Dara is an absolute angel. She's knowledgeable, sweet, helpful, and meets you where you are at. I…read morehad an oversupply and overactive let down AND my baby had a shallow latch. Dara helped with all of these circumstances and made me feel so comfortable. She showed me different feeding positions that specifically would help my baby. My baby is over four months now and he has never had to take any formula Because of her guidance and expertise I am a confident breastfeeding mama ! Thankyou Dara!!

While my pregnancy was wonderful and healthy, it was also frequently wrought with anxiety. I lost…read moremy mother just three months before discovering we were pregnant, and I had always envisioned that she would be there by my side, along with my husband, to deliver my first baby. In addition to desiring the type of nurturing and support only a mother can provide, I also wanted to have an unmedicated labor and delivery. Enter Dara, who instantly made me feel comforted and supported just after a few video calls. When my husband and I met her in person, we felt reassured and excited to have her by our side as we approached our due date. Dara was always available and easily accessible throughout the pregnancy for questions and provided me with an incredible amount of evidence-based childbirth information to help guide my birth plan and help me feel that much more prepared. And while nothing can truly prepare you for such an intense life event, I went in with much more confidence than I would have had without Dara's help. Once we were finally in active labor and called Dara into the hospital, she jumped right in with getting me moving and changing positions to help labor progress and get the baby in a good position. She also helped my husband support me by gently guiding him and educating him throughout the process. While I ended up getting an epidural close to 9cm, she remained active in positioning my body, keeping me hydrated, and helping both my husband and me get some rest before pushing. What I will remember the most from this entire experience is how Dara seemed to embody my own mother's energy with her tenderness. It was as if she knew exactly what I needed, when I needed it the most, without me needing to say a word. We delivered our sweet baby boy with Dara by our side and will never forget what a beautiful experience we had together. -Frances If there is one thing you do to prepare for your child's birth, pick up the phone and schedule a consult with Dara. As a first-time Dad, I had no idea what to expect at the hospital, even with the childbirth classes and e-learning videos. Nothing prepares you. While I initially thought the nurses would be there to support my wife, they're busy working. They don't have the bandwidth to be fully present. Dara was there every step of the way to help her emotionally and physically. Even with our relatively healthy childbirth with no complications, Dara stepped in. To watch her in action was such a relief because I knew my wife was getting the best possible care. Dara also didn't take over the reins. She made sure I was a part of the entire process. You can't put a price on that peace of mind. If I had to sell an organ to pay for Dara's services, I would. She's the most amazing, nurturing doula in north county. -Steven

Within minutes of meeting Kylie, my husband and I knew that we wanted her to be part of our birth…read moreexperience! As a first time Mom I was nervous about the process and had my doubts of whether or not I would be able to deliver naturally. Kylie taught my husband and I "hypnobirthing" techniques, checked in frequently, and was there every step of the way to reassure me that everything I was thinking and feeling was normal and OK. She has a very calm, non-alarmist demeanor which allowed me to remain fearless throughout the process (from pregnancy to delivery). My goal was to delivery naturally, which not only did achieve, but more importantly I had FUN doing it! Thanks Kylie, we love you and will see you for kid #2.

Kylie is so skilled in her line of work as a doula and hiring her was one of the best decisions my…read morehusband and I made. I recently gave birth to my first baby, a beautiful son, at Scripps Encinitas with Dr. Cap. With Kylie's help, we had a smooth, stress free, intimate and beautiful birthing experience. She provided valuable pre and postnatal information as well as helpful tools to prepare for labor & birth. Being a hypnobirthing instructor, she is an expert in comfort measures and creating an environment of trust & deep relaxation. We immediately felt a connection with Kylie from the moment we met her. She is outgoing, funny, open minded and excellent at reading emotions and anticipating needs. She cracked a joke when one was needed. She took over when my husband needed to rest. She provided us with comfort, reassurance and confidence during the labor process, which allowed us to stay home much longer than we would have had it just been my husband and I. She helped my husband be the best birth partner possible. Her communication was excellent- from answering questions during pregnancy, checking in with my husband via text during early labor, providing words of comfort and reassurance while laboring with us at home, and during the birth process to make sure we were fully present and did not miss any of the magic. She advocated for our birth preferences and spoke up to the nursing staff to make sure I was laboring in the best positions possible. She even handled everything with the placenta encapsulation. Because of Kylie I was able to have the unmedicated birth that I had dreamed of. We highly recommend Kylie and hope to work with her again in the future. If you are considering hiring her as your doula, do yourself a favor and say YES!a

