I am delighted to provide my strongest review for Kamill. Kamill was my night doula for nearly six…read moremonths of my child's life. She stepped into a very tricky social situation with tremendous grace, compassion, competency and empathy. She is an absolutely outstanding doula and any family would be lucky to work with her. Firstly, she was incredibly thoughtful in her approach and seamlessly was able to build confidence in myself and my family with regards to practical aspects of caring for my newborn, including infant feeding via breast-feeding and bottle feeding, encouraging a proper and appropriate schedule for my newborn, understanding how to properly store all formula and other equipment for the baby, and understanding babies' needs. She also spent time teaching my family other basics, including swaddling and daytime activities. She has a very deep understanding of infant physical and psychological development of newborns, as well as their social cues. Because of this mastery, we all felt very comfortable leaving my daughter in her hands over night and even during the day when we had other tasks to complete. We always knew she was extremely experienced and competent at the job. Kamill had an additional challenge of supporting me as a new mother who was simultaneously experiencing grief. She was able to jump in during moments of grieving and to provide assistance and nurturing support, not just for me but also my mother and other family members. Early on, she recognized my passion for art and would spend time with me completing various art projects that would aid in the grieving process. While this is not traditionally part of a doula's main tasks, she was able to see the bigger picture and recognized the need to provide holistic support to my family outside of the typical tasks of a doula. Essentially, she provided absolutely outstanding, holistic care for my daughter AND my entire family - well beyond the traditional role of a doula. Additionally, in her role as a Doula, she is extremely organized, on top of newborn care, and disciplined. She works very hard to ensure that a baby's needs are immaculately met. She was also able to ensure that my daughters' feeding and sleeping schedule were beautifully regulated which has had broad and long-term benefits - even today. She tried to organize and arrange my baby's supplies nicely and also gave us advice and suggestions as baby grew each month and positive suggestions to make beautiful, joyful memories. In the morning, when we awoke I could depend on her to ensure the house was immaculately kept and she even went above and beyond to make sure basic tasks such as dishes and baby laundry were taken care of. She is truly one of the most reliable, determined, and hard working doulas and people I have ever met. In sum, I highly recommend Kamill as a night doula or regular doula. She is absolutely fantastic and a star in her field.

Kamill was a fantastic night doula for my baby! We had her for baby's first 4 months and by the…read moretime she left he was basically sleeping through the night (though she never let him cry)! She was incredibly helpful and always looking to help how she could. I highly recommend Kamill!

I'm a L&D RN at Alta Bates (traveling RN but there a lot) and I have had the great pleasure to work…read morewith Sej on several occasions. What I love about her is that she really knows her stuff and is able to both advocate well, and be present with so very many resources for her clients. I am always glad when I see her with one of my patients! She is a very effective doula and I have to say, not all are. If you want to greatly increase your chance of having the birth you want, I'd hire her. Believe me, you won't regret it. Well well worth the fee.

This service-immersion organization geared to Health-Care students (doctors, nurse etc) is second…read moreto none in terms of countries you can go to (Central/South America, Africa, Asia etc) area of interest (HIV/AIDS in Africa, Women's Health in Mexico etc) logistics (they arrange home-stays and medical language school), sustainability and minimal negative impact on host communities. They have a strong alumni following so alumni can reconnect and network after they return. Their website is easy to navigate to help you choose the global health experience that's best for you. As an organization as a whole they are deeply committed to Global Health Education. They regularly host and partner with web based lectures and talks. Overall: If you're looking to go overseas for a global health experience CFHI is probably the best choice you could make!

Discovering SFWAR is one of the best things to ever happen to me. It is an organization that puts…read moreforth a message that we should teach our daughters and encourage our mothers and grandmothers to say out loud. Please keep SFWAR in mind as support for yourself and for those around you! There are SO MANY ways you can take part in battling Rape and Sexual Assault- step above and beyond the average American and invest in our community! Whether it be setting up an event, helping out with administrative duties, helping with the 24hour Rape Crisis Hotline, or donating through the monthly sustainer program- there are ways that everyone from every financial situation can contribute.

