Calm, Confident Birth Support | Gaby Machado Doula
Helping growing families to feel prepared, supported and capable in Ottawa-Gatineau.
Birth isn’t something you need to power through alone. It’s an experience that deserves care, patience, and compassion. Whether this is your first birth or not, you deserve to feel supported, prepared, and truly held throughout the process.
Services offered in English and Portuguese.
You Deserve to Feel Safe and Strong in Birth
Imagine moving through labour feeling condifent, grounded, and genuinely held. Not because birth is painless, but because you know you won’t have to face a single moment of it alone.
If You’ve Been Feeling Anxious, You’re Not Alone
Maybe you’ve caught yourself wondering, “Will I be strong enough?” Or lying awake thinking about the pain, the unknown, or what it will feel like to lose control.
These thoughts are so common. And they don’t mean you’re unprepared, they mean this moment matters deeply to you.
“Evidence shows that continuous labor support is one of the most important and basic needs of birthing people. And evidence clearly shows that a doula’s presence improves birth outcomes!” Evidence Based Birth
Why Having a Doula Can Change Your Birth Experience
Because Birth Feels Less Scary When You’re Not Alone
A doula stays with you throughout labour, helping you feel grounded, supported, and reassured in every stage. When fear rises, you have someone beside you who knows what’s normal and what helps.
Because Pain Is Easier to Manage With the Right Support
While labour is intense, there are many ways to cope with contractions. A doula uses hands-on comfort measures, positioning, breathing techniques, and continuous encouragement to help you work with your body, not against it.
Because Knowing What to Expect Builds Confidence
Fear often comes from the unknown. Through prenatal preparation and ongoing support, a doula helps you understand the stages of labour, what sensations are common, and how each phase moves you closer to meeting your baby.
Because Feeling in Control Changes Everything
Even when birth doesn’t go exactly as planned, having a doula helps you feel informed and heard. You remain at the center of your experience, with guidance to help you make confident decisions in the moment.
The birth experience you deserve
You deserve to move through pregnancy and birth feeling safe, informed, and truly held.
From our first conversation through your baby’s arrival and the early days that follow, you are cared for with patience and compassion. So you can welcome your baby feeling:
- Confident,
- Empowered, and
- Truly supported.
Ready to feel more calm and prepared for birth? Let’s connect and see if this kind of support feels right for you.
Meet your doula
I am Gaby, a Brazilian turned Canadian. I came here over 10 years ago, chasing a love of stories. Once I got pregnant with my first daughter, I discovered a new calling: birth work. After experiencing the magic of compassionate doula and midwife care firsthand, I knew this was the work I was meant to do. Supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum has become one of my greatest joys, and I would be honoured to be part of your story.
My role as a doula is to help you feel:
Prepared — through prenatal conversations, education, and practice
Supported — with continuous labour support and steady reassurance
Capable — by reminding you of your strength when things feel intense
Calm — by helping your nervous system settle during contractions
Trainings & Certifications
- Birth and Postpartum Doula certification with MotherWit (2025)
- Standard First Aid & CPR-C with St. John’s Ambulance (2025)
- Lactation Consultant Training Program with Lactation Education Resources (in progress)
Birth Packages
Calm, continuous support for your birth journey
$1,050
1 prenatal meeting to discuss your birth preferences, concerns, and comfort techniques (~2 hours)
Unlimited text & email support during pregnancy for questions, reassurance, and evidence-based guidance
On-call availability 24/7 from 37 weeks
Continuous labour support
Physical comfort techniques to help manage labour pain (positioning, breathing, hands-on support)
Emotional support and advocacy throughout labour
Support during the first 2 hours following birth (bonding, feeding, recovery)
Referrals to trusted community resources
1 postpartum visit (~2 hours) for recovery, feeding, and emotional support
More preparation, deeper connection, and full-spectrum care
$1,200
- 2 prenatal meetings to discuss your birth preferences, concerns, and comfort techniques, with added time for preparation and confidence-building (~2 hours each)
- Unlimited text & email support during pregnancy for questions, reassurance, and evidence-based guidance
- On-call availability 24/7 from 37 weeks
- Continuous labour support
- Physical comfort techniques to help manage labour pain (positioning, breathing, hands-on support)
- Emotional support and advocacy throughout labour
- Support during the first 2 hours following birth (bonding, feeding, recovery)
- Referrals to trusted community resources
- 1 postpartum visit (~2 hours) for recovery, feeding, and emotional wellbeing
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a doula different from a midwife?
A midwife is a regulated healthcare provider who monitors the health of you and your baby, performs clinical assessments, and can deliver your baby. A doula has no medical role. Instead, a doula focuses entirely on your emotional comfort, physical support, and overall birth experience. Think of your midwife as your medical guide and your doula as your personal anchor, there to hold space, offer encouragement, and make sure you never feel alone.
Do I need a doula if I already have a midwife or OB?
Even with wonderful medical care, there are moments during labour when your provider needs to step away, attend to another patient, or focus on clinical tasks. A doula stays with you continuously, no shift changes, no interruptions. Research consistently shows that having a doula leads to more positive birth experiences, lower rates of intervention, and greater satisfaction overall. Your doula and care provider work beautifully together, each bringing something the other cannot.
Where do you provide doula support in the Ottawa-Gatineau area?
I support families birthing at The Ottawa Hospital (General and Civic campuses), Montfort Hospital, Queensway Carleton Hospital, and the Gatineau Hospital, as well as home births across the Ottawa-Gatineau region. If you’re unsure whether your location is covered, reach out and we’ll figure it out together.
What does working with you look like from start to finish?
We begin with a free consultation to see if we’re a good fit. Once you book, we’ll have prenatal visits where we get to know each other, explore your hopes and concerns, build your birth preferences, and make sure you feel truly prepared. I’m available to you by phone and message throughout your pregnancy. When labour begins, and you are ready to go to your place of birth, I join you and stay with you through the birth. Afterward, I offer a postpartum visit to debrief your experience, answer questions, and check in on how you’re settling in.
When should I hire a doula?
The earlier, the better. Many families reach out in their first or second trimester, and popular doulas can book up quickly. That said, it’s never too late to reach out. If you’re already in your third trimester or even approaching your due date, don’t hesitate to get in touch. I will always do my best to support you.
What if my birth doesn't go as planned, can a doula still support me?
Absolutely, and this is one of the most important things a doula offers. Birth is unpredictable, and no matter how your journey unfolds, whether that means an unplanned caesarean, an epidural, a long labour, or any unexpected turn, I will be right there with you. My role is never to hold you to a birth plan. It’s to make sure you feel informed, respected, and supported through whatever path your birth takes.
Do you work with LGBTQ+ families?
Absolutely and wholeheartedly. Every family deserves to feel safe, celebrated, and deeply supported as they welcome new life. My care is inclusive, affirming, and free of judgment. I am honoured to support you exactly as you are.