We took Rachel's class as second time parents after a difficult birth of our first child. She took…read moreextra time to talk with me about my previous birth and helped me understand what happened. I cannot thank her enough for her expertise and kindness and I left her class feeling so empowered. I was able to achieve the VBAC I so badly desired and I credit so much to Rachel's class. Cannot recommend her and her hypnobirthing class enough!!

Rachel's hypnobirthing class is amazing! Even as second time parents we learned sooo much (we wish…read morewe took the class before our first birth) and feel so much more confident and knowledgeable going into this second birth. The classes gave us such great tools to have in our toolbox and helped us understand so much about the birth process so that we feel more empowered. We would recommend this class to all expecting parents!

Doula Jenn is the absolute best. This was my second birth with a doula, and Jenn is without a doubt…read morethe calming, positive and hands on presence that you and your partner will want in a birth. I had a vision for my birth, and it wasn't going to plan, but Jenn has a beautiful way of validating your feelings while also bringing it back to a positive and productive space. My husband and I looked back at many moments in my labor where Jenn was invaluable from helping with better positions, to remaining stable and calm through the twists, turns and moments you need it the most. Our nurse at Scripps I could tell really respected her. She truly cares, is always within reach, and I feel so grateful that she was part of the journey to get my daughter here safe and sound!

We had a wonderful experience with Doula Jenn and highly recommend her!…read moreJenn has a lot of experience as a doula. During pregnancy she was a great source of information and peace of mind. Then I had a long, hard labor (including laboring on pitocin only- no epirural- for about 5 hours). We appreciated that she was so positive and always had ideas to try. She was a huge support to my husband and I during labor. In the end, I got a c-section. Jenn came back after the surgery and helped with my immediate recovery, and helped my husband get settled with baby. I did a lot of research and interviewed about 5 doulas before booking Jenn. Jenn was the best communicator out of all. We were always so thankful and felt like she was really there for us. Thank you Jenn!

To say that investing in a doula was a good idea would be the understatement of a lifetime. My wife…read moreand I heard about this magical concept as if it were a fairytale idea out of our reach, a luxury item in no way meant for us. That was until we met Kathryn and One Moon Doula. They showed us how we could achieve the dream goals we had for those first precious weeks while also honoring our modest budget. Not knowing what to expect, as this was our first child, we did understand that having someone with us would change everything. We were quickly linked with a few doula interviews and fell in love with one of them. Our schedules aligned and boy did it ever change our lives. I can't imagine not having our doula there for those critical nights of transitioning into parenthood, while making space for healing and recovery. We both slept more than we ever thought possible, while our son was cared for better than we could have imagined, AND we learned so much to build a foundation of comfort and confidence moving forward. No family member or friend would have been able to step in the same way. If you have nothing else on your registry other than a fund for this...do just that. It will change your whole early parenting experience for the better. Thank you to One Moon Doula and their network of Angels.

