El was a phenomenal midwife for us. My spouse and i interviewed a few different midwives, and El…read morestood out to us immediately. Throughout the process, they gave us quality care and attention, and were able to answer all the questions that came up. They did home visits for all of our care, which felt good. My spouse's nonbinary gender was respected the whole way through the process, as was our polyamorous family setup. During the pregnancy itself, El helped us navigate the various kinds of medical testing, including ultrasounds, blood draws, genetic testing, and checking the fetal heartbeat. As we approached the due date, we saw el more frequently and developed a birth plan with them - they helped us find a place in the house to set up a birth tub, delivered all the required pieces, and helped us understand how to best set up the space. During the birth itself, El was really good. They came with an assistant, helped monitor the situation, and assisted when needed. They were able to stay in the background when not needed for interventions, and gave my spouse enough space to labor as they wanted. They were invaluable in the period immediately after delivery, making sure that my spouse had the care they needed, checking on all the baby's vitals, and being incredibly calm, despite the fact that my spouse fainted twice. The postpartum visits were happy, helpful, and relatively quick. We would 100% work with El again, and recommend them highly for anyone who is looking for calm and compassionate care through pregnancy and birth.

El did my iui procedure and it was a success on the first time!! Leading up to the procedure, she…read morewas so helpful and gave me so many great tips to follow. When I met her in person, she was very sweet and made me feel extremely comfortable with the process. Everything was so fast and easy! I'm very happy we chose her for the procedure, I'll definitely be recommending her to others and will be using her services again in the future. Thank you El!

Adrienne has been minding our son since he was six weeks old and she has been a godsend to our…read morefamily. She is completely in tune with my babies needs, has endless patience and is so kind and caring. On nights that she looked after him, she didn't take her eyes off him. I completely trust Adrienne and often ask her for advice which has always been spot on. She has become part of our family.

Adrienne helped me and my family at one of the most critical times in my life. At 7 months…read morepregnant, we found out my mother got diagnosed with cancer and we moved her in with us. With a sick parent and a baby on the way, we knew we would need all the help we can get and a night doula sounded like the perfect thing. We found Adrienne, she was so sweet and kind and visited me in the hospital when I was recovering to congratulate me and welcome my baby into the world. She also started her first shift and stayed with me and baby at the hospital so my husband could get some rest. We had her 2-3 nights a week for the first two months of baby's life and it was a total godsend to be able to know we'd get rest for the whole night, but also to know baby will be in good hands by someone who you can trust. Adrienne was very sweet and loving to my baby and really good with soothing, feeding and getting baby to sleep. We never heard the baby cry when she was with him, which I thought was a miracle. Adrienne is extremely flexible and accommodating and very available even when she's not on her shift to reply to texts about questions and concerns that we as first time parents had, and we had many. Adrienne was also a great advocate for me as I was recovering from having a cesarean surgery. I was in a lot of pain, I had a hard time breastfeeding and she was great to go to about finding the balance of recovering and getting rest and being a new mom.

I loved my experience with Pacifica, and I can't thank the midwives enough for their deep level of…read morecare throughout my pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. I felt supported, safe, and connected throughout, and my baby and I had a beautiful birth surrounded and held by their team. When I first got pregnant, I started out seeing an OB. In the medical system, the visits were short and perfunctory. I felt like I was checking off boxes on their end, and not getting any value or support. When we switched to Pacifica care, the difference was immediate and apparent to both myself and my partner. They cared about how my partner and I were doing mentally, emotionally, and physically, and provided holistic advice whenever we had to make decisions for the baby. Having a natural birth was challenging but such an amazing experience, and I can't imagine having done it without the midwives or in an environment that felt super familiar, homey, and safe. Thank you Cindy, Audrey, Tracy, Evaly, Esther for your love and care bringing our baby into this world.

Had my second baby at Pacifica recently, and want to double down on my review from 2023. It's still…read morean amazing place run by wonderful, caring people. I feel grateful to have had access to it. I wish for this model of perinatal care to become widespread some day. Looking forward to bringing my bebes here when they grow up so they can meet Cindy and see the room (and magical tub!) where they were born.

I wrote my original review while incredibly sleep deprived and probably struggling with mastitis…read moreand it shows came back to say Serena is such an authentic person firstly and secondly and incredible nurse and lactaction consultant who will make sure whatever you're reaching out to her for help with gets sorted. She cares about you and your baby and the support you need and intimately knows the ins and outs of every system involved in that care. I'm still thankful for the quality of her consult and how much she helped my family when we really needed it ten years later.

