Media
Toronto Practitioners - Bowmanville/Oshawa/Kawarthas Practitioners - Our Partners - In the News
The Nesting Place doulas are available for media interviews and other speaking engagements.
Their speaking topics include:
- Doulas: What are they, how do you find one and how do they make a difference?
- Birthing From Within: An alternative prenatal class that taps into your creative side
- Birthing Biases: Balancing personal bias with authentic support
- Preventing and Coping with Back Labour/Posterior Babies
- Transforming a C-Section into a Spiritual Birth
- Basic Baby Care
- Pain Coping and Labour Support Basics
Toronto Practitioners:
Amanda Spakowski
Owner/Founder
(Birth Doula and Prenatal Educator)
Amanda@thenestingplace.ca
416-722-3814
Amanda Spakowski was selected by the Organized Wisdom Medical Review Board as an Expert in her field!
Amanda
is the founder of The Nesting Place: Prenatal Classes & Doula Care. She is a birth doula and a Birthing From Within educator. Her background in human biology, peer counseling, crisis intervention and assisting in home daycares has allowed her to bring an experienced and unique perspective to her classes and care.
Amanda's passion for supporting each person's unique transition to parenthood is evident as she brings a thoughtful and compassionate facilitating style to all of her classes. Additionally, her commitment to inclusive space creates a safe and nurturing environment for parents to learn more about themselves as they prepare for childbirth.
In addition to prenatal classes, Amanda also offers birth art workshops for parents and workshops for birth professionals who want to deepen their relationship with clients. Topics of these workshops include Birthing Biases, Birth Trauma Processing and Story Listening: The Art of Listening to Birth Stories.
Her blog, TheNestingPlace.blog.com regularly publishes articles and information about pregnancy, birth and parenting topics that consider the range of experiences and emotions that arise during the transition to parenthood.
Melissa Herod
(Birth and Postpartum Doula and Prenatal Educator)
Melissa@thenestingplace.ca
647-588-3409
Melissa
uses her background in kinesiology, health sciences and sexual health education to offer parents a grounded, practical awareness of the physical challenges and changes that occur during their childbearing years. Her volunteer experience with high risk mothers at Mt. Sinai and teenage parents has given her a deep understanding of the sensitivities that accompany the personal transition of childbirth and she brings this awareness to her work as a Birthing From Within educator and doula for Downtown, North and East Toronto parents.
Dina Khorasanee
(Birth Doula and Infant Massage Practitioner)
Dina@thenestingplace.ca
416-879-6715
Dina is a labour doula and infant massage educator that works in both English and Spanish. Her own pregnancy and empowering birthing experience are what inspired her to work with women and their partners to create a loving, safe and nurturing birthing environment so that women can have the opportunity to experience birth as a unique and transformative event. Her commitment and dedication throughout the birthing process is shown continuously through the warm, compassionate and calming care that she provides.
In addition, Dina's extensive background in mentorship, crisis management, and community development, both in Canada and overseas, allows her to understand the unique circumstances surrounding each woman's birth. It also allows her to bring practical skills and a diversity of knowledge to the families she supports.
www.nsairafiphotography.com
Jennifer Poole
(Postpartum Doula)
Jennifer@thenestingplace.ca
647-261-9319
Jennifer
completed her post-partum doula training in 2010, a year after the birth of her first baby. Following years of fertility issues and unsuccessful fertility treatments, she and her husband were blessed with a naturally conceived, healthy baby. Their desire to become parents was strong and it has been a most amazing, fulfilling experience but it was also the most challenging thing they've ever done.
In thinking back to the first year with their baby and the life-altering journey of becoming a mother, Jennifer feels sure that it could have been much easier and more rewarding, simply by having someone available who was knowledgeable, empathic and accepting of her experience and parenting choices. It was this realization that led Jennifer on yet another life-altering journey - one which would see her becoming a mother all over again but this time, to other mothers.
www.nsairafiphotography.com
Jennifer became a doula so that she could help mothers - and partners - be the best parents they can be; to help them navigate, embrace and enjoy the childbearing year and all of the beauty and challenges it has to offer. Her background in psychology gives her the familiarity and skill to effectively support parent's emotional process of becoming parents and to aid in the detection of postpartum depression. As an adopted child herself, Jennifer holds a particular passion for helping adoptive parents connect with their new baby and adjust to the unique challenges of becoming parents of an adopted child.
Jennifer offers postpartum doula care in Mississauga, Etobicoke and West Toronto.
