| Location: Healesville
Training: Julie is currently completing
Doula training with Optimum Birth. She has also dusted
off a Registered Comprehensive Nurse (includes Obstetrics)
qualification from New Zealand, obtained in 1989!
Will work: Anywhere east of Flinder’s
Street Station. Willing to travel.
About Julie:
Julie’s journey of discovery began while observing
the standard treatment of birthing women in hospitals
wards as a student nurse. During her training, which
was considered highly progressive and holistic at the
time, she was taught how the various anatomical parts
of the body function to cause a baby to be born, and
about the various interventions, and the scientific
rationales for those interventions, that staff do to
birthing women. Julie had misgivings about the way she
saw women being treated and dared to dream that better
alternatives might exist.
It was only when Julie began researching in preparation
for her own births that she discovered a whole range
of knowledge that had been overlooked during her training:
what women do themselves, for themselves, by themselves
to birth their own babies.
This led to Julie choosing to give birth to her first
baby in a small rented home in the wild west of Ireland,
having found a skilled home birth midwife to attend
her - only 6 weeks before the baby was born. The hands-off,
quietly present care of this midwife who told her “women
instinctively know what to do” set the standard
for empathetic, respectful care of birthing women for
Julie. As a 30 year old first-time mother, she experienced
a gentle, gradual 24-hour labour hopping in and out
of a home-made birth pool before her daughter was finally
born in front of an open fire as the only light and
the spring rain on the roof the only sound. Idyllic?
You bet!
Since then, Julie has experienced two more home births.
Well … actually that’s not strictly correct.
One was a home birth in New Zealand and the other was
more of a “home away from home” birth ….
The baby was born in a shopping mall …. But that’s
another story ….
While living overseas for more than 20 years, Julie
has observed birth in a variety of settings and cultures.
She is delighted to finally be back in Australia (yes
that’s the Qantas theme you’re hearing in
the background). Julie is inspired by the innate strength
and wisdom that women employ during pregnancy, birth
and mothering, and feels privileged to accompany and
encourage women in their unique and sacred journey.
Julie is the proud mum of three Princess Warriors who
have each observed their younger sister/s being born
and say they want to be Doulas too when they grow up.
Range of Births attended: Home birth, Hospital Birth,
Ceasarian Birth, Christian Birth
Attendant’s Charges: As a student Doula, Julie
offers her services at the rate of $100 to cover petrol
and baby-sitting costs
Testimonial:
“Julie was a huge help and encouragement during
my pregnancy and labour. Definitely, definitely have
a Doula. Hospital staff can’t always give you
the time, and your partner, though wonderfully supportive,
doesn’t always cut it. You NEED the support and
compassion and that care that a Doula provides. Julie
supported me in my decision to go through labour without
medication and as a result, the experience of really
finding the inner strength to manage the pain was invaluable.
She was a talented Doula and an incredible blessing.
She was thinking of me and focused on me the entire
time. She was compassionate and knowledgeable and tender
at the times I needed it and firm when I needed it.
And she really knew her stuff. I knew she could be trusted.
I appreciated her being there, more than anyone could
imagine. Although a ceasarian was necessary in the end,
for us it was a “no regrets ceasarian” because
of the support we had from Julie all the way through
and because we were in control of the decisions. We
just have peace about the whole thing. Now I am looking
forward to my VBAC!”
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