Julia Rainer | Agency Director of Family Center Birth Services
Julia Rainer is the Founder of Create Space, a DONA International Birth and Postpartum Doula, Community Health Worker, and Lamaze-trained Childbirth Educator. She has supported birthing people and their families since 2019, in hospitals and homes across North Central Florida. Her work spans direct doula care, childbirth education, maternal and community health advocacy, doula mentorship and coordination, and building stronger bridges between families, communities, and healthcare teams.
Hi, I'm Julia Rainer, Agency Director of Family Center Birth Services
I am a DONA International Birth and Postpartum Doula, Community Health Worker, health educator, advocate, mother of three girls, and the founder of Create Space.
I like to tell people that I am a lover of love. In the spaces that hold the most love, that is where you will find me. I have always considered myself someone who creates and holds space, and I have spent years supporting birthing people and their families through pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period.
My work is grounded in compassion, education, and advocacy. I believe families deserve to feel informed, respected, heard, and supported throughout their journey.
Over the years, I have attended births in hospitals and home settings throughout North Central Florida, working alongside families, nurses, physicians, midwives, lactation professionals, and other members of the care team. Spending so much time in birth spaces has taught me the importance of communication and relationships. Families should have the information they need to make their own decisions, and respectful collaboration between families and healthcare professionals can make such a difference in their experience.
My path into this work grew from a deep commitment to families and community. Over time, my role has expanded beyond direct doula support into education, community health, social-needs navigation, maternal health advocacy, and helping families access resources.
No matter what role I am in, relationships remain at the center of my work. I love helping families identify what they need, find the people and resources that can support them, and create space for them as they move through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenthood.
Background & Training:
Julia's areas of expertise include: Birth and postpartum doula support in hospitals at home birth • Childbirth education and family education • Maternal health advocacy • Community health and social-needs navigation • Doula access, mentorship, and coordination • Healthcare and community collaboration • Family-centered communication and advocacy • Community resource connection
Beyond doula care...
Advocacy has become an important part of my work. Through my experience in community health and maternal health, I have supported efforts to identify and address social determinants of health that can affect pregnancy and family wellbeing. I have worked with community partners and healthcare teams to connect families with resources and strengthen the bridge between healthcare systems and the communities they serve.
I have also been involved in maternal health initiatives through the University of Florida, including work connected to the ACCESS Task Force and maternal health asset mapping in North Central Florida. My experience includes helping families navigate social needs, building connections to community resources, participating in maternal health working groups, and advocating for stronger inclusion of doulas and community health workers within healthcare systems.
I am also passionate about strengthening the doula profession and expanding access to doula support. My work has included doula coordination, mentorship, community relationship-building, and efforts to increase access to trained doulas, including for families receiving Medicaid.
I value collaboration rather than competition. I believe some of our strongest work happens when doulas, healthcare professionals, community organizations, and families are able to work together.
Community & Leadership
I have been involved with the Gainesville Doula Network and continue to invest in the growth of our local birth and maternal health community. I bring a community-centered perspective to my work and am especially passionate about creating systems where families do not have to navigate pregnancy, birth, parenting, or social needs alone.
Outside of my professional roles, I am a mother to all girls, who I lovingly refer to as my Queendom. Motherhood has deeply shaped the way I think about family support, advocacy, education, and community. I know families are not one-size-fits-all, and I believe support should meet people where they are while honoring their values, experiences, and goals.