My partner and I recently completed the Hypnobirthing three week course at Brilliant Births. We had an absolutely incredible experience, for many reasons--The information we learned was invaluable, but also the instructors' teaching styles and depth of personal experience they offered was appreciated, comforting, and helpful. They clearly have a deep well of wisdom and experience-based expertise to share. We started our class with Keira and absolutely loved her--originally we were a bit bummed to know we would have a different instructor for our last day of the course. However, it turned out that Heidi was equitably wonderful and all things lovely-- instead of only one great instructor and guide, we ended up with two...which leads me to believe you'll be in skilled hands with anyone you interact with at BB. We will definitely be returning to take advantage of their other offerings! read more

We had the best experience with Maureen, one of the many talented doulas at Brilliant Births. We opted for a private Laboring together class, and it exceeded every expectation. Maureen guided us with so much knowledge, warmth and patience. She gave us practical tools, hands on techniques, and the confidence we needed as we prepare for our baby. We both walked out feeling way more prepared. If you're looking for someone who empowers, educates and genuinely cares, Maureen is incredible. We're so grateful! read more

The hypnobirthing series was helpful in preparing for labor. I really enjoyed the last session where it was very hands on. We were able to try out different labor positions with our birth partners. We also did the ice meditation, and I got to experience firsthand how much my visualization training in the course helped. read more

I rented a birth tub/ eco mini for my home birth. My experience working with Caroline was incredible. She responded right away and got me added to their online portal to handle purchase and communication which was efficient and easy. Pick-up was easy and Caroline helped load the tub into my car and was a wonderful person to connect with. The tub had all parts and accessories and directions needed. The tub was such a blessing during birth! So grateful to have decided on using one. It was a very easy pack-up as well, my partner was able to pack it all up, no problem. However, on our part, the birth cover happened to get thrown away in process, for which we sincerely apologize. Caroline was so kind in understanding and we covered the cost, no problem. So, pro tip (more pro than us) please double check your return list and make sure if your birth team is packing up for you, they know to check the list and pack all the parts, and well-dried too. Postpartum portal is real! Also, I did not realize how many offerings Brilliant Births has, wished I had found them earlier in pregnancy to check out! Overall great experience, thank you! read more

I reached out to brilliant births to get help on finding a labor and delivery doula and postpartum doula. Caroline made it super easy to connect with them and schedule interviews as well as sent over a mini guide and suggested questions. We were able to find doulas were excited to work with! read more

We had such a great experience learning from Mandi and getting to know our fellow parents. It's my third child and third time doing a hypnobirthing class, but it was my husband's first time and it made a huge difference in deepening our discussions and preparations for the birth of our child. I also found this class to be much more helpful in the richness of the topics and class discussions as compared to previous hypnobirthing classes I've taken elsw I highly recommend Brilliant Births and Mandi, as they provide insightful, evidenced-based training for families looking for an alternative to traditional labor pain management. read more

I'm currently pregnant with my first baby and was looking for birthing classes/resources. I heard great things about Brilliant Births. My husband and I did the newborn care workshop and the 5 week Hypnobirthing class. We loved both classes! Lots of helpful information and the instructor, Keira, was wonderful. The Brilliant Births space was also very inviting and comfortable. We are feeling more confident and prepared for baby's arrival. read more

HIGHLY RECOMMEND! I reached out to Brilliant Births in search of a night time Doula for a few one off dates. Caroline connected with me and put me in touch with a few doulas for interviews, they were all great so it was hard to choose! My husband and I feel so blessed that this place and services exist. He travels often so having a place to reach out to for help is so nice! Caroline took the time to listen to my needs and steer me in the right direction. Definitely recommend!! read more

