Maryssa has so much experience and is also such a caring, patient and intuitive person. I cannot…read moreimagine a better fit for someone looking for care.

From the owner: Maryssa Hernandez Doula Services offers compassionate and individualized support with birth,…read morepostpartum, loss, and abortion. Her goal is to provide evidence-based information and resources so that families can make informed choices that feel right for them. Now serving Salinas & surrounding areas. Virtual services also available. Services include: Support Packages, Group & Private Practices, Birth Processing Sessions, Individual Consultations, Feeding Support + more!

Madrone - Monitrice package…read more We chose Madrone as our midwife because from the first time we met, they had a calming, safe presence that made us feel completely at ease with our upcoming birth. We chose the monitrice package because I wanted the reassurance a midwife could provide me with, and it was the absolute best decision. Having a Doula and midwife was the best of both worlds, we felt supported emotionally and had the hands on care from a midwife. This helped us realize our goals of laboring at home as long as possible, and having an unmedicated, natural birth at the hospital. I had my partner, mother and Madrone in the birth room, and Madrone balanced everyone out perfectly. They helped ensure each person had a place and space in my birth, all while taking photos to document it which I will treasure for the rest of time. Madrone was not only there for us during our birth, but before and after in such an impactful way. They helped us prepare before mentally and physically, helping us put together our birth plan and leading us through meditative breathing exercises. Madrone was also there after our birth, with several in person sessions as well as available for support along the way as we got settled in at home. It was so reassuring to have someone so knowledgable to ask questions as things came up - breastfeeding, diaper rash, eye boogers - Madrone had helpful information and answers to everything we asked them. Why we loved working with Madrone: - They are knowledgable and incredibly good at being a Doula and Midwife - They have a warmth and calming presence that always made us feel at ease and safe - They have a very balanced and practical approach to preparing, birth, and the postpartum. - They are respected by every birth worker I came in to contact with. Everyone loves Madrone! - They are humorous and full of so much bright energy, and that helped me through some of the most painful moments during birth. - They allowed me to confidently labor at home as long as possible, monitoring baby's heart rate while my contractions intensified - they cut out my stitches at three weeks when they were no longer serving me. Saving me an unnecessary visit to the doctor. Questions I asked Madrone that they were able to support and guide me through: - What are the pros/cons of the hep b shot? - I think my water just broke... does this look like amniotic fluid (photo of captured fluid in a jar sent... lol)? - How do we communicate to our family that we need them to get the Tdap and flue shots if they want to be around the baby? - Why does our baby have goop on his eyes? - I think my milk supply is too strong for baby to drink, what should I do? - I think my stitches fell out, what should I do? - Is the level of prolapse normal at 3 weeks? - How much should I be resting?

STOP. THIS IS IT. You can stop researching and interviewing doulas now because Mireille is THE…read moreBEST! We started looking for a doula at 6 weeks pregnant so we definitely had the time and energy to look for a doula and we are SO HAPPY we found Mireille. After she came to our home to chat with us, we knew she was the one! We found Mireille through our birthing class at Harmony. she had worked with our midwives, Lin and Maria (shoutout to BAM!) before and was familiar with El Camino Los Gatos so we knew she was perfect! Mireille helped us with our birth plan, eased any fears, and supported us to have a natural childbirth! We couldn't have done it without her. She was there from when we first called her all the way until baby was born, never leaving us :) The best part was she really supported my partner in being part of the birthing process. Will definitely come back to Mireille for our next birth :)

I went back and forth on whether to write this review. I am sure Ana intends well, but sadly we did…read morenot feel adequately supported by her as a doula. I felt like I should provide an alternative perspective for people who are reading these reviews and want to be fully informed in their decision on a doula. There were some things we really appreciated and that she did well, like the postpartum massage and the meal she cooked for us. But the birth experience itself fell far, far short of what we were expecting in terms of care-- I'd like to remain anonymous so I will not go into detail. The prenatal sessions just didn't vibe with us-- a lot of lecture, worksheets and homework that often felt overwhelming rather than supportive or client-directed. The postpartum sessions were shorter than promised and without many of the things she had told us she would do. It seems like Ana has supported others really well, but unfortunately that was not the case for us.

