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From Julian Foley:
Judy was the midwife for the birth of my daughter Sylvie in September '07,
and I would recommend her for anyone planning a home birth. The prenatal visits
were long and relaxed, as much about getting to know one another as anything.
Judy was very straightforward and practical, and always had good suggestions
when problems arose (though they were few). I always appreciated her trust
in a mother's instinct and in the body's ability to take care of itself, and
that was a quality that really came through in the birth. She was calm and
reassuring through more than five hours of pushing, and in the end did an
amazing job of helping out a baby that was not in the best position. With
a less confident and experienced midwife I might not have been able to stay
at home for the birth. Afterward, she came over much more often than she was
obligated to, and really helped both me and my husband tap into our parenting
instincts. Judy is a wonderful midwife and a warm and loving person, and has
become a good friend to my family.
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Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 21:31:12 -0800
From: "Sri Lalita Sarasvati"
It would be impossible to overstate how magical the birth experience is. Transformational
in every way, it is a process as natural as every breath. And yet, natural
though it is, I'm not sure how I would have found my way without the loving
assistance of my midwife, Judy Luce. There is no 'how' to birth. It is an
experience that is so close in that it cannot be touched by words. How then,
did Judy ALWAYS know when and what to say and do? Yielding at some points
and firm at others (yes! there is a time for firm!), Judy was always, always
gently flowing with the unique, but ordinary current of the birth.
Simply put, Judy is all woman. That's why my husband and I selected her from
the many homebirth midwives we met and our hunch about her was validated over
time. The confidence and sweetness with which she meets her personal and professional
life comes right into the birthing room. While laboring, Judy encouraged me
to tap my internal resources. She guided my focus away from distractions and
deeply into the unfolding rushes. This allowed the nuanced rhythm of labor
to progress organically and therefore, I was able to find such joy in the
work that a deeply personal approach to each moment revealed itself with it's
own impetus. It was something no book or childbirth class could ever have
given me and had Judy not been there to skillfully undermine my panic, I doubt
if I would have found it on my own.
Afterwards, in the glow of the brand new, rawness of motherhood, I remember
enthusiastically describing Judy as having superpowers (that goes for Lis,
too.), but upon reflection, I see now that she simply and unapologetically
shines the virtues of woman. It feels like she's family now and I'm so happy
to have had her by my side at our son's birth and I'm very proud that she
serves our community with this most precious work.
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August 06, Berkeley Parents' Network
I wanted to let everyone know about my great homebirth midwife
for my first baby, now 8 weeks old. Judy Luce, Womancare Midwifery, 510-428-1419,
is a recent transplant from Vermont (and Boston before that) with over 30
years of midwifery experience. She has a warm, caring demeanor, and is incredibly
knowledgeable. Our prenatal appointments (always at least an hour) were thorough,
informative, and FUN! Judy is a great story-teller. I chose homebirth partially
because I feel that the hospitalization of birth is robbing women of confidence
in their abilities to give birth, and making the whole process of birth an
ordeal to be suffered through, rather than an empowering experience of great
spiritual potential. I felt that Judy shared my confidence that my body was
capable of giving birth naturally, and was a tremendous ally in preparing
me for the physical and emotional challenges of a long labor. Even when my
faith in myself faltered, Judy was right there to tell me I could do it, and
she often made me laugh in the process. She was a wonderful coach for the
birth itself, too, helping me push the baby out in under an hour with very
little tearing. Judy was also a great help postpartum, checking up on us frequently,
and offering great advice. With 30+ years of experience, Judy's medical knowledge
is very solid, and I always knew I was in good hands
Delighted with my home birth!