Before choosing a doula, we did our due diligence, interviewing about 4 different women. Something just didn't click...that is, until we met Caitlin. From the moment we first met, both my husband and I felt super comfortable with her. We knew she was The One. Before our baby was born, she came to our house and helped us figure out our birth plan. She also offered constructive feedback about a pre-term labor scare we had, and offered suggestions about how I could make my birth a far better experience than that one had been. Our baby was born a week early, and Caitlin was with us the whole way. She helped us decide when a good time to go to the hospital would be, and, when it turned out things were moving faster than usual, met us there. During the labor I decided to get an epidural, and Caitlin reminded me (in a completely non-judgemental way) that I had said I wanted to try to go au naturale. I had to ask her to remind me WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH I wanted to do that, and when she told me, she didn't judge me at all for wanting to get the epidural anyway. As my husband says, having a doula is kind of like an insurance policy. Like Seamus' experience below, if you have a hard labor a doula can be the difference between a vaginal birth and a c-section. In our experience, my labor went flawlessly, but we were still very thankful that we had Caitlin there. Her presence was really calming, and she took some beautiful pictures of our new little family right after our baby was born, which we will treasure forever. About a week after Charlie was born, Caitlin came over to meet her and to talk to us about post-partum issues. She brought a letter to Charlie detailing her birth, which was wonderful to have. Caitlin is the kind of person who you feel blessed to have met - she's truly a remarkable woman. Thank you Caitlin! read more

Caitlin Robinson - This is one of the amazing photos Caitlin took of our daughter's birth. Thank you, Caitlin! - Pilates Near Me - Oakland, California

I started running in grad school, and was up to 40-60 miles per week - and I never had any kind of training or coaching. Of course, I ended up with some injuries but I still had no idea how I got them or how to fix them. After 5 years off running due to spraining my left ankle too many times, I managed to rehab the left ankle by accident while trying to rehab a more recent right ankle sprain. In six weeks of running - I went off and did my first half marathon. As I was approaching the halfway point - I saw a comet, no - more like a zephyr - it was Caitlin Smith coming around the bend. I didn't see anyone else running like she did - and she came in the top 3 for this event with an incredible 1h 20m time -- I found that she taught Pilates nearby and works with people as a running coach, so met with her within a week or so. Caitlin is truly a lovely person - she's approachable, friendly, kind. She's one of the most incredibly fit people I have ever met, and she is very generous about sharing information and her experiences. She put together a training plan for me that was challenging and had some flexibility. I went to my first ever track workouts -- hill sprints and all kinds of other things that I had never known before were added to my repertoire. And, of course - under my own direction, I strained something and have had to back off -- but Caitlin keeps me honest and when I say "I'm still going to do..." -- she's able to give me sanity checks to keep me from screwing things up worse. I'm looking forward to working more with Caitlin and her weekly track workouts through the summer and fall. I may not ever get to the point of (wanting to) run 50 miles but I want to run the best that I can and she's a great coach and inspiration. Highly recommended! read more

First of all everybody should get a doula and that doula should be Caitlin. My wife and I met her at our six week birth prep class at Birthways in Berkeley and we wanted her as our doula because we were instantly very comfortable around her and we thought she could deal with being around me which can be very difficult at times or so I'm told (I speak my mind and I'm almost impossible to please). We met lots of times to discuss stuff, she gave us books which my wife read and I didn't (I figured we had a doula so I didn't need to), she had many phone conversations with my wife and her friend Braxton Hicks and then the hard work started........ Katie went into labor at 4:00pm and Caitlin joined us at 10:00pm, we went to the hospital at 6:00am and baby Ronan was born naturally and healthy 20 1/2 hrs later. The labor was very rough and without Catlin there it would have been a cesarean delivery. Many times we had to send the doctors and nurses out of the room while we discussed our options with Caitlin and with out her there to support me I would have given up completely on our natural birth plan and I would not have been able to fully support Katie. Anyhow 4 1/2 hrs of pushing and it was all worth it. She has the knowledge, the personality, the endurance (probably from the 1,000,000 mile races she runs) and as a yoga instructor she was able to suggest different positions to try and turn baby Ronan during labor. We have never had another doula to compare her with and we never will. We will be booking her 6 months in advance the next time. She gets our highest recommendations. I can also be contacted for additional information or questions. read more