I had the most incredible prenatal massage in my third trimester with Gracie. She was so supportive and warm and did a phenomenal job. The massage not only felt great but also beneficial. The room was peaceful and had some really sweet thoughtful touches like a welcome sign with my name on it. Definitely one of the best things I did for myself during third trimester. I highly recommend it! Also, for those not familiar with the area (I live in Danville), this is a VERY nice area of Berkeley. Parking can be tricky but it is super nice and safe. I was able to go get a delicious coffee after and buy some coffee beans. read more

We are about 5 weeks out from the birth of our first baby and we took two classes with Brilliant Births; the 3 week childbirth prep series and the newborn care class. Both were great and even though we know that nothing will go according to plan, these classes gave us the tools we need to ask the right questions, know how to advocate for ourselves in the hospital, and what to expect after we get home with our baby. One of the things that I loved most about the class was that our instructor, Maureen, wasn't there to tell us what to do or didn't try and push any kind of agenda on us, she just gave us the information we needed to make informed decisions. We didn't have that same experience in a different class we took with our healthcare provider, so I really appreciated that she explained our options for different scenarios and encouraged us to follow our instincts. I highly recommend Brilliant Births! read more

Heidi is AMAZING! She walks you through every stage of Hypnobirthing! I appreciate that she is open, doesn't lecture you on what is right and what is wrong, only the facts. She goes into great detail of what to expect during labor. I recommend her to all my friends in the Bay Area that are having kids. In the 5 week class, she gives homework and class work. The work helps you and your birthing partner talk through the tough stuff what you both want for your baby. There are many exercises to stimulate the concept of birth - balloon birth method, ice in your hand, and many more. You get to build a small community with the other parents in the group. She even has tasty snack for the group. My only complaint is the uncomfortable cots for 32 week preggos but she has many other options like birthing balls and cushions. Thank you Heidi for such an useful class! read more

Brilliant Births - Indications for cesarean section - Doulas Near Me - Berkeley, California

Highly recommend Brilliant Births for both birth prep classes and doula selection services. I am heading into birth feeling so much more prepared than I would have expected. Their classes are well organized, taught by caring and thoughtful teachers, and are a great opportunity meet other families in the area. read more

My husband and I attended the Childbirth Preparation course at Brilliant Births taught by Thea Lemaster and both found it to be excellent. First off - Thea was truly fantastic! She is friendly, puts everyone at ease, and is super approachable. We had a ton of questions throughout the class and she was always happy to answer every single one, and then spent another 10-15 minutes chatting with us after class as well. She's fantastic! The class provided a lot of helpful information and a great balance between the experience of natural childbirth without any intervention and childbirth with different levels of medical intervention and pain management. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that there really wasn't any negative emphasis placed on medical intervention or using pain management which was so nice to hear as a high risk patient who will most likely require some level of intervention. For those who are worried that this type of class may feel a bit too "woo woo" for them - fear not! :) My only small piece of feedback is that the chairs in the class are uncomfortable for a long day - specially for women in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy! There were exercise balls you could sit on instead which was super helpful (though not enough for everyone), but it would be great to invest in more comfortable seating. Would highly recommend this class to anyone in the Bay looking for a childbirth prep class. read more

Brilliant Births was one of the best part of my entire pregnancy (feeling our baby kick and seeing my belly grow were awesome too). I am a military wife, this is our first pregnancy, we had to move, my husband was away for 6 weeks, and we have a puppy. With our busy life we decided to complete private Hypno-birthing classes. The team made everything so easy. They mailed us all the materials , answered my text messages when I had questions following a doctor's appointment, and worked around our schedule. The classes covered everything and they were build around our needs. The classes were inclusive too. As a woman of color I appreciated the brown skin baby dolls, videos with families of color, and role playing around advocating for my health. I felt empower and informed. I am an assistant Principle, I understand how much thought goes into making a lesson engaging, interactive, and warm. Our 5 sessions made us cry, laughs, and feel informed. I felt like Heidi was a partner in my pregnancy and she truly wanted our needs and desires to be met. She sent follow up emails with additional information we asked about. Heidi even ended a session early so I could take a nap and sent us what we missed so we didn't fall behind. I would give it 10 stars if I could! read more

