I just want to say that Families Uniting Families is amazing, caring, supportive, and communicates…read morewith ease. We reached out to them two years ago with interest in adoption. They had classes for us to take to get certified. We choose the route of fostering to adopt. Our FFASW went above and beyond any of our expectations, and we greatly appreciate everyone at Families Uniting Families and highly recommend them for your fostering or adoption needs.

This is a great non-profit group that helps individuals that are unfortunate to need it.read more

I can not thank Elizabeth enough for helping my wife and I coordinate night Doulas in a very short…read moreperiod of time. We desperately needed help watching our 4 week old baby during the night so my wife and I could catch up on sleep. Elizabeth connected us with Ethel and Jessica to watch our baby and they were incredibly helpful. They gave detailed notes of how the night went with our baby and they had a very calm presence. Elizabeth was very responsive and her communication was excellent. I would highly recommend every parent hire night help and use Elizabeth and her team.

I cannot express how grateful we are to have had Aubrey as our doula during my wife's pregnancy and…read morebirth experience! As a first-time moms, we were filled with excitement but also a fair amount of anxiety about what to expect. Being a person of color and in a same sex marriage the healthcare system hasn't always been kind to me unfortunately. We wanted someone there as an advocate for us. We interviewed 3 doulas, Aubrey being one of them and it truly was a no brainer. From our very first meeting, Aubrey made us feel completely at ease. Her warmth, kindness, and incredible knowledge truly set her apart. Not to mention she has a great personality, that's important because you can potentially spend a really long time with this person during the birth . Aubrey was always available to answer our questions, no matter how small they seemed. She provided us with invaluable resources and information that empowered us to make informed decisions about our birth plan, we actually felt prepared. My wife's birth was a 4 day failed induction and Aubrey guided us the whole way through. Explaining all the procedures before it happened. On the 4th day we had to make a decision about a C-section and I think we would have been even more of a nervous wreck without her knowledge. She was always there to give us unbiased information so we can choose what we felt was best for us. We felt like we had a trusted friend our side. All this to say Looma is amazing, we also did the encapsulated placenta through them and since opening up their studio I am currently taking my daughter who is 1.5 years old now to their Spanish lullabies class with Xóchitl who is amazing! I'm looking forward to attending their Mama meetups and other classes they host.

I think what surprised me the most about doing a coaching session with Mary is how quickly she gets…read moredown to business. I'm used to counseling sessions where you have to go for a few sessions before some help starts, and so it just feels exhausting to even get started with someone new. But Mary is Very intuitive. She got right to the heart of the matter, very quickly, and gave me some really practical advice. And that advice Actually Worked. I'm still in awe as she has no context on my life or my "spirited" kid. If you're having any challenges with your kids, I totally recommend setting up an initial session with Mary to see if you like her style. I'm really thankful for her advice

I started coaching with Mary at my wits end. Not knowing how to handle myself towards my children…read more I wasn't myself anymore and my children were very much aware of that. Fast forward to today and I am a calm mother. I have 3 children. My daughter going into her tween phase and there's a parenting style for that stage which I had no clue about. I also have two rowdy preschool boys. They love to climb, jump, build, destroy, wrestle. That is something I had to learn to be comfortable with as long as it wasn't dangerous and learn there are safe ways for boys to have their time in their way. Mary is amazing! She has guided and open up so much to me to be the parent I want to be.

This is a great place if you're interested in becoming a resource/foster parent. I took my PS-MAPP…read moreclasses here and also classes to renew my license. The people I've met during the classes were real friendly and helpful. They offer classes during the day, evenings, and weekends. The classes are usually very small. Please call ahead and let them know what class you'll be attending so that the class won't be cancelled for lack of enrollment.

Cassie and her class were absolutely amazing! She was extremely thorough and made infant and child…read moreCPR digestible and easy to understand. I feel much more confident and capable. I highly recommend!!

I've attended Cassie's Baby Care 101 class, her CPR class, and I used her as my post partum doula…read morefor the first month of my twins' lives. First, her classes are awesome - straightforward and so informational. Cassie has a ton of experience and she shares her wealth of knowledge in such a clear and concise way. But more importantly, she was a voice of calm as she was our night doula 3x a week for the first month of my twins' lives. The first week, she came during the day just to help me get settled. I think a core memory for me will be waking up (4 days PP) after the longest nap of my life to Cassie serving me my lactation tea and reminding me to pump. For weeks 2-4, she came 3 nights a week and took care of all of the night feedings. Not only did she take AMAZING care of the babies, she was always there to support me and my husband. She had wonderful advice for everything from which probiotic to use, to which bottles work best for our babies. I truly cannot recommend Cassie enough. She helped us start our parenthood journey off strong. By the time she had to move on to her next client, my husband and I felt well equipped to take on every night on our own.

