BCAAFC - DAFGP

I am incredibly honoured that the BCAAFC has approved me as a postpartum practitioner for the Doula for Aboriginal Families Grant Program (DAFGP). I reside in Squamish BC, yet there is additional grant money for travel costs, so please do reach out if you are further than 25km away from Squamish BC.

The DAFGP is offered by the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC), First Nations Health Authority, and the BC Ministry of Health. The goal of the program is to increase healthy birth outcomes for Indigenous families by removing the cost barrier to accessing doula services.

The grant program provides Indigenous families living in BC up to $1200 (maximum) of coverage for full spectrum doula support with each pregnancy. More information on the program, including the application form, can be found here: https://bcaafc.com/dafgp/.

My BCAAFC - DAFGP Postpartum Support Package 

As a certified INNATE postpartum care practitioner, I offer a package of support that honours your experience, meets your needs, and stays within the CAD$1200 grant available through BCAAFC. I provide gentle, steady support during the prenatal and postpartum periods—times of deep transformation and vulnerability.

This CAD$1200 package includes:

 90 minute prenatal/initial home visit (In-person)
To build trust and connection, prepare for postpartum, and explore your wishes and needs as you transition into parenthood. These visits include education, emotional support, and practical planning.

 Four 3-hour or Six 2-hour Postpartum Visits (In-Home)
Support during the early weeks after birth, including:

  • Newborn care support

  • Emotional and mental well-being check-ins and practices

  • Body well-being check-ins and practices

  • Gentle birth integration and storytelling

  • Light household help (laundry, tidying, meal prep, etc)

  • Support for your healing and rest

 Ongoing Virtual Support

Available between visits until 6 weeks postpartum via text messages, voice notes, and emails, with a 24-hour response window - for questions, reassurance, and connection.  

(Please note that I am here to guide and resource you, helping you reconnect with the innate wisdom within your body. The support I provide is not intended to replace medical advice or overstep the care of your healthcare providers. I am not a medical professional, and any health concerns should be directed to your trusted care team.)  

Here’s what a visit can look like:

The First 1-1.5 Hours: Rest, Warmth & Body Care

These are dedicated to you, the Mother.

During this time, you might: Sip on warm, intentionally crafted teas while resting

Share your birth story and current experiences in a held, safe space

Receive body care such as herbal sitz baths, castor oil packs, or simply the gift of time to shower, nap, or just be

The Last 1-1.5 Hours: Nourishment & Community Care

Here, I support you in bringing ease and nourishment into your daily rhythm.

This can look like:

Tidying your kitchen so it feels welcoming and functional

Offering meal and snack ideas using what you already have on hand

Prepping ingredients for quick, easy meals

Preparing a warming, postpartum-specific dish with what you have at home, so you and your family have nutrient-dense food ready for dinner or the days ahead

If you would like to split up your grant money between birth and postpartum doulas

The package as described above takes up the full CAD$1,200 grant. If you would like to also hire a birth doula, let’s sit down together and see what we can come up with that works for the birth doula, the birthing family, and myself.

If you’ve seen the outline of my regular package, and prefer to book this

We can put the CAD$1,200 grant towards the total package price instead, and you pay me the difference directly.

Why I don’t offer an hourly rate

I noticed many providers on the BCAAFC-DAFGP site list an hourly rate. I’d like to explain why I’ve chosen to offer a package model instead (for all my clients, not only BCAAFC):

  • My approach is grounded in traditional, physiologic postpartum care, which can fall outside of the current 'community standard.'

  • This kind of care holds deep reverence for the postpartum period—for both newborns and their parents—and is not limited to practical support alone.

  • I offer spacious, relational care that allows time for emotional support, embodied education, and nourishment—so families feel truly held as they transition into this new season of life.

This model may feel especially resonant for the families supported through BCAAFC, as it:

  • Aligns closely with many traditional and Indigenous values, where healing, caregiving, and community support are holistic, intentional, unhurried, and rooted in relationship. 

  • Supports reconnection to inner wisdom and strength, encouraging self-trust and self-determination.

  • Offers respectful, attuned care that meets each family where they are, valuing their lived experience and cultural knowledge.

My intention is to walk alongside families in a way that reflects the care they deserve: relational, grounded, and deeply human.

About me, from a First Nations context

I was born and raised in The Netherlands, and so I was not aware of the history of First Nations peoples in Canada until I moved here as an adult.

My first time living in Canada was in 2003 for 6 months, when I volunteered at the Haida Gwaii Museum, while they were building the Haida Heritage Centre at Ḵay 'Llnagaay. During that time, I immersed myself in learning and reading Haida history, which left a much deeper impression on me than the brief survey of Canadian history I later encountered while preparing for citizenship.

When I returned in 2006, intending to make Canada my home, I began working at Nk’Mip Winery in Osoyoos, the first Indigenous-owned winery in North America. That experience further opened my eyes to the resilience, creativity, and leadership of Indigenous communities.

Learning about Indigenous history and presence here in BC also led me to turn inward, to explore my own far-distant Indigenous ancestry in Europe. This has given me a deeper sense of how much wisdom and connection is carried in traditional cultures, and how devastating it is when those roots are severed. It has reinforced my wish to honour and support First Nations peoples here in Canada as they recover, strengthen, and carry forward their cultures.

I do not claim Indigenous ancestry in Canada. What I do carry is respect, a willingness to listen, and gratitude for the teachings and relationships that continue to shape my understanding as a guest on this land.