Hi Ottawa, it’s good to meet you!
My name is Stephanie Hammond-Conte
Born in this city, I am a mother of 2 older children and have 2 grandbabies. I have been working with children & families for over 30 years. I was acting as a Doula before I knew what a Doula was. I come to the table with support, awareness, communication skills, a helping hand and 100% commitment to giving you the best birth and postpartum experience that is within our control.
I happily serve Nepean, Ottawa and the surrounding areas.
Coming soon! My certification as an Infant Family Sleep Specialist.
The Role of a Doula
A Doula is someone who supports, empowers, instills self belief in the women they care for, their families and their support systems. A Doula listens, encourages and reminds women what they are capable of. A Doula is the one who is there to help be your voice when you aren’t able to or can’t muster the words, is a champion who naturally jumps in to help and know exactly what you need. A Doula is someone you can trust to bring nurturing, love and compassion.
A Birth Doula is a trained professional who provides emotional, physical, and informational support to expecting parents before, during, and after childbirth.
A Postpartum Doula provides valuable support in the postpartum period by assisting new parents with emotional and physical recovery after birth, as well as providing guidance and education on newborn care. This may also include referrals to other healthcare professionals if needed. Postpartum Doulas offer encouragement and a listening ear during a time when emotions can be particularly raw.
The work of Doulas sets the foundation for women and families to build a strong society and make the world a better place.
“People will forget what you said, will forget what you did
but they will never forget how you made them feel”.
~ Maya Angelou
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Supporting the process
I am very excited to assist you in your birth and/or postpartum Period. This is a time where the family needs to form some routines and may need some physical and/or emotional support with this.
My heart is happiest when I am working with families from pregnancy to seeing families fly on their own. Whether you are doing this with or without a partner, a same sex partner, have a single baby or multiples, no what your household situation looks like, I come without bias or judgement. Whether you are looking for birth support, postpartum or both, I come with the evidence based knowledge, resources and experience to support you. No matter what the scenario, my commitment to you is always the same and is for every family I work with. I will support you during the day, for overnight support or both.
Pregnancy and birth come with joy but at times can come with some fear, anxiety or frustration so it doesn’t surprise me how many people find themselves online with ‘Dr Google’. I would much rather provide you with information to help you feel less overwhelmed in your process. With such a wide variety of technology/products available, trying to make sense of it all can be challenging. I will provide you with product knowledge, help you set up your space and can help you simplify it all. I am here to steer you into the direction where you feel empowered to do it on your own. Births look different for everyone and I will be there for whatever it brings from the beginning to the end.
I feel that the postpartum period can get overlooked by some care providers and that leaves mothers and families feeling lost and without direction. You come home with your new bundle and somehow find yourself alone and not knowing where to start. I would like to replace ‘Dr Google’. During the postpartum period there are so many questions and I am hoping to answer them for you.
Bottom line is…..I can help🤍
You might feel like your motherhood journey has more questions than answers
What does my baby’s birth look like when I imagine my special day?
How can I move past feeling overwhelmed?
I am feeling alone and confused, what can I do?
Who can I talk to, who understands?
Where can we find support for my partner to best support me?
“The emotional and psychological support that the doula offered me was huge. In addition, she was available often on short notice, which was very helpful for my family. Having the immediate support when needed enabled me to get the sleep that I needed to be the best mother to my family.”
~ E.
I can help create a plan to answer your biggest questions
By creating a plan, we can decide together how you would like your birth or postpartum to go. I will listen, comfort, offer suggestions all the while giving you an unbiased experience. This is very important to me. This is your journey so I would like you to be in control and in the driver's seat. If you are unable to use your voice, I will advocate for you to respect your wishes and your plan but I will never speak for you.
Sometimes postpartum work is just taking twin babies out for a stroll while mom takes a much needed break.
“Stephanie has been a blessing for my Wife and I - First time parents of a Baby Girl. She came to us at a very pivotal moment in our lives and helped us out in such a genuine and comforting way that it felt like she was family. The pandemic had made it worse for us to find help with our newborn, but the transparency and accountability Stephanie displayed, really put us at ease and made us all the more grateful for her help.
I would highly recommend Stephanie for her Doula services - with newborns, infants, toddlers - the whole lot! We even had her over for extended overnight stays and given the dexterity and confidence she handled us and the baby - we slept with a profound sense of peace!
5 Stars all the way through! - Thank you Stephanie!”
~ Shouvik, 2021
Options for Working Together
Prenatal Services
Prenatal visits are important and will allow us to prepare for your birth the best way possible.
Including 2 prenatal visits - at this time we will go through and create a birth plan as well as a back-up plan(s). This is meant to make you feel empowered and confident going forward. We will go through some exercises you can do with your partner.
Sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned so I feel it is important to prepare by creating a plan B.
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Birth Services
Every client will get an in person or virtual complementary consultation. If you decide to hire me, it is important to know you can reach me at any time so I will be reachable by text, telephone, WhatsApp, FaceTime or email. I will attend your early labour phase at 37 weeks, to assist you with natural pain relief, comfort measures and be right by your side for whatever you need. At an in person birth (hospital, birthing centre or home birth) I will be with you every step of the way no matter how long it takes. My support extends until 2 hours after your birth if you need me there.
In the event that I am unable to come for unforeseen circumstances, I can offer you an excellent backup Doula to take my place.
Postpartum Services
Whether you have had your first birth, second or more, they are all different in their own way. I will come to your home (or hospital if needed) daytime or nighttime to support you through this transition. This can be an overwhelming time for some people. I am here to guide and support you no matter what the circumstances. I have experience with multiples and this is an area where all hands on deck are needed. Here are some of the areas I can help with:
- Single or twin support
- Infant sleep education
- Provide resources if needed
- Overnight support to help parents get the rest they need
- Prep meals, prepare snacks and make sure you are keeping hydrated
- Support breastfeeding, bottle feeding or combination feeding without any judgement
- Problem solve any newborn behaviours that may be concerning to you
- My ECE degree allows me to provide support with siblings in the home
- Run last minute errands
- Help with laundry
I had an amazing experience with Stephanie as my doula. I wasn't sure at first whether a doula was right for me as I have a super supportive partner and thought we could be OK on our own, but I'm so glad I trusted my gut and went for it for the extra support. At my birth, Stephanie created a zen space for us, helped to comfort me in all the ways we had discussed prior, and she was able to give my partner some much needed rest throughout the process as well. It was so helpful.
At the end of the day, working with Stephanie helped me feel ultra-supported throughout the whole process and I would not hesitate to do it again! Highly recommend!
~ Becca - December 2022
I met Stephanie at a time when life was tossing me in so many directions and I didn’t know which way to turn. I was expecting our first baby and I was both excited and scared. Stephanie had a kind listening ear, offered her unconditional support while being caring and treating me like family. I trusted her fully which is something that is hard for me to do with people I don’t know. She came during the initial stages of labour and stayed with me right by my side offering love and support. Today I have a beautiful healthy baby boy. This is all thanks to our midwives and Stephanie who was our birth and postpartum Doula. I highly recommend her, you will not be disappointed.
~ Gina, 2021
