Doula School Canada

Category: Prenatal & Postnatal Support

Articles on pregnancy, birth, and postpartum wellness. Discover prenatal yoga, fertility insights, nutrition, lactation, pelvic floor health, and holistic support for expectant and new parents.

  • International Fertility Awareness Week: April 20-26 2025

    International Fertility Awareness Week: April 20-26 2025

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    International Fertility Awareness Week: April 20-26 2025

     

    Each year, during the last full week of April international conversations are focused on fertility during International Fertility Awareness Week. Both National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW) and Canadian Fertility Awareness Week (CFAW) are held during the same week and voices are amplified to change the conversation around infertility. The purpose of these movements are to reduce stigma, educate the public about reproductive health and the challenges that many face in building a family, and empower those who experience fertility challenges. See NIAW initiatives here.

    This year, Fertility Matters Canada has some great events and initiatives during CFAW, and they’d love help in spreading the word. CFAW is a “nationwide movement dedicated to breaking the silence, raising awareness, and advocating for better fertility care across Canada. Each year, we come together to share real stories, amplify patient voices, and drive change for the 1 in 6 Canadians struggling with fertility. CFAW is about community, education, and action” (Fertility Matters Canada). 

    Here’s how you can get involved and support Fertility Matters Canada and their upcoming campaigns:

     

    Write a letter to your local electoral candidate-

    Fertility Matters Canada Launched a grassroots Federal Election Campaign for the upcoming federal election, aimed at urging candidates to expand fertility support and modernize the Assisted Human Reproduction Act of 2004. FMC’s goal is to reach 1,000 letters.

    How people can help:

    • Submit a letter to your local electoral candidates by visiting the following links:
    • Share the message: After submitting the letter, you’ll receive an email with details to forward to friends and family. You also encourage people to share the pinned posts on Instagram (@Fertility_Canada) and tag local candidates to keep pushing for enhanced fertility care.
    • More Information: Here is more information in ENGLISH and in FRENCH if you would like to create your own posts to promote the advocacy campaign.

     

    Share your Fertility Story

    Share your untold fertility story with Fertility Matters Canada so they can shine a light on the realities too often kept in the dark. Your story has the power to shift the conversation across Canada—bringing truth, empathy, and change to those facing fertility struggles. Whether you’re in the midst of your journey, reflecting on what you’ve overcome, or supporting a loved one, your voice matters. By sharing your story, you help break the silence, challenge stigma, and advocate for a more inclusive, compassionate conversation around fertility in Canada.

     

    Attend Light the Night

    Fertility Matters Canada hosts Light the Night annually at different monuments all over the country. “Focusing on bringing awareness to fertility in Canada, this event features landmarks from across Canada lighting green as a symbolic gesture to support those struggling with fertility or facing challenges in family building. Light the Night serves as a way to raise awareness about fertility, foster empathy, and create a sense of community among those affected” (FMC). Share and attend the Light the Night monuments near you, on Thursday, April 24th at dusk.

     

    Share CFAW Posts: 

    Share posts on social media including those about Light the Night, the Fertility Unfiltered Social: Brunch & Breakthroughs event, and more.

    Download the CFAW Social Media Toolkit to spread awareness

    Use the hashtags #CFAW2025 #FertilityUnfiltered and tag us in your posts

     

    Engage with content

    They’ll be sharing daily videos throughout CFAW, including Fertility Unfiltered episodes, Fertility Award winner highlights, and daily fertility stats. They’d appreciate shares to help amplify these messages. 

    Join FMC for daily Fertility Unfiltered patient video series, statistics by Canadian professionals, and celebrate daily with the announcement of the 2025 Fertility Award Winners! 

     

    Attend Fertility Unfiltered Social: Brunch & Breakthroughs, the powerful two-part closing event to Canadian Fertility Awareness Week (CFAW). 

    FMC wants to get real about fertility and family-building and this event is about real and raw conversations about fertility, family building, loss, resilience, and hope. 

    The event will include: 

    • A panel of bold voices sharing their unfiltered experiences
    • Delicious brunch, great company, and a safe space to connect and reflect with like-minded community
    • Thoughtfully curated goodie bags, because who doesn’t like some swag?
    • An inspiring call-to-action to push for fertility equity in Canada

    Whether you’ve lived it, are living it, or are supporting someone who is—this event is for YOU.


    -When: Saturday, April 26 | 10AM–2PM

    -Where: The Atrium at Ricarda’s, Toronto
    -Limited Spots 

    Sign Up!

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    Other upcoming Fertility Dates: 

    • World IVF Day – July 25
    • European Fertility Week (EFW): held annually in November
    • World Fertility Day – celebrated on November 2

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    Want to get involved in fertility conversations, fertility support, and fertility advocacy after Fertility Awareness Week is over? 

