Ontario woman serving house arrest for faking pregnancies, scamming doulas faces new charges

Bobby Hristova · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2024 1:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

WARNING: This article contains details of sexual assault and suicidal ideation, and may affect those who have experienced​ them or know someone affected by them.

A Brantford, Ont., woman sentenced in February to house arrest for faking pregnancies, harassment and fraudulently seeking the services of numerous doulas is in custody and facing new charges, Hamilton police say.

Allegations between April 17 and April 18 spurred an investigation into 25-year-old Kaitlyn Braun this week, police said Wednesday.

"It was reported that Braun falsely solicited support related to pregnancy and childbirth from unsuspecting victim(s)," says a media release Wednesday.

Braun was arrested Tuesday in Brantford and remains in custody following a bail hearing Wednesday morning.

She's charged with:

• Obtaining by false pretence.
• Harassing communications.
• Alleged breach of conditional sentence order.

Sentenced to house arrest 2 months ago

A doula is a trained professional who supports clients before, during and shortly after childbirth. They also help with grief and trauma around pregnancy loss, but they're not health-care professionals who deliver babies and they don't have access to medical records or equipment.  While doulas have certifications with different organizations, they are not registered with a regulating or governing body.

In February, Justice Robert Gee sentenced Braun to two years of house arrest and three years of probation after she pleaded guilty to 21 charges including fraud, indecent acts, false pretences and mischief.

She faced 52 charges for seeking the help of doulas in what ended up being false pregnancies and stillbirths from June 2022 to February 2023. 

"I know that the words I speak today do not take back what I did and that they don't automatically create healing. However, it is my hope that my words, along with my plan of action, show that I'm a changed person," Braun said from inside the prisoner's box at the time.

"What I did was ultimately very wrong, and I feel a strong sense of shame when I think of the hurt and the pain that I've caused. I never wanted to be the person I became."

Gee said Braun's actions had an immense impact on her victims, many of whom gave victim impact statements at the sentencing hearings.

"The trauma caused was expressed eloquently by many during their victim impact statements," the judge said. "Many now have trust issues, it's impacted their abilities to carry out duties in their chosen profession as doulas, some have left the profession entirely and all have suffered financially because of Ms. Braun."

Help resources

For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, support is available through crisis lines and local support services via this government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.

For anyone struggling with their mental health, help is available through:

• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.

This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.