Jamie Bodily - Transform Your Birth

Jamie came to my house multiple times in order to review mindfullness and meditation with me and my husband. We discussed  lots of what if's , concerns and procedures for labor time. My labor started around noontime and living a good 45 minutes away from her, she came as soon as we contacted her and told her that contractions got roughly 3 minutes apart. Jamie reminded me to " breath for the baby" which is what really helped me focus most. Her maternal presence helped me feel taken care of in the labor room at the hospital. She would put her hands round my forehead and back of my head which mustve had a pressure point because I wanted it done each time, very helpful! Was able to lean on her and sway as needed. After a quick ultrasound, baby was breech. Csection came  and went. Jamie stood right by us in the surgical room, took pictures, and followed us into the postop room and got the baby right onto my chest to start breastfeeding. She also offered to and stayed wiht me overnight the first night i stayed in the hospital, rooming in with the baby and helping baby to latch on and feed well, big help after having a csection! As this was the 2nd time i had a csection, this time wiht the doual went more the way i wanted, more contact wiht baby, sooner breastfeeding and having more support during the labor. Jamie was a huge source of encouragement during last few weeks of pregnancy, reminding me that i can do it and she had great confidence in my ability to make it through. She also came to different OB appointments even through transfering OBs. She was very much of the mindset that in the end we know what's best for us and she would support us all the way.My husband and I were very satisfied with her services and would highly recommend her  even though our labor ended in csection with breech presentation.

Posted 5/1/2013

We met Jamie when we hired her for an in-home childbirth class series and, after she left, my husband asked if I would consider hiring her as our doula instead of my current one because he believed that she was what we needed to achieve the natural birth that I dreamed of. Thankfully she was available and our incredible journey began! As my due date came and went, Jamie was full of encouragement and support. At our first trip to the hospital, they wanted to admit me due to high blood pressure despite the lack of progress. Jamie was instrumental in calming me down and I was able to reduce my stress levels and was allowed to leave and labor at home throughout the evening. She kept in contact with my husband throughout the evening and the following day until it was time to return to the hospital. My daughter was very low during the majority of labor and Jamie suggested different methods for pain management and relaxation and spent hours helping to relieve the pressure. 36 hours after my first contraction, we had a beautiful baby and an intervention-free childbirth! I can truly say that my labor and birthing process was beautiful and nearly pain-free and firmly believe that Jamie’s wisdom, knowledge and warm encouragement allowed us to enjoy our daughter’s birth. She went above and beyond the contract with post-partum visits and was instrumental in helping me mentally prepare for returning to the workforce. We consider Jamie to be part of the family and would highly recommend her. She is an invaluable asset for any pregnancy and will work to help you design and achieve your perfect birth plan – no matter what that may be!

Posted 4/17/2012

 Excellent! Jamie was a great help through my 17-hour long, epidural-free labor. She was our support on the phone, then came home and stayed with us at the hospital until several hours after birth. I was having a lot of back ache, and she did some miraculous back press to relieve the pain.  She helped me with productive labor positions, to ensure a natural delivery. She was very sensitive to our cultural and spiritual preferences. She was a great help post-partum, especially with breastfeeding. 

Posted 9/21/2011

Jamie truly loves her work as a doula.  She shows genuine concern for me and for my comfort during labor and delivery.  She provides recommendations based on her experience as a doula, then allows us to make our own decisions.  She is very helpful during labor to remind me to breathe, change positions, relax, and allow my body to take its natural course. 

It is very helpful to have her in the delivery room so that my husband never leaves my side.  If I need her to get something or contact the nurses, she does that for me.  She also is a good resource for questions when the nurses are not in the room.  I have had her help for 3 deliveries, and I have always been very happy to have her with me.  She also provides pre-labor classes and postpartum support, which I utilized for my first baby.

Jamie is great, and I would recommend her to anyone.

