I am so incredibly happy that Becca was our doula for our hospital birth. This was my first baby,…read moreand I knew that all I wanted was for the baby to be healthy and to avoid an emergency C-section if I could. We met with Becca and knew right away that she was the perfect person to help us in preparing for and giving birth. She immediately set us at ease by assuring us that the hospital we chose had an excellent Labor and Delivery team. She was 100% right about that, and everything else. She helped me trust myself and my body. I never thought I would have such an amazing and thoroughly happy birth experience. Becca really cares. It meant a lot to us that she also visited us after the birth to check in and provide some very welcome support. If we have another baby, we will definitely work with Becca, again!

I could not imagine my first birth without Becca! From the very first phone call, I felt an instant…read moreconnection with her--she's such a kind, caring soul and a true expert in her field. One of the things that impressed me most was how seamlessly she read the dynamic between me and my husband. She always knew when to step in with support and when to step back and give us space. That balance was invaluable during such an emotional, vulnerable time. When my birth plan didn't go the way I had envisioned, Becca's expert advice and calm presence gave me so much security in the decisions I had to make. She helped me feel grounded, informed, and confident every step of the way and encouraged me to listen to my instinct and body. Another aspect of her support that you simply can't put a price on is how connected she is at Kaiser. She knew nearly every midwife and nurse, and because of her strong relationships there, I felt reassured that the care I was receiving was exactly what I needed. Her presence gave me an extra layer of trust in the whole process. Becca communicated beautifully, supported us with such compassion, and helped make my first birth experience one that I will cherish forever. I can't recommend her enough--if you're considering a doula, Becca is truly one of a kind! Thank you so much Becca!

Doula Care Collective provides community for families. Whether you need birth support, postpartum…read morecare or go to one of their monthly educational gatherings you won't be disappointed. It takes a village! I highly recommend reaching out if you are looking for any of the above!

How does anyone birth a child without taking Kelly's class?? In her empowering and grounded way,…read moreKelly would say you don't NEED the class, you will birth your baby no matter what! But let me tell you, I feel infinitely more confident and informed after taking this class, and much calmer about the process. I can't imagine heading into birth without the wisdom I gained. The content is so relevant, evidence-based, unbiased, captivating... the time flew by. Even my husband, who was a little skeptical heading into it, totally had his mind blown and is a much more informed partner about his role in labor. Kelly herself is a godsend. She has a wealth of knowledge on this complex topic and presents it in the most digestible way. She is a brilliant educator, not just a brilliant birth educator. I wish we all had a Kelly to teach us about this when we were children. Five stars does not do this justice. If you're on the fence about whether you need a birth class, just sign up. You, your partner, and your baby will all benefit tremendously.

My partner and I participated in Kelly Gray's holistic childbirth class (5-hour version) about 6…read moreweeks before we delivered our first child. The class was conducted via Zoom due to the pandemic. I am so glad we chose to take this class, and I will always feel like Kelly was an important part of my labor and delivery experience. I'll go into more detail below, but I will briefly say that this course is incredible and I recommend taking it to everyone as an excellent way to prepare for bringing your child into the world. Prior to taking this holistic childbirth course, I had taken the childbirth class through my medical provider. Kelly's course left me feeling prepared, informed, and as ready as one can be in a way that my medical provider's course did not (in fact the Kaiser course only made me feel more anxious). Kelly covers very specific ways that you and your partner can support the childbirth process and explained the stages of labor and what signs indicate you are moving to an new stage. Kelly led discussions among the multiple couples participating in the course and helped us each to identify our own existing resources for managing stress and pain during labor. It was great to connect with other expecting parents since we have been so isolated during the pandemic. I truly feel like this course helped shape a very positive delivery for my child.

Jackie from Birth Realm is the worst. I tried to book a doula from her on several occasions and she…read morebooked the doula with other people out from under me both times without offering the professional courtesy of letting me know she wasn't holding the doula or that other people could book with her first or even that other people were interested. I had zero idea there was any sense of urgency whatsoever. I was pretty frustrated after the first time but gave it another shot given the good reviews. so then I was on a waiting list for several months and responded immediately to let her know I was interested but I had to wait till I was back in the country to chat with the doula. Again, nothing was said about other people waiting or that there was any urgency. Had I known there was some amount of urgency I would have scrambled to take a call during vacation in Japan. Anyway, I waited until after vacation. IMMEDIATELY after I chatted with the doula I sent Jackie an email to let her know I was interested and to please lock her in. But oh I guess that somehow the doula I just talked to was already booked and she no longer has any available. I have no idea why she even allowed that call to happen if the doula was already booked but she not only disrespected and wasted my time she clearly has no respect for the people who work for her as the doula's time was wasted too. At this point I'm glad it didn't work out as I have no desire to support a business who operates like this. Her prices are like 40-35% higher than everyone else's too but it clearly isn't merited. Pregnancy is already stressful enough, thanks Jackie for making this already hard time significantly worse.

Working with Birth Realm was incredible. We felt such immense support from Jackie and Sondra, and I…read morefelt at ease each night they came to care for our baby. We can't express enough gratitude for all their help!

