Justine McCullough

Co-Founder | Doula | Lactation Counselor

Justine McCullough, THW, CLC

(She/her) | THW Doula, Lactation Counselor

Justine started life out in The Netherlands, where she was born and lived until she was in her early thirties. After obtaining a degree in Social Work in 2010 with an emphasis on Pedagogics and supporting families through major life transitions, she realized she was never going to be done learning and decided to pursue an additional degree in education. 

Justine and her family moved to the US and to Ashland in 2018, and have been building a life here ever since. As a homeschooling mother, Justine is always encouraging her children to explore their interests, read books and lean into their creativity.

Despite not having had a doula at her own births, Justine’s own life experiences around birth are the driving force behind her birth work. She completed birth doula training through DONA International and quickly became a Traditional Health Worker (THW) certified through the Oregon Health Authority. When she started to run into gaps in her knowledge around breastfeeding, she became a Certified Lactation Counselor and is now working on becoming eligible to sit for the lactation boards. 

She founded Rise, Mama! birth & lactation in the early days of 2022 and very quickly built a full-time doula practice from the ground up. She is excited to integrate her practice into Southern Oregon Midwifery, and bring the option of well-integrated doula care to SOM families. 

The good stuff

Mother, sister, friend. Lover of coffee, whole foods and knowledge. Recovering perfectionist, bookworm, introverted Leo. Enneagram 8 and a perpetual student.

  • In giving birth to her youngest, Justine experienced -for the first time- a type of support that made her birth experience wildly different from her previous ones: an unconditional trust in her intuition and her body’s ability to birth from an innate place. It was this experience that was the catalyst for a major shift, out of being an educator and into supporting families as they grow.


    Now a self-proclaimed birth nerd, with a passion for all things lactation, Justine serves her community through holistic services that not only focus on her client’s goals and desires for birth and breastfeeding, but take into account their mental health as well. 


    Justine focuses on compassionate care, with a sprinkling of her Dutch down-to-earth nature on top. She loves offering you a balanced combination of research-based data and wisdom gained through experience. You will be trusted and respected here. 

    • Traditional Health Worker (THW) birth doula, Oregon Health Authority

    • Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice

    • Neonatal Resuscitation Certified (NRP), American Academy of Pediatrics

    • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, adult, child & infant (CPR), HSI

    • Lactation Counselor Training Course, Center for Breastfeeding

    • Childbirth Educator Training, ICEA

    • Trauma Informed Care for Birth Workers, Mother Tree Birth

    • Cultural Sensitivity for Birth Workers, Mother Tree Birth

    • Engorgement and Mastitis, Lactation Education Resources