Liza R. Hunwick Photo

Liza R. Hunwick

Embrace Yoga & Wellness

Vancouver, BC Service range 6 miles No ferries

http://www.embraceyogawellness.ca/

Birth Fee

$1650

Postpartum Rate

Not specified

Birth Fee

$1650

Postpartum Rate

Not specified


Birth Doula Experience

7 years and 59 births attended

Postpartum Doula Experience

1 years


Birth Doula Certifications

  • Wise Woman Way of Birth - Certified Doula

Doula Training

  • Wise Woman Way of Birth, February 2016

Type of practice: Partnership with 2 or more doulas

Clients per month: 1 to 4

Attends hospital births? Some Hospitals
BC Womens, St. Pauls

Attends birth center births? No Birth Centers
No Birth Centers in Vancouver (yet)

Attends home births? Any Home Birth
I love homebirths!


College Education

BA/BS


Special Services Offered

  • Abortion support
  • Acupressure
  • Baby sign language education
  • Baby-led weaning
  • Babywearing education
  • Belly binding
  • Belly casting
  • Bereavement doula (pregnancy & infant loss)
  • Birth pool rental
  • Cloth diapering education
  • Full spectrum doula services
  • Hypnosis for birth
  • Infant massage education
  • LGBTQIA+ Support
  • Miscarriage support
  • Mother blessing celebrations
  • Newborn care and parenting classes
  • Newborn care specialist
  • Pelvic floor health education & support
  • Prenatal & postpartum fitness services
  • Prenatal Yoga
  • Reiki
  • Sibling support (for your older children at the birth)
  • Surrogates and intended parents
  • TENS units rental
  • Virtual and remote doula support

Languages Spoken

  • English

Fee Details

I am a Prenatal and Baby&Me yoga teacher turned birth doula, through the Wise Women Way of Birth training. I believe our bodies are intelligent, and when our intuitive self is tapped into and we listen to our body fully, we are capable of so much -- including amazing, life transforming birth. Believe in birth, believe in YOU! Please contact me if you are looking for support as you approach your life changing event. Everyone deserves to feel fully supported during pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. Feel free to connect here, to arrange a free consult, or visit my website for more information. ^^^ I am also part of the Doulas of Vancouver (www.doulasofvancouver.ca) group. Among our doulas, we offer a wealth of services -- doula specific support, childbirth education, breastfeeding support, acupuncture, infant massage, foodoula custom food service, yoga classes, lactation consulting (IBCLC), and so much more!!!

Service Area

Vancouver, BC Service range 6 miles No ferries

Certifications for Liza R. Hunwick

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Client Testimonials for Liza R. Hunwick

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Jenna Maw

1/25/2024

We highly recommend Liza! From the bottom of our hearts, we thank her for being such a loving and steady presence in our journey. Her support and guidance was absolutely invaluable from the first time we met her, throughout pregnancy, and well into postpartum. She empowered us both to feel confident, secure, and happy during our baby's birth and as we became a new family.

We loved working with Liza so much we hired her again for our second birth! Each journey was unique and having Liza there (both times) was invaluable to our positive outcomes and overall experience as Mama, Baba, and as a family! ????????

Jane Ritchie

11/6/2023

I knew my birth team was complete when Liza came on board. Going into a homebirth and a VBAC, support was essential. When anything came up that I needed to talk through, Liza was there. When I went over my due date, Liza was there. When labour began, Liza was there. She brought both calm and strength to our birth space. Her presence allowed me to completely focus and birth our sweet boy. And after the birth, she was there to help us adjust to being a family of four. We will always be grateful to her for being our wonderful doula.     

Lillian Cho

10/17/2023

My family is so grateful

to have found Liza and have her as our Doula! From the beginning she was so warm and supportive, and made for a comfortable labour process. I don't know how I could have gone through labour without her support, literally! she was a trooper through my long labour, even outlasting my husband lol. We are so lucky to have had her by our side! 

Kat & Tom

10/16/2023

Liza attended the home birth of our second daughter and was a wonderful guide and support throughout. In the lead up she was a wise confidant, who was attentive and fast to respond whenever we needed. Her services were complimented by her prenatal classes which she offered weekly at the local community centre where it was obvious how connected and committed she is to the birthing community and birthing women, far beyond being a doula. Liza has a clear passion for this work and knows how to provide women and their birth partners with a steady, safe and supported birth. Throughout the labour, Liza was a wonderful guide for pain management and provided enormous physical and emotional strength to both me and my husband. During moments of enormous doubt, Liza was a source of great comfort, release and calm. She also took some photos (at our request) without us even noticing and captured the precious moments during those precious hours before and during meeting our daughter beautifully. In postpartum Liza provided many chances for formal and informal debriefing and was open to feedback, a great reflective listener and offered many wise and healing thoughts and kindness. Everyone needs a Liza in birth, and in life. Could not recommend her more. Thank you Liza, you're doing exactly the work you were intended for. 

