(587) 988-6122
CAPPA Certified Labour Doula, Lamaze trained Childbirth Educator
ADAPT Certified Dance Instructor, Trauma- informed Doula
Being a doula has inspired me in more ways than I can count. I never truly understood what was missing from my life until I birthed my first child in 2015 and felt a sense of disappointment knowing I didn’t need to learn about pregnancy and birth anymore. In 2016 I began my journey as a doula and I am just as in love with this work as I was back then!
Before my daughter was born I miscarried my first pregnancy, and then again in between my daughter and my son. Pregnancy loss has shaped me as a birth worker, as a mom and as a human. For me, understanding and believing that my losses weren’t my fault was a huge hurdle I had to overcome. It was very hard to be excited to be pregnant again and enjoy the viable pregnancies when I was constantly worried that they could come to an end too soon. It was something that I did overcome and something I feel very passionate about helping birthing people with: releasing the guilt and shame that comes with loss, accepting that you’ll never “get over” the experience but time does make it easier to hold, and being confident in knowing that your body is capable of nurturing, growing and birthing babies. In the future I can see myself becoming a bereavement doula, I am following my heart on this for the right time when I’ll feel ready for this important work.
My births with my children were not the births that I had envisioned. Both my daughter and my son came into this world via cesarean. The first cesarean was ultimately caused by a tricky position baby was in plus a triple nuchal (her cord was around her neck 3 times). After becoming a doula, I learned so much about why this all likely went down and in 2017 after becoming a doula and working in the industry while pregnant, I began “planning my perfect water birth vbac”. I was abruptly reminded that birth happens how and when it wants and you really have no control over the outcome. I struggled with birth trauma due to the extreme disappointment I had not getting my dream vbac, and this lead to immense growth as a doula and as a person. I learned that while birth didn’t go the way that I had hoped, I was supported and loved and given choice the whole way through and that felt so powerful. I am a huge fan of VBAC births and preparing people for them, but I also thrive in helping families process their birth not going how they hoped.
In 2019 I enrolled in a program called the Sacred Story Keeper by our community’s leading birth trauma specialist, Jennifer Summerfeldt. This course taught me about what trauma really is, and now that I have completed it I am a trauma-informed doula. I gained so much knowledge in this program and I feel very confident in guiding families navigating through trauma, as well as holding space for trauma that may come up during birth and postpartum.
Read more here www.midwiferyforthesoul.com about Jennifer Summerfeldt’s programs.
Finally in 2020, the craziest year most of us have seen, I started my own podcast called The Dancing Doula Podcast! Here you’ll find conversations with guests on the topics of birth, postpartum, feminism, self-care, overcoming hardships and much much more. A few other Full Circle Birth Collective doulas have been featured in interviews, head here to my podcast website www.dancingdoulajeanelle.com to hear the episodes!
I am outgoing, bubbly, fun and extroverted in normal life, but through training I have learned how to calm my own energy and can influence others to do the same. I really love watching people shift into their most primal self, and I love watching loving bonds created and strengthened by this experience. I feel so honoured to maintain the ancient practice of holding space and supporting birthing people
Before my daughter was born I miscarried my first pregnancy, and then again in between my daughter and my son. Pregnancy loss has shaped me as a birth worker, as a mom and as a human. For me, understanding and believing that my losses weren’t my fault was a huge hurdle I had to overcome. It was very hard to be excited to be pregnant again and enjoy the viable pregnancies when I was constantly worried that they could come to an end too soon. It was something that I did overcome and something I feel very passionate about helping birthing people with: releasing the guilt and shame that comes with loss, accepting that you’ll never “get over” the experience but time does make it easier to hold, and being confident in knowing that your body is capable of nurturing, growing and birthing babies. In the future I can see myself becoming a bereavement doula, I am following my heart on this for the right time when I’ll feel ready for this important work.
My births with my children were not the births that I had envisioned. Both my daughter and my son came into this world via cesarean. The first cesarean was ultimately caused by a tricky position baby was in plus a triple nuchal (her cord was around her neck 3 times). After becoming a doula, I learned so much about why this all likely went down and in 2017 after becoming a doula and working in the industry while pregnant, I began “planning my perfect water birth vbac”. I was abruptly reminded that birth happens how and when it wants and you really have no control over the outcome. I struggled with birth trauma due to the extreme disappointment I had not getting my dream vbac, and this lead to immense growth as a doula and as a person. I learned that while birth didn’t go the way that I had hoped, I was supported and loved and given choice the whole way through and that felt so powerful. I am a huge fan of VBAC births and preparing people for them, but I also thrive in helping families process their birth not going how they hoped.
In 2019 I enrolled in a program called the Sacred Story Keeper by our community’s leading birth trauma specialist, Jennifer Summerfeldt. This course taught me about what trauma really is, and now that I have completed it I am a trauma-informed doula. I gained so much knowledge in this program and I feel very confident in guiding families navigating through trauma, as well as holding space for trauma that may come up during birth and postpartum.
Read more here www.midwiferyforthesoul.com about Jennifer Summerfeldt’s programs.
Finally in 2020, the craziest year most of us have seen, I started my own podcast called The Dancing Doula Podcast! Here you’ll find conversations with guests on the topics of birth, postpartum, feminism, self-care, overcoming hardships and much much more. A few other Full Circle Birth Collective doulas have been featured in interviews, head here to my podcast website www.dancingdoulajeanelle.com to hear the episodes!
I am outgoing, bubbly, fun and extroverted in normal life, but through training I have learned how to calm my own energy and can influence others to do the same. I really love watching people shift into their most primal self, and I love watching loving bonds created and strengthened by this experience. I feel so honoured to maintain the ancient practice of holding space and supporting birthing people
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