Jill Snelson Doula Profile

 Having the desire for a natural and unmedicated childbirth for my first baby, I knew I needed a support system especially since my husband would be absent during my pregnancy and the birth as well due to military training. When I first met with Jill, I knew she was the right fit for me. She listened to me and understood what I wanted for my birth experience. Throughout my pregnancy, she was always available to answer questions, attend classes with me, and was just a great friend too! When I went into labor, she came immediately and all of my fears went away as she helped me to relax and focus. After I gave birth, she was still there for me to answer questions about breastfeeding and anything and everything else. I will be forever grateful for Jill's services and support. She truly went above and beyond what I thought a doula normally does..she is MORE than a doula. Jill gave me the knowledge and confidence to acheive the perfect birth experience. I honestly could not even imagine going through this without her as she played such an important role throughout the entire pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

 We were so glad to have Jill as part of our birth experience. She was and remains incredibly responsive to our questions and concerns. Throughout my labor she remained calm, and continued to share ideas that helped me focus on things other than contractions. My labor went incredibly fast and was exactly the unmedicated birth that my husband and I had planned for. I certainly give Jill a great deal of credit for this working out the way it did. 

Having Jill Snelson as our Doula was the best experience ever! The first time I met Jill I felt like I had already known her for forever, she made me feel very comfortable & was very open to our needs & wants for our child’s birth. She provided great information for us. She helped us prepare a birth plan & answer many questions that we had about the birthing process. Being first time parents we were really nervous about the entire birthing process but Jill helped calm our nerves by being very real with us about what to expect. Jill was right there with us when I was induced & returned the next morning when I was started on Pitocin. Not only did she help keep me calm during the entire part of my labor but she was also my husband’s support as well. Jill explained everything about my labor to us & recommended different things we could do to lessen the pain of birthing our child. Anytime the nurses or Midwife wanted to do something to me, Jill always explained what was going to happen & if I wanted anything to be done to me. When I decided that I needed an epidural Jill was the one that stayed with me & kept my mind off of that whole process. Jill was also very helpful to calm me when I was told I had to have a c-section, which I was totally against. Jill assured me that I would be fine & that I was not a failure for having a c-section. After my c-section Jill met us in my room & helped me start breastfeeding. She came back to the hospital the next day to check on us & help offer breastfeeding support. Even though I had to have a c-section I wouldn’t have changed having Jill be by my side during labor. I would recommend Jill Snelson to anybody wanting a Doula & I will definitely have her as our Doula again! Words just don’t express how grateful Brent & I were to have Jill with us when Madison came into this world on October 29, 2011.

 Jill was wonderful in helping to prepare for our daughter's birth, getting us through the birthing process as planned (as natural as possible), and starting us off breast feeding correctly.  After using Jill, I have been recommending her to everyone I know who is having a baby and w/in driving distance of Atlanta! I really can't imagine how we would have gone through the birthing process without her support. Although the hospitals try to provide you with caring nurses- they really can't compare to having Jill by your side with all of her knowledge and dedication to getting your baby here as safe as possible.

Jill was a great doula!  I initially contacted her because I needed someone to attend my home birth whose primary purpose was to watch my 2.5 year old son.  I knew that many doulas seek out home birth experience, and since I was already paying for my birth and my doula out of pocket and in full, I needed someone who was willing to do it for the experience and not a big check.  Jill called and was thrilled by the opportunity!  She kept in touch with me via email and came to visit us to get to know my son.

The day of my birth, I called her to let her know that I *might* be in labor.  When I texted her an hour later she was able to get to my house in 10 minutes!  A good thing, too, because my labor was progressing very quickly and no one else had arrived.  Jill stayed with me while my husband filled the birth pool and did anything I commanded in between contractions!  When I began to push involuntarily with contractions and got scared, she assured me that everything was fine.  She made sure to get some towels and chux pads underneath me because I was laboring in the living room - a good thing when my water broke!  Then she helped me to the birthing tub and kept an eye on me and the baby as it began crowning.

My midwife arrived as the baby was crowning, and she was able to give her all of the pertinent information that a medical person might need - time my water broke, whether it was clear, and what she had been seeing with my contractions.  The baby was born less than 10 minutes later.

Obviously, she went above and beyond our original agreement, and my husband and I would both say that she was the most important person at our birth!  I don't know what I'd have done without her.  I'm glad we were able to compensate her in a small way, but it wasn't anywhere near what she was worth that day. 

You won't regret working with Jill.  She's amazing!

As my daughter came home from the hospital with my new granddaughter, I was running around unprepared for the breastfeeding issues that quickly arose. The baby wasn’t latching on easily, my daughters breast were sore and she was close to giving up. I called a neighbor in tears and she quickly gave me the name of a Doula… Jill Snelson.

I didn’t know Jill, and she surly did not know us. I left her a voicemail stating the above and within an hour I received a call back. Jill offered to come directly over. Being a first time Grandmother…. I rushed to my daughter’s side and told her to HOLD ON…. Help was on the way!!!!

Jill arrived and immediately jumped in. She rearranged pillows, changed my granddaughter’s positioning and taught my daughter the easier ways to get Kimora to latch on. Jill was calm and gave the immediate reassurance that Gabrielle needed. Jill is nurturing and calm and extremely educated with the trials and tribulations of breastfeeding. Gabrielle is breastfeeding successfully and Jill’s follow ups are encouraging and helpful. Thanks Jill… JOB WELL DONE!!!!!
 

I highly recommend Jill as a Doula!  She was so much help to my teenager daughter both during her pregnancy, during labor and also after delivery.  She was so kind as to allow my daughter time to visit her in her home and get some much needed "hands on" experience by helping Jill with her young son and to observe as Jill would breastfeed, change and bathe her baby.  This meant a lot to both myself and my daughter.  She felt so much more comfortable transitioning into motherhood because of these interactions.  My daughter went into labor at about 8 pm Thursday, May 13th and we called Jill when we arrived at the hospital.  Jill came to the hospital just as soon as she could jump into her car and sat with us and supported Carrie throughout the night as she labored into the next morning.  Jill had to leave before the birth of my grandson as she had a prior engagement scheduled out of town.  Jill did; however, continue to support Carrie via telephone up until the baby was born.  She also came to our home to follow up as soon as she returned from out of town.  Thank you, Jill for your support before, during and after the birth of Daylin KeyShawn!