Ana was one of our greatest blessings in assisting with my very first birth. She brought wisdom,…read morepeace & support that allowed me to be confident in my birth choices and thereby allowing a beautiful, natural unmedicated birth. Once I became pregnant and knew we would be giving birth in a hospital, I was encouraged to seek out the support of a doula in hopes to have an unmedicated birth. Ana was everything I could have needed & wanted during my birth and even more, she helped me everything from the preparation to the labor to the birth and into postpartum and beyond which allowed me to have such an amazing experience. She came to our home 3 times before the birth, sat with my husband & I, unrushed and talked over ways we could best prepare and gave us resources if we wanted to further our knowledge - which I gladly did! She made herself available by phone and text whenever I called her, including middle of the night questions! It gave me peace of mind to know that she had been through this many times before and always guided me with comfort. During the birth, I honestly looked to her more than my own doctor. While she is not certified to give medical advice, I trusted her experience overseeing many other births and especially that she viewed birth as a *natural process* that women's bodies are designed for. I didn't even realize the transition my body would go through during the birth experience, and I'm so thankful we added a postpartum component to our package. Worth its weight in gold. Ana came to our home 3 more times after giving birth and brought us a nourishing meal each time, talked through any questions, including caring for our little one, yet truly gave me the attention I needed to facilitate my healing and recovery including the BEST massages I have ever had. I don't have enough space to write all the ways Ana made me feel special, cherished and empowered through my entire pregnancy and birth. I am so thankful to have had her wisdom and support and truly don't believe my birth experience would have been half as incredible if it wasn't for her.

TL;DR: Last-minute cancellations, fell asleep on duty watching our newborn, refused hands-on baby…read morecare, offered useless virtual support, prepaid for 13 nights, and refused refund. We're disputing the charges with our credit card company. Do not recommend. We hired Czarina for evening doula services shortly after welcoming our newborn, hoping for support and rest. Unfortunately, the experience caused us significantly more stress than doing it alone. The most alarming issue was that she repeatedly fell asleep snoring loudly while on duty watching our newborn. This happened on multiple visits. We could see and hear her sleeping, which meant that instead of resting, we stayed awake monitoring her to ensure our baby was safe. When we addressed this directly, her response was shocking: she claimed she was doing it to "train us to be better parents" and get us used to sleeping while the baby sleeps. As exhausted first-time parents, this felt unreassuring and completely unsafe. We hired a night doula to reduce anxiety, not to monitor the caregiver. Beyond the safety issues, basic doula duties were neglected: * Refusal of Care: She was unwilling to help wash the baby and unable to provide clear, hands-on guidance for newborn care. * Household Help: She provided little to no assistance with basic household tasks. * Ineffective Virtual Support: She attempted to substitute some support with "virtual" sessions, which offered zero value to us as parents who needed physical, hands-on help with a newborn during overnight hours. Her reliability was poor, with multiple last-minute cancellations and rescheduling. Most importantly, we prepaid for 13 nights of service. When we terminated the arrangement due to the safety concerns and poor service, she refused to provide a refund for the unused nights. We were forced to escalate this to our credit card company to try and recoup our funds. Czarina was pleasant to speak with initially, but her actions put our peace of mind at risk and violated our trust. If you are looking for reliable, hands-on postpartum care that allows you to rest, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. Ask specific questions about staying awake during night shifts, hands-on newborn care (including bathing), refund policies, and what "virtual support" entails before hiring.

As others have reported we had a horrific experience with Czarina, and most unfortunately, we felt…read moretaken advantage of at a time when we were quite vulnerable right after we had our first child, and were struggling. If you don't take anything from this review, I ask you to please schedule a trial run as others have reported, Czarina will ask you to prepay for multiple days before having a chance to experience with her. Context: We hired Czarina as a night doula for 6 nights. Czarina showed up 5 minutes late (and also left 5 minutes early). When she arrived at our home, she made it pretty clear she was unhappy with our setup (we had our baby sleeping in our room, and our milk/fridge on our main level, requiring going up and down stairs for a bottle). She made it pretty obvious she was unhappy with the stairs which is like the one thing I needed her to do -- fetch stuff from downstairs. Second we had asked Czarina to wake my wife at very specific times to enable specific feedings. We were struggling with breast feeding, struggling to get feeding right at all and wanted to stick to a specific schedule (as recommended by our dr). Czarina failed to wake us up, claiming that she missed our alarm (turns out Czarina feel asleep as a night doula). Finally when my wife woke up and Czarina did bring the infant in, we had asked that she change her as our infant didn't like being wet during a feeding at all. Despite asking multiple times, the baby was brought in wet which prolonged each feeding. Overall Czarina was just not a fit for us, and despite having multiple attempts to receive a refund, Czarina has refused to provide any refunds. I beg you to read this review but also the others and reach out if you have questions. Being a new parent is incredibly stressful and I'd hate for you to have even more stress.