Liz

10/3/2023

Liza is incredibly kind and knowledgeable. We were so thankful to have her present for the birth of our daughter. I really appreciated the time she took to get to know my partner and I prior to labour to understand our wishes and concerns. Liza helped me feel heard and empowered during my delivery and was very attentive and compassionate to my needs. She was adaptable to the situation at hand and helped me find creative solutions when I was feeling unsure. I would highly recommend Liza as a doula. 

Janael

6/23/2023

Liza was great, very easygoing and easy to talk to. She made us feel very supported as first time parents, going into pregnancy, birth and parenting for the first time. She was fantastic during the birth, taking initiative to make decisions when I couldn't, supporting when we would have been otherwise lost during early labour, and reassuring me when I needed it most during delivery. She also came to check on us after and we've had an on-going dialogue for the months after which has been really nice and supportive. Would definitely recommend Liza!

Rae

12/18/2020

We had such a wonderful experience with Liza! Our decision to hire a Doula came pretty late in the pregnancy, as my partner and I live quite far away from both of our families - with COVID restrictions, we were not able to have family come visit us before or after the birth. We felt very comfortable with Liza from our very first video chat with her.

The night that I went into labor, Liza was by our side the whole time. She has such a comforting, quiet presence, and put us both at ease in the tenser moments....a week after the birth of our baby boy, Liza sent us a file of precious photographs she had captured while we were soaking in the moment we became parents.

We highly recommend Liza, to anyone who needs a 'family member/friend' in the room, especially if your family and friends can't be there. Thank you, Liza!

Sarah Blackmore

11/20/2020

My husband and I had a wonderful experience from start to finish with Liza! We really felt Liza went above and beyond and provided us first time parents wonderful support, information, and guidance. Liza asked us helpful questions along the way so that we could make the decisions that felt right for us - she never pushed her own optinions but rather helped us figure out ours. The prenatal yoga and reiki sessions that were included were wonderful additons and I opted to add in another private prenatal yoga class as I found it so helpful. I ended up going 2 weeks late and struggled emotionally in the last few days - Liza was there to provide support and reassurance that I found very helpful. During the labour Liza provided support with pain management and unbeknownst to us, she took wonderful photos and videos to capture the amazing moment we first met our daughter. Liza's follow up visits were also helpful and she generously lent us various books along the way. We highly reccommend Liza for anyone seeking a Doula to suppor their birth journey. 

Patricia

9/30/2020

Wow! Where do I even begin? Liza was so much more than I ever could have imagine. When my wife and I found we were expecting, I was intrigued at the thought of getting a doula and when I met Liza at her prenatal yoga class, I knew I wanted her to be my doula. She was calm, warm and kind. My wife wasn’t so sure about having a doula and what a doula could really bring to the birth beyond what our midwives would provide. Finally three months before my due date, I convinced her to meet Liza and she instantly agreed that Liza should be part of our birthing team. That was the best choice we made during my pregnancy. When we met with Liza, we couldn’t have imagined that we’d be giving birth during the heat of a pandemic she helped us navigate and prepare. She stayed on top of the ever changing hospital requirements not only for her as a doula but also for us. She was truly our calm in uncertain and unfamiliar waters.

On the day of my birth, she joined us at the hospital after I had been induced. She jumped right in and started supporting us through the process. She has a bag of tricks, my favourite was the hand fan she’d pull out between pushes. Throughout the birth she was there by our side as much as we needed. After the birth when I had some complications, she was there to hold my hand while my wife did skin to skin with our new baby.

After the birth Liza continued to make us feel supported and provided us with the contact of a fantastic lactation specialist when I struggle with breastfeeding.

Throughout my pregnancy and birth, it was important to me that my wife was included. Liza was wonderful at ensuring that we both felt a part of the process and she supported us equally. Liza never once made us feel different in any way because we were a same sex couple. From her intake forms to the support she provided, she is professional but beyond that she was a caring and supportive doula.

Sarah

7/20/2020

Liza has a calm reassuring energy! She is knowledgable, intuitive, and very supportive. We are glad to have had her as part of our birth team. Without her, I think I would have had my baby in the car! I highly recommend her to any birthing mama and family. 

Melissa Mongoven

7/11/2020

Liza was such a joy to work with! I chose Liza over other Doulas because when I first met with her, I loved how down to earth she was. She has a very calming presence and I knew I would need that during the birth of our son. Also, she teaches prenatal yoga and I started going to her yoga classes, which were wonderful!

During labor, I was in "labor land" so I don't remember much. But I do remember her whispering encouragement to me and holding onto my hips to ease the pain. She worked in tandem with my partner, Dan, and I felt supported throughout the entire labor process up until I needed an emergency c-section due to issues with the umbilical cord. 

