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Testimonials
"Royah is an amazing doula. We feel very honoured to have had her at our birth. She is incredibly supportive and knowledgeable using many tools to help; including acupressure, light massage, words of encouragement, and positioning on the birth ball and in the birth tub. She is very experienced, which reflects in her calm and confident nature. She is also very organized! Our due date was around the time she was on vacation, so she arranged for us to meet our back up Doula’s beforehand as well as provided us a detailed calendar so we would easily know who was on call each day she was away. Royah is very familiar with the hypnobirthing program, so I found it helpful that she used similar language. Ex: wave vs. contraction. She is also a lactation consultant and was able to offer postpartum support. We highly recommend Royah!"
-Dr. Alanna Kuhn, ND
-Dr. Alanna Kuhn, ND
"I would highly recommend Royah to anyone who is considering doula support! As a first time mom, I had so much anxiety as my due date approached - My husband was out of town for work; epidural pain management was medically not an option for me; and being our first baby, I felt so overwhelmed by the unknown. Royah provided me with amazing pre and post-natal resources, and was always available and knowledgeable in answering any questions. She stayed with me through my entire labour and delivery, her presence an endless source of calm, reassurance, and encouragement. I really can't say enough about the sense of tranquility that Royah brought to me that day. Her use of music, aromatherapy, breathing techniques, massage, and other coping strategies allowed me to focus through the pain. Looking back, I don't know what I would have done without her. Royah also provided me with some initial breastfeeding support in hospital, as well as visited us at home to smooth out a couple remaining breastfeeding challenges. From start to finish, such a positive experience! A worthy investment for any mom-to-be!"
-Angela N.
"Having Royah as our doula was one of the best decisions we made during our pregnancy. Right from our first meeting she was attentive, thorough, and professional. She made clear that she was there to support us in this process in whatever way she could within our wishes.
She was always reachable for questions, made sure we met and were comfortable with, the back-up doulas in case there were any availability issues once labour started, and was extremely supportive even after our son arrived.
Despite the birth occurring during the holidays, Royah took great pains to ensure we were always supported by her or her colleagues in the doula community and she offered excellent support to us when we had follow-up questions on breastfeeding.
Both of us feel as though Royah helped us immensely throughout labour and that it would have a much different process without her. Her knowledge and experience helped me through contractions and significantly helped my husband in supporting me throughout the birth of our son. Our only regret is that we waited until we went to the hospital to have Royah join us. If we could do it all over again we would have had her come to our house much sooner even though it was the early hours of the morning – that’s the kind of support you get with Royah as your doula. We would wholeheartedly recommend Royah to anyone who was seeking a doula to be part of their pregnancy and labour."
S and R
"Royah is an extremely intelligent, smart and resourceful doula. I found a 'mom' in her throughout my delivery who knew what I needed. Her compassionate understanding and instant and appropriate response and action-taking is what I found the most beneficial. During delivery, she directed me into different positions, encouraged me throughout verbally and kept reminding me to breathe. As both my husband and myself immigrated to Canada, we had no family around. Royah's constant care, support and follow-up before, during and after the delivery helped a lot. I highly recommend Royah as a doula as her comforting and loving presence is felt more than words can explain."
-A.J.
"Working with Royah throughout my pregnancy, delivery, and postnatally has been a wonderful and comforting experience. Being a first time mother, without any friends nearby who have children, there was a lot of information I was not aware of or even knew existed. Royah not only educated me on all aspects of upcoming motherhood, she also led me directly to most of the resources that were available. Even though she had plans for a vacation before we met she was adamant at making sure I met a backup doula, and even gave me information for a second backup doula as well. During my labour my doula was able to offer essential advice on different positions and ways to relieve the pain of the contractions. I don't believe that without the assistance of a doula I would have been able to follow through with a completely natural birth."
- Vicky H.
Using a doula for my labour was one of the best decisions I could have made. From the early stages of labour, right until the moment our daughter was born, Royah was unwavering in her support of me and my husband. She was a voice of reason and confidence that we needed when making difficult decisions. She remained calm and supportive regardless of what the situation was. She coached me through every contraction, and also gave my husband suggestions of what he could do. Royah’s experience with coping techniques such as acupressure, aromatherapy, massage, breathing, water therapy, and positioning allowed me to manage the pain of my contractions, pushing and delivery. Most importantly, Royah never left our side and ensured that we understood what was happening throughout the whole labour and delivery process. If you are considering using a doula, I highly recommend Royah. Her calm demeanour and knowledge of childbirth ensured that our labour experience was a positive one. She is dedicated to providing support, exemplified by her home visits, in-hospital support and open, unbiased communication during pre-labour and post-labour.
K. Lamarche
What is a Doula?
According to DONA International, a doula is "a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period. Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.
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A Birth Doula:
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Having the continuous support of a doula can result in:
- 31% decrease in the use of Pitocin*
- 28% decrease in the risk of C-section*
- 12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth*
- 9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
- 14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery
- 34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience*
"There's no doubt that giving birth will impact your mind, body and emotions in various ways. The support of a doula can help you feel prepared and informed. Having a doula also has the potential to make the birthing experience a much more satisfying one."
- Royah Loie CD(DONA), CLEC, LCCE
- Royah Loie CD(DONA), CLEC, LCCE
