Steffanie Michel

Steffanie Michel is my close friend and was also my doula for the birth of my daughter. I highly recommend her as a doula and the idea of having a doula at your birth. I had a midwife but Steff was there to help me and make sure I was comfortable and ready for the trip to the hospital. She gave me tips on how to progress my labour and stay comfortable for numerous days as my labour kept having false starts. When it started again I took her advice and walked up and down my apartment stairs while having contractions and bouncing and swaying on an exercise ball to make sure that baby kept coming. She helped me know when my midwife was ready to be called. She drove behind us on the hwy in the middle of a snow storm while I was trying to not give birth on the side of the road. It gave me comfort to know that she was there to support me on the trip to the hospital. She was very helpful and informative for my support person and both of these beautiful women held my hands and encouraged me as I brought my daughter into this world. The support that I felt during my birth experience is what I wish for every woman.

I had my son in November of 2020, hes my first child so I felt lost and didn't know much about preparing. Steffanie was very helpful when it came to guiding me in how to feel more comfortable with the idea of labour and delivery. She provided so many amazing resources and information that I could use. I used a lot of the techniques that she had given me and they made me feel less overwhelmed and more confident in myself as a mother. Steffanie even gave me some baby necessities as well, baby clothes and a bath tub to help get me started. She lent me her exercise ball which I was very grateful for because I didn't think of getting one myself. when it came to have my son, she met me at the hospital at a good time. Before giving birth she told me she would bring a range of soothing supplies for my room; affirmations to put on the wall, music, candles, etc,. my labour went by so quickly that there wasn't time to set those up but I did appreciate the thought of them. She took some beautiful photos of the process and I love having those to remember the birth of my beautiful boy. Steffanie, herself, has a soothing presence to her that brought comfort to me. I am still very grateful to have had her as my duola. I felt like I went into motherhood gracefully with her assistance. I recommend having Steffanie as a duola.

I knew Steffanie prior to pregnancy so she was one of my top choices for a Doula! I was planning a home birth which I knew she had experienced herself, so it felt right. My water broke unexpectedly at 36 weeks and I was admitted to the hospital due to impending pre-term birth. This was before our agreed upon date for her to be on call for me, and it turned out she was sick, AND our back-up was out of town! But Steffanie wasn't just going to leave me, and my husband without support so within a couple of hours of letting her know my water broke she had found me a doula who was available on short notice!! Steffanie continued to check in within me through text messages prior to labour, and during my hospital stay with baby in the NICU, and She came for a post partum visit once we were settled at home! There will always be a part of my heart that is a little sad it wasn't Steffanie with us on that day, but the circumstances were out of all of our control. She still made sure I was taken care of, and I am happy with the Doula she found to be present for us that day.

I've applied for doula support, because in my area there was finally a Indigenous Doula Support. I think having an indigenous doula was essential for myself and my baby's care, as Steffanie understood the cultural part of birth from an indigenous perspective. The pandemic does not make it easier to do most things, but Steffanie made things work with my schedule and the current restrictions. She brought up many things for me to think of when it came to my birth and she did it with a great amount of respect. I felt in a safe space to let her know of any concerning medical condition and she followed up with integrity and useful articles that I may find helpful. When it came to birth, Steffanie was there right away. She made it easier for myself and my husband to help with my plan. Things that I may have forgotten because of the pain, she brought up and it helped so much with alleviating the pain mentally. She helped my husband with being more involved with the birth and being closer support in my labour. I would recommend her to anyone who is looking for a doula.