Juanita is the greatest blessing a growing family could hope for. She does it all - prepartum support, birth/labor, postpartum support, night nannying, infant sleep coaching, and lactation counseling - and she does it flawlessly. I've posted more details below, but the bottom line is that, thanks to Juanita's support and coaching, our high-risk twin daughters (1) were born naturally, without a c-section, (2) have been exclusively breastfed, (3) have slept all the way through the night since they were two months old, and (4) have grown into happy, smiley, healthy little girls. From the moment we interviewed her, my husband and I were blown away by Juanita's expertise, confidence, and sense of humor. Throughout my pregnancy, she provided incredible prepartum support, helped me avoid a C-section, and to have the birth experience I'd always wanted. After the twins were born, Juanita also provided nighttime postpartum support (including lactation consulting) for the first 3 months of their lives. She used gentle/no-cry sleep training techniques to teach the twins to connect their sleep cycles, and she had them sleeping 6 hour stretches at night within the first 6 weeks. By 3 months, they were sleeping 10+ hours straight and they've kept it up ever since. On top of all this, Juanita found time every night to fold laundry, wash the dishes, organize our toddler's playroom, and complete a bunch of other miscellaneous household tasks. My husband and I loved waking up every morning to clean, organized house almost as much as we loved waking up to happy, well-rested babies. The only downside of hiring Juanita is that you will never want to let her go. To this day, she is the only person my husband and I trust to stay with our kids when we out of town overnight for business conferences or for long weekends. Our family adores her, and I know that yours will too. read more

Southern Charm Birth Doula - Doulas Near Me

Juanita Harris is absolutely amazing! She is very talented and knowledgeable. She is so sweet and it is like having a friend, not a stranger whom you are talking to. My biggest regret is not contacting her earlier in my breastfeeding journey. I was having trouble latching my son to the breast. It had gotten to the point I was dreading every feed and in tears because my latch hurt so much. After just one visit I had gained so much information on what to do and not to do. Also built up my confidence in my ability to feed my son. I highly recommend her to anyone to is experiencing the same problems. read more

I highly recommend Juanita as a birth and postpartum doula. Me being an experienced doula myself, I had very high standards and expectations. I knew exactly what I wanted support wise and I'm so grateful for Juanita and her experience. She was able to support me all throughout my birth and postpartum. I'm thankful that she was able to help me navigate multiple, really difficult situations. Juanita helped me to walk through my concerns and helped me to find my voice when things got really rough. I appreciate how she walked me through things so I could identify what I really wanted and encouraged me to advocate myself and my baby. She reminded me of my options but did not push me or try to make me choose anything based on her personal feelings or beliefs. I appreciate that she was available to support me in a hospital or homebirth environment and fly to me as we dont live in the same state. She always replied and stayed in communication well even though we are in different time zones. It is also great that she could support during birth and postpartum. She was great help to my whole family, helped with my other children. My husband was great support and he felt confident about the birth but was happy to have a her on our team as well. He said he liked that she had a virtual doula support option if he needed it even though he didnt end up needing it. In addition, as a black woman, I'm grateful Jaunita was sensitive to the difference in care that black women often receive and I'm grateful for her cultural competency. I truly appreciate her patience and her experience. I would say no matter which path you choose, home or hospital, medicated or unmedicated, Juanita has a rare trait to be able to support all different family choices without judgement. She is definitely worth the investment, an absolutely great doula all the way around. I can not recommend Juanita enough. read more

Juanita Harris was an absolute cornerstone of my healing, empowering VBAC. Juanita was a fantastic resource leading up to the birth, offering information and suggestions, always allowing me to make up my mind and then supporting my decisions. She helped me to process what I needed to in order to be mentally prepared for this birth, taught us great labor techniques, and made both myself and my husband feel prepared and cared for. During the actual birth, Juanita was the perfect blend of confident and soothing, giving direction when needed and offering the support I was seeking. Because of her, I felt confident enough to advocate for myself and baby throughout labor. This birth had several complications with the baby's position and we depended on Juanita's incredible skills, deep knowledge and calming support to see us through these and achieve the VBAC I had dreamed of. Not only is Juanita a calm, strong, and experienced doula, she brings a lighthearted smile and a delightful sense of humor (when appropriate of course)! This helped me to feel immediately safe, inspired trust and allowed me to be myself before, during and after labor. She truly brings the 'Southern Charm' :) read more

I hired Juanita after interviewing two other doulas because we simply clicked! I was able to feel as if she was just a shadow in the back of my mind throughout my pregnancy because she only reassured me of my own feelings and beliefs and truly lead me to experience the type of labor that I wanted. She listened to my concerns and my wants and had supporting positive reinforcement and lead me in the right direction if I had questions and concerns about my pregnancy. I didn't feel pressured ever..I was constantly reminded to check with my midwife if I felt uncomfortable about anything which let me know she had my baby and I best interest. Fast forward to my labor and Juanita was actually able to encourage my spouse to be involved in labor/delivery and reminded me of my birth plan throughout to ensure I was comfortable and happy. Overall I would not have been successful having my dream birth without her and wish I had her during my first labor ive recommended her so much my midwife wants her business cards! She's a sweet person who genuinely wants the best for momma and baby and was the perfect addition to my birthing support team. I was also able to have Juanita encapsulate my placenta...after researching the benefits I knew I must do this since I was a VBAC patient &I had a tough pregnancy due to marriage issues. Let me say Im pleased so far and definitely recommend this as well! I've had so much energy & im still blown away by how fast I was up and moving. My main concern was not being able to breastfeed right away or overall depression and I truly believe the placenta pills have helped me fight those issues off. 10000% would have her do them each and every time I gave birth read more

