Culture The Disruptor

changes us. It’s proven to give us purpose, support our mental health and resilience, and give us the energy to show up for our families, our work and our communities,” says Karp. The Vancouver-based organization redefines the meaning of family care, creating an ongoing community of birth workers and parents of all stripes. (Transand queer-competent care is a huge pillar for Brood.) “We want families to access care in ways that work for them, with language that supports them, that meets them where they’re at,” Devin explains.

And meet them, they have. In just over a year, Brood has served more than 300 families, via a care team of 40 doulas and courses that strive to take care of families from those early days of pregnancy (or miscarriage) into that roller-coaster first year of parenthood. But what’s on offer here is more than simply prenatal education—it’s an opportunity for connection. For instance, Brood recently hosted a sound bath session with Oto Healing. “We hung out, read some tarot cards,” says Devin. And on Family Day, the Brood community came out in full force for complimentary photos—capturing playful portraits of whatever family might mean to them.

Those touchy-feely moments, though, are backed by science, particularly in Brood’s online and IRL classes and

Family Matters

On Family Day, Brood offered a complimentary photo session with Hana Pesaut—just one of the communitybuilding events Brood provides beyond the classroom.

workshops. “We’re pushing against that hippie stereotype,” says Karp. “These are supersmart, specialized courses.” A clinical advisory board reviews the courses to ensure medical accuracy and safety.

Naturally, there are the birthprep courses, but Brood takes a holistic approach to reproductive health and family-rearing: a toolkit for those who work in the abortion space; an endometriosis workbook; support for perinatal mood disorders. Many of the resources are free. “We have this network of amazing educators and are using them to help create resources that don’t exist because of sexism and many other isms,” says Karp. These resources also intentionally offer representation (in imagery and language) for those who don’t typically see themselves in the birth conversation—whether that’s queer or non-binary parents, single parents or those using a surrogate.

Beyond the families who use Brood’s services, you’ll find a parallel (though sometimes overlapping) community of doulas: a network of careworkers who are being mentored, supported and legitimized by the livingwage-certified Brood.

Traditionally, doulas are unregulated; existing information about the industry is hazy at best. “We don’t know how many people out there practice, or who they care for,” explains Karp. “But, anecdotally, many burn out in five years.” Working in isolation, running a small business, offering such emotionally intense care—it’s a lot to handle solo. “It’s really, really nice to be able to uplift and validate that type of work,” says Devin. Down the road, the Brood crew is launching a doula training program in 2024 and expanding beyond B.C. to offer value-aligned doula care around the country.

But that’s the future. Right now, with their newborn business, the Brood brood is trying to live in the moment and appreciate that their dream of a better way to birth has come true. “It’s the simple things,” Devin says. “When we have a prenatal class, everybody’s nervous at first, and by the end, people say they’re excited. Birth is not this terrifying looming thing anymore. That’s so impactful.”

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DEPARTING FROM: VANCOUVER, BC