Nicole Surman
(Birth and Postpartum Doula and Birthing From Within Educator)
Nicole@thenestingplace.ca
Nicole's love for family and joy in supporting others led her to become a birth and postpartum doula as well as a Birthing from Within educator. She comes with experience as a nanny, coach, peer counselor, support teacher at early childhood centers and a caregiver. As a live-in caregiver, she provided constant support to individuals with special needs, some of whom could not speak or hear. This gave her insight into how to listen beyond words and actions.
Her audacious niece Oceana (3 years young) and witty nephew Theo (8 years young) remind her of the importance of laughter and the healing that can come from someone giving you their undivided attention. The experiences she has gained from her life's journey thus far, has strengthened her patience, compassion and taught her how to listen with an open heart. She brings this open hearted attention to herservices as a doula and educator.
Bowmanville/Oshawa/Kawarthas Practitioners:
Kory Melissa McGrath
(Birth Doula)
Kory@thenestingplace.ca
905-441-2445
Kory approaches her work in birth doula care from a wealth of experiences that have nurtured her natural tendency for warm and understanding support during life’s big transitions.
In her doula life, Kory has supported women of all backgrounds including immigrant women and women living with mental health issues. She is well versed in a variety of approaches to birth preparation including Hypnobirthing, Birthing From Within and the Yoga Birth Method (YBM). For those clients planning to breastfeeding, Kory’s personal experience breastfeeding her own four children in addition to helping countless others through her role in La Leche League Canada will be a necessary and relieving addition to their circle of support!
An Ambassador with the David Suzuki Foundation, Kory is passionate in creating sustainable practices that help protect the natural world around us for our children to inherit. Kory's goal as a doula, is to provide safe, professional and personalized care to women and families.
Kory offers her doula services to parents in Bowmanville, Oshawa, Coburg, Port Hope and surrounding area.
Rosedale Wellness Centre
www.rosedalewellness.com
info@rosedalewellness.com
416.975.0499
Established in 1989 the Rosedale Wellness Center has become one of Canada's leaders in providing quality care and innovative wellness programs for the community. The founder and director Dr. Bryan Sher’s vision has come to life with over 16 practitioners providing a multitude of different services under one roof. Some of the services include Chiropractic, Physiotherapy, Athletic Therapy, Naturopathy, Massage Therapy, Acupuncture and Personal Training as well as a complete Pilates and Yoga studio. We also offer many wellness seminars free of cost to the public.
Our center is committed to helping improve and extend the lives of as many people as possible in our community.
Come and join our Family and start changing your life today.
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Mahaya Health
www.mahayahealth.com
info@mahayahealth.com
647.435.0152
Mahaya Health Services & Apothecary is a Natural Health Clinic that is committed to promoting health and well-being in the community. The clinic serves as an Integrative Primary Health Care clinic and offers a range of services to support individuals and groups to achieve better health through education and participation.
Our group of practitioners include: Licensed Naturopathic Doctors and a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner & Acupuncturist. Our clinic focuses on a Functional Assessment & Diagnosis of patients’ health concerns and we integrate Diet & Lifestyle Counseling, Mind/Body Principles, as well as a range of natural therapies and therapeutics including Eastern & Western Herbal Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, and Bodywork. Our goal is to assist individuals and groups in understanding the underlying causes of health problems, and to promote health and wellbeing through education and participation, as well as the promotion of Preventative Practices.
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Nannies on Call
http://www.nanniesoncall.com/
lindsay@nanniesoncall.com
647-776-0911 ext 113
Nannies on Call is one of our favourite Toronto family businesses! Their nannies are thoroughly trained and experienced and are available on an on call, temporary or permenant and over-night basis. As a Nesting Place Client, you'll also receive a coupon code to try out their service while you make your decision.
In the News
MyKawartha.com (Aug 2011) Prenatal Classes Expanded in Peterborough. The Nesting Place, a Toronto based company offering prenatal classes and doula care is expanding their services to Peterborough.
Having a Baby.com (July 2011) The Role of a Doula: An interview with Toronto doula Amanda Spakowski. I recently had the opportunity to interview Toronto doula Amanda Spakowski of The Nesting Place. We talked about the role of a doula and the importance of maternity care professionals working collaboratively as opposed to competitively. What follows are Amanda's comments.
Toronto Star (July 2011) Maternity-Care System on Brink of Collapse, Warns Physician. Physician Michael C. Klein has seen the future of childbirth and wants Canadian women to know they have an important role to play. But first, he has some bad news to get out of the way. "The maternity care system is going to collapse in the next 10 years or so," says the researcher and University of British Columbia professor emeritus.
