-
"Kyle and I got pregnant with our first child a month after opening my own business. I was completely overwhelmed by the idea of having a baby and knew I needed the right support system to help me find confidence on the journey to motherhood that I was embarking on. We found Emily online and set up a phone call and immediately we both agreed she seemed like a great fit for our family - her energy was grounded, practical and warm. We appreciated all the education she provided us with to prepare for what pregnancy, labour & delivery and postpartum would entail. I felt confident heading into my labour that I was completely supported with the help of a knowledgeable professional. Honestly, healthcare is great but it’s sometimes hard to access support and answers to your questions in a timely manner. Having 24/7 access to communication with Emily was the greatest gift of her services. I could ask all my endless questions, express my deepest fears and concerns. She was incredibly supportive, holding a very non judgmental and therapeutic space for me in the most vulnerable state of my life! She also was very non biased, providing me with information but never swaying me one way or another - she was professional and made sure that I was asking my doctor for answers to questions she didn’t feel were in her scope of practice to answer. When my big day came, I was diagnosed with preeclampsia and my birth plan had really gone sideways. She followed us from hospital to hospital and patiently waited until we were ready to have her in the labour room. She offered me encouragement, educated me on my choices, advocated for me, retained information about everything that happened in the labour room for my later reflection, and gave me snacks and moments of pampering. I had some complications after Jack was born, and she comforted and nurtured me in one of the scariest moments of my life. I had a lot of postpartum anxiety and Emily was able to guide me on breastfeeding and support me with rationalizing my fears - understanding what was valid concern and what was my crazy postpartum hormones getting the best of me, haha! It was really helpful to have the help of someone so well versed in the postpartum world in our home during those first weeks & months when we were so sleep deprived and emotional. With Kyle heading back to full time work so quickly, it was incredibly helpful to have Emily accessible to support me whenever I needed. Overall, I couldn’t recommend her services enough. Kyle & I both agree we would never do pregnancy, labour and postpartum without her help! She was essential to both of our wellbeing during this journey of becoming new parents. When we have our second baby we will definitely be seeking Emily’s support again. Thank you for all that you’ve done for our family! We love you!"
-Lucy, Kyle & Jack
Posted 12/17/2025
-
"There are no words to describe the unbelievable value and knowledge that Emily brought through my entire pregnancy, birth and postpartum. I always knew I wanted to have a doula especially at birth, but I didn’t realize the important role Emily would play. She educates you throughout pregnancy and provides you with a range of resources. You learn about what is happening during your body at the time as well as birth itself and your choices during labour. My birth was not the way I had imagined it would go. But having the knowledge and being able to advocate for myself in what I wanted at the time allowed me to have an empowering birth no matter the outcome. Emily was the one who made sure we knew our choices every step of the way. I had never felt so prepared or confident for what I was predicting to be a HUGE challenge. Having a doula is literally like having a passionate best friend, who you can count on at any time and who is a constant wealth of knowledge! Emily especially, is a warm, positive, compassionate and unbelievably supportive human. She makes you feel comfortable in your most vulnerable moments. My husband really enjoyed working with her and the encouragement of labour techniques that they tag teamed during labour. He kept saying, “I couldn’t have done it without Emily”, as she was there the entire longggg labour. Another amazing benefit Emily has provided us with is that after birth she will answer any phone call or text with questions, which is so appreciated when you're sleep deprived and have no clue how to care for a new baby. She is especially knowledgeable with breastfeeding, helping our baby get the perfect latch! I hope we are able to conceive again one day and have Emily with us every step of the way! She truly is the positive light everyone should have during the most vulnerable times!"
-Martin Family
Posted 11/27/2025
-
"Infant massage has always been of interest to me since seeing a few YouTube videos on how it can help relieve gas. When Emily (who had already been my amazing doula) offered sessions, I immediately signed up. I wanted to learn more and know the proper and safe way to massage. Over 5 weeks, she came to our home and instructed me on proper techniques and pressure, understanding cues and if baby was receptive, and ways I could continue massage throughout my baby and toddler’s life. Emily shared a laundry list of benefits from massage, including better sleep and digestion for baby, but also how it can help deepen your bond. I’m very affectionate but learning these massage techniques allowed me to understand my baby even better. I really enjoyed every session and so did my baby. We often do massage after bath time and it makes her really relaxed. At each session, Emily gave me a packet with the different techniques illustrated so I always had a reference, interesting articles and other information about developmental movements to practice. I highly recommend infant massage as it’s a such a relaxing and beautiful way to spend time with your baby."
