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.

My wife is a planner, so she had her doula lined up months in advance. What she couldn't plan for,…read morehowever, was a bit of bad luck: labor set in, but her doula unexpectedly informed her that she couldn't help because of a sudden death in her family. Yikes, no doula and the baby was on its way! That's when Blythe stepped in, as recommended by our original doula. We were admittedly desperate, and probably would've taken an ax-wielding maniac at that point. Luckily, Blythe isn't an ax-wielding maniac. In fact, I doubt she's ever wielded an ax -- she's far too gentle. Blythe swept in as an angel might, immediately reassuring, commanding, and confident. I honestly couldn't imagine this birth without Blythe. She didn't just help my wife; she was critical in my corner, too. She kept giving, giving, and giving more without a second thought. Amazing woman, amazing birth, and a happy healthy baby. Please feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

Blythe is an absolutely wonderful doula and person. Recommended to us by our midwives, Blythe has…read moremany years of experience and a calm, peaceful, maternal presence. My husband and I immediately felt comfortable with her. Her prenatal (and postnatal) meetings are thorough, taking the time to truly connect and build relationship. She held and guided me both physically and emotionally throughout my natural labor and delivery at Alta Bates. From constant physical support to essential oils to her steady, encouraging words and mantras, we could not have had the birth we dreamed of without Blythe. She also very unobtrusively (I didn't even notice!) took and shared photos and a few videos with us: a few from labor and hundreds in the hours immediately after birth -- which we will treasure forever. Having Blythe accompany our first pregnancy and birth was truly a gift.

Eva, amazing, Eva! I am a midwife myself and my husband is a Nurse Practitioner - we chose Eva as…read moreour midwife because she not just listens but also hears what you are saying, she is very informed and professional and up to date on the latest research and guidelines regarding birth, and we felt we could completely trust her in an emergency (my husband used to work in the Emergency Department so this was a very big deal to him of course)! She also speaks fluent Spanish which is great! Throughout our prenatal care Eva was competent, available and understanding. She was a source of great resources (chiropractics, homebirth classes, birth tub etc). She also helped me tremendously with nutrition and supplements. Even as a midwife, she taught me many things I did not know myself. My water released a LONG 66 hours before my baby was born and Eva came over every morning and evening with not only a plan, but herbs and homeopathy and a bunch of tricks in her bag to get things going. Anytime I needed to reach her she was available. And when things finally got going everything went SO quickly my labor was probably 2-3 hours total and between contractions I definitely was impressed with how quickly she set up all of her equipment, including her emergency gear, but also attended to me with her lovely calm and caring manner that I so admire. The birth was the most amazing experience, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. I truly felt my protected, attended to, and respected in the deepest sense. We all had such a wonderful time complete with champagne toast to the birthday boy! We didn't anticipate that we would also come to love Eva for her amazing postpartum care. Compared to the birth breastfeeding was extremely challenging for me. Eva helped me so much through this and the postpartum process. Compared to the one 6 week visit you have with a hospital based clinic, you have many many visits postpartum with Eva. This was amazing, because as new parents, we truly trusted her advice and guidance and really NEEDED support more than ever at this time. I also had the wonderful opportunity to watch Eva attend a good friend's homebirth and again she was calm and collected, knowledgeable and caring, quick and steady, alert yet sensitive - all qualities very important for her work! Eva pours her heart and soul into her work which shines through in the caring and committed relationships she forms with her clients. She is one of the most positive people I've ever met and was definitely "called" to the field of midwifery.

Absolutely the best birthing experience I've witnessed with the best genuine care a professional…read moreand experienced midwife can offer. Please note that my review is based not as a mother laboring for the birth of her child, but as a support person, guiding the laboring mother. Eva demonstrated the most gentle, comprehensive, and trusting care you need in order to trust a midwife with the delivery of your baby. Throughout the entire birthing process, way before the delivery date, Eva continued to prepare and mentor both my friend, her husband, and I on what to expect. During delivery, Eva was calm and proved to be one of the driving forces for my friend's perfect delivery. She is absoultely what I envision an excellent midwife to be.

I often think about how Ellah's care set our family up for so much joy and ease and trust, for…read moreparenting, breastfeeding, and beyond. Ellah is a gem, and we loved working with her! Each step of the way, Ellah made us feel cared for and safe. We immediately felt comfortable with Ellah, and relied on her calm and trusting nature throughout my pregnancy. Ellah struck the perfect balance between giving us information about labor, birth, postpartum, and the many decisions that must be made, and trusting us to do what was best for us. We had routine prenatal checkups in which Ellah would check on my health, the health of the baby, offer relevant information to that stage of the pregnancy, and then offer time to explore what was happening emotionally, physically, and more, which went far beyond anything I experienced with a medical provider. As we neared the end of the pregnancy, around week 36, Ellah recommended that I get another ultrasound because she believed the baby was breech. She was right, and we did everything we could to turn the baby around which ended up with us choosing to go to the hospital for a manual (external) version. Ellah came with us and advocated for medical staff to keep trying, and to bring in more staff, until finally they were able to turn the baby head down! This made it possible for me to give birth vaginally, and at home. During labor and birth, Ellah was an incredible support, letting labor progress naturally while calmly and efficiently managing any complications which arose in order to ensure that the baby and I were safe and able to bond. Ellah continued to care for us as a family for 6 weeks after the birth, which gave us a chance to speak with her about all of postpartum and newborn questions, especially breastfeeding. Having her come to our home made a huge difference in my own recovery.