Oh Baby! Magazine (April 2011) The Du-Du Swaddle. Nothing can soothe a baby quite like a swaddle can. But to get the most out of the technique the most important thing to remember is that it must be tight.
Toronto Star (March 2011) - Giving birth? There’s an app for that. The iBirth app isn’t intended to replace childbirth classes or other sources of childbirth information. Hanson and Nowlin — each of whom has three young children and know how crazy-busy life can get — — envisioned it as a refresher course for parents-to-be who had attended childbirth classes but were too busy to go through it all again or the two-out-of three expectant couples who don’t plan to attend childbirth classes but who would welcome a snapshot of what to expect during labour.
Canadian Living (Dec 2010) - The Doula Checklist: Finding the right support for your pregnancy. There is a natural process of what to do when someone is pregnant: Find the obstetrician or midwife, enroll in prenatal classes, start the birthing plan.
But how do pregnant couples find the emotional and psychological support to see them through this anxious time? A doula may be the answer.
Sex Matters (Nov 26th Part 3 and 4) - Sex during pregnancy and postpartum. Nesting Place birth/postpartum doula and Birthing From Within Educator shares her expertise on how sex changes with children and how couples can bring intimacy back into their lives while balancing the challenges of being parents.
Canadian Family (Oct 2010) - Gas Woes: The best ways to relieve your baby's discomfort. Your poor babe. She has a full rumbling belly and she's crying that cry that you know means she's uncomfortable, but otherwise seems well. These are just a few signs that she might be suffering from gas. So what can you do to ease her tummy?
The Star (2010) - The Mother of All Baby Columns: 6 Things You Need to Know about Giving Birth. Have strangers been tormenting you with gruesome tales about foot-long episiotomies and babies with heads the size of cantaloupes? Well, my very pregnant friend, this is your lucky day. There’s some good old-fashioned birthing wisdom coming your way from the contributors to a new anthology, Bearing Witness: Childbirth Stories Told by Doulas.
The Peterborough Examiner (2010) - Feature Letter to the Editor: We're not expecting this! It was my experience last week at a store in Peterborough, to be referred to as "humungous" by an employee. To be more specific, she looked at my now seven-month pregnant belly and said "Oh my GOD! You're humungous!"In my state of shock, anger and remorse for such a thoughtless and hurtful comment, I was left with no words to tell her just how harmful comments like this can be to women preparing to give birth.
Sweet Spot (March 2010) Empower Yourself. Study session! Prepare your body and mind for one of life’s biggest challenges at these fantastic prenatal programs.
CBC Radio Here and Now (2010) - Interview: Doula Speed DatingTM It's a big choice for some mothers-to-be --- should they give birth at home, or at the hospital? And if they opt for a midwife, should they hire a doula, too?
Chex TV Business Beat (2010) - The Nesting Place is a Toronto based prenatal and doula care service, but Sheena Howard (pictured right) is bringing the Prenatal classes to Peterborough starting this Wednesday (September 15)...
Parents Canada: Labour and Birth Guide (print edition July 2010) - A Helping Hand The birth of your child can be an exciting, yet scary experience. you may not know what to expect, what you'll feel, what's normal, or what's not normal. It can be reassuring to have a doula help you through the process....
The Star: The Mother of All Parenting Blogs (2010) - "Speed Dating to Find the Right Doula" Up until now, finding the right doula has required a lot of research and even more good luck. But, thanks to the brainchild of Toronto doula Amanda Spakowski, moms-to-be and their partners are now able to make contact with a large number of doulas by attending a single event
SNAP Downtown (2010) - "Doula Speed Dating" The support of a doula increases parents' satisfaction with their birth experience and reduces the likelihood of intervention.
Vitamin Daily (2010) - "Meet the Doula" Your husband almost fainted when you gashed your thumbs on a goldfish bowl—goodness knows what he’ll do in the delivery room.
Globe and Mail (2009) - "Speed Interviewing: On your marks, get set, hire!" Prof. Frost allowed that there could be some benefit to interviewing a slew of doulas face-to-face: Such intimate professions demand chemistry, which often takes only a few minutes to gauge.
CBC Metro Morning (2009) - "Doula Speed Dating" The [speed dating] concept is now being used for pregnant women to pick their doula, or birthing coach. Karen headed out with her microphone to find out how it all works.
Metro Toronto (2009) - "Yes, yes, oh baby, yes"
SNAP Bloor West (2009) - "Celebrating International Doula Month" May was International Doula Month, and what better way to celebrate than a free event for prenatal and postnatal health hosted by trained doulas.