After the birth, Liza came to visit to see how we were doing at the hospital. And she also made a house visit when we got home to offer some support as well. She also loaned me some great books, which really helped when I needed to reference something. 

If you are looking for a caring, compassionate, calming support system before, during and after the birth, then Liza is your Doula. 

Mona

3/15/2020

We are very happy that we had Liza as our birth coach. We were looking for a humble, knowledgeable and caring doula and she was the one. Liza is very evidence based and this was the most important thing for us. Through the whole journey of pregnancy you hear many advice from many different sources and some are just wrong, but you can rely on her. As first time parents, we were very anxious, she helped us to stay calm and not get stressed. She recommended several useful books, links, groups, etc ... before and after birth. I personally learned a lot from her. She provided pre and post visits and we were always in touch through many massages before and after birth. She was with us from the time I had the first strong contraction till a couple hours after birth at the hospital. We couldn’t do it without her.

She is also an amazing yoga instructor, definitely go to her prenatal yoga classes.

Amanda M

10/10/2019

So incredibly happy we decided to have Liza at the birth of our little girl! I met Liza through her prenatal yoga class and right away I thought she would be a great fit as a doula. Liza is caring, considerate, knowledgeable and friendly. After talking with a few doulas Liza was the best fit for us. I couldn’t be happier with our decision and can’t imagine our birth without her.

Liza was with us throughout our labour helping with pain management and helping us to identify when to go to the hospital. During our labour at the hospital we were left in the assessment room for the bulk of our stay before giving birth. Because it was our first baby the nurses rarely checked on us but Liza was there to advocate for us. She also provided helped walk me through our options, found the nurses with my labour progressed and was a constant support. I honestly wouldn’t have wanted my husband to leave me while I was labouring so having Liza to get us the help we needed was exceptionally important to us. While we did classes to prepare for the birth, having someone there to help identify that we were heading into the delivery phase was crucial.

On top of her help throughout the labour she provided pre and post visits that helped us learn more about what to expect and to help us settle in. Knowing we had a resource to call for any questions as new parents was so helpful.

If we decided to have another baby we hope Liza will join us for our next adventure!

Alana Green

9/28/2019

For the birth of our first child, my husband and I knew we needed an experienced couch to help guide us through this foreign and unknown experience. We use coaches and teachers for everything else in our lives, why wouldn’t we use one for the most important moment of our lives? Enter stage left, Liza, a calming and empowering doula who made the birth of our son a magical experience. Working with Liza, helped us feel confident and prepared for what could be a scary and daunting experience. Liza has a wealth of knowledge, tools, and resources which helped us feel prepared. Her calming nature was a joy to work with and we are forever grateful she was there to help us through a 27-hour labor. She always knew how to comfort, help, calm, and encourage, and I can’t imagine how we would have managed without her. Once I went into labor, Liza helped me work through contractions at home, and then came to the hospital with us once we were ready to move. She stayed with us all night and continued to give me strength and energy to keep going until our son, Sawyer, was born. I feel lucky to continue to have Liza in my life as baby Sawyer and I go to Liza’s mommy and baby yoga class which is a highlight of our week. I encourage all expecting mothers to also attend her pre-natal yoga classes. Liza has a way of making everyone feel calm, loved, and heard, and I would recommend her to anyone looking for birth support.

Sabrina Doumet

9/27/2019

I had a 40 hour long labor and delivery and I am so glad I hired Liza to be my birthing coach. It was my first pregnancy and just knowing Liza would be there made me stress less about the whole thing.

Liza was with me from beginning to end. She came to my apartment in the middle of the night when the contractions started getting stronger and was helping me endure each one. She came equiped with many tools including the tens machine and was fanning me and massaging me. 

I would definitely hire her again for my second baby and I am recommeding her to my pregnant friends. 

 

SHANNON RANDOLPH

6/13/2019

Liza has magical doula powers. She has found her calling in doula work. With her humble and assured care and guidance, she and my husband supported me to avoid any pain relievers and to feel absolutely supported physically and psychologically as I journeyed deep through labor to birth our little boy.  Liza also provided special foods and liquids for labor and post labor and shared invaluable resources for labor preparation, birth and breastfeeding. She went well beyond what we expected. Hire her and have an amazing birth experience. 

Lisa Marie Sanchez Oxenham

6/13/2019

I had the privilege of working with Liza, for a birth in California. I work with many birth workers and occasionally am privileged to cross paths with a kindred spirit, the kind you feel like you have met before, that you can discern a true calling. Protecting physiologic woman centered, mostly hands off, birth requires a deep trust (sometimes born of knowledge and other times its innate) of the process. Liza has this trust. First time birthers at home can require a little extra time and effort but what is the most helpful is a Doula, and birth team,  that has a sagacious calm, lacking fear. She is pleasant and absolutely delightful! I tried begging her to stay in California and then threatened to move to Vancouver! For you locals there, please don't have your baby without a Doula, and be even kinder to yourself and your future self and hire Liza!

isa

4/3/2019

Having Liza was one if the best decisions we made for the birth of our first baby...we are a couple from South America, so it’s only us in Vancouver and in a short period we felt like she was part of our family.

