Amy MacAulay is a mom of two and has been supporting clients through sleep deprivation, feeding challenges, postpartum recovery, multiple and the navigation of new parenthood since 2008. She has been organizing a breastfeeding support group for seven years and a birth doula for nine years. Amy is primarily now an infant massage facilitator and postpartum doula serving clients any time of day or night throughout the Halifax area.
She trained as a birth and postpartum doula with DONA, infant massage at IAIM and childbirth education at LAMAZE. Amy has supported more than 60 families as a postpartum doula and over 150 as a birth doula. Plus, she has worked with thousands through groups and classes so you will have confidence that you are in the right hands.
There is a full team behind Amy with Embrace Doulas from Halifax. She meets with each family for their initial consultation and there she will discuss which doulas are available for them to choose from. Their services officially start once the family signs a contract and the downpayment has been made. Each of the doulas has been trained to Embrace Doula standards.
“Each family will have contact with their doula and myself whenever they have questions during their time with us. Embrace Doula Postpartum Agency is the first of its kind in the Maritime provinces. I am proud to support postpartum families in this new way.“ – Amy
The Embrace Doula’s team consists of Amy MacAulay (owner), Kelly Greenland, Natasha Chestnut and Jaclyn Currie.
“I feel that parents plan a lot of birth but not postpartum. More families are talking about it and planning which is great. Parents need helpers, not visitors. They need people that will come and help with dishes, laundry, listen, support their choices and NOT someone who just comes and sits on the couch to hold the baby and have food cooked for them (which I hear about ALL THE TIME). Postpartum doulas offer support that is non-judgemental, up to date, current, and we LISTEN to their stories, concerns and then offer support. We know when to talk and when not to talk. We display initiative with household tasks and know what snacks are helpful and what to have. We multi-task and fold sheets while we chat, we wear a baby while we prep grab and go snacks.” – Amy
Natasha Chestnut has been with the Embrace Doula team since the Spring of 2021 and has been loving every minute she gets to spend with new families and their babies. She also works with the Restaurant Association of NS to support the food and beverage industry in our province and is on the board of directors for Bide Awhile Animal Shelter. After earning her degree in psychology, she worked for a non-profit that supported persons living with disabilities. Once her friends started to have families of their own, it was a natural progression for her to support them through their own postpartum journeys.
“It is such an honour to be welcomed into a family’s home during such a beautiful and challenging time in their lives. All the baby cuddles are pretty great too.” – Natasha
Kelly Greenland is originally from Newfoundland but relocated to Alberta with her husband, where they had their three kids. In 2018 they relocated back to Nova Scotia, and love being true East Coasters again. While they were living in Alberta, she realized how isolating postpartum can be. Kelly realized how crucial support was during those first months after giving birth was to her and so she became a postpartum doula.
Jaclyn had personal experience with overcoming difficulties feeding her son and found the support of professionals, baby groups and classes crucial for her so she became an accredited breastfeeding counsellor. She understood the importance of having accurate, educational, and friendly support. That led her to increase her knowledge and experience by becoming a DONA trained Postpartum Doula. Jaclyn is originally from the UK and has worked with families in Switzerland as an au pair, travelled to Peru, studied in Brazil and worked in the Middle East. Since she doesn’t have family close by, she understands the importance of reliable and sensitive support during the postpartum period.
“I decided to become a doula after six years as a stay at home mom, volunteering as a breastfeeding counsellor. It felt like a natural next step having been through the postpartum process twice myself to be able to offer support to families navigating this time too. Doing doula work, I love seeing how my support helps a family feel rested and gives them a chance to heal and rest. I enjoy seeing families adjust to their new roles and routines and witness their growing bond. ” – Jaclyn
Amy is growing and trying to help as many parents as she can so she has recently begun working on a new podcast called Embracing Parenthood and has created a course – “Bringing Home Baby“. She teaches soon-to-be parents what to expect those first few days, how to bond with your new baby, how to understand what your baby is “telling” you and more information about the whole postpartum experience.
“Number one tip for postpartum is to plan. Learn about newborns, rally the troops, ask for help and know that you don’t have to do it alone. Grab the support, pelvic floor physio, mental health counsellor, postpartum doulas, dog walkers, whoever you need, help is there.” – Amy
If you would like to connect more with Amy and learn about her services, check out the Embrace Doulas website or on Instagram.
Check out Amy’s Bringing Home Baby course here.
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