About Our Atlanta Doulas

Alexa Gumm is an experienced Atlanta birth doula known for creating connection with clients and providers, her calming presence and compassionate care. Since 2010 she has served as a certified birth doula for hundreds of births.  She is a Birth Boot Camp Instructor, a Birth Boot Camp Advisory Board Member since its inception and became the lead Doula Trainer for Birth Boot Camp in 2017. Alexa considers herself a “wingman” for parents as they travel the new territory of fertility, pregnancy and birth. As a seasoned and professional doula, she works confidently alongside Atlanta OB/GYNs and Certified Nurse Midwives at North Fulton, Northside and Piedmont hospitals. She navigates the birth process with an unflappable quality that guarantees parent and provider confidence alike. Never one to take herself too seriously, you can always count on Alexa to lighten the mood or create an oasis of calm to help make the labor and delivery room much more peaceful.  

Alexa has been married to Joe since 1997 and they have four daughters, all born naturally. She is a 1999 graduate of TCU with a B.S in Interior Design. However, from their first daughter’s birth in 2001 to their fourth daughter’s birth in 2009, all of those pregnancy and breastfeeding journeys sparked her interest in switching careers and serving women during the childbearing year. Despite being a native Texan, she has been a proud resident of Roswell since 2015 and considers Georgia home.

Christina Hodgen captures that extraordinary moment in time when families welcome their babies. Known for both her technical skill set and photojournalistic style, she conveys the unique spirit of each birth on film as it unfolds during labor, birth and postpartum. A 2003 graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art with a BFA in Photography, Christina is more than a hobbyist photographer.  Her editorial work has been featured in O Magazine, ELLE, Huffington Post and What to Expect. Her reputation for quality art and professionalism is known among providers at Atlanta Medical Center, Piedmont, Northside and North Fulton hospitals. After the births of her two sons in 2011 and 2015, she chose to focus her creativity into the realm of Atlanta maternity, birth and newborn photography. Once hired, Christina often becomes the family’s photographer of choice and is invited to shoot birthday sessions, family portraits and subsequent siblings’ births. Christina is also a trained Birth Boot Camp Doula and works well as a duo with all of her Due South Doulas colleagues. 

When she is not behind the camera, Christina can be found chasing her high energy kids and dog or riding her bike with friends.  She credits her history in endurance athletics for training her to tolerate working long births.  Her children can take the credit for allowing her to endure the sleep deprivation which often comes with the job.

During Covid-19, Christina is offering a combined doula and photography service with pricing upon request.

Katie Dudley

Katie is a native Atlantan. She has a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology with a focus in Child and Family Development, Nutrition, and Exercise from the University of Georgia. She has worked in the Health and Fitness Industry since 2006. She is a certified Master Trainer, a Board Certified Holistic Health Coach, and a Birth Boot Camp Doula. Katie sits on the Advisory Board of Birth Boot Camp and is their nutrition and fitness expert. 

Katie carried her love for fitness and nutrition through college. Post graduation, she certified as a personal trainer while working for Emory University as a pediatric aide. Within a year, Katie was offered a position as a trainer full time.

After training thousands of sessions and wanting to help clients on a deeper level with their nutrition and overall health, Katie went back to school and became a Certified Holistic Health Coach. Through her education, she learned to how to walk clients through daily roadblocks to health. She believes in educating individuals and providing them the tools to implement preventative measures into their busy lifestyles so that they maintain the changes long term. 

During the pregnancy of her first child, Katie joined the Birth Boot Camp team and fell in love with the journey of pregnancy and the impact of nutrition and exercise on not only pregnancy, but birth and postpartum healing. Over the course of her three pregnancies (two hospital birth and a home birth) in addition to working with pregnant and postpartum women, Katie has gained invaluable knowledge in regards to prenatal and postpartum fitness and the effect on baby's presentation, pelvic floor, and the laboring process and recovery. And most importantly, Katie has personally witnessed the influence of mom's nutrition on the immune system, pregnancy, nursing, baby's health, and postpartum healing. 

Katie is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience through her supportive work. She works one on one with women and families in the areas of nutrition/wellness coaching and functional training to set them up for balanced overall health mentally, physically, and emotionally. 

Julie Trotter

Julie Trotter is a mother of 5 living children and one angel baby. Her first baby was a water birth at North Fulton Hospital in 2007. In 2009 she and her husband adopted two children from Ethiopia, who were 13 and 4 at the time. A year later, after a normal pregnancy, her full term son was stillborn due to contracting cytomegalovirus in the womb. She became pregnant shortly thereafter and birthed a healthy baby girl in 2011 and one more girl in 2014, both at home with a midwife. 

Julie has always had a knack with newborns. Since 2005 she's serviced Atlanta families with newborn care, mostly at night, allowing parents a better night's rest. She's been called "The Baby Whisperer" and the "Rockin' Baby Fairy" because of her special skills for calming babies and helping them sleep better. Julie's care consists of teaching parents newborn soothing techniques, sleeping and eating routines as well as taking detailed notes during her shift. With time permitting, she will also take care of household tasks such as baby laundry, cleaning bottles/breast feeding supplies, cleaning dishes and doing light household chores. Imagine waking up in the morning to a spotless kitchen with all your baby's laundry folded and put away, all while you got a great night's sleep! Julie's calming presence makes you feel at ease right away so you can sleep peacefully knowing your baby is in excellent hands.

In 2015 Julie became certified as a birth and bereavement doula to share her passion for helping other families who have experienced the loss of a baby, whether it be by miscarriage or stillborn. Having been through the experience herself, she understands what support is needed to guide families through the loss of their baby at any gestation. 

Julie is a motivated, nurturing, knowledgeable individual who carries her love of helping people with her wherever she goes. Her passion for teaching parents about newborn care, along with providing an extra set of hands around the house, is evident in the work she does every day.