It is no wonder Serena has 5 star ratings. Our 8 wk old baby started showing slow weight gain and…read moreas a first time parent, I was so worried and overwhelmed. From our first call, Serena was kind, thorough and asked all the right questions. She made time to come over within days, immediately pinpointed the issue, and created a clear feeding plan that gave me so much relief. She even reached out to our pediatrician right after and they called me the same day to schedule a weight check by end of the week! Serena's care doesn't stop at your session -- she checks in often and is always available by text, making me feel completely supported and never alone. She's warm, friendly, non-judgmental and turned a scary situation into something manageable. We're still working with her but I couldn't wait to share. Even though we're not out of the woods yet, I feel a million times better knowing Serena is by our side. If you're considering working with her, don't hesitate -- she's a gem!

Words cannot adequately express how grateful we are for Amanda. She cared for me throughout my…read moreentire pregnancy and her calming, grounded demeanor helped both my husband and me feel completely comfortable and safe choosing a home birth. Seeing how naturally she connected with our family made us feel so held and supported every step of the way. During the birth itself, Amanda's guidance was invaluable. She made me feel entirely confident in my body and my ability to birth my baby safely, and she even helped me avoid tearing, which had been a huge fear of mine going into it. The entire experience from bump to birth was empowering and peaceful. We couldn't have asked for a better team, and I truly can't wait to do it all over again with Amanda for our next baby!

Amanda was our midwife for our second child and we had a better experience than we could have…read moreimagined. We used east bay midwives for prenatal care, home birth and post natal care. Amanda brought both experienced midwifery care (our son was her 314th birth!) and a strong level of personal care. She is a birth worker that truly loves what she does, is incredibly skilled in her work, and has a deep sense of care for the mothers, families, and babies she works with. We were so impressed by how supported we felt during the entire pregnancy, birth, and post partum period. I truly wish every mother could receive midwifery care as exceptional as east bay midwives. We also had excellent experience with Grace and Sophia- the team that Amanda works with are also amazing birth workers. I highly recommend east bay midwives to someone that wants a safe, supported home birth with experienced and loving help!

I had a great pregnancy experience with 5M. L&D was a hit…read moreBut lactation was a complete miss-- The lactation consultant who wears a headpiece (can't remember her name) was EXTREMELY aggressive with nursing. I really couldn't get the hang of it and my partner and I could see how frustrated she was with me. Her tone was terrible and I would cry after she would leave the room and I would shudder when I heard that she was coming back into my room. Another nurse (Vicki?) was also extremely aggressive with nursing and when I came back for my discharge appointment, she ran into me right outside of 5M and told me that my baby will be "sick all the time...full of diseases and illnesses...coming back to the hospital all the time...won't make it to his first year" and other phrases that basically told me that my baby was going to pretty much die because I failed to nurse him. I was in so much shock that I couldn't even respond. gave birth in April, everything was fine in terms of quality in care until the two nurses started teaching me how to breastfeed my baby. The rest of the team were seriously fantastic and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way!

When I first heard there was a birth center at SF General, I honestly wondered who in their right…read moremind would have a baby at SF General. But then I went there avoiding an enforced induction date at St. Luke's - and was very pleased by my experience. I went into labor naturally and my doctor allowed me, my partner and my doula to handle labor as we saw fit while checking on me every hour. The labor rooms are really nice and I very much recommend their bathtubs, which are nicer than the one I have at home. When it became obvious my daughter wasn't coming out easily, my doctor politely explained our options and gave us time to come to a decision and was very respectful about everything. I had a Caesarian and my daughter was brought over for skin-to-skin and even the nurse anesthesiologist helped me to breast feed when my daughter was first born! What really made me love these guys was the extended stay I had to have due to some complications - mind you, no one really likes staying in the hospital for two weeks, but the nurses in the Birth Center are the people you want around you if you have to. Many are trained lactation-consultants who were helpful with breast-feeding and advice. When my partner had to be gone for awhile, they were always there to help with the baby. And they were full of good advice and comfort to a sick new mom, despite me going a little nuts at times - these women are professionals and I owe them my sanity for the time I was in there. This is what a birth center should be - a very competent and well-versed medical staff that respects the wishes of the patient and takes the mental well-being of the patient into consideration as well. I can't recommend this place enough.

Lindsey was recommended to us by our provider as someone who is very organized, caring (for both…read morepartners!) and supportive of natural birth. As the partner in the birthing process, I was sold by the idea that I wouldn't have to figure out everything leading up to the decision to go to the hospital - but would have Lindsey there for support and guidance. We got much more than that. My wife and I are unsure how we could have gotten through our long labor without Lindsey. She had an amazing ability to relax my wife and make her feel comfortable in ways I would have never been able to figure out. I could not have been more impressed with Lindsey's ability to talk to me over the phone at the early times in our long labor, both suggesting solutions and helping me with how to communicate solutions and plans to a wife enduring very intense and prolonged contractions. Lindsey scheduled time to meet with us in advance of, and following the birth, and was always supportive, knowledgeable, and helpful. She was also always available to us by phone and email and leveraged her network in the community to help us find our birth prep class and other tools that assisted us during my wife's pregnancy. My wife benefited from Lindsey's attentiveness and advice on relaxing and naturally inviting the labor during the last few weeks of her pregnancy. We ultimately gave birth naturally to a healthy baby boy at 42 weeks. Lindsey demonstrated her value again and again and exceeded our expectations! If you are a partner and considering hiring a doula, you really should. My experience as the partner was much more memorable and enjoyable with Lindsey's help relaxing my wife, helping me with new tools/techniques for my wife, guidance on communication at the most challenging times of labor and birth, and also because she was looking out for me too and asking me to go grab lunch for myself or to take a quick nap. With a doula, you'll be gaining an integral member of your team (it takes a village) and with Lindsey you'll have a wise person to help guide you through the challenging and sometime crazy months, days and hours leading to the birth of your little one!