Caitlin was our Doula for the recent birth of our child. My husband and I chose her because she is down-to-earth, very knowledgeable and confident. We could not have picked a better Labor Support Coach! Caitlin was instrumental in the birth of my son Levi, who's now 17 days old. On the evening that I went into early labor, Caitlin came to our house to provide guidance. She reminded my sister and husband how to give counter-pressure, massage and support me in breathing and distracting me while I coped with painful contractions. In the triage department at Kaiser, Caitlin suggested I walk around to help move the labor along and get the baby in place since I wasn't far along enough to be admitted into the hospital. Caitlin was key to critical turning moments in the birth. One example is when she reminded us of positions to use to shift the baby. I couldn't believe how well they worked. She is an excellent Doula!! She gave me key instructions and said the perfect thing when I needed to rise to the occasion to bring my baby into the world. I highly recommend Caitlin as a Doula and am willing to talk about specifics. read more

Caitlin served as our doula for the birth of our daughter in September, 2009. We hired her because we really liked her presence. She has very calm and positive energy and I knew that no matter how I ended up feeling in labor, I'd feel comfortable and happy that she was there. Caitlin was very helpful and informative in our meetings before the big day, giving us resources and good information. When the day came, Caitlin was here right away and helped us make a good call about when it was time to go to the hospital. I was so thankful that she was there to support me and my husband! It gave me a sense of confidence to have someone in the room that I considered an expert who I could trust. Sure enough, her calm, positive energy really helped me stay focused and in control during a very fast labor. I will always be grateful that Caitlin was a part of our birth day and would recommend her to anyone looking for support and expertise to be by their side. Oh! And she took some BEAUTIFULLY composed photos of the most precious moments after our baby was born. Unbelievably important! read more

Caitlin is an amazing trainer.! Patient, empathetic, and helps me to get in shape.

If you've ever even considered wanting a doula by your side during childbirth, contact Caitlin immediately! I was expecting my first child and hoping that my mother would be with me during the labor and delivery process. Only a few weeks before my due date, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and scheduled for surgery one week before my due date. That was the first time I considered finding a doula. I contacted several people and got in touch with Caitlin a few short weeks before my son was born. I met Caitlin in person several times and she was very interested in learning about the kind of birthing experience my husband and I were looking for and was so kind and sensitive and thoughtful through the pre-birth phase. She called me every day to check in and to let me know if she was going for a run if I suddenly went into labor. Which didn't come for 2 whole weeks AFTER my due date. Caitlin was by our side at 6 am on Wednesday morning (when my contractions started) and was still hanging in there with us on Thursday at noon when our son was finally born! She never left our side Now that the whole experience is behind me and every time I think about the birth of my son, I CANNOT imagine how I would have made it through without Caitlin. read more

Caitlin has been an immense help in helping me heal a postpartum diastesis. I've been a yoga practitioner for years, and knew very little about Pilates before starting classes w Caitlin. She is wonderfully knowledgeable about the body, and her experiences as a doula make her a great resource in understanding common areas of concern related to birth and the postpartum (posture, physiological changes, and habits that may be convenient in the short run, but take their toll through time). As a midwife, and as a mama, I highly recommend connecting w Caitlin to heal, and/or strengthen, your postpartum body. You deserve it :) read more

Caitlin is great and I highly recommend her. She has a wonderfully calm and non-judgmental approach. She came to our home a few times before the birth of our baby and we discussed our hopes for the birth. My situation was a bit of a gray area because I was trying (and succeeded!) to have a VBAC. Caitlin offered great information, integrated perfectly with the nurses and doctors at Kaiser Oakland, and supported both my husband and me during the very intense and fast birthing process. My husband found her really valuable during the birth because she helped him find the best ways to support me. I am so happy that I choose to hire a doula and that I found Caitlin. She also sent some beautiful photos of my baby girl right after the birth and a birth story. read more

Caitlin is a superb trainer. I'm a tennis player, which involves everything from using one side of the body more than another to a variety of injuries caused by technical woes, movement, experience, etc. Caitlin has been first-rate in helping me address all of that -- by enhancing my flexibility, agility, body awareness and core strength. She is patient, friendly and supremely aware of what it takes to keep me as fit and healthy as possible. read more