I wouldn't have been able to handle my last birth without Juanita. She was so prepared and intuitive, knowing exactly what I needed before I asked, doing exactly the right things at the right time. She helped in more ways than I could have even thought of! She was right there every second taking care of me so I didn't have to worry about a single thing, except laboring. She gave me simple instructions to follow during each contraction that made a world of difference! I am so thankful I had her by my side and hope to be able to work with her next time! I cannot recommend her enough!! read more

Juanita is an incredible doula! She was extremely knowledgeable, supportive and calm while she guided us through our birth experience welcoming our first son on January 25, 2017. Our labor began at home in the morning and as soon as we checked into the hospital later that evening, Juanita was there. She was a calming presence for us as we endured 32 hours of labor. She was there throughout the ENTIRE process and helped me breath and work through the labor pains. She helped me get in proper positions to help alleviate the pain and helped to guide my husband to apply pressure on my back in ways that would help me through the labor. I ended up getting an epidural, and unfortunately was not progressing as our baby was "sunny-side" up. Juanita helped explain everything along the way as was so supportive even up to the point where they had to wheel us in for the C-section. She would have been in the operating room with us had they allowed more than just my husband. She knew the right questions to ask the nurses during the process and made us feel extremely supported. We would highly recommend her to any new parents or anyone looking to have a doula for the first time. She is simply amazing! read more

The moment I became pregnant with my son I knew I wanted a doula to help me during pregnancy and especially through my vbac attempt. A twist of fate put Juanita in my path and there are not enough words to express my gratitude. She helped make my birthing experience so much more amazing than my first! Instead of feeling traumatized and shell-shocked I felt empowered, strong, cared for and nurtured during my labor. This feeling of empowerment started with my interview of Juanita, which we did via FaceTime since we hadn't yet moved to California. Juanita instantly made me feel reassured of my desire to vbac. She listened to my concerns, my fears and worries and helped me feel that I could get through this labor and delivery safely and happily. When my water broke and early labor dragged on and on Juanita was there to help me with tips to relax, how to help my body do its work, and reassured my husband and I. A few weeks before my due date she had shown my us some great moves that would help with labor pains-hip squeezes and the Rebozo are the best FYI! When my husband and I finally decided it was time to head to the hospital Juanita met us there to provide support through check-in and throughout the remainder of my labor. She was a steady rock of calm during some stormy moments. I will always feel grateful for the faith and calmness in her eyes when going through intense contractions brought on by pitocin. I am grateful for how she kept my husband calm during some very scary moments in my labor. I am grateful for Juanita helping make sure I got the birth experience I didn't get with my daughter. When it became apparent that I would need a repeat c section I was able to get an amazingly gentle c-section thanks to Juanita's help. I got the calming OR environment (we made a playlist on my phone while being prepped for surgery and we put essential oils on my wrists and my husband to ground me). One thing I regret the most about my c section with my daughter was how drugged and out of it I was that I barely remember her birth or first day of life. Juanita encouraged me to ask the staff if they would drop the sheet as my son was pulled out of me so I could see him be born and they did! We were able to do delayed cord clamping as well and I got the skin to skin right after! I had one arm free to hold my son to my chest, and it was the most amazing moment. He even latched and nursed right there on the OR table. It was incredible, joyous! Juanita was pivotal to helping me achieve a birthing experience that I will forever cherish. Choose Juanita to be your doula and you'll be just as grateful for her as I am! read more

Thankful, thankful is a short way of putting how I feel about Juanita. She was there from the very beginning. I had a planned pregnancy & I talked to her and she helped me so much before I was even pregnant! Once I became pregnant she helped me through every step of the way & I mean every step! If I ever had any questions, she didn't hesitate to help me. My husband was totally clueless to why I would need a doula but now that I had my baby boy and Juanita was there, there is no way he would have changed anything. This is how my birth story went, I went into labor around 9pm. I did everything Juanita told me to do, drank lots of water, took a bath, tried to go to sleep & everything led up to me having contractions every minute. I went to the hospital with a blind fold on that she suggested me to do keep my mind off of things & to block the light and that helped SO much. Hours passed & I was still in labor & they wouldn't allow me to get out of bed due to my son's heart rate. At 6cm at 7am the next morning, I got my epidural. I was disappointed in myself because my ultimate goal was to do everything natural, but Juanita assured me that everything was okay and I shouldn't be upset. She made everything so peaceful. They had to give me benedral to stop swelling & they informed me 4 hours later that I was no longer dilating & my son's head was crooked & I would have to get a c-section. BUT, since Juanita was there & had the doula training, she got my body into different postures & she got me to get me on my knees WHILE I WAS ASLEEP ON BENEDRAL AND AN EPIDURAL. Because Juanita was so trained, she got my son's head to move into the right position and just a little while longer and 5 pushes later. Levi was here. Juanita made it where I didn't have a c-section. She helped me so much. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her. Thank you Juanita. We are so thankful for you. read more

