“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.”
“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.”
– Osho
Nurturing the Mother
Nurturing the Mother
Nurturing the Mother is the result of an evolution of care. Through the years I, Janelle Fontaine, have grown my practice from being a massage therapist to the general public to narrowing my skills in supporting birthing folks in pregnancy and postpartum. After the birth of my first son, I saw the need for postpartum support and became a postpartum doula. Being a postpartum doula allowed me to support birthing folks in a different way. It gave me the insight and tools to empower parents to be the parents they want to be.
The next layer has been the addition of The Cesarean Recovery Guide. Seeing clients after their cesarean, I noticed a need for reconnection to self as well as a deep interest from clients to know what to do with their scar and abdomen. That’s when The Cesarean Recovery Guide was born - a guide meant to empower a client’s healing journey with self paced learning of hands on massage therapy.
What drives all this is my belief that if a parent is supported, they can care for themselves and for their child. And the question that keeps pushing the evolution of Nurturing the Mother is - how good can this get?
So join me, lean in to the support, and let me nurture you so you can be the best version of the parent you and your family needs.
A bit about me
A bit about me
Hello! I’m Janelle Fontaine. Registered massage therapist and mama of two young boys. I have a deep passion for supporting birthing folks through massage therapy, postpartum support and online education in the childbearing years.
As a care provider both at work and at home, what deeply nourishes me is time spent on my bike - you’ll often find me riding my longtail bike with the two kids in tow or in the garden growing dahlias. I love movement, often choosing to lift weights or dance as a way to feel strong and free. And my favourite way to decompress is a hot cup of tea.
I work Tuesday and Wednesdays at Local Health Integrative Clinic and Thursdays and Fridays at Pomegranate Community Midwives.
Postpartum Doula
Postpartum Doula
Despite our world-class health system and the committed preparation that many women put in to ensure that they have happy, healthy pregnancies & births, I witnessed a large percentage of mothers in my community struggling and suffering in the postpartum weeks. This, along with my own personal experience, is what sparked me to become a postpartum doula. I wanted to continue to nurture the new mother as she gains confidence and finds her stride in motherhood. From here, Nurturing the Mother was born.
As a postpartum doula I empower you to become the mother you want to be. We have so much wisdom within us but often we look outward for answers. I am there to remind you to tune in to yourself and to encourage you to try what you believe your baby needs. Through supported trial and error you will gain the confidence to be the mama you want to be.
Let's connect
Let's connect
Land acknowledgment
Land acknowledgment
I acknowledge my deep privilege to be here living and working, on the ancestral, unceded and occupied territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Watuth) nations of the Coast Salish peoples – whose relationship with the land is ancient, primary and enduring. I recognize the privilege we hold in occupying this land, and pay our respects both in words and actions.