Labor Support Testimonials

Julia has a deep understanding of the art of being a midwife. When we first met her, we knew she was the right one for us. When she walked through the door at 8am on a Thursday morning, we immediately felt safe and heard. She exhibits no ego and thus provides an incredible support to our needs and intentions. She is very knowledgeable, approachable and easy to reach at all hours via phone or email (though we tried to let her sleep as often as possible). Her compassion combined with the utmost professionalism made our prenatal meetings the highlight of our weeks heading into full term. Once we went into labor, she was calm and warm. Her presence was steady but did not affect my own laboring. I had a swollen cervix during labor that made labor complicated and unprogressive so Julia used her whole bag of tricks to help. When those options were exhausted and we went with the option to transfer to the hospital, Julia held the space for us. She decorated our labor room with items we had brought from home. She brought dinner for my fatigued partner and cheered him up in our dark hours. She was an incredible advocate and go-between with the Kaiser Oakland staff. Whenever we were asked questions, I would immediately refer to Julia to gather all the information needed before consenting to anything. After our son was born, she stayed with us until we were stable and set to be moved up to the recovery floor. She was an essential part of our birth team. The postpartum care was incredible at helping us through the first 6 weeks. This is the part that I would say was much more important than anticipated. She doted on my son, was extremely gentle with me during Baby Blues and very supportive of our first decisions as parents. If you are seeking a midwife or doula, Julia comes with our highest recommendation. The Bay Area is fortunate to have this gem.
Megan in Oakland

Our baby was born at Sage Femme Birth Center. We love and appreciated the time, effort and dedication given to us during our entire pre-natal period. Our appointments were very personal and focused. We really had time to get to know and bond with Judi and Julia. This is very important to us.  Our daughter’s birth was an amazing experience, we were very happy and felt safe that our Sage Femme team was there with us at that time.
Gizelle in San Francisco

Julia is a wonderfully intuitive, warm, and supportive presence. I am so happy to have had her by my side. She became part of our birth team towards the end of my pregnancy and assimilated so well into our birth team that it was like she’d been there all along. She was a tremendous support and gave me a lot of strength. My husband, our new son, and I can’t thank her enough!
Keely in Oakland

Julia’s presence at the birth was supportive and caring.
Kara in Berkeley

It was fabulous having Julia as part of our birthing process. We will always remember her as an integral part in the ease of the transition for our older daughter.
The Wong’s in Berkeley

We thank Julia for all her support during our pregnancy, labor, and delivery; for sharing this amazing experience with us; and for helping our older daughter experience this event.
Sofia, Zach, Molly and Clara in Berkeley

Postpartum Testimonials

I appreciated the kindness and tenderness Julia showed the babies in addition to the basic needs.
Lizette, single mother of twins in Marin

Julia is a fabulous doula and I would recommend her, without reservation, to anyone who is looking for extra help and support during after having a baby. We hired Julia to work at night for the first couple weeks after our first child was born. She has a very calming, patient, quiet and supportive presence. From the moment we met her, we felt totally comfortable letting her into our house and giving her responsibility with our newborn. Like many new moms, I experienced challenges with breastfeeding and our daughter had problems gaining weight. Julia was incredibly helpful in figuring out how to best implement the recommendations we’d received from our doctor and lactation consultant. She gently encouraged me to continue to nurse despite my feeling overwhelmed and did so in a way that wasn’t pushy or judgemental. Julia was trustworthy–she showed up on time and proactively communicated with us to set-up a schedule that worked for her and for us. Despite the stress and sleep deprivation that comes with life with a newborn, it really was a joy to have Julia share in our newborn experience.
Marcee in San Francisco