Support for expectant families

Tori Sutton
Staff Reporter
When Kimberley Tigani gave birth to her daughter three years ago, the midwives present during her delivery left a lasting impression on her.

After the birth, she struggled with postpartum depression, making it through with the help of family, friends and community support she never knew even existed before she needed it.

Those experiences led Tigani to seek specialized certification and open her own business, Birthright Doula Services, earlier this year.

“After I had Aurora, I had quite severe postpartum depression that lasted for a really long time,” she explained. “I had a lot of great people helping me through it, so I wanted to get involved in helping other people make the transition so hopefully it won’t be as difficult for them.”

Tigani has always been fascinated by pregnancy, so her interest in midwifery seemed like a natural progression. But since the four-year university midwifery program is a difficult one and is hard to gain entrance into, she figured she would start getting experience as a labour and postpartum doula.
Doulas differ from midwives. A midwife is a medically trained healthcare professional, who undertakes medical and clinical tasks. Doulas offer non-medical support throughout a pregnancy and the birthing process, along with postpartum care.

“The role of the doula is to provide informational, physical and emotional support,” said Tigani, who also works for L’Arche Stratford.
Though there is no governing body for doulas and no training is technically required, Tigani chose to attend specialized courses in Kitchener, which come with a hefty reading list and require CPR training. She also must be evaluated by families she has assisted.

Typically, a family will contact her and she will arrange an initial interview, where the family can outline what information and services they wish to receive. Two prenatal visits are planned six and three weeks before the due date, when Tigani sits down with a family and irons out their birth plan, along with reviewing labour positions and relaxation techniques.

If the family wishes, she will be present during the delivery to offer support and help ensure the birth is handled to the family’s expectations.

She said more and more people are taking back control of the delivery room, letting doctors know what procedures they would like to avoid if possible. Something as simple as who cuts the umbilical cord is very important for some parents, but such plans can often be lost or forgotten in the heat of the moment.

“But obviously, you can’t control everything,” she admits, acknowledging certain procedures may be necessary due to complications. “Really, the only predictable thing about having a baby is that it’s pretty unpredictable.”

Another visit is usually scheduled after the delivery date, to help with breastfeeding and provide information about community and parent support groups. She also offers postpartum support to any new parents, even if she hasn’t been involved in the birthing process. The postpartum doula services can include breastfeeding support, light housekeeping and helping with other children, just to name a few.

As her business grows, Tigani would love to become more involved with the local birthing community and has aspirations to start up a breastfeeding support group, as it is something she found particularly challenging.

But for now, she’s pleased to be working with families and preparing them for their new additions.

“It’s exciting as I get more clients and help more people,” she said. “Being a doula, you are able to have a personal relationship with people and customize things to how they want things to be. You can really help people that way.”

PHOTO: Kimberley Tigani, shown here with her three-year-old daughter Aurora, recently began offering services to expectant parents through her new business, Birthright Doula Services. (Tori Sutton)