buzz

what parents are saying about Julia:

“The birth of my son was the most amazing, wonderful experience of my life.  Julia Pickett, my doula, was indispensable.  She made his birth a much easier, smoother task than it would have otherwise been.  When the pain was intense and I needed to focus elsewhere, Julia used activities (games, music, massage, and meditation) and humor to help me do that.  When I wanted to focus on the birthing process, she was ready with beautiful descriptive visualizations to help me. Always ready with a variety of suggestions, Julia was happy to take direction from me. She did a great job of helping me personalize my birth experience and enjoy my birth experience! Her positive attitude was very helpful!”

~ Momma SM and baby B

“When somebody told me about doula services, I thought that a doula was gonna be like a “grumpy grandma” trying to teach me “old fashioned” techniques for the baby.   But when I met Julia, I realized that I was so wrong. Julia is great as a person and even better as a doula.  She was so helpful in every moment but mostly in the hospital when all my family was so nervous.  When I was pushing, surrounded by all the hospital staff and the family, the only voice that I heard was Julia’s voice… that was so great because I was so focused on the labor. She is so cute.”                  ~Sandy

“I highly recommend Julia.  She was well prepared and enthusiastic, which made me more relaxed as I approached the birth of my baby.  The day I went into labor she was calm and patient, walking with me and reminding me of other comfort measures in the early stages before we went to the hospital.  At the hospital, she was friendly yet professional with the hospital staff, introducing herself and handing out copies of our birth plan and locating equipment we wanted for the birth (like birthing balls), so my husband and I didn’t have to think of any of that and could just focus on me.  As the labor progressed and I had to make various choices, she talked me through my options which helped me feel confident and happy with my decisions.  After the baby was born, Julia stayed until we had established breastfeeding and she contacted the postpartum doula for us, which made the transition stress-free.  My husband and I are so glad we chose to use Julia as our doula!”           

~parents SL, AL and baby M

My partner and I were expecting our first child and decided to hire a doula to help us through labor and delivery. Looking back now, ten days after our daughter was born, I’m so glad Julia was there for us as our doula. We had hoped for as natural a birth as possible and Julia guided us through various techniques and positions and kept me up and walking to help the progression of labor and to help me deal with the discomfort. Things didn’t go quite as we had hoped when my cervix stopped dilating at 5 centimeters. After about 25 hours of laboring in the hospital we decided to have an epidural and pitocin to see if I would dilate any more [and] about three hours later our daughter was born vaginally without any complications. Julia was with us the entire 28 hours and a while afterwords to make sure breastfeeding was off to a good start. I am very thankful she was with us for all the support and encouragement. Having never experienced childbirth before, I’m not sure my partner or I would have dealt with the length or intensity of labor so well. We certainly would have been more stressed, concerned, and unsure of the process without our doula present. I would recommend hiring a doula to anyone especially if its the first baby. I personally would want to have a doula for all my births, the more support for you and your partner at that time, the better!

~Sincerely, SJB

“Julia was immensely helpful as we prepared for the birth of our son. She was a great resource making a point to gather as much information for us as possible so that we were informed heading into the birth process. Although our birth plan changed quite significantly from a VBAC to a cesarean, Julia was open and easygoing about her changing role and where she fit into the day’s events. Despite our change in circumstances, she was committed to doing all she could to advocate for the family-centered birth we hoped for. Julia found articles and videos for us to peruse about humanizing the cesarean experience; she asked the nurses important questions the day of the surgery; and she took photos before and after the birth to document our son’s entry into the world. A few days after the birth, she continued to help offering breastfeeding advice and connecting us to breastfeeding resources in the community. We are glad that Julia was a part of our son’s birth journey as she was a valuable resource and a comfortable presence offering support during the pregnancy and birth.”

~Scott, Amber and Baby Ren