Anaïs, mom in Rosemont: “My third birth at a birth centre”
“I know my body.
Two children already, a third on the way, and the same wish as with my first birth: to live that moment with confidence, well supported.
Here's my story, from the preparation to the first days with Félix.”
My story
A third pregnancy, and the wish to stay well prepared
I like to understand, anticipate, inform myself. My background surely has something to do with it: I studied pharmacy, and anything to do with the human body speaks to me and fascinates me. I need to grasp what's happening physiologically in order to live it better afterward, and birth is no exception.
So when my third pregnancy came along, I had a clear birth plan: give birth at the Jeanne-Mance birth centre, in a gentle, supported setting.
Two births behind me didn't make me any less attentive, quite the opposite. With three children each about three years apart, I know that no birth is ever like the one before, and that my wish to stay well prepared was no excess of caution.
Preparing together
With my partner, I signed up for the group prenatal class. We liked the format right away: a concrete, dynamic workshop where you don't just sit and listen.
We reviewed the positions, the breathing, pain management techniques, and above all my partner finally found his place. He left knowing what to do, when, and how to support me when the time came.
Excellent prenatal class: concrete, dynamic and perfect for involving the co-parent. Even for a third pregnancy, you brush up on what you know and still learn things that are useful on the big day!
Thank you so much, Anaïs, and congratulations on Félix's arrival!
The big day, at the Jeanne-Mance birth centre
When the day came, everything we had learned in the workshop became instinctive.
My partner supported me actively: pressure points, guided breathing, help finding and holding my positions, and that mental support that changes everything in the intense moments.
He wasn't a spectator, he was a real teammate, exactly what I had hoped for.
And the best part is that everything went exactly as I had hoped. I was deeply calm, without the slightest apprehension. Carried by the gentleness of the birth centre and by my partner's presence, I lived that birth in complete confidence, in the calm I had imagined for welcoming Félix.
Managing a newborn and two “big kids”
A newborn, two older kids and little family nearby: I knew how to recognize when I needed help. I turned to the postnatal home support service.
In the afternoon, Valéry-Annie took over with little Félix while I recovered, napped, caught my breath. Watching the bond grow between Valérie-Annie and little Félix during the postnatal home support will stay one of our fondest memories of that whole experience!
And during those recovered hours, I even allowed myself to sleep and to plan a two-month road trip with my whole family!
Anaïs
Doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) · health professional · mom of three
Anaïs has worked in health innovation for years. A scientist's path that feeds her need to understand the body and physiology, right down to how she prepared for birth. A mom of three, she also knows what it means to balance a demanding career with the arrival of a new baby.
We thank Anaïs for her testimonial, and welcome again to Félix !
Émilie, Ysé Naissance Photo credit, Anaïs: Laurie LebarsThe services Anaïs and her partner used
Group prenatal classes
A concrete and dynamic workshop, to be experienced as a couple, to review positions, breathing and pain management techniques.
ExplorePostnatal home support
A doula at home after birth, to breathe, recover and feel supported on a daily basis with baby.
ExploreGood to know: the relief service was reimbursed by insurance, under the naturopathy component. Several group plans cover postnatal support in this category, it is worth checking with your insurer.