LOVE NOTES

SEE WHAT THE NEW FAMILIES ARE SAYING

"I FELT LIKE SHE WAS AN EXTENSION OF OUR FAMILY BY THE TIME WE WERE IN THE HOSPITAL FOR LABOUR & DELIVERY”

Hiring Ruth was one of the best decisions we made for our baby’s birth & my postpartum experience. We met with her twice while I was pregnant to chat about our birth plan, priorities, and a ton of other things. I felt like she was an extension of our family by the time we were in the hospital for labour & delivery, which meant she was well equipped to advocate for me and our wishes. And advocate, she did! Like many people’s experiences, my labour and delivery started to go sideways, but Ruth worked with us and the hospital team to keep things on track and stay as close to our wishes as possible (even when others in the room had other ideas …). I truly can’t imagine what the experience would have been like without Ruth, and I’m so grateful Ruth was there with us for it all. Her postpartum visits & texts were also SO helpful in those first few weeks when we, as new parents, had so many questions. Thank you for being such an important part of this journey for us ♡

- Trish, Liz & baby C.

Newborn baby bot born at St. Mike's in Toronto, Canada with Midwives and Doula Support

“YOU BROUGHT A SENSE OF CALMNESS TO THE WHOLE BEAUTIFUL PROCESS. YOUR ENERGY IS OTHER-WORLDLY AND HELPED TO MAKE LABOUR-LAND A PLACE OF CONNECTION.”

Kevin and I wanted to reiterate how phenomenal you were throughout the whole process. A lot of trust is put into someone to be a part of such a special moment, and frankly we would have you part of it again in a second. Professional, attentive, experienced but more importantly empathetic, intuitive and caring. 30 hours + you in our eyes went over and above what we could have ever expected.

You brought a sense of calmness to the whole beautiful process. Your energy is other-worldly and helped to make labour-land a place of connection.

Thank you - you are everything we had hoped for and more. You helped bring baby Nolan into the world and we both cannot thank you enough! We are in absolute bliss.

—- Kalli, Kevin and baby Nolan

“We can't recommend Ruth highly enough - she brings out the best in you as new parents”

Updating my review as of 2023 as I've had the privilege of having Ruth as my doula for both of my babies (2019 and 2023).

Ruth was an absolutely invaluable support, resource and friend during our first labour and postpartum period in 2019. We benefitted from her prenatal education as well as labour support and help around our home and with our baby in the weeks following our delivery. I honestly don't know how we would have gotten through our challenging and very long labour without her comfort measures, balanced guidance/advice and support to my husband so he could rest and be helpful during the times I needed him most. Not only could I not have imagined going through the delivery without her, she came to our place at a moment's notice when we had some postpartum crisis moments, encouraging us to follow our intuitions in learning to care for our newborn and to read her cues. She was a huge help with breastfeeding and I know I wouldn't have been as successful as I've been with it without her support!

We had our second daughter in 2023 and I knew that I wanted Ruth with me throughout the journey again to help provide comfort and emotional support, and wow, it was even more beneficial than I expected. This time I had midwives who were wonderful but because I also had a midwife delivering me who was on her first on-call shift post-training, Ruth made me feel comfortable in this new process, provided me amazing comfort measures including the TENS machine, and made sure my epidural came as quickly as possible when I decided I wanted to go that route and that I had warm blankets to comfort me. I had a bit of a mini-breakdown while labouring, missing my older daughter as had left her with my parents, and Ruth was such a calming and reassuring presence. When our daughter arrived, she again was invaluable during the golden hour, helping her to latch and start a positive breastfeeding journey.

We can't recommend Ruth highly enough - she brings out the best in you as new parents - and in growing your family - and believes in letting you make informed decisions that are best for your family, and this was so empowering for us. Thank you Ruth from the bottom of our hearts! Jill, Rod, Samantha, Alexandra (& Wallace)

- Jill, Rod & baby Samantha & baby Alexandra (returning family!)

  • “From the bottom of our hearts, we'd like to extend to you our most sincere thanks. Looking back on this journey I can say that it wouldn't have been possible without your amazing, loving guidance and expertise. Thank you for supporting our family's goals and giving us a voice during and after labor. We will recommend you to every expecting mama and papa we meet! You're amazing. We'll miss you!"

    — Julia, Tremor & babies Billie & Frankie

  • "Don't F*CK around, get a doula!! “We want to express our immense gratitude to Ruth. Our birth plan didn't go at all as planned, and Ruth was there at a moments notice with all of her love and knowledge, and stayed with us, a pillar of support for us... Our experience would have been unbearable without her, and we are so happy she was able to be right there with us... Thank you Ruth from the bottom of our hearts.”

    — Noelle, Chris & Baby Wilda

  • “I have been through thick and thin with Ruth Ruttan through many of life’s promenades and alleys. As a woman, as a friend, and as a registered midwife I couldn’t recommend Ruth more. You are blessed if she has walked beside you in life - in any capacity.”

    — LARA B., Midwife

  • "My husband and I were very happy with the post-natal support Ruth and Kate provided following the birth of our twins. They were very informed and provided very helpful considerations during the first few weeks of the babies' lives. We would definitely recommend Ruth and Kate.

