Jill Wilkey Doula Profile

Jill assisted at the birth of my second son, a succesful unmedicated VBAC. My first son was born 4 weeks early by C-section under general anesthesia and I was determined to have a better experience this time, if at all possible (the circumstances surrounding my first son's birth were unavoidable, but unlikely to happen again). Jill's support was invaluable. My husband and I were both very comfortable with her and her assistance made everything from minor annoyances (a somewhat pushy doctor) to the hardest parts of labor easier to bear. Hiring a doula was one of the best decisions I made regarding this birth. Thank you Jill for helping me achieve the birth experience I was hoping for!

My husband and I had Jill as our doula for both our children and have only great things to say about her. Even the nurses at Littleton Adventist Hosptial liked her.  She is there for you every step of the way, even before labor begins and certainly available for postpartum updates and staying connected after coming home from the hospital.  No matter what time of the day it is, Jill was there to answer any questions concerning birth, postpartum, delivery, hospital procedures for checking in and getting registered.  She keeps you very focused on how to breath, choosing the right technique during labor that best makes you comfortable(especially when doing a natural birth, which I did for both children).  Jill is very professional, patient, and willing to go the "the extra mile" for anything you need throughout your labor and delivery.  Not only is she great with the mother to be but also the father.  She really made my husband comfortable throughout the entire time of having both our children. 

A friend of mine strongly encouraged me to hire a doula for my birth. I was skeptical at first but then decided to go ahead and hire one. While looking for a doula I came across someone’s testimony of Jill that read “There is a special place in heaven for people like Jill Wilkey.” That always stuck with e and after my own birth experience, I totally agree! She loves what she does, she is passionate about her work, and she is very devoted to her clients. She was there to answer any questions I had. Towards the end of my pregnancy I had a lot of questions and concerns and I always felt very comfortable going to her. She was always there to bring me comfort and encouragement. She is very personable and I actually feel like we formed a friendship throughout the process. She made my birth about what my husband and I wanted and was supportive of our decisions. This was my first birth and it was very important to me that I did it naturally. I do not think I could have done it without her. She knew exactly what I needed during my labor, she was encouraging, gentle, and was really there to assist me in whatever I needed. I definitely will hire Ill again for my net birth.

Jill immediately responded to me when I wrote her inquiring about her services. We were right on the line of when she would be available since I was due around the holidays but she assured me that her back-ups were just as stellar. We got to talking right off the bat and I could tell that we just vibed. She was very down-to-earth and made it clear that she would be available to me anytime for any questions or concerns.

One of the best things about Jill is her willingness to educate. She offered us personal childbirth classes, something we were dreading to do since we lived so far away from any place that offered them and didn’t want to be the few among the many in a classroom. The first one, she came to our house in the mountains on a cold, snowy night and we had an intimate opportunity to talk about what to expect.

Although I desired a natural childbirth, it was only my optimal choice. I understood that anything could happen and she helped us understand the other possibilities that lay ahead. When it did come down to D-day, I ended up having a cesarean. But Jill was right by my side and reminded me that we had talked about this and it was all going to be okay. Jill had been there from the moment I arrived at the hospital and when all was said and done, she was hesitant to leave, it was like she part of the family now.

Layla Wren Fritz was born on January 6th, 2011 at 6:16pm. Jill was with me during my procedure holding my hand the whole time. I don’t think I could have had such a positive experience because of my unforeseen circumstances without the support she gave me. The care and love she gave my new family and me will never be forgotten. We were lucky to have her and still lucky to her as a friend.

Having Jill as our Doula made the whole birthing process much less stress full and more enjoyable than it would have been, without her. Like most guys, I wanted to help my wife and do whatever I could to “fix” the situation, but one of my biggest fear was not knowing what to do or how to help. Jill provided support not only for my wife but for me as well. Providing ideas and suggestions on different positions to help with the contractions, getting water, ice chips and food allowing me to stay with my wife, and helping me keep the family that was in the waiting room up to date were just some of the things that Jill did to help.

Her professionalism and knowledge of, well lets face it guys, stuff we don’t know that much about really was able to put me at ease, which allowed me to support my wife more.

Afterwards when we were in our postpartum room, after 25 hours of labor with our new little girl I joked that I am going to add her to our Will, out of gratitude for Jill’s support.
 

Chooising Jill as part of my support team was a great decision.  She was like my personal cheerleader, always on call with encouragement and helpful information.  I am a Type I Diabetic, so it was important to me to have people knowledgeable about my special circumstances helping me.  Jill took the time and made extra efforts to learn about pregnancy and diabetes.  She takes her job very seriously, and she responds to texts, calls, and emails very promptly and answers all questions thoroughly.

Her easygoing nature was a great bonus when I was feeling discouraged, and she has a knack for always seeing the bright side of things.   She is a great conversationalist, which was so helpful during the endless hours of labor.  When I ran into complications during labor, she made sure I knew what was going on and made informed decisions.  She was great at keeping me on track with my goals, even when it was tough, but she also rolled with the changes when I had to adjust my birth plan.  She made me feel like every choice I made was just the right one, and she kept me from feeling scared, confused, or uncertain.  In the end, with Jill's help, every moment of my birth story was exactly as it should be.