    Let’s Keep Talking about Fertility 

    At Doula School, we are passionate about talking about fertility all year long in our Fertility Doula program because we know just how important these conversations are. According to the WHO, 1 in 6 people globally face fertility challenges. Our very own Fertility Doula Program Coordinator Jessica Palmquist is also 1 in 6 and went through a unique journey to parenthood utilizing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to grow her family. Her fertility struggles are what inspired her to become a doula and work with Doula School as a passionate instructor. 

    Our Fertility Doula program otherwise known as our Fertility Support Practitioner is a cutting edge one of a kind program designed to equip graduates with providing clients with compassionate support and evidence-based practices in fertility, preconception, and assisted reproductive technologies.

    Let’s keep the conversations going and join us today!

    Fertility Doula – Canada 

    Fertility Doula – International[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Breastmilk Isn’t Free: The hidden cost of human milk

    Breastmilk Isn’t Free: The hidden cost of human milk

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text title=”Breastmilk Isn’t Free: The hidden cost of human milk” css=”.vc_custom_1724336247678{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month, or as I like to call it, Human Milk Month. In the birth world, most of us can rattle off the numerous benefits of bodyfeeding in our sleep. The probiotics, the antibodies, the bioengineered brain growing magic – the list goes on and on. In addition to the numerous health benefits, there are many practical incentives to feed human milk. Formula is exorbitantly expensive for lower-quality food. It’s easier to put a hungry baby directly to the breast in the middle of the night than it is to coordinate a sterile bottle mixed with sterile water while bleary-eyed. But we are way off base when we tell new and expectant parents that human milk is “free food”.

    Singing the praises of lactation is tone-deaf to the fact that a need to return to work or school is the leading reason why new moms and birthers give up on nursing before 6 months. It takes a lot of privilege to produce on demand, unlimited food for another person for 6 months. Exclusively breastfeeding a newborn is a full-time job that doesn’t pay. It’s accessible to people who have the means to keep a roof over their heads and food for themselves in the fridge while absent from the workforce.

    couple and their newbornIn Canada, we are fortunate to have the option to take maternity leave for up to 18 months. But there are several catches. Legally, your employer is required to reserve your job for up to 18 months. They are not required to compensate you during that time. If you are eligible for employment insurance (EI), the government will pay you 60% of your usual pay, up to a maximum. For most people who were working full time, this amounts to a significant loss of income. About 20% of employers in Canada will top up these EI payments to varying amounts and timeframes. The EI program makes payments for 12 months, therefore if you want to stay home for 18 months, the final 6 months are “self-funded” – i.e. you have zero income.

    As for the many people who are not eligible for EI, unless they were in a position to set aside 18 months worth of savings or have spouses or other family members who are in a position to support them while they’re on leave, they will find surviving for even 6 months with no income quite difficult.

    Unsurprisingly, racialized, Indigenous, low-income, and single birthers are more likely to need to return to work less than 6 months after they have their babies. During Indigenous Milk Medicine Week and Black Breastfeeding Week, we reflect on why breastfeeding rates continue to be lower for Black and Indigenous women than their white counterparts. This is a huge part of why. Until we address economic disparities, talking up the benefits of breastfeeding will not change outcomes.

    We need to start framing the birthing person being home for at least 6 months as a human right for the baby and the birther. In the US, employers are only required to hold jobs for 6 weeks. This needs to be framed as a human rights violation, for mother and baby. So-called “breastfeeding friendly” workplaces do not cut it. Usually, this just means that there is somewhere other than a bathroom for lactating parents to express milk. This completely overlooks the logistical challenges of pumping and storing enough to keep a young baby fed during the workday and the emotional and psychological benefits of direct feeding.

    We can look to examples in Europe, especially Nordic countries, for human rights models of lactation and new parenthood. In Sweden, new parents are entitled to be free from work and receive benefits for up to 18 months after their child is born. This entitlement can be shared by a couple or used by a single person. Unsurprisingly, Sweden and other Nordic countries have higher breastfeeding rates at 6 months than other high-income countries.

    When my wife and I were born, mothers were entitled to 6 months’ leave. When I had my son 12 years ago, we were entitled to 12 months. Now people are entitled to 18 months. These are steps in the right direction that make sustained lactation and adequate bonding and recovery more feasible for many people. But there is still room for improvement, especially more support for working and working poor families. We need to see subsidizing the cost of human milk as an investment in a healthier future for children and families.

     

    Keira Grant (she/her) Inclusion and Engagement Lead – Racialized Communities

    Keira brings a wealth of experience to the Online Community Moderator role. She is a Queer, Black woman with a twenty-year track record in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) education, projects, and community building initiatives.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]