April Fermaniuk is an empath. She’s warm, sweet and kind with a nurturing, supportive presence that inevitably encourages people to share their most intimate thoughts and fears with her. April cares deeply about mothers, about helping them, about supporting them – it’s just her nature – which is why April became a doula and started her business, Edmonton Area Family Doulas.
When April’s friend Mitzi was hospitalized at 23 weeks pregnant with no family or supports nearby, April (also pregnant herself) supported her without hesitation – texting and talking daily, dropping everything to be in the hospital by her side. In fact, April’s attentiveness got doctors in the room at a crucial moment as Mitzi was thrown quickly into labour and her 1 lb 9 oz baby was born in a flash. “It was the first time I’d been able to participate in someone else giving birth – a unique, incredible experience,” says April. Mitzi’s baby was so premature that she was immediately whisked away to the NICU, leaving Mitzi suddenly and devastatingly empty and alone; April was able to offer calm and comfort in a tumultuous, emotional time. Without any training, she was Mitzi’s doula. “ [It was] just one mom to another, being there for her,” says April. “That’s what being a doula is.”
