Virtually Everywhere & In Person From West Island to Hawkesbury & Surrounding Areas

Your Certified Birth, Baby & Breastfeeding Expert, Educator & Cheerleader

Feel Powerful, Present & Prepared

Part of Your Birth Team

The Passionate Doula is here to hold your hand, be a shoulder for you to lean on and

arm you with all the evidence based research you need, to make the best decisions for you and your growing family.

The Passionate Doula is all about empowering parents and parents to be! Love is Love and We Support Everyone!

Cris believes that everyone has the right to feel safe, comforted and supported

throughout their pregnancy and beyond.

I would love to be a part of your team!

Supporting The Birther & The Birth Partner

Cris Baluch - The Passionate Doula's Mission:

To help people feel really confident about giving birth without ANY judgements through Education & Support

To accompany families in the birth space, so the birther feels confident and supported to give birth

To educate and answer questions and address and help eliminate fears

To train birth partners so they feel prepared and comfortable in their role in the birth space

To support families during the 4th trimester, so everyone's needs are met once baby is here

Top 5 Reasons to work with Cris as your Birth Doula

* Cris will respect your limitations and be non judgmental

* Cris will help you create a birth plan that will honour your choices and decisions after educating you with evidence based research

* Cris will provide you and your partner with all the tools you will need to have a confident and stress free birth

*Cris is supportive, predictable and a confidante

*Cris will be with you every step of the way to ensure you feel safe and prepared as your Educator, Coach & Cheerleader

Click here to learn more about the birth doula package

Top 5 Reasons to work with Cris as your Postpartum Doula

*Cris is a Certified maternal Support Practitioner/Doula and has worked with moms all over the world to ensure they feel safe and supported to help build their confidence

*Cris listens to your concerns with an open heart and helps provide you with the tools you need to address your concerns in real time

*Cris ensures that you feel grounded and taken care of

*Cris helps you transition into your new life by providing tips and tricks from safe sleep, to bathing and swaddling to feeding techniques as a Breastfeeding Expert

*Cris supports your current needs and provides comfort measure for mom as well

click here to learn more about the Postpartum Doula Package

Why Everyone Having a Baby Should work with Cris - The Passionate Doula!

From pregnancy to birth to postpartum, Cris is there to offer you support both emotionally and physically
Cris is your coach and cheerleader and she offers encouragement and reassurance when you need it most
Cris a resource for your questions and concerns and offer evidence based research so you can make informed decisions for you and your growing family
Cris recognizes the profound impact childbirth has on the birther and we help to prepare you for the journey ahead
Cris knows how imperative it is that you feel supported and heard without judgment
Cris wants you to feel Powerful, Present and Prepared
Cris believes every birther deserves the right to feel safe, nurtured, understood, loved, surrounded and comforted throughout their pregnancy, birth and parenting journey

click here to read more about all of the services offered

My Role as Your Birth Doula

To support the birth you want
To offer you emotional, physical and informational support
To build your confidence by providing lots of evidence based research
To be predictable
To be there for you as a cheerleader
To be dedicated, trustworthy and nurturing
To help you make confident informed decisions
To offer trauma informed care
To go over your birth plan
To discuss and plan ahead for all scenarios
To help you cope with your fears
To be respectful of your limitations and to your window of tolerance
To offer comfort measures
To ensure that you feel safe and respected
To be mindful of your needs
To help support your birth partner (should you have one)

Click here to learn more about the birth doula package

My Role as Your Postpartum Doula

To build your confidence by providing lots of Evidence Based research
To actively listen to your concerns without judgement and go over plans of action for a positive family outcome
To support you emotionally and be empathetic
To ensure you feel safe, grounded, rested and taken care of
To help with the transition and help manage your expectations
To offer trauma informed care
To be respectful of your limitations and to your window of tolerance
To support your needs so you can be an amazing parent
To practice and go over comfort measures for baby
To leave you feeling powerful, present and prepared
To help support your partner (should you have one)

Click here to learn more about the postpartum doula package

Birth & Postpartum Partner Training

Preparation is Key! The Passionate Doula also knows how important it is that the Birth Partner & Postpartum Partner feel Confident, Educated, Present & Prepared!