Brilliant Births - 36 weeks - Doulas Near Me - Berkeley, California

We're expecting our first child soon and we heard about Brilliant Births from one of our midwives. I was a little worried about taking an all-day immersive class at first, not sure how long I'd be able to stay focused, but Thea made the day fly by. We learned so much and feel much more prepared for labor and delivery. Thea presented the information in an objective way, citing data and research. The class was clear, fun, and hands-on. We'd definitely recommend their childbirth prep class. read more

I can't recommend Caroline and Brilliant Births enough. My husband and I had a serious safety violation with our original doula and our newborn baby (doula not through Brilliant Births) and unfortunately had to make the call to let her go immediately. A friend connected me to Caroline who jumped in to help us within minutes after she heard about our experience. We had a quick phone call and she was so reassuring of our decision and asked what we needed. Within the hour she had found us a doula in her network who was available right away. Not only is the new doula working out, but she is even more attentive to both our baby and me than the previous doula so I feel my walls have come down and I feel way more at ease. I didn't think I would find someone so quickly, but it was clear Caroline cared deeply about our issues and wanted to make it right even when it was not anyone from Brilliant Birth's fault the first person didn't work out. Next baby, I won't hesitate to reach out again! read more

I found an amazing Doula (Thea Lemaster) for my first pregnancy and took a hypnobirthing class at Brilliant Births for my second pregnancy. Everyone I've met through Brilliant Births has been kind, knowledgeable, and passionate about prenatal and postnatal care. Heidi (the owner) taught the hypnobirthing class I took and I can't say enough praise about her approach. I highly recommend Brilliant Births for their variety of pregnancy related support! read more

My prenatal massage with Gracie was fantastic and the Brilliant Births space was so relaxing!

My husband and I took a 5 week hypnobirthing class at BB and it was amazing! I went in feeling nervous about birthing and left feeling a sense of calm and preparedness. The instructor was very knowledgeable and inclusive/collaborative. Can't recommend enough! read more

I found my birth doula through Brilliant Births and she was amazing! The intake process they have was thorough yet simple - hearing what your needs and preferences are, and sending you several potential doulas to interview to find the best fit for you. We absolutely could not have birthed our baby without Mirai! After having my baby, I started attending Brilliant Births' postpartum support group and it's been a huge source of community and confidence-building for me during some rough weeks. Danielle is a compassionate, thoughtful, and affirming facilitator and makes space for everyone to feel welcome and heard. I also attended their yoga class a couple of times on Saturdays and I found it to be relaxing and a great way to get back into exercise post-baby. Would definitely recommend to any new parents or moms-to-be in the East Bay! read more

My partner and I love Brilliant Births. They offer so many valuable resources and support. We attended several different classes and the postpartum support group. Caroline led the group meetings and created an open, inviting, and safe space where everyone was able to share transparently and connect. Caroline also offered cranial sacral therapy for our baby and came to our home. All of our experiences with Brilliant Births and Caroline were extremely positive and helpful for us. read more

I received a postnatal massage with Gracie, and I'm so glad I've found her! She was very sensitive to my post-delivery body, and was incredibly nurturing and got into my knots with the perfect pressure. I have recommended her to all of my pregnant and postpartum friends! read more

Really nice and professional childbirth class. I really recommend the Lamaze class by Kiera. She's patient and willing to share as much as possible with me about all the child birth support/ questions I had. read more

My spouse and I took the 1-day immersive class with Thea and had a wonderful time! I was worried that 7 hours would drag, but the time absolutely flew by. It was just the right amount of "lecture" and interactive exercises. I can totally see why the longer multi-session classes would be even more helpful, but even in 1 day we learned a ton and it was a very positive experience for us as a couple. I highly recommend Brilliant Births! Parking can be tough because it's a popular area in Berkeley, but on Sundays parking is free/unrestricted, which made it a lot easier for us to find a spot to park all day. I recommend giving yourself extra time to find parking, though. Thank you, Thea and Brilliant Births! read more