- Infant Massage Review
Posted 02/23/2024
-
"I am taking the Infant Massage Class with Emily and I must say I am blown away by how amazing this course is! I was not expecting to see such immediate benefits of infant massage on both myself and my baby. My baby and I have gotten an incredible chance to bond, release tension and relax throughout this class. I can literally feel the happy hormones flowing when I give my baby a massage using the techniques Emily taught me. Each week we go through a different section of the body and I learnt the specific strokes for that body part, as well as some theory about infant massage. She came each week with a print out of the strokes for me to keep as well as some extra resources about infant massage, so I could practice at home and use for future reference easily. I loved how Emily also taught me how I can adapt these massage techniques for my toddler! I highly recommend taking the Infant Massage class with Emily :)."
- Infant Massage Review
Posted 06/04/2024
-
"It was a nice course. My husband and I learned a lot from Doula Emily. She answered gracefully all our questions we had during the online and in-person class. Aside from that, the class schedule was flexible. It was a good decision that we had this class."
-Perinatal Education Student
Posted 10/26/2021
-
"I reached out to Emily in the summer of 2020 when I was 8 months PP and really starting to feel the effects of COVID 19. I was an overwhelmed, scared and anxious first time mom trying to navigate motherhood in a pandemic. Meeting Emily and enrolling in her virtual support classes saved my sanity during some very trying times. I felt a lot of ease and comfort as I worked my way through health issues with my son, introducing solids for the first time, trying to figure out a sleep schedule and so much more. Emily provided emotional support, validation, resources and practical support in my time of need and did so with so much kindness. If I had questions she didn’t have the answers to, she would find them for me in a timely fashion. She always made herself available to my family even when she had one of her own. My experience with Emily was amazing and I would recommend her doula services to any mom out there. You will not be disappointed with these amazing, professional services. She genuinely cares about the people that she is supporting and this does not go unnoticed."
-Dobratz Family
Posted 12/22/2020
-
"Emily was - and continues to be - a true gift for me and my family. She is warm, kind, and extremely helpful. She puts her whole heart into her work and goes above and beyond the call of duty. She is the one who will show up for you, on a particularly challenging day, with a huge pot of nourishing stew; the one who will check in on you randomly and say the exact words you need to hear in that moment; the one who will succeed in putting your baby down in his crib without waking him up when all of your attempts to do so have failed. Being a doula is not a "job" for Emily - it is a calling. She embodies the spirit of the work and brings a joy and lightness to it that is beautiful and refreshing. North Bay (and surrounding areas) is so lucky to have her. I will be recommending her to all of the mamas I know. Thank you, Emily. We are truly grateful."
-Rivard Family
Posted 2/10/2019
-
"Such a great service and person! I won a gift basket and it met my every need and everything I wanted plus new products that I have never tried and loved them! Thank you so much Emily!"
-Jamieson Family
Posted 2018
-
"After a rough start with breastfeeding, I was on the brink of giving up entirely. Emily helped us figure out our issue and reestablish a good latch, all long distance! As a result, I was able to exclusively breastfeed and we are now 21 months in and still going. I would highly recommend her to anyone! Thanks Emily."
-Baby N
Posted 2018
-
"Emily is kind, easy-going, punctual and knowledgeable. Emily is adaptable and fit right in with our family. She was great with my kids and had useful suggestions for helping my son adjust to his new baby sister. In my early post partum period, Emily was an invaluable asset, especially when picking up the slack with the household chores. There's nothing like clean bathrooms to make you feel whole again during the chaos that is going from one child to two! If your relatives live far away or you just need some extra help after having a baby, I highly recommend hiring a post-partum doula -- and Emily's your gal!"
-Baby T
Posted 07/31/2017
Kim has fully transitioned out of doula work as of 2024. We wish her all the very best in her new job & are very grateful for having had Kim as such an amazing partner, back up and of course all her wonderful hard work she devoted to GTDS! While Kim remains in North Bay and no longer works with GTDS, our clients continue to remember her fondly. See below for more reviews with Kim & Emily!