Lindsey was a blessing. She was more than I could have asked for. I don't have family nearby to…read morehelp so I looked into doula services. She made me so comfortable with her caring for my newborn, which is very hard to let someone else do. She was very easy to get along with and offered tips and advice that were so helpful to me, even as a second time mom. She made it so I could get good sleep and be ready for the next day with the baby and my oldest, refreshed. Thank you!! I am forever grateful. :)

I had the best experience with Breathe Bitch Doula! Louise and Mahri were incredible. They made me…read morefeel so supported and relaxed throughout my whole journey. They are set up to tag team so one of them is guaranteed to be there for the brith which was so helpful to know that someone would be there no matter what. They helped prep me and we amazing resources throughout my pregnancy, obviously during labor, and even postpartum. I'd text them with all my "my baby is doing this is it normal" questions. I want them there for any future pregnancies and labor!

This doula agency is amazing! We've sent so many of our…read moreclients here and they always have amazing experiences. They also are our go to placenta encapsulation experts! Highly recommend for birth and postpartum doula support!

I am so glad that I chose Beautiful One Midwifery for my care during my first pregnancy and birth…read more Kelly, Tiffany, and Christina all gave wonderful care, took time to answer all my questions, and never pressured any decisions. I always felt informed and supported in my decisions. After a long labor and successfully delivering my baby at home, I required a hospital transfer for extensive stitching. Tiffany drove me to the hospital and stayed with me the whole time, advocating for me and providing emotional support during the procedure. The postpartum care (in my home!) has been invaluable as I have navigated these first few weeks of having a newborn. The ladies would check on me and my newborn, provide breast feeding support, and answer any questions or concerns.

I had a baby in June of 2014 and decided that having a doula for my first baby - one I hoped to…read moredeliver naturally - would be helpful. I asked a friend who is very well connected in the birthing community who she would recommend of the names Id heard and she immediately said Kelly was outstanding. I was leaning that way already - her website was so thorough and she clearly cared about being thorough and stretching to extend all of herself and the resources she had to support her clients - but also just to be a resource to anyone visiting her page which I loved. I also wanted placenta encapsulation and she was able to offer doula services as well as the placenta services - and she also teaches a birthing class which I was able to watch online - so great!! I came to realize that my biggest need was someone to talk to prior to the birth to learn about exactly what was going to happen. Also - I would find myself with free-floating anxiety. The initial meetings with Kelly and my husband and then the availability to text or chat when stress or fear hit was honestly one of the best things I got out of our Doula relationship. Kelly was so able to validate and yet present either her experience, observations, or just a way to think about giving birth that removed the fear I didn't expect to have. I ended up being induced - during the two weeks "overdue" I was especially anxious and Kelly was again a helpful calming voice. The day I went in for the induction I was terrified. She had given me a link to online meditations Id been listening to for the last month and I was able to listen to them there while the contractions started. It was the perfect way to begin labor. It was also cool to have subtle but definite encouragement to go into myself and not worry about holding conversation with the others in the room. The labor ended up being awesome - no epidural, I was stronger than I expected and Kelly was there encouraging me but not "coaching" me. As the pushing continued and it became clear that I was going to need a c-section, she was again a good counterbalance to look to as my husband and I reconciled that it was indeed the way to go. While the crash c was happening, Kelly was there talking with my husband while they waited. After the baby was delivered, Kelly was there in the room to ensure my skin on skin feeding request was granted and Im really grateful that she took photos in case I wanted them of my first moments with baby. I was still under anesthesia and everyone else there was meeting the baby and stabilizing him. I'm so grateful to have those pictures to see what I couldn't experience consciously. Kelly came over after the birth to check in and see our baby again and chat through the day. I had some residual questions about maybe had I squatted longer, I could have delivered naturally etc. Kelly was quick to share her perspective having been there and to also encourage me to get the medical records so I could see exactly how it went down. I wouldn't have thought to do this - it was really informative and reassuring to read what happened and to see that we made good choices in the heat of the moment to ensure a healthy birth. Kelly's insights and experiences were so helpful. She also gave me a great lactation resource when I struggled with breastfeeding after the c section. I couldn't do the placenta encapsulation because of the c section so I can't review that - but I can assuredly say that my experience was what I hoped for an more and I was so much more prepared and supported at every stage because of Kelly. She is a nurturer, a super knowledgable professional (I loved that she has a masters in psychology too - so well able in dealing with highly emotional situations), and just a lovely grounded purposeful woman. She is not only a part of the birthing community but she creates a community for her clients to continue to support one another as we mother. I'm so glad I found her and highly recommend.