I took hypnobirthing classes with Isadora. She was very genuine and easy to communicate with. We learned a ton from the course and would recommend it to anyone aiming for natural, unmedicated birth. read more

I would give 10 stars if I could! Heidi Kate at Brilliant Births brought so much ease and calmness into my pregnancy and delivery. Being a first time mom, during a pandemic was a terrifying time. But, Heidi prepared my husband and me better than anyone could have. (Thank you!!!) We took Hypnobirthing classes with Heidi, which put my husband and I in such a great place, mentally, leading up to our birth. We followed the meditations, and affirmations and felt extremely confident leading up to our big day. My normally anxious mind was at ease. That, combined with our doula sessions, we learned SO much. Heidi is so knowledgable, and created many hands on experiences which prepared us for birth. One month before my due date- our hospitals guidelines changed due to COVID, and we unfortunately could no longer have a doula present with us at the hospital. Despite my initial shock and devastation, I knew that Heidi had prepared us SO well, that we survive without her physically present. She could still be there for us virtually via facetime, calls, and texts. Plus, Hypnobirthing had programmed us to be at ease with whatever changes and complications that were thrown in our way. Heidi and my husband were in contact the entire time I was in labor, right up through delivery. She was able to keep us on track when we needed her, however, she had given us SO many tools to use, that we felt fully prepared to be on our own. One of my favorite parts of my labor was when my husband would repeat my chosen affirmations to me in between pushes. I never expected to feel so calm and peaceful in the middle of active labor! We had my placenta encapsulated and I truly believe that helped me recovery from postpartum. I was energetic, had a great milk supply and did not suffer from PPD, luckily. Lastly, Heidi came right over the second day we were home from the hospital. I needed the extra support, in a time where I felt so clueless. She didn't hesitate to be there for us, and I am forever grateful. I know that to this day (6 months later) I can still count on Heidi to be there when I need her. Heidi is the best of the best. If you are considering using her (or Brilliant Births), this is me telling you to GO FOR IT! You will not regret it! read more

Immersive class with Thea was wonderful. Spikes on how partners can be great advocates and explains L&D in detail so we know what to expect.

We loved this class so much. We made one of the activities into a baby shower game (I don't want to spoil which one!). Our instructor, Thea, was so thorough, kind, knowledgable and made the class fun. LOVED IT! read more

My husband and I took the 7 hour childbirth class and it was incredibly informative! Thea was our instructor and she was amazing. She presented the content in a way that was approachable and understandable. She had great answers to all of our questions and made the time fly by. We feel thoroughly prepared for the childbirth experience and feel much more confident in our ability to advocate for ourselves. We would highly recommend this facility, this specific class and Thea! read more

Gracie is such an intuitive and technically skilled bodyworker. I've struggled to find practitioners that can work so intensely on tough areas. She is communicative, strong, and AMAZING. Will keep going back to her!! read more

My husband and I took a one day immersive birthing class with Keira. We had an amazing time, both informative and catered to our needs on what we wanted to focus on. He felt like it was incredibly helpful and she served as a great guide to support me during comfort measures. Highly recommend. read more

The Hypnobirthing class was fantastic. It was the perfect combination of the mechanics and physiology of birth as well as breathing and meditation. Would definitely recommend, especially for first-time parents! read more