-
"I cannot recommend Growing Together Doula Services enough to any expecting or new mama. I hired Emily and Kim back when I was pregnant with my first son in 2021. They were immediately so friendly and knowledgeable throughout multiple prenatal visits. They taught me so many things about pregnancy, labor and postpartum that I would have NEVER otherwise had the chance to learn from my doctor or anyone else. Anytime I had a question throughout my pregnancy, they were there to answer it practically immediately! This level of support was incredible for an anxious, first-time pregnant mom! Kim and Emily then supported me during the birth of my first son and Emily provided amazing postpartum support for the entire first year of my son’s life. We relied on Emily’s help and support so much that we topped up on postpartum hours three or four times throughout my son’s first year. Emily was flexible, accommodating, a great listener to laugh or cry with, and a huge help around the house with whatever we needed. She was never judgemental, always held space for me, and offered motherly comfort, support, and a plethora of resources to help me out. She was even so thoughtful and sweet to bring me little treats, such as my favourite tea, when she showed up for visits. The second I got pregnant with my second son in 2023, Emily was the first person I called and re-hired! She supported me with prenatal visits, birth planning, facing my anxieties, and even came to midwife appointments with me and my toddler. She then supported me through my second labor every step of the way. I leaned on her (figuratively and quite literally lol) while pushing my second son out during my amazing unmedicated second birth - it is a memory I will never forget lol! Emily continued to support our family during my second postpartum, and just taught me an amazing infant massage course to help me and my new baby relax. Her advice and friendship over the years has been, and will always be, cherished by our family. Emily’s guidance and support has helped me grow into the mother I am today, and I can’t thank her enough for that. We love and appreciate you! Hiring a doula is a must for all new mamas, and if you are lucky enough to work with Emily, know you have the best support team by your side as you embark on this wildly amazing and challenging journey called motherhood. We can’t thank Kim and Emily enough for being there for all the ups and downs we experienced since becoming parents. Love, The Thomson Family"
-The Thomson Family
Posted 06/04/2024
-
"One night at 11pm a family member googled 'doulas in the area" and sent a request to Emily/Kim for support for myself as a new mom. i was having a hard time and was very emotional. They responded the next morning to set up a time to meet with me and go over my concerns. I am very pleased with how quickly they responded and reached out. I felt so supported even just with messaging them. They answered any questions I had and gave me some relief when they said they can meet with me. Thank you so much for your help!"
-Postpartum Review
Posted 04/03/2023
-
"We have had such a wonderful experience with Growing Together Doula Services! Emily and Kim provided my husband and I with the support, knowledge and confidence to thrive during our prenatal, labour/delivery and postpartum experience. They are incredible advocates. We really appreciated their drive to provide us with evidence-based information and resources during our prenatal education sessions. Communication was always timely and our questions were always answered fully and respected, no matter how silly we thought our questions may be! Having Emily's support and expertise throughout my labour was wonderful; she provided such a calming, positive and motivating presence for both my partner and I. She somehow knew just what I needed to feel strong and confident during a time that could otherwise be saturated with anxiety or uncertainty. Emily and Kim had a large part in helping my partner to feel empowered to support me, our relationship has benefitted greatly from their coaching during our transition to parenthood. I also enjoyed reading through the helpful posts on their blog on growingtogetherdoulaservices.com. Emily and Kim's role in our journey has been incredibly valuable and I would highly recommend their services!"
-Callahan Family
Posted 01/24/2023
-
"These ladies are amazing! I literally could not have made it through pregnancy, labour and now post pregnancy without their continued support. They provide constant support through their amazing app answering any and all questions I had at all hours and with a quick response rate (and I had ALOT). The support I had during my rough labour experience allowed me to make it through and know I was in good hands. I personally had Kim for my labour and she not only showed up with a smile for my night time labour, she brought different items to help set the mood, even giving me snacks if I wanted. Upon her arrival to the room, she immediately got the nurses to bring the items she needed to best help and support me. She was able to keep me calm and without meds untill I was 10cm. She continued to be positive, providing suggestions to help with labour ensuring my voice was heard by everyone. She also took some precious pictures that I’ll be able to cherish forever. The continued support with breastfeeding, general questions, and feeling of isolation, has allowed me to feel calmer, and make it through each day. Since experiencing their services (which I didn’t know much about at first) I highly recommend every pregnant women seek them out as they will make your pregnancy easier, more supportive and provide unlimited amount of resources and knowledge to best guide you through your pregnancy, delivery and postpartum experience. I can’t thank them enough and hope that even though my labour was traumatic I hope they will still take me on in the future as I can’t imagine doing it without their support! Thank you Kim and Emily words can’t express it enough!"
-Wood family
Posted 12/20/2022
-
"Expectant and new mamas.. do yourselves a favour and HIRE A DOULA. For BIRTH and for POSTPARTUM.. I cannot say enough about my experience. It’s been ridiculously amazing. The extra hands, the support, the break your partner needs to pee or eat or do something else for you in labor. The suggestions you didn’t think of, the reminders you and your partner both need. To hold the baby so you can shower, to help with cleaning or dishes or food prep or toddler entertainment.. For sympathetic, understanding, listening ear when you feel like you’re losing your mind. Someone to just be there. Sometimes it’s nice to just have someone there. I had both labor and postpartum package and I just hired them again. 4.5 months later.. They were here today and were everything I needed and more. I don’t know why I waited so long to do it again…Actually that’s a lie. I do know.. Reason #1 mom brain - 1000000 tabs open and things half done and I kept forgetting or thinking I should message and then baby cries or toddler is climbing on the dog or a trucker convoy takes over your life… All the more reason to arrange it ahead of time. For the first weeks FOR SURE, but I recommend longer, especially if you have other kids. Reason #2 Justifying it, overcoming societal expectations etc…Do I REALLY need it? I should be able to do everything, right? Let me just try.. YES, my mental health needs it. Maybe I could do everything if I barely slept and took zero downtime. Yes, I tried and I didn’t do awful.. I actually impressed myself some days and weeks, and on the good days, I almost convinced myself I didn’t need the help. Then came the hard days… when you wonder how you possibly felt so good about it all yesterday.. when the baby stopped sleeping wherever whenever.. and solo parent bedtime and next level toddler tantrums and dinner clean up & endless laundry and getting to the point of feeling like you just can’t.. Life is better with help, it really takes a village.. You are worth it. Your mental health is worth it. These ladies are worth it. HIRE THEM. I’m a happier person, my house is a cleaner place, I am able to be more for everyone."
