Julia MacMillan, LM, CPM

After interviewing several homebirth midwives, we chose Julia because she had the right mix (for us) of clinical knowledge, confidence, and warmth that we were looking for. In the months that followed, we always looked forward to Julia’s visit. She not only gave us extraordinary care, but she also encouraged us to educate ourselves with her wealth of resources/​books/​videos. She allowed us to feel as though we were all a team working towards a happy, healthy birth.
During the birth itself, Julia came through for us exactly as we knew she would. She calmly held the space for my partner and I to have the home birth that we had hoped for. When times got tough, and the labor extended into its third day, Julia stayed with us when I believe most midwives might have left to rest. This gesture gave us the confidence and security that we needed to see our birth through to the end, at home.
Throughout our pregnancy and post-​partum period, we always felt actively listened to, well supported and confident in our choice to have Julia help us bring our daughter into the world. To this day, we remain in touch with Julia and feel that special bond that comes with time, trust, and love.

After meeting with several midwives, my husband and I chose to hire Julia for a planned (and successful) home birth for our first baby, now 7 weeks old. We found Julia very early in my pregnancy, and had the privilege of working with her for about 10 full months. She was not only extremely confident, qualified, helpful, knowledgeable, friendly, reliable, and organized, but she was even reasonably priced, as a real deal-​breaker. I could not have been happier with our decision to have her play such an important roll throughout this crazy experience.
At our many prenatal appointments, Julia was always very caring and a great listener to all of my concerns and generic pregnancy observations/​complaints. I never felt rushed at an appointment. She was always great about reminding me to stay on top of the sometimes daunting pregnancy and labor «to-​do» list.
For the labor and birth, Julia and her fantastic assistant (we had Kirsten) were absolutely perfect. Julia arrived promptly and (of course) very prepared. For my 10 or so hour labor, she stayed by my side, taking diligent notes and monitoring both me and the baby closely. Even though I didn’t always listen immediately, Julia and Kirsten always had great suggestions for how to keep up the progress when one place or position started to get stale, or when I started to loose energy. I was so thankful to have them there to help me (and my husband and mother) get safely through the process without ending up in a hospital.
After the birth, Julia came over many extra times to monitor both me and our baby’, since his weight gain was a concern. It was obvious that she really cared about our well-​being and was willing to put in extra time and energy to make sure everything was OK. After seeing her nearly a dozen times postpartum, I got a little sad at our final 6 week appointment, although I know we’ll be seeing her again since she is great about keeping in touch through her newsletter, as well as hosting all sorts of family events (walks, potlucks, gatherings, etc.) alongside the home birth collective.
To sum it up, I would highly recommend Julia to anybody planning a home birth in the Bay Area. If we ever have another baby, I’d hire her again in a heartbeat!

Julia attended both our births when she was a part of Tres Lunas Midwifery. We hired her as part of a team for home births, but had to transfer to the hospital both times due to complications. Julia was unflappable and reassuring during the transport. She is attentive, focused, and pleasant. Her gentleness really stood out.
When I had some troubles with post-​partum healing, Julia was available by phone, able to come for extra in-​home visits to check on me, and a wonderful steady head and compassionate heart during a tough time. The level of care I received from her was superior.

My wife and I have had the great pleasure of Julia’s assistance at two successful homebirths. For the first birth she was an apprentice to Cindy Haag and for the second she was our primary midwife now being assisted by Cindy. Julia is a calm, strong, and reassuring voice throughout the birth process. She has wonderful listening skills and is ready to listen to a mother’s concerns and assist the mother in making her own, well-​supported decision. If she doesn’t have an answer, she will find it quickly. It is clear that the birth is never about Julia, but is rightly focused on the parents and the child to be. We recommend her without reservation! I have been particularly grateful for Julia’s easy access throughout, but especially well after the birth when lingering questions arose. Despite our ‘contract’ having run its course, Julia will always be a member of our extended family.