Guelph woman calls for fraud training in doula programs after falling victim to province-wide doula fraud
Courtney Heywood feels she was meant to be a doula.
“I loved having a doula with my son’s birth so much that I just felt a calling to birth work,” said Heywood, who works as a doula in Guelph.
While doulas are not regulated in Canada, those like Heywood can get certified by a training organization.
She took two workshops that were each 10 hours as the foundation to begin working as a doula.
Heywood described the courses as hard core, and felt they left her with all the information she needed to start offering doula services.
“People can hire us to support them, usually during pregnancy, [to] support them during their birth, their labor and support them afterwards as well after they bring their baby home,” she said.
One of those people that Heywood says hired her for support was Kaitlyn Braun, a woman from Brantford who has since been charged with dozens of criminal charges, including harassment, fraud, and sexual assault after police say she sought the help of doulas for pregnancies and stillbirths that turned out to be fake.
Heywood said she received a message from Braun about a pregnancy from a sexual assault.
Heywood connected with her first through a phone call – a process she uses to identify potential red flags.
Heywood said it felt normal and natural.
She said she even received an ultrasound photo from Braun.
The story Braun was telling her started to unravel, and she became suspicious when the development of Braun’s pregnancy became too outrageous to believe.
Heywood took to Facebook to share part of her experience, where she was met with comments from other doulas telling her she had been tricked.
“It’s horrible. It’s a terrible feeling. It’s a weight on my shoulder,” said Heywood. “It’s on my mind from the time I wake up and when I go to bed.”
Brantford police say there are at least ten alleged victims across Ontario, and they expect there will be more.
Heywood said she would like to see more emphasis on doula protection from fraud during training.
“It’s important as a way of healing for us and sharing our story with other doulas so we can hopefully stop it from happening again,” Heywood said.
Stefanie Antunes, a birth doula trainer at Dona International, has taught in the field for two decades and says Braun’s situation is so unique it’s difficult to implement training that could help other doulas, but it's brought a lot of awareness about being cautious.
“One of the really important aspects of doula training is learning about how to do a consultation with a client,” said Antunes.
Adding: “Even people who are going through all the steps of looking out for things that’s not a good fit for them, this situation passed a lot of tests for a lot of people and were still impacted.”
As for Braun, she is facing over two dozen charges in connection to the investigation.
She will be appearing in a Brantford court for a bail hearing on Friday.
Correction
An earlier version of this article said the doula wanted industry regulations. In fact, she was calling for more learning of fraud in doula training programs. This has been corrected.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Toronto eliminated from PWHL playoffs
Toronto has been eliminated from the PWHL playoffs.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.