Support that doesn’t slip through the cracks

How the Nelson Doula Collective is filling critical gaps in maternal care across the West Kootenay region

Mila Hennings (left) and Shania Lane of the Nelson Doula Collective are helping reshape access to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support in Nelson. — Photo courtesy of the Nelson Doula Collective

In a place like Nelson, where community connections run deep, finding the right kind of support during pregnancy has often depended on who you know. For those new to the area—or simply looking for consistent, reliable care—that can make an already vulnerable time feel more uncertain than it needs to be. For doulas working independently, that same reality can mean fragmented care, long waitlists, or clients simply falling through the cracks.

That’s what led Shania Lane and Mila Hennings, alongside co-founder Sarah, to do something different. The Nelson Doula Collective brings multiple practitioners under one roof, offering continuous support from preconception through postpartum, while quietly reshaping what doula care can look like in a rural region.

We spoke with Lane and Hennings about what prompted the collective’s creation, how it’s working to close gaps in care, and why collaboration is shaping the future of doula support in the West Kootenay region.

What led to the creation of this doula collective in 2025?

The Nelson Doula Collective was created because three doulas, Mila, Shania and Sarah saw a gap in the doula network in Nelson and the surrounding area. It was very hard to actually find a doula who was currently working and taking on birth clients. Many doulas in the area had either very limited practices or were only word of mouth referrals. Nelson has been growing so much in the last 5-10 years, and many newcomers were not privy to the word of mouth system from the community.

Can you tell our readers a bit about the collective and its mission?

Our work is focused on creating an inclusive and supportive environment for birthing people and their families, with particular attention to those from underserved and marginalized communities. We offer compassionate doula services that provide care, confidence, and peace of mind. Additionally, we provide mentorship to aspiring doulas and advocate for equitable, culturally sensitive birth experiences, ensuring that every person is treated with the respect and care they deserve.

Why was it important to bring doulas together under one collective rather than operating independently?

It's not necessarily that one is better than the other. But as doulas who have operated on our own, we acknowledge that the job can be lonely. And that you cannot always fill all the gaps your client may need in care. This is a way to create sustainable work for us while also having our own supportive space and better serving the community.

How do you ensure families feel supported regardless of their background or circumstances?

At this point we have gone to great lengths to make sure that we do not turn away clients. We have fundraised thousands of dollars to be able to cover partial costs for clients who may face financial hardship. We are also the only doulas in the area approved for the Doulas for Aboriginal Families program which allows aboriginal people in the community to access free support. We also have doulas of different races and doulas who speak different languages so that each person can feel connected to someone they feel comfortable with.

What sets your collective apart from other forms of maternal or family support?

I think the main difference is that you can get all of your doula and lactation needs in one place. We offer support from pre conception all the way through to postpartum. So regardless of where yo uare at in your journey you can feel confident if you choose us we will cover all your needs. Often doulas kind of work with a word of mouth model, which can be great, but it does mean that sometimes the care can feel disjointed if you go to someone for childbirth education who teaches in a way that is nothing like the doula you hired to attend your birth.

What are the unique challenges of accessing birth and postpartum support in the West Kootenay region?

Well primarily that because people work through word of mouth, if you aren't born here, you likely don't know who is available to assist you. There also just aren't that many doulas in the area or that many midwife clinics. Which often leads to people travelling quite far for their prenatal appointments. With doula support, once you hire us, we are available to you 24/7 via text or phone to answer basic questions or lead you to the evidence based information regarding medical decisions you might need to make. In a small area like this, we aren't seeing our midwives or OBs a lot or any other specialists unless it's extremely urgent. So this can be great peace of mind for folks.

Have you seen demand for doula services grow in recent years?

Absolutely. When Shan started this work in 2019, many people barely knew what a doula was. These days it's very common for most people to at least consider a doula. And there are many insurance companies beginning to approve doula care. We are registered with the only doula school in Canada that is currently approved under some Sunlife insurance plans and some HSA's so this is a huge step forward for doulas.

How do doulas within the collective collaborate or support one another?

So most of the doulas on our team currently work in a team model. Meaning just like midwives, we share our clients and our on call schedules. This means you will always have two people to connect with and if you have a longer birth, you will always have someone fresh coming in to support you. It also means there is always a secure back up for if one doula is ill or has an emergency.

What inspired the creation of the “It Takes a Village” fundraiser?

So in late 2025, the DAFGP which is the only funding for doula support in BC, sent us a message saying they had run out of funding for the year and didn't know when it would pick back up. This set off some alarm bells for us because at least 40% of our clients came from accessing this grant. Mila and Shan put their heads together and decided what made sense was to star raising our own money to offset the costs of doula support in our area. While we dont offer 100% pro bono support at this stage, we do offer partial support to help cover a large part of the birth support so that it makes it at least more accessible to the general public to have the support people deserve.

What would expanded funding mean for the reach of your services?

It would mean so much for this community. So many people wish they could access this type of care, and in many countries, something like a doula exists via government funded healthcare already. Having a helper that comes to your home in the early days of postpartum can be the difference between postpartum mental health disorders. Having support at your birth is scientifically shown to decrease the chances of a C-section by up to 30%. BC currently holds the highest rate out of every province for C-sections performed. So you can imagine how taxing this is on our healthcare system. At this point in time, trying to find funding for doulas is like jumping through hoops. Because we do not have a governing body, but essentially work in healthcare, many programs that fund grants just don't have a place to put us in order for us to receive funding for people.

As a co-founder with a background in advocacy, how has that shaped the direction of the collective?

Well both of us have always felt strongly that the goals of this collective are to move away from the trope that the doula community kind of grew from originally. This idea that we are "free birth" advocates, unsafe, unaware women who are trying to go against the medical system. This is an outdated model of doula care. Modern doulas are leading and learning through evidence based care. We are working with the providers in the community and support them wholeheartedly. We hope to help ease some of the work from the overworked midwives and OB's around and hold their clients gently in a way that empowers them to feel safe enough to ask the right questions but also feel that their providers are all a part of their team. 

What keeps you motivated in this work, especially on harder days?

The obvious impacts that we have on the community and the love from our clients. The way we see them grow into capable and confident birthers and parents is really something you cannot describe. Knowing that you are supporting people through some of the most tender moments in their life is a true gift and privilege we never take for granted.