-Baby Ro - Rehired
Posted 02/10/2022
-
"We worked with both Emily and Kim during labour and Emily continued to work with our family for 2 months postpartum. They were both invaluable - I cannot imagine going through labour, delivery and postpartum without support like that again. Early in labour Emily supported me, helping with comfort measures, mainly hip squeeze, which was a wonderful discovery and helped immensely when compared to my first labour and birth when I didn’t know about it or have a a doula. She also helped us to realize things were progressing much faster than last time and we needed to phone the midwives so we weren’t delivering solo. Kim joined her later, as things progressed to a greater intensity and then took over providing me with cold towels, hip squeeze, reminding me to drink and helping coach my breathing along my husband, and trading off along with many other background tasks as well. The team support I had was an absolute game changer this time around. I wouldn’t ever want to go through labour and birth without a doula like Kim again. Afterwards, during golden hour and beyond, my husband came up with a look of disbelief me stating both doulas had been hard at work, that our floors were being mopped and our house looked fantastic and all the laundry was done. What a nice feeling knowing things were clean and taken care of when labour came on sooner and we were less prepared than we had hoped. Postpartum, Emily has been a huge part of maintaining my household and sanity through the transition of having a second baby with a toddler already in the house. Housework help, toddler entertainment, snack making, baby holding for showers or tasks I wanted to do and a caring, listening ear. I cannot begin to express the gratitude I have for helping to make this a smoother transition. Kim and Emily are incredible humans and a great team to have on your side through the journey of bringing another family member into the world. I couldn’t recommend them anymore."
-Baby Ro
Posted December 2022
-
"Thank you @growingtogether_doula 🖤 For this sweet and honest little book of poems, @bravenewmama that came at the perfect moment today. For the incredible care & support I received during birth prep, labor & delivery and postpartum. It’s been a much smoother journey & transition with this incredible team of ladies on our side. I can’t imagine doing it without them. Every mama needs a doula or two as wonderful as these ladies in their corner. If you’re in the North Bay Area, I highly recommend them. If you’re not, I highly recommend you find a doula (or two) that you connect well with. It’s a game changer. Mamas you deserve the care, support, helping hand and listening ear they provide. It takes a village, and I am forever grateful that Emily and Kim have been a part of mine. 🖤"
-Facebook Client Love
Posted 11/19/2021
-
"I was referred to Emily and Kim during my postpartum period and was able to have them at my house when my daughter was a few weeks old. I was at the time struggling with undiagnosed postpartum, and both Emily and Kim were essential in accepting a diagnosis and helping me throughout the rest of the fourth trimester and beyond. Emily and Kim worked with my lactation consultant to create a plan that benefitted our daughter, and our family. Our family felt seen, supported, and loved. They went above and beyond to ensure our environment was comfortable and clean during non-Covid-related sickness, they answered my endless anxiety-induced questions with patience and knowledge. Most of all Emily and Kim cared about us and our well-being, and I am so thankful for them both. They were such an integral part of my healing, my growing confidence, and why I am doing so well now. I cannot say enough positive things about their doula services!! If we have more in the future, I cannot wait to have your support during pregnancy, labour, and postpartum."
-The Mills Family
Posted 06/27/2022
-
"One of the best decisions I made during my pregnancy was hiring Kim and Emily! They are both excellent doulas and I think I can honestly say Malcolm, Justin and I would not be where we are today if it wasn’t for them!! Thank you Growing Together Doula Services for your impeccable care of our little family!!"
-Vardy Family
Posted 02/14/2022
-
"Kim and Emily were truly amazing and I will always recommend a doula for labour and postpartum. they have made my pregnancy and labor experience incredible and I don't think I would have gotten through labour so well without them (induction that led to same day, fast and furious labour, gave birth within 5 hours of induction). They were calm and so helpful, guiding me through contractions and they guided my husband so that he would know what to expect and could be the best helper for me at the hospital, and he was! They were so supportive, kind and knowledgable throughout the entire process. Highly recommend them! [♥️] "
-Baby L
Posted 10/29/2021