A Different Kind of Birth Work: What Full-Spectrum Doulas Do During Loss

By Gill Damborg, Co-founder of Brood Care Inc.

Content warning: This post discusses miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion. Please take care of yourself while reading, pause when needed, reach out for support, and know that you’re not alone.

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At Brood, we believe care is a radical and joyful act. We’re a modern doula agency and community of care workers who support families through every stage of the reproductive journey—from birth to postpartum, and through loss. Our work is rooted in evidence-based care, deep listening, and an unwavering belief that no one should have to navigate pregnancy, birth, or grief alone.

When most people think of doulas, they picture someone rubbing a back during, helping with breathing techniques, or offering those sacred first hours of postpartum support. And while that’s absolutely part of what we do, full-spectrum doulas hold space across all reproductive experiences, including abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss.

If you’re not sure what doulas do more broadly, our post Everything You Need to Know About Birth & Postpartum Doulas offers a great introduction. It breaks down what modern-day care workers provide, how they collaborate with medical teams, and why this kind of continuous, person-centered care can make such a difference.

What is full-spectrum doula care?

A full-spectrum doula provides emotional, physical, and informational support across the full range of reproductive experiences, not just birth. That might mean sitting quietly beside someone as they navigate a miscarriage at home, supporting a partner through a hosp

ital birth after loss, or accompanying someone during or after an abortion procedure. At Brood, we often describe this work as a different kind of birth because even in loss, the body moves through many of the same physiological and emotional rhythms that happen during delivery and early postpartum. A full-spectrum doula is trained to provide nonclinical but deeply informed care through it all.

How doulas support the body and emotions through loss or abortion

Full-spectrum doulas are trained in trauma-informed, consent-based, and body-literate care. This means they’re not medical providers, but they do have specialized education in anatomy, reproductive physiology, and the physical stages of pregnancy and loss. That training allows doulas to: explain what’s happening to the body in real time—whether someone is experiencing cramping, bleeding, or hormonal changes after miscarriage or abortion; provide physical comfort measures such as breathing guidance, counter-pressure, heat therapy, or grounding touch (always with consent) to help manage pain and regulate the nervous system; support informed decision-making by helping clients understand medical language, their options, and what’s normal to expect physically and emotionally; and assist with aftercare planning, including rest, nourishment, lactation suppression, and follow-up support for the days and weeks after loss.

Emotionally, doulas are trained to attune, to track body language, emotional cues, and nervous system responses, offering grounded presence rather than trying to fix anything. They draw from somatic and trauma-informed frameworks, offering techniques like slow breathing, sensory grounding, and co-regulation to help people stay connected to their bodies through difficult sensations or emotions. They’re also skilled in narrative and ritual support, not just symbolic gestures, but real tools for integration and meaning-making, helping someone tell their story, guiding journaling or remembrance practices, and connecting clients with grief therapists, loss groups, or faith leaders if desired.

In Everything You Need to Know About Birth & Postpartum Doulas, we describe how doulas offer continuous, personalized care. Full-spectrum doulas take that same continuity and apply it to some of the hardest moments imaginable, meeting people exactly where they are, with no timeline for grief or recovery.

Supporting grief, the body, and community

Grief doesn’t move in a straight line. For many people, loss brings both physical recovery and emotional healing that unfold slowly, often in waves. A full-spectrum doula can help with post-loss body care, guiding rest and gentle movement, offering chest care if lactation begins, and supporting hormone regulation and nutrition. They can also assist with partner and family support, helping loved ones understand what’s needed, how to provide care, and how to process their own grief. Doulas connect clients with counselling, peer groups, or community resources —like Butterfly Support Network.

We’ve written about these aspects in Supporting People Through Pregnancy Loss, A Doula’s Guide to Infant Loss, and Brood’s Guide to Navigating Miscarriage and Loss. Across each story, the theme is the same: grief deserves company, and care deserves to be accessible, even when there’s no “happy ending”.

Why this work matters

Loss is an experience many families face, yet it’s rarely talked about openly. Roughly 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in loss, a statistic that represents millions of people every year, each carrying their own story of love and heartbreak. Full-spectrum doulas help bridge the silence by offering care that’s nonjudgmental, inclusive, and grounded in presence. They help families advocate for themselves in medical settings, connect with community and spiritual supports, and remember that their grief has a place in the wider story of care.

You don’t have to go through this alone

Loss changes us, but it doesn’t have to isolate us. There’s a whole community of care workers—doulas, grief educators, counsellors, and peer supporters—ready to walk with you. Whether it’s through the incredible resources of Butterfly Support Network or through Brood’s courses and in-person doulas, we hope you remember: your story matters, your baby matters, and you deserve care that honors both.

If you or someone you love is navigating miscarriage, abortion, or early loss, you might find comfort in our self-paced Miscarriage & Early Loss Course. It includes videos, toolkits, and guidance for physical recovery, emotional processing, and building a support network at your own pace. And because we believe everyone deserves access to compassionate education and care, if you face financial barriers, please reach out to us. We’ll send you a free access code, no questions asked.

About Brood

Brood is a modern family care agency based in British Columbia. We provide inclusive, evidence-based doula care, postpartum support, and education for families and care workers. Our mission is to make care more accessible, community-driven, and full of joy, even in life’s hardest moments.