Go SFWAR!! I discovered this site before I moved to the bay area and wanted to help out. So, I…read morefilled out the volunteer sheet, got my interview, and did 65 hours of volunteer work. The training sessions were crazy long and intense, but totally worth it. You learn so much, speak with survivors, get trained on how to respond to calls (btw, we have 24 hour crisis hotline calls and offer peer counseling), etc. Plus you work with a great group of people who are dedicated to making a change and form that solidarity! We put on multiple events, and one coming up is our Walk Against Rape on Sat, April 25th (check out sfwar.org for more info). Come do the 5k walk with us, raise money, whatever...show your support, yell out our cheers, see the Clothesline Project which will pierce your hearts, etc. Don't have the name scare you off or spark you to think up quick stereotypes or assumptions, check it out for yourself and learn something new. We also have TONS of resources, so whether you need help in bringing in workshops to your school/business or want a specific type of support group, we've got the info and volunteers to help out. Btw, Mission Dolores Park is lovely and the restaurants nearby are great, too. See you on April 25th people!!

The Pleasanton Chamber is a social boys club masquerading as an org that benefits small businesses…read more Yes, they have ribbon cutting, a monthly social and an ambassador program but I don't think they do much for small businesses in reality. It's mostly white and not diverse at all. It's a boys club, and they just use the events to socialize. If you are a small business owner, they don't provide much value at all. The ribbon cutting they do supposedly gets published in the local press, but that's about it. They don't have any sub groups for small business owners to strategize or market. They don't provide a platform for business owners to network easily. Apart from the monthly social, no events to get to know other folks. All in all it felt like a waste of time. And they charge exorbitant membership fees. Join another chamber!

Lovely people and beautiful location. This chamber of commerce is located downtown in the historic…read morearea of Pleasanton. The staff is extremely friendly, helpful and big-hearted. The chamber allows Agape Villages Foster Care Agency to hold our monthly volunteer council meetings here. Great city with a wonderful chamber of commerce.

One of the best decisions I made as I prepared for my baby's birth was finding Katelyn. I had maybe…read moreonly recently learned what a doula is and what a doula does but Katelyn surpassed those expectations a million times over! From the beginning, she was communicative, warm, friendly and someone I knew I could trust in my most vulnerable and most human of states: giving birth! She was also responsive to my emails and leading up to the big day, she was available and kept me feeling sane and not anxious. I loved the GentleBirth app meditations that we get working with Katelyn and I honestly believe those meditations/affirmations, combined with the nutritional guide and ultimately Katelyn's actual physical presence that day is why I had the positive birth experience I had wanted. She truly is a non-judgmental, down-to-earth, warm presence that you know you'll want by your side on that important day. I felt so supported and safe when I was in labor and those things are so key for a positive birth experience. When I was interviewing doulas, my sister gave me advice, that I have to be able to feel secure and safe with this person, because you will be literally naked and vulnerable! Even more importantly, she really helped my husband feel supported as well but also know how to support me and the three of us (well, four of us, since our baby is also an active participant in birth!) were a phenomenal team. I am so so grateful that she was a part of this huge moment in me and my husband's life and it was a beautiful start to our new life with our beautiful baby boy.