Juanita is one of my favorite people on this planet! She was my doula for my two youngest children, and I could never have a baby without her help! I sought out a doula after wanting a more empowering and natural birth experience, and I found Juanita. She is the most knowledgeable and intuitive person, and I clicked with her immediately. She understood exactly what I wanted and did everything she could to help me have the most amazing birth experience. She had so many ways to help me relieve pain, make me comfortable, and to help me think positively about birth. She was available to me when I needed her and provided me with all the information and support I needed. When I ended up with complications and my birth plan changed, she helped talk me through it and gave me many options and suggestions that we could do now that things had changed, and made me feel very comfortable and confident. She also helped my husband understand how to help me in labor, which was extremely helpful. Her amount of knowledge of birth and labor is astounding and she always gave me all my options and stood by whatever I chose to do. She was my advocate, my support, and the person that helped me through the toughest parts of both my labors. I trust Juanita fully, and I completely leaned on her knowledge and incredible capabilities as a doula! Not to mention she is the nicest and most hilarious person and so easy to get along with. I cannot say enough about how great she is, truly, and how much of an amazing doula she is. Because of Juanita, I had two incredibly amazing birth experiences, and I felt I had all the support I could ever need. Every mom would be so lucky to have her as a doula! read more

Juanita is a truly special and caring woman who is an incredibly professional and personal birth and postpartum doula. We cannot thank her enough for everything and highly recommend her. We will be sorry to see her move from California but may very possibly see if she can come back for our second child (Fingers crossed!). read more

My birth experience with Juanita is STILL a great memory and story that will be retold for years to come. I felt at total peace knowing that my birth plan would go as close as possible to what I wanted because she was a true advocate for me especially during those moments of extreme pain. She wasn't invasive or overbearing. She just simply clicked with me and my desired expectations. She knew exactly how and when to be present in a way that felt comfortable. I was in labor for 22 hours and Juanita was there every minute. I honestly don't think I would have made it through natural birth without her. The icing on the cake was that she made my mom a true Doula believer! My only regret is that I didn't have her for the birth of my son 7 years ago! read more

Jaunita was my doula when I had my son about 8 months ago and she was awesome! She was with us ALL day long from home to the hospital, at least 12 hours. I didn't know if my husband would be home when I gave birth so it was comforting knowing I would have someone with me. My husband did end up being home, and my mom and mother in law also were able to be there. Even with all of them there, she was still a big help to me. I had really bad back labor the entire time and she rubbed my back for hours, literally. She is very knowledgeable and listens to your needs and tries to help you keep your birth plan but also goes with the flow if you decide to do things differently as well with no judgement. read more

We are so thankful to have had Juanita's support for the birth of our second son. She was very supportive during my pregnancy and was always available to answer my questions. She prayed for us, encouraged us, and made us aware of resources (from newborn photography to information regarding inductions). During my labor, Juanita was completely focused on what was best for me, offering suggestions to help move the birth along, giving massaging touches that helped me remember to relax my muscles, showing my husband ways he could help me, and working respectfully between us and our hospital staff to help me have the birth I was hoping for. I had a great birth experience and am so appreciative of Juanita and her calm and caring support, which has even continued after my son's birth. Also, she is a package deal as she also did our placenta encapsulation. She delivered it to me, along with a tincture, and included simple, concise instructions on how to use them. Juanita is a great combination of confidence and caring, exactly what you need in situations as intense and intimate as labor! read more

Juanita made my birth experience wonderful. I used her for my third child, and it made it be the best birth experience out of all the three. She was able to show my husband the perfect massage techniques I needed to get through each contraction and even helped him learn to be an amazing coach. She did everything she could to make my birth plan happen, and she also took great video/pictures of my baby girl when she first came out. I would recommend her to any pregnant mama no matter if it's their first run around or a few in! read more

Juanita was the best coach I could've asked for during my birth experience. She was so present and focused on helping me, which was exactly what I told her I was seeking. She helped me manage the process, the pain, and the people involved! She poured water on my back while I labored in the tub, she suggested position changes and helped me accomplish them, she explained what was happening and what was going to happen, she communicated expertly with the hospital staff and my family when I needed her to, she looked me in the eye and talked to me calmly and directly when I needed her guidance. I'm not sure I would've been able to stick with my birth plan if she hadn't literally been by my side throughout the entire journey. I felt totally supported. Your partner/mom/friend/whoever is in the room with you may love you very much, but it's doubtful they have the knowledge and skills that Juanita does to navigate you through this incredible experience. read more