Heather Collins

Hello, I’m Heather, a birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, birth story listener, Evidence Based Birth® Instructor and co-owner of Two Doulas. Here’s how I got here:

I had both of my sons while doing my Ph.D. in Biology at McGill studying cancer proteins. I am a very analytical person, a lifelong learner, a bookworm, a list maker and firmly grounded in Science. So you can imagine my surprise when in the midst of pregnancy I connected with my body and baby in a way that seemed beyond explanation and was dangerously entering into the territory of woo.

Do not get me wrong, I also plunged into the depths of books about birth and hormones but there was a part of me that suddenly saw this whole pregnancy and birth thing as a transformational life experience. And I was right.

The combination of education, connection, and support (hello doula!) were exactly what I needed to help me navigate my transition into motherhood.

Here I am 7 years later, supporting families through their own stories and their own hormone dances. Birth and parenthood can be transformative, sometimes simple, joyous, fraught, calm, gorgeous and wild, and the piece that we all have in common is that we don’t get a preview of what is to come.

In keeping with my scientist self, I support families with information that is rooted in evidence and a good dose of the practical stuff. But I also value the emotional side of pregnancy and birth, and the importance of connection and ritual. Every parent, pregnancy, birth and baby is unique, so it’s also about meeting people where they are and uncovering the strengths and tools they already have.

I have two boys, 5 and 7 years old, who keep my husband and I on our toes. Watching their personalities unfurl and expand is the best part of parenthood. They aren’t kidding when they say that all babies are different. Despite looking like the spitting image of each other, my sons have had their own interests and temperaments since day 1.

My sense of humor is on the British spectrum. Awkward cringey situations? Yes. Satire? Double yes. I love water. Swimming, baths, lakes, oceans, hearing it, being near it, all of it. I have three cats and I joke that I am collecting all of the colors. I love knitting but struggle with starting projects. I have knit the regular things like hats and scarves but I have also knit a praying mantis, eggplant and breast (featured in our classes!).

I am trained as a certified birth doula (2016) and postpartum doula (2017). I am also an Evidence-Based Birth® Instructor (2019) and childbirth educator. I have taken Spinning Babies® training. I am registered with ACNN and maintain up-to-date CPR certification.