Katelyn is an incredible person to have in your corner on one of the most important days of your…read morelife. Because of her care, education, training and support I felt confident, prepared, and ready to bring my baby into the world. Her bedside manner is fantastic she affirmed my feelings (emotional and physical) throughout my labor and delivery and she helped my spouse to also support me, too. Having a baby is hard work and for a first time mama it was great to feel supported throughout my pregnancy, delivery, and post partum care. Her ability to advocate for my health was invaluable. She and her team gave me fantastic pre-natal care and a nutrition guide to follow while pregnant. Her labor and delivery classes were educational and fun and Katelyn takes great care to also give partners of pregnant mamas the tools they need for support. I'm a fat woman--Katelyn was a great advocate for me and my health during pregnancy and her team helped bring my little one earthside. I was treated for my health and not as a statistic. Large bodied people are not always given the best care in medicine. Katelyn and her team ensured I was listened to and that my health was the top priority. Our birth was amazing. I and our little one are happy and healthy and we owe much of that to Katelyn. Should we decide to give this little one a sibling, we'll want Katelyn and her team to support us, again.

Melitta is 100% the reason why I'm breastfeeding my 6 month old and love it so so much. For the…read morefirst two months of my baby's life, he simply refused to latch. He didn't have a tongue tie, he just hated breastfeeding. I did too. Every single day I came so close to quitting because it was truly making me miserable. Well, I had two visits with Melitta, and she changed everything. She's warm and knowledgeable and not at all dogmatic about breastfeeding. I truly felt that she was there to help me to whatever I wanted to do and didn't have any agenda of her own. She was really observant about me and my baby's situation and was able to provide me with more than just random tips that I had already heard about how to be successful, but more like a paradigm shift in the way I think about breastfeeding. It's hard to explain, but she somehow took the pressure off and gave me a renewed confidence and openness at the same time. She also talked to my baby in a way I've never heard anyone talk to a baby before. She would look him in the eyes and say in a plain, kind voice things like, "Okay, now we're going to try something different, and you might find it frustrating, but that's okay." Hearing someone talk to a baby like a real person and treat them with respect left a really big impression on me and has influenced the way that I parent. I'm really in awe of how much Melitta has done for me. In the early days, I thought breastfeeding was the worst thing ever and I spent most of my waking hours thinking about how awful it was. Now it's easy, fast, convenient, and a huge source of joy for me and my baby.

Melitta was incredibly helpful with figuring out breastfeeding with our twins. Kaiser also offered…read moreLC services, and she was super clear about when she thought it would be helpful for her to visit and when she thought we should wait another few days. She was supportive and knew when I just needed to cry and let it out, and she gave me the most clear and helpful feedback for things to try to build my supply as well as how to be realistic about what my body was able to do. I recommend her to all my friends!

Like many things in my life, I'm quite particular when it comes to finding a Medical Professional…read morein whom I trust. Especially given the current state of Health Care in America, and the medical community's relationship with insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. Often it feels like the patient's needs are last, given the complex business models, billing practices, and sourcing structures. Here's a TED talk explaining the solution: http://www.ted.com/talks/atul_gawande_how_do_we_heal_medicine.html Dr. Curran is one of those few doctors who keeps the patient's needs at the forefront, stays up on her craft, is well-versed in current trends and research, collaboratively works with the patient to resolve questions, has a keen ear for listening, and is an all-around warm and caring individual. I trust Dr. Curran, and I respect her opinion. So much so, that even though I now live in VA/DC, Dr. Curran is still my doctor of choice. In fact, I waited 6-months to get in with her office initially, and now that I'm in, I don't plan to lose my spot! All the good doctors have waiting lists, it seems - in all cities.

I also agree that Dr. Curran is fantastic. After having a terrible experience with a doctor in…read moreWashington DC, I never go to a doctor now without consulting reviews. Dr. Curran has been my OBGYN for about 2 years now and it's been great. She is very kind and understanding and extremely knowledgeable. She helped diagnose a problem I was having that other doctors had muddled up. She has a nice bedside manner. I've cried a few times in her office and she handled it with grace, kindness and compassion. She is also willing to go above and beyond, recommending other doctors and giving her professional opinion while also consulting with you to make sure you understand everything that's going on. Her office staff is nice, professional, and competent. Not easy to find in a medical office. A while back they advised me on how to handle getting into the correct medical group while not messing up my PCP designation. All around great.