Welcome To The Toronto Doula Group
All About Us
Stephanie Alouche
- The VBAC Doula
Kimberley Fernandez
- The Virtual Doula
"Am I allowed?"
"Is a TOLAC and VBAC the same thing?"
"What is a family centred cesarean?"
Recognized as an advocate for collaborative client centered care and the Co-Founder of the Toronto Doula Group, Stephanie helps parents who have had a surgical birth access and understand the gold standards of care for birthing after cesarean. Birthing is only one part of this parenting journey. With over 20 years experience and through her one to one doula support and consultation services she cultivates a relationship by supporting families before, during and after birth.
Stephanie envisions a time where parents, care providers and birthing systems will work together to prevent the unnecessary primary cesarean, and to offer those who choose vbac respectful, collaborative, community care.
In her private life, Stephanie is the parent to 4 wonderful young people and married to a very patient Roger. She enjoys reading, journaling and trail running in the woods near her home, when not trapped underneath her 3 English Bulldogs, Winston, Gertrude and Ousier Boudreaux.
Picture it, August 2004, a heatwave is in full swing. Inside a hospital birthing room, the partner has fainted on the floor while pushing is in progress. This was the event that led Kim to becoming a Birth and Postpartum Doula and also a Childbirth Educator. After her partner fainted while she was pushing and the hospital staff spent time discussing shift changes while she pushed, she felt there had to be something different out there for birthing parents. Thus her journey as a birth worker began.
With an expertise in education and virtual support, Kim has supported hundreds of birthing parents through their pregnancy, birth, postpartum and feeding journeys.
Kim prides herself on offering evidence based information with humour to instil confidence and calm in your birthing experience.
Kim believes that our experiences with television and movie births and stories from others have instilled fear in us, and that can affect your birthing and postpartum journey. Kim wants to help remove that fear.
And finally Kim is most proud of being the mother to three incredible young adults, one big yellow dog and two crazy rescue cats.
Having known each other since high school Kim and Stephanie reconnected in 2010 at a Doula event and began chatting, a relationship of backing each other up for births naturally followed and soon after the Toronto Doula Group was born.
When they came up with The Toronto Doula Group, they wanted a place that birthing families could come to for support, resources and education. Their personal connection, calming presence, humour and years of experience make them the perfect addition to your birthing and postpartum team.
You can also find them chatting about birth and more in two podcasts, "The Pragmatic Doulas" and "Birth And Parenty Things", which can be found on most major podcasting platforms.
The Toronto Doula Group supports families throughout the Greater Toronto Area, and Durham Regions of Ontario. They look forward to chatting with you about your vision for your birth and how they can best support you on this incredible journey.