Sometimes I ask myself where would I be today without Ellah? Ellah was our midwife for the birth of…read moreour first (and currently only) baby. She was an incredible guide and mentor throughout our whole journey of becoming parents. She supported us on so many levels - as a medical professional who deeply knows her craft, as a listening ear to our fears and anxieties about what we were embarking on, and as a supportive presence encouraging us that we could manage it all. I found myself looking forward to my regular appointments with Ellah, knowing that I'd leave her office feeling reassured and refueled to continue to do the work of growing a baby. When it came to the birth, Ellah never doubted me. She allowed me the time and space to work through the labor as my body needed. The aftercare in our home from Ellah was critical to our start as a family and to my continued postpartum healing. Working with Ellah is a gift to any new mother or family. I couldn't recommend her enough.

I had my prenatal visits at Prima Medical with Melanie Wice as my midwife. She was always kind,…read morelistened to me and gave me relevant advice and information. My birth was to happen in Marin General where Wice is a midwife on some days of the week. Imagine how happy I was that the night my labor progressed was also her shift. She was an amazing coach and I felt like a best friend, family and just a wonderful midwife support person to me. She is so knowledgeable and had a clear plan of attack how to handle my situation since my baby's head got stuck in my pelvis. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Melanie Wice.

Ottilia and Cody make a great team. They are alike in that they both are warm-hearted, competent…read moreand approachable. The ways in which they are different is really what makes this a strong program. They each come from a unique professional background, and that coupled with their unique struggles and triumphs as mothers themselves, is what makes their breadth of knowledge so expansive. I think for a lot of women, myself included, there seems to be an abundance of information out there relating to pregnancy and childbirth, but when you're really going through it, you want individualized answers to your questions that are sometimes hard to find online or in books. Like Ottilia, I'm also a Labor and Delivery nurse, and yet she taught me things during my pregnancy that I never knew. She was indispensable when it came to providing labor support when I had my daughter. She's an excellent listener and she's extremely intuitive- two qualities I find indispensable in this line of work. I really connected with Cody when it came to my breastfeeding journey. The thing about becoming a mom is that you have no idea what leg of the journey is going to give you the most trouble. When you actually reach this junction, you are too tired/overwhelmed/busy/etc to do any real research to guide your decision-making. Not only did Cody provide this, she also shared her experience with me and at the time I just really needed to hear from someone else who shared my experience. Apart from all of this, they both are just really cool people that you'd actually want to share this part of your life with.

I can't say enough good things about Ottilia! Although I didn't have the opportunity to experience…read moreher course with my first child I would definitely do so for my next one. I was so fortunate to have Ottilia as one of my nurses during my stay at Highland Hospital. I originally planned a home birth but my son was a bit too cozy, pushing us past the 42 week mark so I needed an emergency transfer for induction support. From the start Ottilia's care was like nothing I had ever experienced in a hospital. Not only did she radiate so much warmth, but she constantly checked in to make sure I was taken care of and that things were progressing well. She always took extra precautions to make sure that my son was in a good position and answered any of my concerns with honesty. As her shift was ending she even went out of her way to put us in the care of an amazing nurse who also had a background as a doula. My husband and I were both thrilled, however, when Ottilia was one of the nurses that was present for our son's delivery. I was in labor for a total of 40 hours and was pushing for four when I was finally dilated enough. Ottilia gave me so much encouragement, continuously sharing affirmations and empowering the birth through the end. I know that she advocated strongly for me throughout that whole process. Because my son was posterior and just had such a hard time coming out we needed to do a vacuum assist. Ottilia was right there giving me the strength I needed for that final push to meet my son! He wasn't breathing for the first six minutes, but God is good and I knew in my heart that he would pull through. When we finally heard his cry Ottilia looked at me and said, "Do you hear that? That's your son!" Aside from my dear husband, I can't imagine having anyone else by my side at that moment. She even spent the time after to show me how to manually express and get that precious colostrum my boy needed. We have so much love, respect, and adoration for Ottilia. Let's just say that if we have a girl, we'd name her after this incredible woman.

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.

Molly was invaluable at our second birth and creating a fantastic experience. My first labor was…read morevery long and my recovery was extremely painful and took two months- I wish we had known Molly then! We had the great fortune to meet Molly right before welcoming our second child- what a difference she made! Molly educated me on various things that could help my labor process go smoother. These were things that nobody taught me the first time around and that were not covered in birth class, online birth resources or by my ob/gyn appointments. Molly also helped us think through care/contingency plans for our toddler which was a big concern. When labor actually hit, Molly made sure my birth plan was followed closely and had multiple copies on hand. Molly was instrumental in having a nurse removed from the birth room, when she mixed me up with another patient and helping my husband when he almost passed out when the first attempt at my epidural failed. Molly perfectly balanced being there for us and giving us space when we needed it. My recovery this time has been much faster, in large part to Molly's efforts. As a direct result of this, I have been able to successfully breast feed! With my first experience, my milk never came in due to postpartum pain issues. Molly was amazing in helping us get clear on what was important to us and honoring those wishes. We highly recommend Molly. If you are on the fence about hiring a Doula or had a prior poor Doula experience, Molly is a perfect fit for you. If we are blessed enough to have another child, she will be there if available.

With Molly as my doula, I never felt alone. Molly went above and beyond to make sure every question…read moreI had was answered and every concern I had was addressed. During my pregnancy, Molly helped me become more comfortable on what I wanted in my birth plan and when I voiced concern about previous experiences, she took the time to find better ways to approach tough subjects. Molly advocated for me when I was in labor and when I was unable to be completely present and advocate for myself. I felt totally listened to and understood; even when I questioned myself, Molly was able to reassure me that what I was feeling and experiencing was completely normal and okay. I would recommend Molly in a heartbeat; she clearly has a strong passion for her work and compassion for her clients.