Stories

The Story of Olive

 

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Mama with Doggie Doula

“We so appreciate the freshness and excitement you brought to O’s birth.  I smile remembering your skillful hands drying her off and your smile as you listened to her small heart with your pink stethoscope.” J&S in Berkeley

“We want to sincerely thank you for the most amazing birth experience.  We didn’t anticipate exactly how much support and care you would provide – it was phenomenal.  From all the prenatal support and advice to the birth itself to the postpartum care.  Thank you for the extra visit to check on his jaundice and for the incredible pictures you took after the birth.  Thank you for guiding us through this most special journey and helping us to birth our precious little one.” L & A with baby S in Berkeley

Proud Papa

“Julia, thank you for your sweet calm wisdom.  You are a gifted midwife!  Thank you for helping us experience a perfect birth” Audrey in Oakland

“Thank you so much for your excellent care during the pregnancy and birth.  Your counsel was always even-keeled and wise.  We especially appreciated all the extra attention and care you gave L postpartum – having the frequent visits really put our minds at ease.” Rebecca in Oakland

J & J

“After meeting with several midwives, my husband and I chose to hire Julia for a planned(and successful) home birth for our first baby. We found Julia very early in my pregnancy, and had the privilege of working with her for about 10 full months. She was extremely confident, qualified, helpful, knowledgeable, friendly, reliable, and organized. I could not have been happier with our decision to have her play such an important roll throughout this crazy experience.

At our many prenatal appointments, Julia was always very caring and a great listener to all of my concerns and generic pregnancy observations/complaints. I never felt rushed at an appointment. She was always great about reminding me to stay on top of the sometimes daunting pregnancy and labor “to-do” list. 

For the labor and birth, Julia and her fantastic assistant (we had Kirstin) were absolutely perfect. Julia arrived promptly and (of course) very prepared. For my 10 or so hour labor, she stayed by my side, taking diligent notes and monitoring both me and the baby closely. Even though I didn’t always listen immediately, Julia and Kirstin always had great suggestions for how to keep up the progress when one place or position started to get stale, or when I started to loose energy. I was so thankful to have them there to help me (and my husband and mother) get safely through the process without ending up in a hospital. 

After the birth, Julia came over many extra times to monitor both me and our baby’, since his weight gain was a concern. It was obvious that she really cared about our well-being and was willing to put in extra time and energy to make sure everything was OK. After seeing her nearly a dozen times postpartum, I got a little sad at our final 6 week appointment, although I know we’ll be seeing her again since she is great about keeping in touch through her newsletter, as well as hosting all sorts of family events (walks, potlucks, gatherings, etc.) alongside the home birth collective.

To sum it up, I would highly recommend Julia to anybody planning a home birth in the Bay Area. If we ever have another baby, I’d hire her again in a heartbeat!” Anna in Oakland

C & J“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

Uganda3“Julia attended both our births when she was a part of Tres Lunas Midwifery.  We hired her as part of a team for home births, but had to transfer to the hospital both times due to complications.  Julia was unflappable and reassuring during the transport. She is attentive, focused, and pleasant.  Her gentleness really stood out.   

When I had some troubles with post-partum healing, Julia was available by phone, able to come for extra in-home visits to check on me, and a wonderful steady head and compassionate heart during a tough time.  The level of care I received from her was superior.” Sarah in Berkeley

“My wife and I have had the great pleasure of Julia’s assistance at two successful homebirths. For the first birth she was an apprentice to Cindy Haag and for the second she was our primary midwife now being assisted by Cindy. Julia is a calm, strong, and reassuring voice throughout the birth process. She has wonderful listening skills and is ready to listen to a mother’s concerns and assist the mother in making her own, well-supported decision. If she doesn’t have an answer, she will find it quickly. It is clear that the birth is never about Julia, but is rightly focused on the parents and the child to be. We recommend her without reservation! I have been particularly grateful for Julia’s easy access throughout, but especially well after the birth when lingering questions arose. Despite our ‘contract’ having run its course, Julia will always be a member of our extended family.” Paul in Oakland

“After interviewing several homebirth midwives, we chose Julia because she had the right mix (for us) of clinical knowledge, confidence, and warmth that we were looking for. In the months that followed, we always looked forward to Julia’s visit. She not only gave us extraordinary care, but she also encouraged us to educate ourselves with her wealth of resources/books/videos. She allowed us to feel as though we were all a team working towards a happy, healthy birth. 
During the birth itself, Julia came through for us exactly as we knew she would. She calmly held the space for my partner and I to have the home birth that we had hoped for. When times got tough, and the labor extended into its third day, Julia stayed with us when I believe most midwives might have left to rest. This gesture gave us the confidence and security that we needed to see our birth through to the end, at home. 
Throughout our pregnancy and post-partum period, we always felt actively listened to, well supported and confident in our choice to have Julia help us bring our daughter into the world. To this day, we remain in touch with Julia and feel that special bond that comes with time, trust, and love.” Kelly in Berkeley

“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

As a doula “I recommend Julia MacMillan without reservation. She was an amazing support to my whole family and I couldn’t imagine my birth without her. She was not inexpensive but her services were worth every penny.” Rachel in Oakland

As a doula “You helped us to make the birthing experience everything we hoped it would be!  From the moment you arrived at the hospital you became a natural part of our birthing team.  Your knowledge and experience helped us to make informed decisions and we appreciated your encouragement in our choices.  You were also a big help in making me feel more physically comfortable and your excellent photographs of the birth were an exciting bonus!” Sarah in Oakland  

As a doula “We would have been lost without your help and support!” Johanna in San Francisco

“Thank you so much for all your care, help and hard work before, during and after M’s birth.  We really appreciate the privilege of having worked with you.” Kara in Albany

“I am filled with gratitude for the help, patience and confidence you gave me during K’s birth.  During the hardest parts you were there guiding me through it tirelessly.  I’ll remember those moments forever and every time I think of them I want to hug and thank you.” R in Oakland