Jen was our postpartum doula from the time my son was a newborn, until he was 3 months old. She…read moretook care of him 5 nights per week, giving us some much-needed sleep in those difficult newborn days. Jen was absolutely amazing. She was so gentle and caring with my baby, and every time she arrived I breathed a sigh of relief because I knew he was in such capable hands. He was really not the best sleeper, so by the time she came in I was usually on my 3rd or 4th attempt to put him down to sleep for the night, and desperate to get some food or a shower for myself. I would hand him off to her, and she would cuddle him for as long as necessary to get him into a deep sleep before putting him down. I'm a third-time mom, and it's hard for me to let go of my babies and accept help. But with Jen, I always felt safe and comfortable having her care for my baby each night. I was still waking up to breastfeed in the beginning, and she was extremely supportive of my breastfeeding journey. Then when I decided to switch to exclusive pumping, she helped me figure out the best way to maximize my sleep while still providing my baby with the correctly-timed nighttime milk. She supported all my goals for my baby and was so kind through it all. I also had a lot of requests and instructions for her, and she handled it all with so much patience and understanding. Every evening she came 5-10 minutes early and we chatted about all the usual newborn and postpartum stuff that was worrying me. She was always so caring, giving empathy and helpful advice. She also did baby related chores and made our lives a million times easier. We truly wouldn't have survived the newborn phase without her. Anyone would be lucky to have Jen as their postpartum doula!

Jen is AMAZING! She cared for our baby with love, attention to detail, and consideration for our…read morewishes. She provided the perfect blend of advice/assist and listening to/incorporating our goals. She is a fun, kind, passionate, organized doula who truly made our evenings restful. Bringing home our first baby was the most beautiful, meaningful experience; we largely have Jen to thank in allowing us to rest and show up as the best versions of ourselves for him each day.

Juliana was a major help during a very vulnerable time. I booked multiple at-home lactation…read moreconsultations when I was freshly postpartum, and she provided personalized and thorough after-visit reports to support my breastfeeding journey. I was dealing with blood blisters, a poor latch, doubts and fears about supply, and a baby that was temporarily not gaining enough weight. As a first-time mom, it was extremely stressful, and there were many tears. However, Juliana's visits always left me feeling more informed, reassured, and capable. We also did a weighted feed during every visit, which confirmed that my baby was indeed getting enough to eat. I still remember the relief I felt when I learned that. Juliana is a big reason why I decided to stay the course with breastfeeding. (Thank goodness, because now I LOVE it.) My insurance covered the cost of the visits, so I just paid the $60 travel fee. I also attended her breastfeeding class with my husband before giving birth. This was super helpful, but I recommend taking the class within 1 month of your due date. We took it a bit too early in my pregnancy, and forgot a couple things by the time I gave birth. Overall, I would highly recommend booking a lactation consultation with Juliana if you're in need of support!

My husband and I visited Babies in Bloom in Vista, California while trying to figure out what…read morestroller and car seat would be best for our first baby--and wow, we are so glad we did! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with such warmth and kindness. The staff was incredibly knowledgeable and genuinely helpful, not pushy at all. They patiently answered all of our (many!) questions and helped us compare different stroller options based on our lifestyle and needs. We left feeling confident in our decision, which is such a huge relief as first-time parents! The store itself is absolutely adorable--full of the cutest baby items you can imagine, from thoughtful gifts and baby clothes to nursery must-haves. You can tell everything is curated with care. It has that perfect boutique vibe without being overwhelming or overpriced. Babies in Bloom is a true gem for anyone preparing to welcome a little one. We left not only knowing what stroller we want, but with a big smile on our faces. Highly, highly recommend!