    — Stephanie, Dave & babies Sam & Jack

  • "Thank you so much for all your guidance and support - we really enjoyed working with you. You have helped make this transition a great experience for all three of us! Your calm demeanour and information approach - allowing us to make our own informed decisions and then supporting us - helped us feel empowered and in control. The speed at which you replied was outstanding as issues always seemed immediate on our end (especially when Google would make us panic). We had a great experience."

    - Sarina, Alan, and baby Ryan

  • "Ruth is magical and has helped me in all aspects, physically and mentally becoming a mother. From pregnancy to birth to postpartum, she has coached me all the way through 2 babies. I feel lucky to know her and credit her, having 2 successful home births and a healthy pelvic floor."

    - Lauren H.

  • "We can’t thank you enough for the calming presence and support you provided our family during this time. You’ve saved us many sleepless nights and brought stability at a time when we needed it most. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

    - Adam, Phyllis & baby Calvin

“Ruth is truly a remarkable human being and an invaluable doula. You need to hire her - you will not find anyone comparable.”

I am not sure where to begin. Ruth is truly a remarkable human being and an invaluable doula. You need to hire her - you will not find anyone comparable. She is so knowledgable, present, caring, intelligent, and supportive. She will advocate and help you at every step of your process. She communicates clearly, provides endless resources, and is available when you need her. There are no silly questions with Ruth - she will help you be informed about your options and realistic about best routes. She will talk to your doctors or midwives if you do not have the energy or capacity to do so to ensure your desires are communicated. During labour, Ruth was remarkable. She helped me achieve my most ideal birth at home with midwives and was amazing at helping me work through waves of pain.

I know she would have been just as supportive and helpful in a hospital setting with an epidural, or with a belly birth. She is just the kind of person who is always there for you. I cannot recommend her enough. We hired her early on in our process and would do the same again because it was so helpful having her when things were hard in our second trimester. We really got to grow together and learn together. Thank you for everything Ruth! We hope we can have you on our team again in future pregnancies!!

— Laine, Joanna & baby Ty

“I can’t say enough wonderful things about Ruth!


I had anxiety about the delivery and post-partum period, and she was so helpful and reassuring through each. She helped coach me through the delivery - providing encouraging words, a calming presence, and strategies to get through intense contractions and pushing - and advocated for us with hospital staff to ensure our wishes for the birth were met. I can honestly say my delivery would not have gone nearly as quickly, smoothly or peacefully without her.
She was also invaluable post-partum to answer any new mom questions, settle our worries, and provide breastfeeding advice and other supports to help get us though its challenges. Her combination of practical advice and emotional support was truly a lifesaver.”

— Leah & Kyle and baby Carson

New mom and newborn birthed at the Toronto Birth Centre with Midwives and Doula Support

“I CAN'T RECOMMEND RUTH HIGHLY ENOUGH!

As someone who struggled with fertility for three years and underwent IVF multiple times, I was very adamant that I wanted a birth with as few medical interventions as possible. I was also a nervous wreck! We worked with Ruth to understand all the different paths to birth. She was compassionate to my situation and I started to shed the fear the closer I got to delivery. Through our prenatal visits, I finally felt prepared for whatever came our way.

We were incredibly fortunate that the baby was well suited to a natural birth and my hopes to deliver at the Toronto Birth Centre came true! I would have not gone through with my own plan had it not been for Ruth.

When labor started, I was more afraid than I anticipated. As soon as Ruth arrived I felt calm and she worked some serious magic to move the baby into a better position so I was more comfortable. She has so many tools to make labor smoother and her voice and support were my beacon for the whole process. I was so thrilled to deliver our miracle baby in the care of such amazing women (Ruth and the midwives).

Since delivering, she has been indispensable for postpartum care. When breastfeeding presented speed bumps, Ruth had tips that stopped me from throwing in the towel. I am grateful every day that I gave myself the gift of a talented doula for this pregnancy!”

— Lindsay, David & Baby Harrison

Josh and I have taken such comfort in having you alongside this brand new experience for us.

It’s definitely been a wild 6 weeks but to think back to when you visited (at my worst) we have come a long way. Jack is giving us smiles now and we are finding our groove.

Josh and I have taken such comfort in having you alongside this brand new experience for us. You have been incredible and taught us so much. I will always remember how peaceful it was in L/D with you, Josh and the nurse when it was time to start pushing. I always imagined it would be chaotic but you were able to keep all of us calm and I was able to focus. Thankfully all of the prenatal education you provided also helped me feel more in control of the birthing situation. Last but not least, when I felt overwhelmed to the max, your postpartum visit (and hug) saved me!

I could go on an on, but all we can say is thank you so much.

- Taylor, Josh and baby Jack

“We were so fortunate to have Ruth’s support.

She was a gentle, compassionate and extremely knowledgeable presence throughout our prenatal, birth and postnatal process. She was so patient with our questions and provided us with support and confidence as we navigated our transition into parenthood. I had a very difficult delivery and words cannot express how grateful we are that Ruth was there with us - she was an invaluable support for both me and my husband during a very distressing time in the delivery. Her expertise in all things newborn (including breastfeeding!) has helped so much during an overwhelming time as we figure out how to care for a new baby. Thank you Ruth - you have been a gift and a godsend for us!”

- Shirley, Andrew and baby S

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Be in Touch

I take on a limited number of births and postpartum families each month so as to be able to fully support each family. It’s never too early (or too late!) to get in touch - no question is too big or too small! I am always happy to chat about anything related to your pregnancy to parenthood journey.