A doula is the one person who is there solely for the mom to be, and Jill takes this responsibility very seriously.  If you are looking for someone encouraging and positive, with a lot of knowledge about pregnancy and childbirth, Jill is perfect.  She knows how to follow the lead of the mother, knowing when to soothe and when to be more upbeat.  My husband was grateful for her help, and all the medical staff thought she was incredible.  She can ease any worry, and she makes the birth experience the warm happy memory it should be.

With the birth of our first child having a doula was so important for the whole labor and delivery. When we found out we were expecting number two we had just moved to Colorado and our immediate thought was finding a doula. When we first met Jill, her knowledge and love for ‘birth’ was beyond evident; we felt comfortable and safe working with her. It takes a very special person to be truly helpful and supportive during labor and Jill was just that. Jill was able to keep me calm, relaxed, and even more she helped my husband and I work as a team through each contraction. She was so helpful and hands-on (bringing warm compresses to place on my back and a birthing ball to sit on) during the whole experience and I cannot express how much she helped me go through labor. My plan was to labor at home as long as possible before going to the hospital, when we arrived at the hospital I was 100% dilated and ready to push. Jill was KEY to welcoming our little boy into our arms!!
…Jill, with your help we were able to have the birth we dreamed of. Thank you for sharing your knowledge throughout my pregnancy and being our rock during labor. Thank you!!
 

When I met Jill there was such an instant connection that I decided to hire her right away even before meeting with any other doulas.  Not only did her views of labor and delivery match mine, but we got along on a personal level as well which made our experience much more fun and fulfilling.  Although my husband and I read up on quite a bit of pregnancy, labor, and post-partum topics, Jill was perfect for supplementing her knowledge and experience to enhance our experience.  She helped me create my birth plan and encouraged me to stick to it, but also supported me when my labor didn't go as we'd hoped and I had to change my plan.   What I loved most about Jill though is the way she got me so excited about my birth.  Before I hired her, my husband and I were a bit overwhelmed and wondered if we could do it all on our own, but after our meetings and labor classes I had never been so motivated.  Another amazing thing about Jill was how she brought my husband and I together during labor.  Rather than take over his job, she supported him which allowed us for one of the most amazing experiences between my husband and I.  I can't think of anyone more perfect to be a doula. 

I cannot express the level of gratitude I have for our doula, Jill Wilkey. If there are angels on earth, she truly is one of them. Throughout our whole birth experience, Jill was there for our family. I cannot begin to tell you how often I relied on her emotionally and physically throughout this whole process. This was our 4th baby and truly the best experience because I was able to rely on her experience, guidance, and pain management skills that I had not had in the past.  She knew exactly what to say and do through my pregnancy and the birth process. You cannot imagine the difference until you experience it.  I wanted so badly to go natural the entire experience. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond either of our control, I had to receive pain medication in the final phases of pushing. She knew all the pressure points, massage, the right positions, and appropriate measures to take at all times. She was absolutely positively my ROCK.   I contacted Jill on so many occasions, and she always got right back to me.  She made our final childbirth experience positive and beautiful in every way. I recommend Jill Wilky as your labor coach/doula. She will make a huge difference in your labor experience from start to finish. With the right support system, you can do anything you set your mind to. Best wishes to you and your family.  Blessings..   Julie Witonsky

 When I first heard about Jill and what her role as a Doula  was, I was hesitant- thinking that I would be just fine delivering a baby on my own. I decided to talk with Jill and realized that her role was much more than just being there when it was time for the baby to be born.She was there for me from the time my water broke (at 2am) to the actual delivery of my baby (8:45 pm) and after to help with nursing him. Jill is very knowledgable and is an expert at what she does! I am so thankful to have had her help during my labor and delivery. She was supportive in my decision to labor without and epidural as long as I could and then have one when I decided that I wanted to. I know that had she not been with me, I would have chosen to get an epidural much sooner than I did which would have slowed the whole labor by confining me in bed. She was totally there with me for every contraction and was able to help me cope with the pain through various comfort measures that I wouldn't have thought of! Jill is such a blessing to my husband and I and helped make my birthing experience everything that I wanted it to be. Thank you Jill!!!

My experience with Jill was wonderful. From beginning to end she was supportive, knowledgeable and engaged. She surpassed my expectations in so many ways. She was very resourceful and great with all my questions. If she didn't know the answer to something, she would research it and find out.

As far as the labor process went,she was very resourceful in helping me deal with my pain, she was empathetic and caring in a way that felt
comfortable and natural for her to be massaging me or helping me as I labored in a tub. During my labor there were a few things that came up, like giving me pitocin despite the fact my labor was progressing fine, that I was glad to have Jill in the room to help us understand why they wanted to do certain things. It can be hard during the process to take it all in and make rational decisions, but she was very respectful and informative. She did not make decisions for us, she just made sure we understood everything (sometimes they speak medical and it goes over your head) so we could decide what was best for us.

My biggest hesitation with having a doula was that I did not want it to replace the role that Steve, my husband, would play in my labor and delivery. He had worked hard at preparing-going to class, reading books..., and I really wanted the birth to be something we did together as a team. Jill was WONDERFUL at letting Steve take the lead. In some ways, she was more a coach for him than me. My husbands biggest concern was that there was so much to know and remember that he would not retain it all and be able to recall it when we needed it in the heat of the moment. It made him feel better to know that Jill was there and he could ask her or look to her if he needed to. 

I am VERY thankful for Jill. She was truly wonderful and I give her so much credit for the positive experience that was my first child delivery. I would most certainly hire her again!