Meet Samantha Garcia Gagnon, a passionate advocate for maternal health and the powerhouse behind Bellies Inc. — a company dedicated to supporting women through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery. With her warm, approachable nature and wealth of knowledge, Samantha has become a trusted voice for mothers across Metro Vancouver, guiding them with resources, workshops, and products designed to make the journey into motherhood more supported and empowered.

In this Q&A, Samantha shares her journey as a doula and entrepreneur, the Metro Vancouver spots her family loves, and how motherhood has shaped her personally and professionally.

Describe your business or career role.

For over a decade, I have been dedicated to supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. As a doula, I have worked closely with hundreds of parents, providing education, advocacy, and hands-on support. In 2020, I grew my impact with new parents by purchasing Bellies Inc., a company focused on professionally designed, research-backed pregnancy and postpartum products. Through Bellies Inc., I help new parents feel strong and supported with core support and recovery products like our Ab Wrap, designed for postpartum healing and confidence.

Beyond products, my commitment to family wellness led me to open the Bellies Community Space in Pitt Meadows, where we have offered pregnancy and postpartum support groups, prenatal classes, low-cost breastfeeding classes, mom socials, yoga, and other essential workshops for new families. My mission is to ensure parents feel informed, empowered, and supported at every stage of their journey.

What makes you a Vancouver Mom to follow?

What sets me apart is my commitment to supporting new families—through hands-on doula care, postpartum products, and advocacy for better education and accessibility. As president of the Doula Services Association of BC during the pandemic, I helped ensure ours was the only province where doulas could continue attending births, providing vital support in a challenging time. At Bellies Inc., we’ve built a trusted community hub where families can connect, learn, and feel supported through pregnancy and postpartum. My mission is to empower families, break stigmas around recovery, and make high-quality support accessible so parents feel seen, strong, and able to thrive.

Tell us about your family.

My family is made up of my husband Michael, my kids Joseph, Estelle and Solomon and our rescues Pepper and Lana. My mother in law Joy also lives with us so it is a full multigenerational household. All my family (parents and brothers) live in the Philippines.

What are your go-to activities, places, or hidden gems in Metro Vancouver that you and your family love?

In the summers we love swimming in the river (specifically Hot Rocks or Davidsons pool in Maple Ridge) and visiting the dykes in Pitt Meadows. We also love doing the Circle Tours all over the Fraser Valley and discovering so many great local companies – like Academy Farms for their Buffalo milk, Kensington Prairie Farm to visit the Alpacas and Krause Berry Farm for their waffles (gluten free too for my daughter). Circle Farm tours are such a great way to spend the day! In Vancouver, we love a Stanley Park Day – picnic lunch, followed by afternoon swimming at Second Beach Pool, dinner on Denman (we try to go to different places) then end the day watching Theatre Under the Stars. Granville Island also never gets old to us.

My daughter has celiac disease and loooves the gluten free fish and chips from Popinas. We love to walk around the market, watch a show from the Arts Club, or take the water taxis for a little boat ride.

It is always so much fun. During the colder months, things are mostly focused on the kids activities and hibernating at home. We do a yearly trip to Manning Park with a huge group of friends, but that is not in Metro Vancouver.

What’s something motherhood has taught you about yourself?

Motherhood has been the most expanding experience, pushing me into vulnerable spaces and revealing my strengths. Working with new moms as a doula and through Bellies Community Space has shown me that, despite our differences, many struggles and joys are shared, which brings comfort. It has softened my edges, helping me see that we’re all doing our best, and has given me immense joy—I genuinely think my kids are the coolest, and I feel so lucky to be their mama.

Where can we follow you?

You can connect with me and follow my work at @belliesinc on Instagram and visit our website at belliesinc.com for resources, workshops, and postpartum recovery tools.

Facebook business page: www.facebook.com/belliesinc

Samantha Garcia Gagnon is one of our 2025 Vancouver Moms to Follow—a passionate advocate for new families, empowering parents through doula care, postpartum support, and community connection at Bellies Inc. Stay tuned for more moms who are shaping our city and making an impact every day.

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