Being a doula in Canada 

Working as a doula in Québec was not a premeditated plan. I am a pediatrician who immigrated to Canada in 2018 with my family, so my professional career was in stand-by for a while.

The word “doula” comes from Ancient Greek, meaning “a woman who serves”. It is a traditional role played by experienced women around the world. Nowadays, “doula” refers to a professional trained to provide emotional, physical, and educational support to women throughout their pregnancy, birth and postpartum period.

All started in a support group to Brazilian mothers that I created with a friend. The goal was to have a safe place to process so many demands from parenting and immigration. As many of them were pregnant or became pregnant, I started counseling one and other. During COVID pandemic, the group was dissolved, and I started a new one with pregnant friends, with which we studied and discussed all subjects related to pregnancy, birth and beyond.

With time, I realized that being a doula could be a temporary occupation. So, I started taking some courses to improve my skills as one, and now I offer my services openly. My main clientele is the Brazilian pregnant because the maternal language has an important role since birthing is more related to animal instincts than reason.

It is interesting to realize how much translation I do as a doula. Medical procedures, medical vocabulary, dealing with so many pregnancy changes and among various choices to make, so this situation can be overwhelming. Adding some cultural differences to that, we have a very delicate period and all the support provided is helpful.

On balance, I feel that the more I help these families, the closer I get to practicing medicine here. In conclusion, I am sure I will be a better doctor after all these wonderful experiences.