Hamilton woman ‘traumatized’ by alleged provincewide doula fraud

A Hamilton woman is questioning whether she'll continue on as a birth worker after she alleges she was conned as part of a provincewide doula fraud.

Kristen Aul, 24, is one of several doulas from across Ontario who have taken to social media to share their experience with a woman who Brantford police say allegedly hired doulas for pregnancies and stillbirths that turned out to be fake.

Police announced Tuesday that Kaitlyn Braun, 24, of Brantford is facing dozens of charges in relation to the alleged months-long scam. The charges, which include sexual assault, criminal harassment, fraud, false pretences and committing an indecent act, have not been proven in court.

Aul said she had not reached out to Brantford police as of Wednesday morning, but was planning to.

A doula is employed to provide counselling and support to pregnant people during different parts of their pregnancy, including labour and postpartum. Their work can be done virtually or in-person.

Police spokesperson Robin Matthews-Osmond told The Spectator the charges laid as of Monday involve 10 doulas from across Ontario.

Matthews-Osmond said Braun also allegedly used the alias Katie Ross over the course of the schemes, which occurred between June 2022 and February 2023.

Police said they've received a number of calls and emails" regarding the case and additional charges could be laid. Braun remains in custody and is expected to appear in court for a bail hearing on Friday.

Aul told The Spectator she was first contacted by Braun on Nov. 12, 2022, through Instagram, with Braun asking for support through a pregnancy that was the result of an alleged sexual assault. The Spectator has viewed screenshots of the conversation.

Aul said Braun told her she was in the third trimester and she had hesitated to reach out" as she feared being judged for keeping the baby.

Aul agreed to help Braun, noting that doulas will often support survivors of sexual assault who end up pregnant as it's a hard thing to overcome." Aul said she sent Braun the contract for her work and Braun signed it.

At that point, Aul said there were no red flags" and she expected to be paid $400 for her work, a rate she described as discounted" as she works toward her doula certification.

The work would be virtual as Aul lives in Hamilton and Braun resided in Brantford. However, the situation quickly turned suspicious over the coming days.

Aul said Braun called her the next day to ask what contractions felt like and the two of them talked over the phone to sort out whether or not Braun was in false labour.

Due to the timing of the contractions, Aul said Braun allegedly went to the hospital that day and had an ultrasound that revealed her baby had passed away."

After that, I was basically helping her through her contractions because she was told that she was in early labour and that she could labour at home," said Aul.

At that time, Aul said she opted to waive her fees as it wouldn't sit right" with her to charge someone who had lost their child.

Over the next few days, Aul said Braun would call her almost every hour for help through her contractions.

It sounded so real," said Aul. I've had four kids myself, so I know what (labour) sounds like."

However, Aul said the contractions, despite being intense, weren't consistent, with the time between each one varying by minutes. Those kinds of phone calls continued for a few days, with no progress.

Aul said she advised Braun to return to the hospital to see if doctors could induce her labour. However, Aul said Braun told her that when she was there, they broke her water and sent her home.

To me, that was the first red flag," said Aul, noting pregnant people typically don't leave the hospital after their water has broken. I was like OK, this is strange, I'm still going to support but I'm going to be wary of it."

But hours later, Aul said Braun still hadn't given birth - raising another red flag. Aul knew Braun would be at risk for infection.

And finally, on Nov. 15, Braun told her she'd allegedly given birth. Aul asked her for a photo of the baby, noting that she didn't believe her at this point."

Aul said Braun sent her a photo. She did a search for the image online to see if it was genuine, but found no match for it. Because of that, Aul dropped her suspicions. Aul said she felt horrible for doubting her client and made a post about the loss on her Instagram. It has since been deleted.

But days later, a pair of doulas reached out to Aul to let her know Braun had allegedly scammed them and they knew she had also been in contact with Aul.

One of those doulas, from Stratford, took to TikTok to describe her alleged interactions with Braun. She recounted video chatting with Braun about the alleged loss of her baby, through her supposed contractions, and was on the phone with her when she said she gave birth.

The doula said she provided near constant virtual care to Braun for around 10 days, talking her through medical procedures for post-birth complications, and hearing claims of sexual assault and an eventual alleged diagnosis of terminal cancer. The doula said the story allegedly unravelled" after she called the hospital and learned Braun was not a patient.

Aul said when she confronted Braun, she allegedly apologized and told (her) it wasn't going to happen again." Aul also discovered that the photo Braun had sent her was allegedly taken from a social-media group for those who had experienced child loss, she added.

While the incident played out four months ago, Aul said it has left her traumatized" and questioning whether she wants to continue on with doula work, which she began last year.

It's making me wonder how I'm going to move forward and not doubt that my clients are pregnant," said Aul. As much as I don't want to ask for proof, I might have to for a little bit."

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com