Top 5 Reasons to have a Trained Birth Partner

* Feeling united as a birthing team

* Feeling confident that your partner is also supported

* Feeling relaxed knowing your partner is educated

* Feeling safe because your partner is prepared

* Feeling loved, connected, present and calm

Top 5 Reasons to be Trained Before Becoming a Birth Partner

*Feeling educated and informed

*Feeling prepared in your role in the birthing room

*Feeling confident in your abilities to offer comfort

*Feeling connected to the birther and their needs

*Feeling powerful, present, calm and supported

What You Will learn

To understand your role in the birthing room
To have all of your questions answered
To go over any of your concerns
How to be confident and feel prepared
To eliminate fear
Comfort measures and practice them
All about labour and birth
What to expect in the birthing room
To feel comfortable and useful

My Role as Your Birth Partner Trainer

To educate you on your role
To prepare you for the labour and the birth
To help you address and deal with your fears
To offer comfort measures and grounding techniques for both yourself and the Birther
To provide you with all the evidence based research so you can be the best birth partner for the birther
To go through all of the items that need to be in the hospital bags (should this be a hospital birth)

click here to learn more about birth partner training

Why is Doula Care so Effective

The Positive Effects of a Doula at Your Birth

Evidence on: Doulas (evidencebasedbirth.com)

Here is an excerpt from this article:

How is a doula different from having your partner/spouse there?

"Some people think that they do not need a doula because their partner will be with them continuously throughout labor. It is true that the birth partner is an essential support person for a birthing person to have by their side. However, the birth partner will need to eat and use the bathroom at times, and they are having their own emotional journey that requires support.

Also, many partners have limited knowledge about birth, medical procedures, or what goes on in a hospital, while doulas have knowledge and experience about all of these things that they can use to inform and support both the partner and birthing person. Ideally, doulas and partners can work together to make up a labor support team.

In one landmark study that evaluated the effects of doulas and fathers working together, researchers found that combining a supportive partner and a doula significantly lowered the mother’s risk of Cesarean compared to just having a supportive partner alone.

In 2008, McGrath and Kennell randomly assigned 420 first-time mothers to have routine care (including a supportive partner) or care that also included a professional doula whom they met for the first time during labor. All of the women in the study were classified as having middle- to upper-class financial income levels, having supportive partners, and in the care of obstetricians.

During labor, doulas provided continuous support, including encouragement, reassurance, and physical support. They helped the partner support the laboring person, and were careful not to take over the partner’s role.

The results showed a substantial improvement in outcomes for women who had both a birth partner and a doula, compared to having a birth partner alone. The Cesarean rate for these first-time mothers was 25% in the group with a partner only, and 13.4% in the group with a partner and doula. The women who had their labor medically induced experienced an even more striking decrease in the Cesarean rate with a doula—the Cesarean rate with labor inductions was 58.8% in the group without a doula, and 12.5% in the group with a doula. Also, fewer women in the doula group required an epidural (64.7%) compared to those without a doula (76%).

Research has shown that the most positive birth experiences for fathers were ones where they had continuous support by a doula or a midwife. In the McGrath and Kennell study, the women and their partners who had a doula overwhelmingly rated the support of their doula as positive—with 93% rating their experience with the doula as very positive, and 7% as positive. In other studies, fathers have said that when they had labor support from a midwife or doula, things were explained to them, their questions were answered, their labor support efforts were guided and effective, and they could take breaks from the emotional intensity of the labor without abandoning their laboring partner (Johansson, 2015).

What the Studies Show

Pregnant people have reported feeling more confident is themselves and their bodies ability to birth after deciding to work with a Doula.

Research shows that birthers value and benefit from the presence of a support person during labour and childbirth.

Did you know that 90% of epidurals can be avoided if you have a support person in the room working with you? Should you chose an unmedicated birth, labour is often greatly reduced, delivery is smoother and easier on both the birther and the baby and your baby is less sleepy and has an easier time nursing should you chose to breastfeed.

Most birthers have reported feeling understood, valued, empowered, more present and less foggy during labour and delivery.

All birthers report that they felt supported, nurtured, loved and a part of their own birth experience when working with a doula. You never feel alone. You never feel like you are in the dark with no answers.

Postpartum depression is said to be lower in women who were supported in pregnancy and labour.

Postpartum depression is significantly decreased in women who work with a doula after baby is born and in the fist few months of parenthood as they feel supported and validated.