Working with Natasha was a licensing experience. She shepherded me into motherhood and held my hand…read morethrough prenatal, labor, birth, and the first 3 months of our daughters life so beautifully. Natasha is kind and compassionate, and has a wealth of knowledge about everything both and baby related. Not to mention she was recommended by my doctors and had successfully helped to deliver over 1,300 babies in her 20 year + career. Everyone at Sutter knew Natasha and was relieved to learn that she was in out birthing team. She was the perfect liaison between the hospital staff, doctors, my husband and I. If you're looking for a doula - look no further (trust me). She's the best there is.

If you are looking for someone to support you during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period…read moreyou definitely need to meet with Natasha. She was helpful and informative to first time parents, not only about the birthing process but also what may come unexpectedly during birth. The truthfulness and honesty Natasha provided helped prepare my husband and I for the reality of the birthing process. Not only was she an advocate for me during my birth but she also helped me have a healthy and successful birth. After my baby was born, Natasha was available for us 24/7 and answered all our questions immediately. I could have never have had such a wonderful birth experience without Natasha. I will absolutely be working with her again in the future.

I absolutely love Blossom Birth & Family! Carolina is amazing, and you can truly feel how much…read moreheart she puts into creating a welcoming, supportive space for growing families. Blossom offers such a wide range of classes, resources, and support for pregnancy, postpartum, babies, and beyond, and I especially appreciate how inclusive and community-focused they are. They also do an incredible job partnering with other wonderful local organizations and providers, including FIT4MOM SVC, New Mom School, The Healthy Pelvis, and so many others. It really feels like they believe in building a village around families rather than trying to do it all alone. We are so lucky to have Blossom Birth & Family in our community. I can't recommend Carolina and the entire Blossom team enough!

Carolina is the BEST EVER!! Extremely grateful to her for giving me support during postpartum. We (…read moreme and my baby ) go to her mommy and baby yoga and we love it. Even though my baby is crawling now, Carolina encourages us to attend her sessions. She is extremely attentive to both mine and my baby's needs. My little one loves her and feels extremely calm in her sessions. Her wisdom and advice has helped me recover from postpartum issues. She's prompt to respond to questions and has high quality resources to offer. Highly recommend. Grateful to her for everything she has been doing for us.

Love Kim, she was there as our postpartum doula the week after I gave birth to our son. From the…read moreget go, she was so knowledgable, always helpful, friendly, wonderful all around, a definite lifesaver when you're in survival mode. She was the first person we left our son alone with, and that takes a lot of trust and faith and guts, but leaving him with Kim was easy and seamless. Don't know if I could have survived the first few months without her. Wish we could keep Kim forever! We would recommend Kim to anyone needing a doula for postpartum like us, or anytime!

We had an amazing experience with Santa Cruz Family Doula Collective. This was our second birth,…read morebut our first while living in Santa Cruz away from family. About half way through my pregnancy we decided that it would be very helpful to have support during labor so that all the pressure didn't fall on my husband. We interviewed with four doulas in town, including Megan and Kim from the doula collective. Megan and Kim were our top two choices and we decided on Kim. From the very beginning we felt really comfortable with Kim. She is very knowledgeable and easy going. She is very approachable. She had recently had her second baby and had a lot of tips on transitioning from one to two kids. We had an two prenatal visits during which we discussed my first pregnancy and delivery, expectations and concerns about this one, and preparing for after birth. She was always very responsive to texts and emails with questions and concerns. In the weeks before delivery, I contacted her a lot as I tried to figure out if I was in labor. She was very patient with my calls and texts, and she also responded quickly. When I was actually in labor, she met us at the hospital shortly after we arrived. She did a good job of answering questions and keeping us calm. She gave us good tips to keep labor going. Once it started getting tough she was great at helping my husband with keeping me comfortable and suggesting different positions. During delivery she did a great job taking pictures. After delivery she stayed for a while to help with breastfeeding then left us to have some family time. She came back the next day to check in. She did our postnatal visit about a week after delivery to check in, and she gave us a print out of her notes from the birth with times that things happened. She also came to our house to help with breastfeeding on a separate occasion when I was having trouble. We are so happy that we chose to have a doula. And we were very happy to have chosen Santa Cruz doula collective.

