Prepare for an Empowered, Informed, and Supported Birth with Grace Pastuck, Birth & Postpartum Doula
Show Notes:
[2:13] Our Reviewer of the Week is MurphyMLW: "So happy to have found this podcast! I found My Essential Birth at the end of my first trimester. We had hired a doula very early on and was so grateful to have the resources to be able to do so. However, being a military family I think My Essential Birth is awesome for anyone who may not have those resources readily available."
[3:57] Our guest, Grace, is a birth and postpartum doula in Canada. She became a doula about a year and a half ago. She supports families from home births to planned C-sections to epidurals. She does baby wearing education, childbirth education, and truly just found her passion!
[4:56] Grace got into doula work after hiring a doula for herself around 38 weeks pregnant. Her doula encouraged her to take some training and become a doula. She put herself out there and went from having one birth a month to being completely booked out!
[9:03] Grace's first birth experience was in a hospital setting with an OB, and she brought her doula. Her water broke and ten minutes later, she had contractions, which were three minutes apart. She got to the hospital and her doula was let in only 10 minutes before her son was born. She got in the shower, did her breath work, and let her body do its thing without any medication.
13:45] We talk about Grace's experience and how she became perfect for doula work. Her mother was a labor and delivery nurse and is now a maternal fetal medicine nurse. She had five younger siblings, and she went into nursing herself.
[17:53] Grace shares about her first birth experiences. She now feels more confident in herself and in her systems. She did not know the battle she was going up against in our medical system and the birth world. She did not know how deeply her passion runs for supporting families and how strong of an advocate she can be for them. Her goal is to always show up with open hands and an open heart because she has to work with what people are giving off to her.
[25:11] We discuss Canada's medical system regarding birth and the generational birth trauma Grace has had to work through with her clients. It took her a lot of time to be able to get over it and getting over the fact that this system has hurt families, this system has hurt her, and that this system will continue to hurt until we stand up and go up against it. She knows that the families that she works with are educated, prepared, and she is with them in delivery to help them execute, which is where it makes the biggest difference.
[30:28] Grace talks about the birth process for someone in Canada when they find out they're pregnant. Healthcare is free in Canada. She talks about how she made the choice to choose which hospital and OB she went to.
[34:23] Grace shares about the midwives in the area and the process for getting one works. She also walks through their processes and procedures when you first apply to have one. So if baby needs any help or any support somebody is there and they're able to navigate and help. They are the best option for connected care, if you want like a personalized one-on-one beautiful experience in your home or in a birth center, or having a water birth.
[37:35] Do Canadian midwives/OBs check in prior to 6 weeks? Midwives do home visits for the first two weeks postpartum. So your two days postpartum, one day postpartum, they come to your house, they weigh baby, they do all the checks, they check on you. There is no leaving your house for that little bit postpartum having to go to a clinic or do anything. With midwifery care, they're in your home, they're helping you out. They have referrals, same with doulas, but to private lactation consultants who also come to your home. And so the care gap is huge!
[39:44] Are there any challenges that you face working as a doula in Canada? Grace talks about how her birth community are her ride or die! She loves that the community rallies around her and her clients. They're people who are going to love your baby like it's their own and creating connected care that's a long term birth work to help nourish these mothers in the biggest transition of their life.
[46:05] What's the best advice you would have for someone to have a low intervention experience in Canada? #1: Know you're capable. You've just got to find the right team and learn how to use your power. The first step is reading and research. Hire a doula to be on your team. Set your own stride, do your own education, create your own positive little headspace bubble, and then continue it into your care. Stand your ground.
[53:24] Where you can find Grace
- Instagram: @gracefulbirthdoulayeg
- TikTok: @gracefulbirthdoula
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/@gracefulbirthdoula
- Website: gracefulbirthdoula.ca
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