With nearly two decades as a massage therapist under his belt, Kelly Carrington was already well-versed in the human body when, in 2014, he became Canada’s first certified male birth doula. The father of three explains his part in the fast-growing maternity movement.

Doulas seem to be increasingly popular these days. Why?
People are more educated about the birth process now. They want to have control because control feels safer. Sometimes they feel that having a doula will help give their birth a more team approach, rather than just going into the hospital as another patient.

What’s the first thing that happens when you sit down with a pregnant woman?
Most people will come to me at around 20 weeks and then we have two prenatal sessions in which we go through all the things that are ...