Receive support when
it matters most, with
doula care in the
Pembina Valley.
We're a collective of doulas offering a wide variety of birth related services to our community, and we're glad you're here.
We are a doula collective:
A group of like-minded individuals, serving as doulas, who have come together for the betterment of the community and ourselves. Our goal is to make perinatal care and doula services easier to access for the community, providing support for families as they navigate pregnancy, birth, and parenthood.
Each member of this group has committed to accountability, professionalism, and unity, as we recognize the value of working together to serve our clients to the best of our abilities, so each person & family can access the best care for them.
Our commitments:
Each member of the collective signs an agreement that encompasses all of the following. By doing this, we are agreeing to accountability and are committing to helping our clients be safe and receive proper care:
We commit to listening, holding space, and supporting all families in our care with the respect and compassion they deserve.
We commit to respecting the individual views, preferences, and beliefs of our clients.
We commit to only attending medically assisted births where a midwife or doctor is present.
Meet our Members
Read a bit about each of us - who we are, why we do what we do, areas of focus, credentials, specific services, and the best way to contact us.
Abby Cornelson
Abby offers compassionate, customized birth and postpartum care. She believes in empowering you to tune into your body, trust yourself, and feel supported and educated in your decisions — feeling confident that you know what is best for your body and your baby. She is passionate about movement in pregnancy, safely strength training and preparing for birth, as well as postpartum rest and core recovery.
Abby is currently completing her birth and postpartum certificate through Doula School Canada. She has her CPR & First Aid, and is Pre & Postnatal fitness certified.
She offers birth and postpartum care, including days and nights. Abby offers packages and also classes at the Altona Yoga studio.
Karlene James-Thiessen
Karlene is the founder of Your Village Pembina Valley. Her journey to motherhood is why she's a practicing doula with a passion to bring people the best care possible. She believes everyone is deserving of authentic and compassionate care, regardless of background, beliefs, or socioeconomic status. She's passionate about education, advocacy, and mental health awareness in the birth space and in the postpartum journey.
Her training includes birth & postpartum doula certification through Doula School Canada, mental health first aid training, CPR/First Aid, and a BA from Steinbach Bible College.
Karlene offers labour classes, birth packages, short notice birth support, and postpartum care.
Lena Kraft-Harchenko
Lena loves to support all types of birth and sees them all as holding equal opportunity to be empowering and fulfilling. She is accepting and holds both knowledge and space for all birth journeys and backgrounds (LGBT, single parents, etc).
Lena has her Health Care Aide, ECE, and Community Health & Childcare certificates, is Basic Life Saving (BLS) certified, and has trained as a doula understudy. Her background provides skills in navigating relationships with healthcare staff, positioning clients (epiduralized/non-ambulatory), and supporting anxious spouses or spouses prone to fainting.
She offers full doula packages, encompassing the perinatal journey from pregnancy to postpartum.
Tanessa Michie
Tanessa is a compassionate, faith-filled homeschooling mama of four with a love for all things birth! She is passionate about helping mothers feel informed, supported, and empowered through evidence-based education so they can approach birth with confidence and peace. Her heart is especially drawn to bereavement support, C-section recovery, and walking alongside mothers pursuing VBACs.
Tanessa is currently completing her birth, childbirth education, and postpartum doula certificates through The Biblical Birth School. She is also CPR certified.
She offers hourly postpartum support and birth doula packages.
Next Steps
Use the contact links on each doula's profile to reach out directly, as each manages her own independent business. For all other questions about the collective, contact us at: yourvillagepv@gmail.com
Please Note:
Although the doulas who are a part of this collective agree to certain standards and the same mission, each is responsible for their own individual businesses at this time. This includes contracts, pricing, personal advertisement, and client communication.