My wife and I had our third baby at home through Thrive in November, and again, I can do nothing…read morebut sing their praises. I had complete confidence that Thrive had our best interests at heart every moment my wife and son were in their care. As usual, they practiced informed consent, validation of experiences, and love to a degree that I have never seen or even dreamed of previously in health care settings. The highlight of this birth experience was (of course) the birth itself. This time we were graced with three of the midwives through good fortune. Again, immediately after birth, our newborn struggled to take his first breaths. We waited about 8 minutes for him to take that first breath, and yet, my wife, daughter, son and I were all calm and felt immensely supported in that moment by the three women in our presence who absolutely knew what their calling was and what their roles were in that moment. It is hard to comprehend how different that experience could have felt from a sterile, medical, environment of a hospital, and how different our newborn's first few minutes, hours, and days after birth could have been. Not to mention how the perception and feelings surrounding births could have been malformed for our young son and daughter. We are so immensely thankful to have this collective of women in Sonoma County who are such a breath of fresh air!

We had our baby at Thrive in July and it was the best experience! This was our first baby and we…read moreare so happy we decided to transfer our care from Kaiser to Thrive. The midwives are amazing; supportive, loving and really helpful. I had pregnancy insomnia and Tracy turned me onto a sleep tincture that she sells and it was like magic. I was finally able to sleep!!! The appointments were an hour long and the post partum appointments are at your home! We had trouble with breastfeeding and received so much support through text and having them come to our house. We cannot say enough good things about Thrive and Taya, Tracy, Morgan and Hannah.

Melanie is an amazing educator and I walked away feeling confident and prepared for the birth of…read moreour little girl. I'm really glad that we took Melanie's childbirth education course. Roy P. Sebastopol, CA

From the owner: Awakening Mothers Circles Childbirth Education…read moreBirth Doula Care Postpartum Doula Care Massage for Mothers Pre & Postnatal Yoga Birth Story Healing

Jes is one of those magical therapist that you come across so rarely. She has the intuitive nature…read moreto find the places on the body that really need the work. She finds them but doesn't attack them. Her touch is soothing and at the same time, firm and confident. Her studio is 5 minutes from downtown Sebastopol and feels miles away from the fast pace of town. The pathway up to her massage studio is a treat in and of itself. The cool little cabin for masage has a wood burning stove if needed, is flled with good energy and light. I love this space and Jes. So lucky to have found her! --

I found Jessica's business card while paying for my coffee at Coffee Catz. Her card just spoke to…read moreme that she had great energy. I'm so glad I went with my gut, I really needed some bodywork and Jessica's massage flow is every bit as nurturing and nourishing as I anticipated. I highly recommend her!

Madjid and Emily are wonderful!!! They are skilled, caring, present, and have helped to put me at…read moreease during chiropractic treatments. I highly recommend both of them!!!!

Softwave Wound Therapy https://softwavetrt.com/…read more Six weeks after receiving stem cell therapy in Ensenada, Mexico, I decided to try Softwave therapy at Vibrant Life Chiropractic.  14 months after a head-on car crash on my mountain bike, my wound on my shin tendons was not healing well. (I also had a PCL knee injury.) In September, I had miraculous results with stem cell treatment in Mexico, but ski season was rapidly approaching, and my shin tendon wound was still too tender to wear a ski boot. Softwave therapy was extremely helpful. Softwave is a misnomer.  It is percussive sound that blasts inflammation and unhealthy tissue.  It increases circulation, and I felt a surge of energy through my shin tendons and knee.  Softwave makes the body think that it has been injured again, and this stimulates the production of stem cells. I also had Softwave treatments for the strand of muscles between my shoulder blades that I injured lifting weights 48 years ago at age 16. In Mexico, I had 20 stem cell injections over 5 days that brought these muscles back to life. With Softwave treatments, vibrant life returned to the muscles with waves of energy and sensations that I have never had before.  It felt like wings of energy were forming -- remarkable! This treatment triggered the release of trauma and congestion from my lungs - emotional healing. Softwave is a truly wonderful treatment that offers release from pain.     https://www.vibrantlifechiro.com/softwave/

My partner and I recently completed the Hypnobirthing three week course at Brilliant Births. We had…read morean 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!

We had the best experience with Maureen, one of the many talented doulas at Brilliant Births. We…read moreopted 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!

Meleah is a rock star. It was wonderful having her support throughout pregnancy and the birth of…read moremy first baby. When the pain became intense during my contractions, I was so grateful to have her by my side (I'm not sure what I would have done without her!). During my hospital stay, she was very hands on and a great team player -- she was ready to help the nurses and do everything she could to make sure I was comfortable, being repositioned often, and getting the best care possible. Postpartum, she came to our home and helped us navigate the first few days of newborn life. She brought us snacks, made sure we were doing ok, answered questions, helped us figure out how to wear the baby carriers, and provided us with reassurance as new parents.

Hiring Meleah was one of the best decisions we made as first-time parents…read more She was an incredible resource throughout pregnancy, helping us prepare for labor, birth, and life with a newborn. When labor finally arrived, her support was invaluable. She brought a calm, reassuring presence, helped us navigate decisions, and was a tremendous advocate and source of encouragement during a long and emotional experience. Having her with us at the hospital made a world of difference. After our daughter was born, Meleah continued to be an amazing source of knowledge and support. Whether we were struggling with feeding challenges, babywearing (she wrote a book on it!), sleep deprivation, or just trying to figure out what was normal, she always helped us find a path forward and gave us confidence as new parents. Meleah combines deep expertise with genuine compassion, and it's obvious how much she cares about the families she works with. We are incredibly grateful for her guidance and would recommend her without hesitation to any expecting parents.