” Giving birth should be your greatest achievement not your greatest fear.”
~ Jane Weldemen
Georgie
I don’t even have the words to describe how grateful we are that Jess was part of our pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. She is a wealth of knowledge and really educated us during pregnancy so we were able to make the best decisions around birth for our family. She supported me to have the exact birth I wanted and I don’t think this would have been possible without her! We very much looked forward to her visits in those early postpartum weeks and appreciated the cleaning and chats to ensure I didn’t go crazy!!!
We miss you Jess and will never be able to thank you enough.
Love Georgie, Jarrod, Billie and Otis xxxxx
Martina
Having Jess as my Doula was crucial to beginning my motherhood journey as she was the perfect company and being with her, I felt so confident. I remember her pace and kindness in the first meeting and that made me feel so relaxed, having her from the very first moment I decided to have a natural birth. I felt very comfortable and close to her as if she were one of my sisters. It’s really amazing how she empowered me to believe in myself and help me with my birth plan to make my dream birth come true.
We know it wasn’t easy inside the hospital, but it didn’t matter how hard it was, we succeeded. With my husband, they made the perfect team to make it happen the way we wanted. She gave us the knowledge and courage to make the decisions we wanted, and everything flowed naturally and beautifully. Jess was incredibly inspiring and positive and that made everything happen smoothly and enjoyably for our family. Also, she made us the best meal ever upon our return to our home as three.
We are grateful to you for the rest of our days and remember our first childbirth as a transcendental experience. We love you, Jess! J
Martu & Lalo & Rocco
Zoe
> If you’re pregnant, get a doula. If you’re looking for a doula, get Jess. She is a gem, and we couldn’t have done this whirlwind of a journey without her. We were lucky to have Jess as our guiding light during my pregnancy, the birth of our daughter and in the baptism of fire that is postpartum.
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> As this was my first baby, I was nervous, uncertain, and had zero clue as to what was in store for me. Straight away, from the moment we met, Jess was calm, reassuring, understanding, and a wealth of knowledge. I went from fearful and without a clue, to feeling prepared and excited, with a flexible birth plan at the ready – but what was absolutely priceless, was the confidence that Jess instilled in me.
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> During labour, Jess was invaluable to both my husband and I. She advocated my wishes with the midwives, she was firm but calm, she reassured me and hubby through all the screamy bits and kept me on my birth plan. She literally kept her whole-body weight in pressure on my lower back for nearly 3 hours which is the ONLY thing that got me through my contractions. And somewhere in the middle of all this she was taking photos and videos, which were incredible to look back at a few weeks later.
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> And don’t discount needing a doula in the postpartum journey, which is really where the rollercoaster begins. But there was Jess, my calm in the storm, I feel teary remembering the moments where hubby had gone back to work, and I felt awash with a million emotions and didn’t feel like I was nailing this mum thing. The meals, the massages, the help with housework, are all absolutely amazing – but the real value, is Jess. Her conversation, her hugs, her care, her strength, her humour and her understanding are what got me through those first 6 weeks. And I could not have done it without her.
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> I’ve almost written a short novel here, and there is SO much more I could say. In short, reach out to Jess. You won’t look back. Her genuine warmth is rare to find, and I’m so glad we did, because she’s more than a doula – she’s now our friend.
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Zoe, Tom, Ava and Nala (pooch).
Tamara
Our beautiful Jess,
We don’t have words to explain how grateful we were to have you in the preparation for the birth of our first baby, during the birth and postpartum.
We didn’t have an easy labour and you stayed with us until the end firm, patient, kind, loving, and respectful, always aware of our needs, but at the same time not interrupting, giving me space and being a massive support for me and my husband all the time.
I am so so so glad we had you in our 2 days labour, but I am even more glad we had you in our difficult postpartum journey, I really don’t know how I could have made it without you, your delicious and nourish food, help with housework (that was massive) and oh yes! A very good massage, but the thing I love most was your beautiful company in such a hard and lonely period.
We couldn’t recommend enough to have Jess with you during pregnancy, birth of your child and postpartum, she is more than amazing, she is remarkable and proud to say now part of our little family.
We love you millions.
Isaac, Lua and Tamy
Ana
I am so glad I had Jess as my doula for the birth of my third daughter. It was a VBA2C, as I had emergency cesareans for different reasons for the first two, and even thought I wasn’t scared, I thought my chances of giving normal birth were 50/50. From the beginning Jess wanted to get that out of my mind and was very reassuring on my chances of having a vaginal birth. Before going into labour, Jess gave me many tips on preparing for labour and she was there with me from the beginning of my labour. It was amazing having Jess there, thought my husband was always actively involved during the earlier stages of my previous labours, Jess knew exactly what to do at every moment; massages, communicating with my midwife, keeping me calm and confident. Jess was supportive of my choices and stayed with me until the end. The massages after birth and help showering were just little things, I didn’t expect but made me feel so much better. I am so grateful to Jess, she is an amazing person, delightful to be around and a very experienced doula. If you are in doubt of getting a doula, as I first was as I already had a very lovely midwife, I can say that I am very glad I did and I highly recommend Jess.
