas you are interviewing, because they will definitely be up to date on the rules for the hospital you are planning to birth at.  

Overnight doulas & night nannies

A night nurse (or night nanny) provides overnight infant care. A postpartum doula is trained and specialized in postpartum care for mother and baby. The doula supports the whole family during the postpartum recovery including: educating them about the challenges a postpartum family can face, changes for the mother, baby development, normal newborn behaviour, growth, feeding and safe sleeping. Some postpartum doulas also offer overnight infant care.

Not all doulas offer overnight support and some postpartum doulas only offer overnight support. It is the choice of the postpartum doula to work overnights. At Oona, we have several amazing doulas who offer overnight services. It’s best to inquire early though, as they book up quickly.

The top benefit is that the family can get a good night sleep (even if mom is breastfeeding through the night). When well rested, there is a reduced risk of postpartum emotional challenges, like depression and anxiety. It also helps instill healthy sleep habits for mom and baby.

Most overnight postpartum doulas work 8 hour shifts from 10 pm-6 am. You can discuss the details with your doula if you would prefer a different schedule.

Yes! If you are breastfeeding, then the doula will bring the baby to you when he or she wakes up and help you with the feeding, if needed. When the baby is finished feeding, the doula will take the baby, burp if necessary, change the diaper and get the baby back to sleep.

Selecting a doula is a very personal choice. Here at Oona in Toronto and Newmarket, we have a group of professionally-trained doulas who are ready to support you. We host monthly free doula info nights where you’ll have the opportunity to meet some of our doulas in Toronto and Newmarket, learn more about doula care and ask any questions. With our diverse team, you’ll be sure to find the right doula for you. Please note that we are affiliated with doulas, but once you choose a doula, your contract is between you and your doula, not between you and Oona. We provide a match-making service to help you find your dream doula.

Illustration of parent cradling baby in baby carrier

Direct insurance billing

Oona works with insurance companies to do online billing for treatments, whenever possible. Simply ask if your insurance company is compliant when you book your appointment.

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