Janice Miles - Birthkeeper/Certified Doula and Educator
Heart Babies and Families - Testimonials
"Having Janice as our doula was the best decision my husband and I could make. Through a long, 2 week start and stop labour to a quick 5 hour delivery Janice was with us every step of the way providing both me and my husband with much needed physical and emotional support. I truly feel that having a doula is the best decision a birthing couple can make, and Janice's warm and nurturing demeanour makes her an absolute natural and an absolute must at any birth."
Katie Dryburgh, Victoria, BC
Janice Miles is a Godsend! My family and I are grateful for the time she spent with us from preparing our birth plan, coaching us through comfort measures to the big delivery. Our son had a rough start and had to stay in the NICU for 5 days. Janice was proactive and reassuring throughout the laboring process, stayed a while after our son was born, and made multiple visits to make sure we were taken care of! Janice is a passionate, nurturing and a dedicated doula. We appreciate Janice for going above and beyond for us!
Charity Alcaide, Victoria, BC
We recently moved to Victoria in 2013 to support my husband in continuing his Education. After finding out we were expecting in 2015, not having our family close by was our biggest worry as new parents! Having Janice as a Post-partum doula has been a breath of fresh air! Janice has been wonderful in helping me transition from the hospital. She has been a great help in supporting me during my initial adjustment to make sure that I can provide the best care for my newborn. She helped me in breastfeeding, accompanied me when I go out for walks, and she even went the extra mile by helping me maintain the order of my home. Thank you Janice for everything and for making me feel at home!
Charity Alcaide, Victoria, BC
"Janice absolutely loves being a doula, and it shows in every single thing that she does. She is an incredibly caring woman with a huge heart! My labor was 15 hours long and a bit traumatic, Janice stayed with me and my husband from start to finish and continued to check on us all through the following weeks while we were experiencing the steep learning curve of being first time parents to a newborn.
Neither my husband or I have family in Victoria so it was incredibly comforting to have Janice around to support us and help us transition in to new parenthood, especially during those first few weeks while my body was recovering and we didn’t have enough hands between the two of us! Janice washed dishes, helped with grocery shopping, did laundry, cooked dinner, cleaned up, comforted me as my hormones made me extra emotional, and held the baby so my husband and I could get some sleep. Having her help was a miracle!
I’d recommend Janice Miles as both a birthing doula and a postpartum doula to anyone who is looking for someone trustworthy, reassuring, kind and gentle to help during one of the most magical times in life - the birth of a child!"
Vivienne Damatan, Victoria, BC
Janice helped me through my post-partum care when my baby was about 2.5 months old. We were having difficulties with our fussy, refluxy, colicky and very high needs little one and Janice was able to come in and help relieve me during the day while my husband was at work. Baby didn't like the swing or car seat and was unable to fall asleep on his own making it a long and tiring day of holding, walking, bouncing and rocking. Janice spent a few hours per visit helping by burping, holding or changing baby so I could eat, shower or go to the bathroom - things taken for granted! Janice was knowledgeable about many aspects of mothering including breastfeeding, sleep training, comforting high needs babies and support for partners and mothers. It was great to have her support during a very challenging part of being a new parent.
Alexandra Lee, Victoria, BC
Janice is a very sweet and genuine person. I feel very comfortable welcoming her into my home, and would recommend her advice and services to any new mom. I've been having issues with breast feeding, and getting my little guy to latch properly. She has been very helpful in researching and informing me on various topics. She also loves to check up on me to see how I'm progressing, to ensure that her information has truly helped. I am new to Victoria, and don't have any family here, so Janice has been a godsend in lifting my spirits and ensuring that I don't give up on breast feeding.
Dana, Victoria, BC
The decision to have Janice with us during the birth of our son was one of the best and most worthwhile decisions my husband and I made. Having Janice gave us the confidence, knowledge, and support we needed to fully embrace and enjoy the experience. She listened to our concerns and provided clear and concise information. She helped support my husband in becoming an active partner by providing him with the tools and resources to assist me while I was labouring. She brought a wealth of experience in a variety of areas which were tailored specifically to my needs. She provided ongoing support which were essential in the transition after child birth. I believe that every woman can benefit greatly from the support that Janice brings to the table. She is a patient and positive person with all of the right attributes to support families or individuals going through pregnancy. I recommend her services to anyone going through pregnancy.
Seyi Shinaba, Victoria, BC
Janice Miles was an awesome Doula. We were grateful for her support before, during and after the birth of our third child. We felt comfortable with her right away at our first initial visit but then she suggested we might want to visit a couple more times to really get to know her and that was lovely. I didn't realize that part of the package was support afterwards, which was wonderful. She gave a great suggestion on how to help nurse in a position that will allow the milk to flow slower when it was coming out too fast. Janice has been learning many great new ways to make labour easier and shared a few. Most of all she was willing to follow my lead on how I wanted the labour to go. With all of her own personal experience as well as training she has been going thru makes her the best doula for anyone needing a nurturing supportive person during this amazing experience.
Melissa Michele Phillips, Victoria, BC
Janice is a very passionate, gentle, authentic woman who is always striving to learn more and be the best doula and person she can be. She goes above and beyond the call of duty as both a birth and postpartum doula. I first met her at an LLL meeting where she freely shares all of her breastfeeding knowledge she has gained from a lot of life experience.
She answers any questions promptly, and puts you at ease with her knowledge and gentle nature. Janice has an amazing bag of tools to work with, and helped us to successfully have a VBAC. The pictures she gave us have provided some wonderful keepsakes, and are very authentic.
My husband and I would both highly recommend Janice to anyone looking for birth or postpartum support.
Kassandra Stafford, Victoria, BC
Janice is an amazing doula and I would highly recommend her! I wasn't planning to use a doula. However, I got a few names and called her toward the end of my pregnancy. We talked for about half an hour and I felt extremely comfortable with her and knew I wanted her at my birth. I was struggling with a lot of issues including extreme anxiety about labour and delivery. She helped me immensely. I had essentially given up on finding a solution to my anxiety and it was a big, forbidding wall that I couldn't seem to get past. Her compassionate nature and enthusiasm to help and her specific strategies made a huge, qualitative difference for me and I am very grateful for that. She is also a skilled birth photographer and took some awesome pictures for us! She is overall just a really wonderful person with exactly the right fit for this job. She really wants to help people and I think many new moms (people in general) have a hard time asking for help. But Janice makes it clear that she is always available to be a listening ear and support and made me feel comfortable seeking help and support from her.
Rosanna McKean, Victoria, BC
Thank you for helping me get through one of the most difficult and amazing times of my life! You were so genuinely caring before, during, and after my birth. You were always available by phone and still are. Thank you for being there and being so supportive! I had such a difficult back labour with my firstborn that I was quite fearful heading into my second labour. Even though I had to be induced this time and had a horrible back labour again, you helped me face my fear and stay strong until the end. Thanks for being by my side the whole way through and for helping my husband and I have a much better birth experience than we had with my first! Your presence calmed us both and just made it so much easier to go through an almost natural birth like I dreamed of (thanks in part to my epidural not working...but who has to know).
Danielle M, Victoria, BC