Mother Matters

My husband and I just finished a 3 week course (3 Saturday mornings) on zoom for a prenatal class with Lenore from Mother Matters. Having a very large support system and lots of babies in the family, I honestly went into it feeling confident that I knew most things - but I was wrong. Lenore took the time to thoughtfully explain everything in the easiest way (with props!) from labour and delivery right into breastfeeding. There was so much detail included that I walked away feeling so much more informed and ready for this next chapter in our lives. My husband was also very impressed with the course. He took many notes but neither of us felt overwhelmed by the information. It was the perfect amount of information, taught in the perfect way. We even had some simple homework that got us talking as a couple about our wishes for labour and delivery and postpartum that we found extremely helpful. Lenore is kind, and very soothing in her approach and reminds the mother to trust their body and also provides so much confidence to both the mother and their partner or support person. Lenore also made it clear that she's available for any follow up questions during pregnancy or breastfeeding support! I could not recommend this prenatal class more! You won't regret it!

My husband and I hired Jennifer Woods to attend as our doula at the birth of our first baby a number of months back. We are very grateful she was part of our birth team. She was caring and listened carefully to our hopes and plans during all of our prenatal interactions and she was an important source of support during labour and delivery. She is knowledgeable and caring; the effort she expended to provide quality support during labour is something we will always deeply appreciate. Thank you, Jennifer, for your care!

My partner and I are expecting our first this month, and we had lots of questions about what the labour and delivery experience would look like. Lenore did an amazing job teaching us about the stages and phases of labour, and about all the different ways that we can set ourselves up for a successful and empowering birth experience. I feel so much more prepared for what is to come, and it has given both of us such peace of mind knowing that there is a toolkit we can turn to in order to make decisions that are right for us, support each other, and cope with the challenges that could arise as we prepare to welcome our newest family member. A huge thank you to Lenore for her patience, insights, and kindness in this exciting and overwhelming time!

My wife and I decided to enrol in the prenatal course offered by mother matters after they were recommended by a close family member. I have to honestly say that it was by far hands down the best decision we made to prepare for the arrival of our first baby! Lenore is a wonderful, knowledgeable and assuring expert in prenatal care. She is a true educator who sets expectations and teaches so many useful tools for both expecting mothers and partners alike! Thank you Lenore & team ??

We had a fantastic experience having Jennifer Woods as our doula twice. She was the back up doula for my first son's birth, at which she was called into my labour just before my son was born. Even though she hadn't been with us the whole time I felt very comfortable with her due to her calm and caring nature. As soon as my son was born she help me learn how to encourage him to breastfeed and we had a smooth transition into feeding. We had a stressful situation happen shortly after my son's birth and Jen was fantastic at supporting and comforting me through this. When we were expecting our second child we asked Jen to be our primary birth doula. She was the absolute BEST. As I laboured at home Jen was by my side the whole time. She helped my husband use different techniques to comfort me through contractions and she also guided me to use different positions to help baby descend down. It was with Jen's support and care that I was able to labour at home for as long as I did, which was my preference. Through my labour at home and in hospital I felt like Jen knew my needs even before I did from getting me water, chap stick or a cooling cloth. I always felt supported by her no matter which path I chose through my labour process. She never judged my decisions about therapies or my desired next steps for my labor and was always willing to have an unbiased discussion to help me make decisions I was struggling to make. My second labour was very long and ended with a c-section. Jen remained by my side through it all and comforted me in recovery after the surgery as my husband couldn't be with me because he was tending to our newborn. I highly recommend Jen as a birth doula and for lactation support. She went above and beyond for us.

My husband and myself attended the 6-Week in-person course and to be honest we did not know what to expect going in. I am pregnant and this is our first child. We were both felt pretty nervous and overwhelmed at the prospect of bringing a new person into this world. We had read books and done research online but let me tell you there is nothing more comforting than getting an education from a professional with years and years of experience. Our teacher was professional, fun and caring! We both left this class feeling so much more confident in our abilities as parents and in giving birth. I could not recommend this class enough!

My husband and I were skeptical about taking a prenatal class - as this is our first child, our only experience or knowledge of these classes was from what we saw in movies. We were absolutely blown away by Lenore and her class! She sets an extremely comfortable environment, and provides extensive information. We left each class feeling empowered and ready for the challenges to come. Lenore has years of experience and it showed! She is very accommodating , and willing to go above and beyond to ensure we felt ready and informed! I would now recommend ALL new parents take a Prenatal class, especially with Mother Matters :)

My husband and I are expecting our first child and took the 6-class prenatal course with Lenore. We went in thinking we would learn about breathing techniques during labour and how to change a baby’s diapers, basically. And we were both truly amazed by the amount of material we covered beyond that, from labour stages to infant care of course but including so much about information about birthing, pain management (medical and non medical), breastfeeding, postpartum recovery, etc. We both feel as prepared as we can be for this totally new and unique experience, me as the birthing mother and him as the birthing partner. Thank you Lenore for sharing your many years of experience with us in such a candid and always caring and respectful way! Totally recommend!