Where do I begin? Heidi not only helped us through the birth of our daughter in 2017 but now the recent birth of our son a month ago. I couldn't be happier with our experience of having Heidi as our doula. She is compassionate, driven, knowledgeable and understanding. Heidi, my husband and I have been friends for years and with our first pregnancy my daughter was breach at 36 weeks. We decided to call Heidi and speak with her regarding what our options were to to prevent a cesarean. I was so anxious and really wanted a cesarean to be a last resort. This is when Heidi spoke about options we had to try to get her to flip and about possibly having a "gentle cesarean". I had never heard about that option before! After learning all of our options I decided to go to a chiropractor and try the Webster's method. A week later my daughter had turned head down and stayed head down until being induced causing my water to break and she flipped in the middle of the night. I had no choice but to have a cesarean and unfortunately nothing went as planned. Since it had been the first time having a child I didn't know what to expect and didn't really go into it with expectations made known to the medical staff prior. I hadn't written a birth plan or learned how to advocate for myself. After birth I had post partum PTSD due to the experience I had in the hospital and Heidi was there for my husband and I in comfort afterward as a friend. About a year later my husband and I were talking about a having second child. I thought to myself there is no way that I'm going through another cesarean again. I had made my mind up I was done having children although we always had envisioned having two. I asked Heidi if I could talk to her about possibilities on how to make this time different and how I longed to feel empowered bringing a little life into the world. We talked about VBAC and gentle cesarean again. A planned cesarean ended up being my only option in the small town I live in. With Heidi's help along with therapy I was ready to start talking to my husband about having a second child again and not let fear control our future. For our second birth we wanted to ensure our experience would be a better one since it would be a planned cesarean. Heidi officially became our virtual doula this time and any questions or concerns we had she was there to answer them. She contacted me to help build a birth plan, teach me how to advocate for myself as well as provide guidance for my husband on how to support and advocate for me as well, and provide support throughout my pregnancy. I felt much more confident knowing what I wanted and what I didn't want for my birth experience if it were possible. I learned how to advocate for myself so well that I didn't have to share my birth plan with any of the nurses or technicians because I knew how to speak openly about my preferences and desires. The second experience was not comparable to my first and left me feeling empowered and overjoyed and helped me heal emotionally from the prior birth trauma. I only have tears of joy when looking at pictures! If it hadn't been for Heidi and her encouragement, kindness and understanding I believe we wouldn't have welcomed our son into the world 4 weeks ago. Thank you so much Heidi for helping make our family complete. read more

Brilliant Births - Most empowering moment in my life. Thank you Heidi and Brilliant Births! - Doulas Near Me - Berkeley, California

The hypnobirthing class I took with Isadora was so helpful and informative. It not only has helped me prepare for the birth I want, but also with everyday relaxation techniques to get me through pregnancy (and beyond). Isadora is deeply knowledgeable about pregnancy and birth, patient to answer all our questions, and offered so much wonderful guidance! She is amazing! I also want to note that I love that the hypnobirthing class covered so many topics that even my hospital provided classes hardly touched on (or only provided very "sanitized" instruction on). This hypnobirthing class prepared me for what a real calm birth can look like, what real breastfeeding looks like. It was really helpful and practical info for a first time parent. I highly recommend this class, and especially Isadora's instruction! read more

We recently attended hypnobirthing classes based on a friend's recommendation. We loved our experience and learned so much! Heidi (instructor), Keira (assistant instructor) and the fellow attendees were positive and helpful. We felt welcome, and we loved all the resources provided. You can expect a lot of birth information like anatomy lessons, terminology related to birthing, and comfort measures. Books are provided. There are some meditation and visualization practices-- maybe 10-30 minutes per class. Heidi is very knowledgeable and my birth partner especially appreciated the structure and information. Thank you, Brilliant Births! read more

We loved the hypnobirthing class. I feel so much more confident and prepared after Heidi's classes. She also made classes fun and engaging. I definitely recommend if you have anxiety around labor and delivery. read more

This review is about a year-and-a-half overdue, but better late than never. Brilliant Births is a treasure, my partner and I took hypnobirthing with Heidi and worked with Stephanie as our doula for the birth of our son in May 2021. Every element of care was exceptional and helped us have a grounded and fulfilling labor and birth. I've recommended the service to friends who have also had delightful experiences. read more