You give birth once and unfortunately I had a very bad experience with Lorraine. I would not…read morerecommend it to anyone. She definitely a good marketing person of herself and she did not keep that up during the birth for me. Please think twice before you hire her. I did hire her because she has experience but sometimes it's about the excitement. She is done. She is doing it just for money and she is not even doing it right.

I always thought I would try a natural birth but I really started to do alot of research once I…read morefound out I was pregnant. So many times my friends were going to go "natural" but in the end they would give into the almighty needle. So I did a ton of research and I came to the conclusion that I was going to educate myself as much as I could and that I would hire a doula. My husband was very skeptical... His entire family laughed when I said I was going to try a natural birth. Their exact words "Why would you ever choose that?!!" So I dragged my reluctant husband to our 6 week Hypnobabies course. By the 3rd week he was fully on the natural train! He told me "I really think you can do this!" The class was great and I really loved how we bonded with the other couples!! Lorraine was our doula also and it was a great experience. From our interview to when our sweet baby girl came Lorraine was at our disposal. She kept me calm and focused during my birthing time/labor and at the end I faced some complications... Lorraine gave me the lowdown on what was going on and let me know that it was crunch time! Looking back it really was the perfect pep talk... I pushed the baby out in 3 contractions!! And believe it or not I was up and walking around 30 mins later! My husband looked more jacked up than I did, lol. I had such a positive experience with Lorraine on top of a great birthing experience. I would do everything all over again in a heartbeat!

I took Lia's childbirth class during my first pregnancy in 2023. I live in South Orange County, so…read morethe drive was a bit of a commitment, but it was absolutely worth it. Being in class with other expectant couples created such a supportive environment, and the course was incredibly comprehensive. It gave me the knowledge and confidence to navigate a hospital birth and make informed decisions about the many interventions that are commonly offered. At 38 weeks, my water broke unexpectedly while I was riding a stationary bike. I immediately reached out to Lia for guidance. Since I wasn't experiencing a fever or any signs of infection, she explained that I had options: I could either go to the hospital right away or stay home and wait for labor to begin naturally. She also educated me about the fact that the body continues producing amniotic fluid and that, in some cases, a small rupture in the membranes may even reseal. Knowing that going to the hospital before labor started would likely lead to an induction (which wasn't aligned with my goal of having an unmedicated birth) I chose to stay home and monitor myself. The night before my 39-week OB appointment, I was feeling anxious. I knew that if my provider confirmed my water had broken before labor had started, induction would almost certainly be recommended. I reached out to Lia again, and she suggested trying the Miles Circuit. I followed the stretches that evening, and to my surprise, I went into early labor around 1:00 a.m. Whether it was the Miles Circuit, my body simply being ready, or a combination of both, it gave me the confidence to keep trusting the process. In January 2024, I welcomed a healthy baby girl through the unmedicated birth I had hoped for. While my hospital experience was unfortunately traumatic, the education Lia provided made all the difference. There were many moments when my husband, my doula, and I had to advocate for my birth preferences, and it wasn't always met with respect. Without the knowledge and confidence I gained from Lia's class, I truly believe my birth could have unfolded very differently. I'm now pregnant with my second baby, and one of the first things I did was sign up to retake Lia's class. One of the biggest perks is that once you've taken her course, you can retake it as many times as you'd like for free. Childbirth education isn't something you only benefit from once, and I love having the opportunity to refresh everything I've learned before welcoming another baby. I'm incredibly grateful for everything Lia taught us. Her class empowered me to make informed decisions, advocate for myself, and approach birth with confidence. I wholeheartedly recommend her course to any expecting parents, especially those hoping for an evidence-based, physiologic birth. Even if you have to drive a little farther to attend like I did, it's worth every mile.