Lindsey is the best!…read more If you are looking for a doula, I would seriously consider Lindsey. Lindsey is a skilled, young and enthusiastic woman. She has tons of experience, is full of humour and has a hands-on mentality. To be honest, we were skeptical about the need for a doula and we were worried it would be an invasion to our privacy during labor. On hindsight, having Lindsey guide us trough the labor process was the best decision we made. During my really fast and intense delivery, she stayed calm, kept telling everything was normal and that I did great. Moreover, Lindsey adapted really well to our personalities and preferences. That is everything you need, especially when it is your first child. She helped me change positions and scenery, massaged my back and shoulders, helped me breath, this all to get through the contractions and make the pain bareable. Noteworthy, whereas most people would hire a doula to stay home as long and as safe as possible, Lindsey actually prevented us from laboring in the bathtub because she recongnized things moved faster than we thought. Lindsey is not only joining the birth, but also provides extra services. During my pregnancy we met a few times and she stayed in contact via e-mail. Also she provided my husband with books he specifically asked for, which helped him to prepare for this experience too. After birth she also helped me with breastfeeding as a lactation consultant. This worked out really well too. Long story short, Lindsey made my birth experience the best.

I love sharing my birth story since we had such a great experience and we give thanks to Susi for…read moremaking it all possible. I knew I wanted a doula but finding the right one was tricky. I met with a couple of others and right away, you can tell doulas experience and professionalism range greatly. Susi is not only warm and compassionate but has a long resume of credentials, wisdom, and experience. These were important to us since we needed support through a stressful high risk & IVF pregnancy. I was open to medication for my labor but ended up going natural, no meds with Susi's guidance, coaching, and pain relief with counter pressure. After being bruised from our IVF journey I kind of gave up on my natural birth dream. What an empowering gift Susi gave me. Before my husband didn't understand the work of a doula but now he tells everyone, don't hesitate to hire a doula. Their work is truly invaluable. I was very relieved she was available for our due date. Bonus, birth photos are priceless! My husband and I didn't have to worry about pulling out the camera to try to capture the best moment of our lives. We are forever grateful for our beautiful birth experience bringing our miracle baby safely to earth side. Thank you Susi!

In summary: I can't recommend Susi enough. It would be impossible to overstate how valuable she was…read moreduring the entire process of my pregnancy, birth, and post-birth. When I look back at the pregnancy and birth experience, I really don't know how we would have managed without her. We are so grateful for her care during birth. A bit of background: I considered a homebirth but ultimately planned a hospital birth with midwives at Kaiser. I was pretty nervous and bummed to be in a hospital setting and really wanted to have an unmedicated birth. At our first consultation, Susi immediately put me at ease. She really understood my concerns about being at a hospital. She was incredibly comforting but also practical and honest about what to expect. This unique mixture gave me a lot of confidence that she could help me navigate the hospital system while also supporting me emotionally. Her prenatal visits were informative and reassuring, particularly for my partner. We also contacted her several times before birth for resources, recommendations, and support when we were nervous about something. I ended up being induced at 39 weeks for gestational hypertension. She was very comforting over the phone and was in contact through out the beginning of the induction process. Once I started Pitocin, she actually drove over before we asked her to since it was a long drive. I am so grateful that she did! She arrived when the contractions were really intense and I was already at 8cm. She walked in the room put her thumb to my forehead and I immediately relaxed. I went from feeling like I was being dragged behind each contraction to feeling like I was riding the wave. The way she talked me through contractions was absolutely incredible. My only coherent sentences during this time were "Susi, I like you so much. I'm so glad you're here." She was also amazing at interfacing with the hospital staff. When the midwife and team arrived to deliver, she pulled the midwife aside to make sure she knew about my birth preferences and reminded the nurses that I wanted no cheering when they forgot. During our postpartum meeting, the midwife told me that Susi was a great doula to work with and asked for her name to recommend to other patients. I am so grateful to Susi. Her care created such a positive birth experience for us! (This is posted from my husband's yelp account).