Posted 9/21/2011

I used Jamie's postpartum doula services. She was a huge help. I realized that I was going to need some help with my other children and some guidance on how to manage a house, nursing my newborn and caring for my 1 year old and almost 3 year old. I wanted to do everything I could to ensure all of my children got the attention and nurturing they deserved from me. About a month after my youngest son was born Jamie came to help me figure it all out. She came about twice a week for several weeks. She helped me set up a nursing corner and helped come up with activities that I could do with the children while I nursed. She helped with meal planning and found ways to fit cooking into my day. The baby wasn't a good sleeper, and she taught me tricks to get him to take naps. She also made sure that I was doing well as we went along. At the end, she left me with a book of meal plan ideas, activities for the kids, web resources and many other things that she thought might be helpful. My children adored her. Part of me wished that she could stay forever, but another part of me knows I don't need her here. She did exactly what I needed. She taught me what I needed to know and instilled confidence in me as a mother. I would recommend her to anyone!

Posted 6/9/2011

My husband and I needed someone familiar with the Bradley Method, but started interviewing with only two months to go. Jamie was close by, experienced and immediately available. She gave us three prenatal visits in about six weeks--valuable preparation and practice. During labor, she offered new ideas for comfort and helped us make some difficult decisions. In early labor she came over at 1am and walked with us. Over 24 hours later, she was still by my side as I reached third stage and recovered. As if that weren't enough, we received three postpartum visits (more than the contract required) and a baby-warming gift. She's hands-on, warm, encouraging, and worth every penny!

Posted 4/9/2011

We are so happy that we made the decision to hire Jamie Bodily and to have a doula. My husband and I agree it was the best money we spent out of everything we purchased to get ready for our little one. Not only was it fantastic to have someone a phone call away to ask all my pregnancy and baby questions, but to have her support and knowledge through the birthing process was irreplaceable. Having her calm, comforting energy allowed me to focus during labor. Having her support also took all the pressure off of my husband, giving him the peace of mind to really relax, support me to the fullest and enjoy the birthing process. We weren't originally planning to hire a doula but I am SO thankful that we made the decision to hire Jamie. I can't recommend her enough, my birth experience was as close to perfect as it could have been and I know it wouldn't have been the same without Jamie!

Posted 4/7/2011

My husband wasn't sold on the idea of having a doula, but he supported my decision.  Just after my due date, he was scheduled to play a concert (he's a musician) about 30 minutes away from our home.  I woke up at 1 am the day of the concert with contractions.  Around 10 am, he had to leave, so we called Jamie.  She came to our house and helped move my labor along by walking around our neighborhood with me, getting me on the birthing ball, etc.  By the time my husband returned home, I was completely calm and comfortable.

Jamie was with us for 16 hours of back labor.  Having back labor was something that we were not at all prepared for, but she knew exactly what to do to ease my pain and try to move the baby.  She helped us through every step of labor, and explained all of our options to us.  We were able to have the birth that we had planned, thanks to her.  When the doctor said that the cord was wrapped several times around the baby, it was Jamie who leaned over and reassured us that it would be ok.  Our beautiful, healthy son was born at 2:20 am, with Jamie right there with us.

Because I did not have an epidural, my recovery was wonderful.  I took a shower and was wearing regular clothes the same day that my son was born.  I had no need for pain pills and had no stitches.  If my husband and I decide to have a second baby down the road, we will again choose to have a natural birth and to have Jamie by our side.

Posted 9/27/2010

My experience with Jamie Bodily as a Doula was so wonderful, and I'd like to share a little about that. 

I learned about Jamie's services when I was a patient at Queen of Peace Center where I quickly decided I was interested in utilizing her services.  She met with me instantly at a convenient location, and took a lot of time getting to know me and what I wanted to experience with the birth of my son. 

When the day came for me to have my baby, Jamie was at the hospital right on time, dressed in her scrubs with a smile on her face.  She knew I did not want to have any narcotic pain medication, and had typed up an extensive list of medications that I could take instead.  She brought some candles to help me relax and was just an absolute asset to my recovery and birth. 

Jamie did all of the talking and relaying to the nurses and took all of that stress off of me.  Basically, Jamie made it to where the only thing I had to focus on was giving birth to my son. 

Jamie made my experience so much more pleasant than I could have ever imagined, and was there from beginning to end.  She came to visit my baby and me several times after delivery, and really made sure that we had everything we needed.  I also successfully nursed my baby for 7 1/2 months thanks to Jamie's support. 

To this day, Jamie and I remain in touch, and is now someone I can call a friend.  I couldn't have been more pleased with my experience with her as my Doula.

Posted 9/27/2010