Highly recommend Gretchen Retka!…read more Gretchen was a total game-changer for our birth experience. During my pregnancy, she gave me so many great materials and exercises to stay active and prep for labor. The best part? When I was in labor, the baby was in the OP position. Gretchen worked her magic for hours--doing specific massages and position adjustments--and successfully helped the baby rotate to OA. It made the final push and the whole delivery incredibly smooth. We are so grateful for her support; she made all the difference in bringing our baby into the world so safely and smoothly. You're in the best hands with her!

We are incredibly grateful to Gretchen for the support she provided throughout pregnancy, labor,…read moreand postpartum. During pregnancy, Gretchen helped us prepare both mentally and physically for labor. She taught us exercises, breathing techniques, and practical ways to think about and manage labor pain. The sessions gave us confidence and helped us feel much more prepared for the birth experience. When labor began, Gretchen was absolutely invaluable. My wife was experiencing very intense contraction pain, but the nurse initially dismissed it as not being active labor and suggested that she simply wasn't handling the pain well. There was even pressure to take fentanyl. When Gretchen arrived, she immediately stepped in, assessed the situation, and suggested having my wife spend time in the shower. She carefully observed her and quickly realized that this was in fact active labor. Based on what she was seeing, she recommended that it was time to get the epidural. When the staff checked, my wife was already 8 cm dilated. The nurse had completely missed how far labor had progressed. Thanks to Gretchen's experience and advocacy, we were able to get the epidural at a good time. During pushing, Gretchen was amazing. She continuously suggested different positions, kept my wife calm and focused, and provided encouragement every step of the way. She also built a wonderful rapport with the nurse who came on shift, and together they worked as a team to help make the delivery as smooth as possible. After our daughter arrived, Gretchen continued to go above and beyond. She captured beautiful photos that we'll treasure forever, helped facilitate skin-to-skin time for both mom and dad, and assisted with latching and the baby's first feeding. Her support didn't stop at the hospital. During her postpartum visit, she checked in on all of us, answered questions, and even sang a sweet lullaby to our baby that we still remember. Looking back, having Gretchen as our doula was one of the best decisions we made. Her knowledge, calm presence, advocacy, and genuine care made a huge difference during one of the most important days of our lives. Thanks to Gretchen, we had a positive and memorable experience welcoming our newborn into the world.

Madrone was our doula for a hospital birth. Hiring Madrone was one of the best decisions I made and…read moreI can't imagine what the birth would have been like without them! Their experience and knowledge was so valuable throughout the whole process. They were really supportive of what I wanted and very caring. They helped my husband so he could support me in a great way. Because they were so experienced and supportive, during labor they knew how to guide me through, suggesting different pain management strategies, getting me through each contraction, helping me decide when to get an epidural, helping through tough moments, and knowing when and how to communicate with the medical team. They were able to get my son to latch for the first time once he was born. I didn't know how much I needed Madrone to help me through until labor ramped up. Having them there really helped me cope well. I really feel so lucky that we were able to have such an amazing person with us for such a big moment for our family.

Madrone was my monitrice with my second child and it was an amazing experience! I wanted a…read moremonitirice to be able to confidently stay home as long as possible (I was having a hospital birth). Though my labor ended up being very short (less than 2 hours from start to finish), I did end up using the monitrice aspect of services before labor. My doctor did not due membrane stripping or any other sort of methods to get labor started, only induction. I had negative experiences with pitocin with my first and didn't want to use it again so I had Madrone do the membrane sweep. My membrane sweep I got with my first was painful and with Madrone it was not at all. They were also incredibly helpful with getting my baby to go head down by coming to our house and going through "spinning baby" exercises/stretches. Madrone is warm, personable, and non-a judgmental. They are a great listener and I felt very supported. They have so much knowledge and experience. For me, monitrice was the perfect option; having incredible doula support while being able to utilize Madrone's midwifery qualifications as well. Highly recommend!!