Instinctive Birth - Full Spectrum Doula Services

I cannot help but get emotional when I think about how amazing it was to have Martha be apart of our son's birth story. Martha was knowledgeable, genuine, professional, and above all, she was kind. She was the person my wife and I needed her to be during each stage of our pregnancy and up to and beyond the birth of our son. Being there for us during these especially unique times was beneficial beyond words. Her knowledge, expertise, and willingness to help in anyway (and at anytime) possible went beyond what we could've ever expected. We are so grateful for Martha, and I cannot recommend her enough to anyone looking to have support for their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. Regardless of what your preferences are, you are in amazing hands with Martha.Also, as the partner, I'd like to thank you personally Martha for being a calming presence. You gave me the confidence I needed, to know that I was doing and saying all the right things, and that is priceless. When / if we decided that our son needs a sibling we will be sure to make sure you are apart of that as well!All the best!With love,Chris, Dania and Thomas

A very lovely person, Martha is the genuine example of someone living out their calling. She honours birth as the special and vulnerable season that it is for families.We had two prenatal meetings where she provided clear and detailed information about what choices we could make throughout pregnancy and labour​. She​ supported my husband and his queries, and listened so carefully ​and with such understanding​​.​ Martha is very knowledgeable, professional and organized.​ With her help we were able to create our ideal birth scenario.​Martha's calm voice, caring demeano​u​r and ​delicate touch was everything I needed during labour. ​She was always k​ind​, reassuring​ and encouraging​, ​I felt very confident and empowered by her presence. The support we received during her postpartum visits was nourishing, emotionally and physically.We would highly recommend her to anyone looking for doula support on their birth journey!

It's a year today that our sweet babe was born and Martha helped us bring her into the world. Twelve whole months later and I still find myself in moments of gratitude for the support, care, knowledge, skill, and patience Martha had for us during my pregnancy, home birth, and postpartum period. From the day we met her I felt a calmness in her presence (a true gift for someone who struggled with pregnancy anxiety!) and I knew I wanted her at the birth. The pre-birth support calls she offered were really helpful and she shared SO many resources with us, each one tailored to our specific interests and concerns. My first labour was relatively quick, so when I called Martha to tell her baby #2 was on the way, she was at our place within 20 minutes. Her voice is the one I heard as I gave birth, and I will always remember her caring, reassuring words. The photos she took are stunning and will be cherished in our home forever. I cannot say enough good things about Martha as a doula (and a human!) and highly, highly recommend her. She was absolutely wonderful and we are endlessly grateful. Thank you!!

Martha is a literal Angel and you can’t convince me otherwise. After not investing in a doula for my first birth, I knew it was something I wanted for my second. From the moment we met (virtually, at first) I knew she was the right fit. Martha championed me in a way I didn’t even know I needed. She matched her calm, steady demeanour with her clear passion and enthusiasm for birth. Her absolute trust in me and my body’s intuition and ability to grow, birth and hold this tiny human was infectious and absolutely priceless. She’s the kind of person who knows when to talk, when to listen, and when to sit back and just hold space. She’s incredibly knowledgeable, but will shamelessly connect you with someone else if they have the answers you’re looking for and she doesn’t. Martha never made me feel silly when I had false/early labour signs for weeks, and would send her the “this might be it” text over and over again. When labour finally did come knocking, her presence helped me go inward and really surrender to my body and just enjoy the experience! She was the birth partner of my dreams, going above and beyond, even following me from my home birth into the hospital for observation when I needed the support so my partner could be with our first child at home. Postpartum was a rough ride for me and Martha navigated that storm with grace, kindness and empathy, making sure I didn’t feel alone.I quite literally cannot imagine having done this with anyone else. I am forever grateful to Martha for being by my side during what has been simultaneously the most incredible and the hardest feat I have ever accomplished.I believe that while a baby is coming earthside, it is truly the birthing person who is being born on a child’s birthday - never have I felt more celebrated and supported, trusted and cared for than with Martha by my side.If you’re looking for a doula, do yourself (and your entire family) a favour and hire her. Even my 2.5 year old still asks about her regularly. She’s even great with pets, older siblings, and has excellent taste in postpartum snacks. The only thing I’d change if I could would be to go back in time and hire her for my first birth, too.Thanks Martha! We love you!