Thank you, Jess, 🙂
Clare
I would have been lost without you, Jess. You helped make my VBAC experience one to remember. You gave me the courage and drive I needed to get the birth I wanted and deserved. I’m so grateful to have met you and feel so lucky I had you at my birth. I have already recommended you to every expectant mother I know! Thank you for being there for me and baby Aria. If I am crazy enough to have another bubba, you’ll be the first person I call.
To everyone questioning hiring Jess… the answer is YES! Every mum needs a doula. Every mum needs a Jess by their side supporting you through birth.
Cailan
Hiring Jess as my doula was the best investment I could have made around my birth.
During my birth, Jess knew all the right things to say, when to say them and how to help me through my labour. She was there with me postpartum, and I don’t know what I would have done without her. We had a rough start into motherhood and during those first few weeks she helped pick me up when I was feeling down and then was there to laugh with me when I recovered. Just having her help and company made everything easier. I’m so blessed Jess was a part of my journey into motherhood, and I can’t recommend her enough.
Lia
Initially, we weren’t going to have a doula – we had a private midwife and were hoping for a home birth which meant we would have her and another midwife present at the birth… I thought this would be all we needed. As I learnt more about birth and also the role of the midwife, which is really to look after the medical side of things for the mother and the baby it became apparent to me that both myself and my partner, Felipe, would really benefit from having someone there for emotional support and also to have someone there earlier in the labour – midwives generally hold off on attending until you are quite along.
As soon as we met with Jess, we knew that we had found someone special. It is immediately obvious in her gentle, calm and reassuring manner that she is someone perfectly suited to birth support. Couple this with the fact that she is passionate about positive birth, amazingly knowledgeable on all things birth related and also has plenty of her own birth experience; we decided that she would be a wonderful addition to our birth team.
Jess really went above and beyond both in the lead up, during and post birth.
During the pregnancy, Jess attended our appointment to have our breech baby turned around at SCUH, she thoughtfully checked in on us and was always making sure we were feeling positive, she even leant me amazing books to read!
As soon as we called her during labour, she was there – and she really was an integral part of our baby being born successfully at home. I found her presence thoroughly reassuring and I also relaxed into the experience much more knowing that my beautiful and very empathetic partner could take brakes when he needed to whilst still knowing that I was being supported. I will never forget how good the yoghurt tasted that Jess fed me while labouring in the shower or how helpful her calming words were to allow me to trust that everything was unfolding perfectly.
Our little boy was born en caul (still in his amniotic sac) at home in Noosa at 8.55 am on Monday the 22nd of February 2021 and I will never forget how special the whole experience was – a big part of this was having the right people in the team.
Thank you, Jess from Sunny, Felipe and I for being your amazing self – we will never forget Sunny’s birthday – it will forever be one of our fondest memories.
Marina
As soon as we contacted Jess for our VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) she became part of our family! She not only gave me lots of info about VBAC that made me feel the power to achieve my dream of having a vaginal birth. She played with my son, talked a lot with my husband to make him feel confident about the birth and she helped me with the housework when I was stressed. She was magic!
She speaks Spanish, French and English perfectly which made my journey so much easier!
In hospital she pushed me hard to achieve my dream. She was next to me all the time, doing massage, giving me encouraging words.
I have to say I got my dream of having my vaginal birth thanks to Jess and she will be forever part of my family!!!
We love you, Jess!! Thanks for making my dream come true!
Ella & Matt
Dear Jess,
We just wanted to say a huge thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being there with us for the birth of our beautiful baby Eddison.
You were absolutely incredible and the best support we could have possibly asked for. We feel that we were just the best team, and we really want you to know just how much we sincerely appreciate you being there and how lucky we feel! You were such an advocate for us and made us both feel so much more at ease, relaxed and strong when it was needed!
You really are so incredible at your job and anyone else that is able to have your help too should know just how lucky they are!!
Elaine
Australia Doula College matched me with Jess when I inquired about hiring a doula. I was aspiring to have a VBAC, as well as another Hypnobirth. Jess proved to be professional, caring, and genuinely interested in my birth wishes. Added bonus: my toddler son liked her as well.
My daughter surprised me and hubby and kicked off labour a week early. Despite it being the wee hours, Jess came over to be with me as I laboured at home. I wanted to stay calm and relaxed, and Jess helped me do just that. Her massage techniques and aromatherapy blends were amazing. We even took a 3 am walk around the block! Having Jess with me ensured my husband got to sleep/rest until it was time to drive to the hospital.
The midwives asked any questions to my hubby and Jess, letting me labour peacefully. Having Jess there meant I changed positions, drank water, nibbled a snack, and had toilet visits regularly.
The birth of my daughter was a complication-free and drug-free VBAC. Having Jess to help me stay grounded (and give my hubby a breather) made the experience all the more special.
Rachel
Although Jess was not allowed to attend the birth (a planned but complicated c-section) of our miracle baby she was fantastic at keeping me calm during a very high risk and stressful pregnancy, she visited often for a chat and tea plus visited at the hospital to meet our son when he was born unexpectedly at 35 weeks. She was also around the weeks after birth when I needed to attend a few appointments, so I didn’t have to take my premmie with me. She is a blessing to any mother and their newborn.