I am so grateful for Brillant Births! My partner and I were able to take the 1 Day Childbirth Immersive with Thea. She was so knowledgeable and engaging - she held the space in a supportive way, helping to answer all our questions and ease anxieties. I had been having a lot of anxiety in thinking about my labor experience and this class helped to bring me a new sense of calm and confidence. I feel like I have a much better understanding of the birth experience, various options and interventions and have practiced how to advocate for myself and my baby. I appreciate how focused this was on the family and helping to get my partner and I on the same page about our roles in bringing our baby into this world. read more

I'm so glad that I reached out to brilliant births to find our doula for the home birth of our second child. I spoke with a few different doulas and ultimately chose Verana (aka V) for a number of reasons. The first is that our primary support need from a doula this go-round was to care for our 2.5 year old during labor, so it was important to find someone that connected with her and made her feel safe...my daughter LOVES V. During our first meeting, she really focused on listening to her and making her feel like part of the process. Our kiddo was so excited every time we told her V was coming for a visit Another reason was just her overall vibe...such a great listener, not pushy, not timid. It was a great personality match for our family. Because I dragged my feet committing to V, she had scheduled a development opportunity around our due date (which she was totally up front about with us prior to us making our decision). She ensured that we had fantastic back up support in place while she was away...of course, our daughter made her appearance during that time, haha. We were so fortunate that Celia was her backup. We'd met with her once before, and our midwife had actually delivered her son a couple of years ago. Celia was SO amazing with our daughter and she also was able to document our birth with some unbelievable photos. We consider ourselves lucky to have had the chance to work with two wonderful women during our birth experience! read more

This review is for my experience working with Brilliant Births on my placenta encapsulation. I am so happy that I went through BB to do this as I delivered in late December, around Christmas time and Heidi made me feel really confident that across her team, there would be someone available to come to the hospital to pick up my placenta for processing. Her team and process made it SO easy for us. As you know if you have given birth, it can get a little hectic/crazy going to the hospital and then also, needing to have the placenta packaged up to time the pickup correctly to get to your doula for processing. Heidi and Stephanie organized a group text with myself and my husband a few weeks before my due date so my husband could text them when we were heading to the hospital, and again as soon as the baby was born to coordinate the pickup. He said this was a seamless process once our midwife had everything packed up and despite how different hospital policies are during COVID, he said it was easy to get it to Stephanie a few hours after birth. They also dropped off a cooler with supplies inside a few weeks in advance right at our house so we could have it packed in our hospital bag. 2 days later (on Christmas Eve, no less!) Stephanie dropped the encapsulated placenta back off at our house which was so speedy. Most importantly, I loved all of the extras that Brilliant Births include in their placenta package - we got GORGEOUS photos of the placenta (it seriously looked beautiful the way they had arranged it, much more beautiful than how I saw it in a big bucket at the hospital) with a print that we will cherish forever - it doesn't look like a raw organ in the print version, it's something we would definitely hang up in the baby's room - we're hoping to turn it into a "family tree" with everyone's names. I loved that they returned the capsules in the original cooler bag with lactation treats and supplies and some fliers for local resources for postpartum support. They also provided very specific and easy to understand instructions for how and when to take the placenta pills and when I had a question about consumption when I experienced an infection a few weeks later, Heidi was very helpful in her recommendations to me. There can be a lot of logistics involved with encapsulating your placenta and it can be hard to know if the person you are hiring is going to get the timing right and be able to deliver for you - I fully trusted Heidi and her Brilliant Births team from day one and it was so nice to know that everything would be taken care of - it was truly something I didn't have to worry about. Her paperwork, contracts, communication, invoicing and payments are all very professional and easy to understand and she and her team are very prompt in their communication too. read more

Brilliant Births - Doulas Near Me - Berkeley, California

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