Martha came highly recommended as a birth doula. We met with her and started building a relationship very early on in our pregnancy. Martha was invaluable throughout, in terms of knowledge and support and especially in preparation for the birthing process. She scheduled a quick check-in chat every week with my husband and I to chat about anything on our minds and to offer information and support where needed - this fostered a very strong foundation and even a friendship. I can honestly say that I could not have made it though my very long labour at home intervention-free without Martha’s support by my side. Martha is professional, respectful and very kind-hearted. I would and will recommend her to anyone pregnant as an essential member of their birth team.Thank you Martha!Georgia, Andrew and baby Arthur

When my wife and I were preparing for our first child, we were very intimidated by the upcoming birth. Thankfully, we found and hired Martha as our Doula. Since day 1, Martha has been incredibly helpful with preparing for our birth, providing us resources and helping us be prepared with a birthing plan.When the day came, the worries we had when contemplating the birth previously were completely absent. Martha was always by our side, suggesting different positions and weighing our options rationally and calmly during an event we had not experienced before. When there were bumps in the road, Martha was quick to respond and provide her extensive knowledge and experience with births to help calm us down and enjoy our birth. In the midst of the birth, she really helped by advocating for us. Her Photography service was also exceptional, we are so glad to have such amazing photos of our birth for us to remember the day our lives changed forever.I would strongly recommend Martha to anybody who is expecting a baby and in the event that we have another child would absolutely hire Martha to be our doula again!With love,Trevor, Emily and Jay.

As a first time parents, we cannot rave enough about how absolutely monumental Martha's support was for the birth of our child. We could not have asked for a kinder, more supportive and calm doula to have been part of our dream birth experience. She was there for us through an intense active labour, and kept both of us feeling so safe and reassured throughout. She had learned and deeply understood all our birth preferences and ensured that they were supported and reaffirmed, and even reassured us when we had an unexpected complication and things happened in a quick blur. Having Martha's support is undoubtedly one of the best decisions we made during the birth journey!

There simply aren't enough words in the English language to capture how truly amazing Martha is. My partner and I reached out to her early in pregnancy, uncertain whether we wanted a doula, and Martha was SO informative & patient with us as we took our time to decide what was right for us. From early on, Martha helped us feel comfortable & confident (and never rushed!) as we moved through such a wild experience as first time parents. Martha handled all of our questions with such care - giving us reliable information, listening to our excitement & concerns, providing resources. And all of this is to say nothing about how PHENOMENAL she was during the labour. There is absolutely no way we could have had the birthing experience we did without Martha's support, calmness, encouragement, steadfast commitment...she had listened so carefully in our prenatal visits & showed up in the world's most perfect way for me, my partner and our baby. In my postpartum haze, I was describing Martha's support to my mom and said She basically deserves the Order of Canada"....that about sums it up!! hahah. This was long but still doesn't scratch the surface of how special/great Martha is. She changed our lives and pregnancy/birthing experience for the better which is/was a pretty special gift for our growing family ♡"

Words cannot describe how amazing our experience has been with Martha. Martha spent so much care and time with us leading up to birth where both my partner and I felt ready, informed and knowledgable for when the time came. During labour Martha was a calm and steady presence, providing reassurance, encouragement and guidance. She provided amazing support to both of us throughout the process, both emotionally and practically. I strongly feel we would not have been able to achieve the positive birth experience we did without her. Martha was also there for us post birth and was invaluable while learning breastfeeding and how to care for our new little bean. We will forever feel gratitude and connection to her for coming on this journey with us!I cannot recommend Martha enough to anyone looking to hire a doula for their birth. She is magic!

I had the fortunate experience to have Martha be my birth photographer. From the beginning she was a calming presence as a part of my birthing journey, asking me what my wants and needs and feelings were about having a photographer during one of the most monumentous event in my life. She asked me questions about my vision for the photographs that I hadn’t even thought of to ensure she was respectful and as unintrusive as possible throughout the birth event.I cannot recommend Martha enough. Some people may wonder why would you ever want photographs of your birth - and I am forever grateful to have these photographs. They remind me of what I accomplished and how I rose to the occasion - you truly do forget so much.If you are asking yourself if you want a birth photographer, I ask you this: Do you want your partner to be focusing on and supporting you during the birth, or troubleshooting their phone, trying to get a blurry photo? Also, there is a reason why you ask a professional to take your photos - they have the talent and skill and eye and equipment to showcase this event for you. You honestly have other things (baby!) to be concerned about.I decided that I would much rather have these photographs and not need them rather than not have them and want them. We now have an amazing collection of my birth journey that I am grateful to have.Thank you Martha!