I will always thank her for being there for us the whole time (she even slept by my side while waiting for our baby) and despite not having my “dreamed” home birth I felt safe and happy to have my husband and Liza that day. She is a beautiful human being!

 

Melissa

2/26/2019

We LOVE Liza! She is an amazing human being and wonderfully compassionate, thoughtful and caring doula. We felt so supported from the first day we met her until well after our baby was born. She is super responsive and was always there to answer questions and provide support when we needed it. She is very generous with her time and is well connected to find resources when needed. She got to know us well and our wishes around birth and labour and always considered my needs but also those of my husband which we really appreciated.

During the birth, she was a calming presence for both myself and for my husband. We would highly recommend her to anyone looking for support during pregnancy, labour and during the post partum period.

nancysg

12/13/2018

Liza was our doula during pre and post partum, she provided us with useful information during our two pre-natal visits at home. Unfortunately she couldn't make it to the delivery and we had Amanda instead, who was great and made a great team with our midwife Jesse. Amanda was also qualified to provide acupuncture after delivery which helped for the tense muscles. And Liza provided a "closing of the bones" ceremony with rebozo technique at 6 weeks postpartum which was very relaxing and helpful! Overal we had a great experience with both Liza and Amanda as our doulas!

Rebecca McEachern

3/14/2018

Liza has a cheerful and calm demeanour that drew us to choose her as our doula.
We felt better prepared and less anxious for the birth of our son because of the visits we had with her beforehand, where she answered our questions and suggested readings and resources for us.
Liza helped us discover our own preferences and understand our options for the birth. And she's a lovely person to have around! :)

Almira Bardai

2/26/2018

Liza was amazing.

As expected, itvwas incredibly important to us that ouro dulo was the right fit for us. Right from the beginning we clicked with her. She was super approachable, knowledgeable, and just had the right energy for us.

Throughout the process that she had great information for us, really educated me about the birth process, and made sure that my fiance was equally involved. This is obviously super important, as it's a couple who's bringing a child into the world, not just a woman giving birth.

I also did Liza'a prenatal yoga classes, which I thoroughly  enjoyed. It was great for mind body and soul, as well as bonding time with baby, before his arrival.

On top of everything, Liza is a member of the Doulas of Vancouver group, through which she coordinated my placenta encapsulation, as well as acupuncture.

And lastly, but equally important, what's the birth! Liza was a huge support to both my fiance and I, it was a great partner for him and giving him a break when needed. It was also awesome to have two people to hold my hand when pushing for 3 hours!

Liza had everything under control for us, and taking care of me, during the birth. Even having my ChapStick in her pocket, and giving me water.

As my fiance says "there's doulas... And then there's Liza".

Jocelyn Hallman

2/26/2018

I had an incredible home birth experience with my doula Liza by my side. I felt so supported from our first prenatal visit through til after my baby was born. Liza took the time to really get to know me and my partner, along with our hopes, fears and wishes for the birth, and was 100% ready to advocate for us in anything we needed. But mostly she was there to keep me grounded and to make me feel like I could do it for myself. As a result I was able to roar my baby into my own waiting hands like a powerful lioness! I highly recommend Liza for her calm energy, sense of humour, and intuitive skill in supporting a birthing person. I couldn’t imagine doing it without her!

Sandi Wikkerink

7/15/2017

As you know, having a baby is a deeply personal, exciting, and at times a scary event.  We were debating whether or not to hire a Doula and we were extremely glad we did!  Liza was fantastic!  As soon as we met her we knew she would be a  good fit for us.  She was friendly, informative, listenened well,  and if she was unsure of something she got back to us with the researched answer. We felt comfortable with her right from the start.  We appreciated her quiet but helpful and strong presence with us during the labour and delivery of our son.  In fact, a few of the hospital staff complimented her on how helpful she was and how she really knew what she was doing without getting in the way.  We really enjoyed getting to know her in the weeks leading up to the delivery so that by the time we were ready to give birth, my husband and I were already very comforable having her around and it gave us peace of mind to have her with us as extra support.  I would highy recommend Liza as a birth Doula.  When I think of the birth of my son,  Liza will always be a special part of that significant, life changing event.

Birth Availability for Liza R. Hunwick

= Available. Calendar last updated: 03-26-2024

Postpartum Availability for Liza R. Hunwick

= Available. Calendar last updated: 03-26-2024