Zell Childbirth and Lactation

I met Christine on Facebook before getting pregnant. I was planning on having a baby but had many questions about doulas and pregnancy. She always replied to my messages really quickly and was always so helpful that I knew I wanted her as a doula. When I got pregnant I didn’t even interview other doulas. I had to be induced but I was able to deliver my baby without any pain medication. Christine was by my side during my labor and deliver and she was a great coach to me and my husband. She also offers childbirth and breastfeeding classes and she does placenta encapsulation.

Christine and Jillian are amazing. Had my husband and I not taken the accelerated birthing class we would not have been as prepared and determined to have an all natural, drug free birth. We learned so much!

When I was planning my 3^rd birth, I made the decision to have an unmedicated natural birth. I knew it wouldn’t be easy and I would need help. I started looking for a Doula and found Christine. I immediately knew she was the one for me. I took her Accelerated Childbirthing Class and was extremely pleased with how knowledgeable she was in all areas of birthing from pain management to positioning. When the big day came, she accompanied us from our home to Babies by the Sea Birthing Center where after only a little over 3 hours later our daughter was born. Christine supported us with kind and encouraging words during the labor process. She assisted my husband in getting in a comfortable position to help me through contractions. She brought her own Rebozo (I should have purchased one as this was what helped me stay grounded and in control during my contractions) which my husband had around him to help me steady myself. After the birth she stayed with us to ensure all was well with our new addition and our family. A few days later she made a home visit to check on us and give me lactation tips (which helped since it had been over 5 years since our last child was born). I had my placenta encapsulated (which she did a fantastic job of doing). She also gave me the print of the placenta and cord that represents the «Tree of Life», nipple balm, the dehydrated cord shaped into a heart and a onezie that says, «I Love my Doula». I can’t thank her enough for teaching me the breathing and laboring techniques that helped me achieve the natural birth I wanted. She was always professional, courteous, informative, and there anytime I needed her to be. I will always be grateful as she has been a blessing in our lives. Thank you again, Christine!!!

I observed Christine’s Breastfeeding class and was so pleased to see how passionate she is about what she does. She’s was extremely educated and took great time to answer all the questions of her students!

I took the breast feeding class with Christine. It had so much amazing information and was presented in a way that made it easy to learn and most importantly fun! I really enjoyed the video and visual aids. Christine knows what she is talking about and answered all of my questions with great understanding and patience. I am so thankful to her for giving me all the information. I am no longer stressed about the idea of breastfeeding when my baby boy arrives. Thank you Christine!!!

Where to even start! I knew that I wanted a non-​medicated vaginal birth but was also wanting to have a hospital birth. I learned Christine’s name by word of mouth and asked her for an interview. Not only did she have to sell to me, but she had to sell her services to my husband who was very skeptical that he couldn’t handle the birth himself. My husband and I agreed that having a doula with us in the delivery room was the best decision.
Christine called or texted frequently especially as it got closer to my due date. When my contractions got strong I called her to only have her turn around at 3am to go home because my contractions subsided. 12 hours later I was in true labor and she happily showed up on my doorstep with a birthing ball in tow!
I labored at home and then labored for another 6 hours in the hospital. Every step of the way Christine was there to help guide my husband and I into different positions to comfort me. When things got tough, she looked me and my husband in the eye and gave us pep talk after pep talk about how awesome I was doing and how beautiful my daughter was going to be.
After the baby was born she stayed until my daughter was ready to eat and helped us learn what a proper latch felt and looked like. I now have been exclusively breastfeeding my daughter for 5 months and have no plans on stopping any time soon! Three days later I asked Christine back over to my house to show me more positions to use for breastfeeding and to gush about our new bundle.
Without the help of Christine I doubt that I would have been able to have an unmedicated vaginal birth or successfully breastfeed my daughter. I am so grateful to have met her and looked forward to many more births with her by my side!

It took us longer than expected to get pregnant, and I guess we were so overwhelmed with navigating the pregnancy and preparing for the birth that we were late to the game when it came to hiring a doula. Originally, I had just assumed that I would get an epidural, but after doing more research I wanted to attempt to go as long as possible without one. At around 36 weeks I started my search, and Christine was recommended by one of her colleagues.
She met us at our home to make sure it was a good fit, and we gave her a deposit on the spot.
Christine was great about helping us write our birth plan, answering questions and checking in to see how I was progressing. I ended up needing an induction, but she helped ease my mind that my doctor was taking the least invasive route possible.
I ended up going into labor that way, and Christine met us at Scripps to help me with my labor. She walked the halls with us, talked, encouraged me, eased my fears, rubbed my back and helped suggest different positions to ease my pain.
After several hours of intense back contractions that were coming on top of each other I decided I was ready for the epidural. She encouraged me to try to hold out, but was supportive when I told her I couldn’t make it the rest of the way like that.
She continued to be our support through the night, and twelve hours later our baby boy was born. He had a wrapped cord, and the hospital staff had to rush in to get him breathing and stabilized, and he had to go to NICU. Christine was right there with us, praying for the health and safety of our little miracle. Since I sent my husband to be with our boy, I was even more grateful that I had Christine by my side to comfort me during those scary moments.
Since the birth, she has been a valuable source of information on lactation, pediatricians and general baby questions for us as new parents. She is amazing, and I can say that your birth experience can only be improved by having her involved, no matter what your plan.
Do yourself a favor, and hire Christine.