Hello, and thank you for being here.

My name is Julia Nelligan, and I’m an artist, herbalist, and postpartum doula living in Portland, Oregon. For the past six years, I’ve been devoted to compassionate, holistic care for mothers and babies. My work is slow and full of presence. I humbly orient my practice from a place of constant learning, deep listening, gratitude, and an awe for the force of creation. I center ancestral wisdom and nourishment from the earth in everything I do.

My journey into this work began long before I knew it was a path. I’m the third of nine children, and much of my early life was spent helping care for my younger siblings and mother. Those experiences planted a seed in me, one that grew into a lifelong devotion to nurturing others during the vulnerable and transformative time of postpartum and early childhood.

Today, I support families and individuals through the full arc of the birth continuum: from pregnancy, to the tender weeks after birth, and at times holding space for the grief that follows loss. I am here with open hands and a devoted heart to walk beside you as a part of your support system and witness to your transformation. I also offer care during and after miscarriage or abortion, experiences that are often isolating. It is essential to bring the same warmth, presence, and guidance to these moments as we do to live birth.

My approach is slow and grounded. I help people lay a foundation of nourishment, warmth, and care that supports them for years to come. How a person is taken care of during their postpartum impacts their health for the rest of their lives. 

In 2023, I studied with Andréa de Keijzer of Collective Rebozo where we spent six months learning in a circle of women how and why it is essential to hold space and sacred ceremony after the threshold of birth. The closing of the bones ceremony is a space to honor, hold, and bring closure to the expanse and indescribable initiation of birth. In deep reverence I hold this medicine with an open heart and so much trust in it's healing abilities. So much goes unwitnessed in our culture, causing cold emotions, unprocessed experiences, and a disconnect from the empowerment found in true healing and initiation. The closing of the bones ceremony is a deeply supportive ritual that facilitates integration, renewal, and emotional healing after birth, or loss.

Beginning in 2024, I invested my time and resources  to study herbal plant medicine with Dr. Nadia Ramo, a Doctor of Chinese Medicine. She carries impeccable integrated wisdom and knowledge that is so essential at this time. I am studying both Western and Chinese herbalism and I continue to learn with her as my mentor. I feel empowered to support the postpartum window with wisdom and care through the healing power of plants. I have witnessed potent healing and restoration through both external and internal support from herbs. Her teachings have deepened my understanding of what is truly possible in terms of healing when we attune to the whole person and lean on the infinite world of herbal remedies.

Whether you are recovering from the birth of a child or honoring the grief of a loss, I offer presence, nourishment, and ceremonial care to support your healing. Postpartum is not only a time of physical recovery, it’s a threshold of growth and initiation. This time deserves to be witnessed, honored, and held with love. When truly supported, the ripple effects are felt through generations.

I’m so grateful to my teachers, my family, and this earth which all support my work.