We took Lia's virtual Bradley method class, and would highly recommend it for any expecting…read moreparents. First off, it can be hard to find time to take a birth class, and Lia chooses convenient times, with multiple options to choose from. It's a very comfortable classroom atmosphere where I felt good to ask any question, or add any comment. Lia keeps it fun and interesting, and is a great teacher. Lia is also available outside of class for questions, and she is super responsive. It shouldn't really matter if a doula has been pregnant herself.... But it was really helpful to hear about her first hand experiences and to know that she has gone through it all before. I just wish we in lived in LA so that we could have Lia as our Doula.

Shared Science is a nonprofit that supports Momentum Robotics Team. Momentum is a FRC robotics…read morecompetition team based at Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science.

This is our second year participating in a Shared Science afterschool program. The engineering with…read morelegos and robotics is challenging and fun for my children (ages 7 and 9). The program is well staffed with knowledgeable volunteers- the curriculum is creative and challenging.

Wanted to provide an additional update since it's been about 3 months. On October 27,2025 I…read morerequested a receipt for the "services" and Marisol agreed. Till this day I have not received any sort of receipt for the "services" provided. Adding to my feelings of being ignored, since she got what she wanted the payment of $2,800 dollars.

This review truly breaks my heart to write. When I get pregnant with my second child and I…read morecontacted Marisol right away to book her as my Doula. I was so excited to finally meet her in person and I signed the contract right away. I immediately sent over my deposit and I requested that she provide me with a receipt for the deposit . The fact that she was initially declining my request for a receipt because she wanted to wait until after the baby was born was probably the first sign that trouble was coming. I went back-and-forth with her and asked to get my receipt for the money that I had already paid so that I could use that receipt for a reimbursement with my flexible spending account. She still refused to give me the receipt so I reached out to my flexible spending company and asked them if I had to wait for the baby to be born in order to be reimbursed and they said no. Finally, Marisol agreed to give me a receipt for my deposit. I found this quite odd since people generally get a receipt when money exchanges hands. My husband and I meet with Marisol around 36 weeks to go over the birth plan. I tell her that my plan is to have her help me labor at home as much as possible since I wanted to reduce the likelihood of medical interventions. I also asked they she capture some photos for us. Marisol explained that we should not contact her right away if labor starts in the middle of the night, only call when ready. She kept stressing this point and even emailed me a document that says to only call when we are ready for her to come. A couple of weeks later I go into labor late one night. My labor progressed quickly and we called Marisol when we wanted her to come over, no answer. I then texted her. A short time later I told her we were headed to the hospital. Labor pains got so intense that I was not able to monitor my phone so my husband and Marisol were texting. Labor pains were so intense so I requested an epidural at the hospital. Once Marisol got this information , she assumed she had more time. I guess she didn't take into account that that epidural was not completed. Long story short, she didn't make her way to the hospital until after the kid was born. Per her contract, she had 90 minutes to get to me. My labor was quick but she had a 3 hour heads up. I was actually disappointed that she came to the hospital because now it feels like a random acquaintance just showed up for one of the biggest days of your life and now you have to entertain them. She stayed with us until we got transferred to our postpartum room. At this point, Marisol was not a part of my birth story at all and I was angry. A couple days later I immediately requested a partial refund. She denied my request saying she was "available." Instead she offered me one additional 3 hour postpartum visit. I didn't accept that and said we could discuss this matter when she did her postpartum visit. During the visit, Marisol said she could tell that I "felt some type of way" and she asked me to share my feelings. I told her I felt cheated, I'm out a lot of money and she didn't have to do anything. It was her choice to not come to me right away, I followed all of her instructions. Marisol then told me she was actually on her way to me but she needed time to shower, clean her doula supplies and pack her doula bag. Once she heard about the epidural, she returned home to pack snacks. This information infuriated me....she missed my birth for this?!?! This is an area where you don't get a do over. I would imagine that with the nature of this job you would always have your supplies clean and ready. She ended up offering me 12 postpartum hours. I told her that was not what I wanted since I didn't want to think of things for her to help me with. In plus, it's easy to get help during the day. I ended up requesting my money back and threatening legal action since she breached her own contract. In the end she agreed to return 1/2 of my money ($1400) and I was able to avoid legal action. (I didn't mind taking legal action, this was an open and shut case according to the guidance I received). I'd say she still came out ahead, $1400 for 2 short visits to my house and a short 45 minute visit to the hospital after my kid was born. I am beyond bummed about this experience. So yes, I still "feel some type of way!" I'm not sure how you could say you were available yet you missed the birth. And I still can't comprehend the rationale. I'm so confused.