Would 100% recommend. My doulas were Kim & Ella and I felt that they provided some a good…read morecombination. I had such a wonderful birthing experience and largely attribute it to them and the birth 101 class that we had. I was so informed and felt confident in the decisions I was making throughout the process. I would 1000% recommend going with this co. The other thing is that there are several different doulas that work under this agency so if one doesn't fit your vibe, there are more that they could pair you up with. Thank you BB for being part of our birthing experience.

We are so grateful to have had the dream team of Louise and Emry…read more At the prenatal visit, they kind, patient, and incredibly knowledgeable. They took their time to carefully understand our previous pregnancy and birth experience and supported us in forming the birth plan we were most comfortable with. During labor, Louise's steady presence and calm, reassuring energy made all the difference. She knew exactly when to step in to offer guidance or helpful suggestions, advocate for our needs, and even when to lighten the mood with her wonderful sense of humor. At the postpartum visit, Louise continued to show her sweet, supportive, thoughtful nature. She checked-in on all of us, answered questions, and made sure we were adjusting well to a new family member. We couldn't have asked for a better team to support us through such an important time in our lives. We would absolutely recommend Louise and Emry to anyone looking for a doula.

So much gratitude to this amazing doula duo!!…read more From the first time we met with April and Joy we felt comfortable and confident in our decision to work together. We are from out of town and I came down to San Diego first as my husband had to finish work and it was very reassuring to have April and Joy as part of our birth team in case I went into labor earlier than expected. Throughout my pregnancy all the resources, check ins, and words of encouragement that April and Joy provided were much appreciated. They were also very quick to respond to any questions/concerns that I had. The morning of my delivery my surges came in very quickly. I contacted Joy and April right away and shortly after had a phone conversation with Joy to confirm it was time to head to the hospital. She met my husband and I there and it was such a relief to see and have her support during the most challenging part of my labor. Her calming presence, hands on comfort measures were invaluable and she worked so harmoniously with the hospital staff. The photos she captured of our first moments with our second born are truly priceless. After delivery I had unexpected bleeding and I'm so thankful to have Joy's knowledge on the different types of medications. She helped slowed things down and explained the benefits of them for my case and I felt confident in my decision making. I am incredibly thankful for April's belly binding offering postpartum. The foot bath and belly massage was such a treat and it was a lovely way to wrap up our time together with her. There isn't a single thing I would have changed with my birth experience. April and Joy are a fantastic team, highly highly recommend them!

Working with Joyful Roots was truly one of the best decisions we made, and I can honestly say that…read moreJoy and April are the number one thing I credit for helping me have such a beautiful, positive birth experience. Before giving birth, I was someone who felt really nervous and unsure about the whole experience. But after going through it, I genuinely tell everyone that I loved giving birth, which is something I never thought I would say! That is such a testament to the incredible support and care Joy and April provided throughout my pregnancy, labor, and postpartum experience. My hope going into birth was to labor naturally at home as long as possible and remain open to getting an epidural once I was at the hospital and further along in active labor. They helped me achieve exactly that. While we were laboring at home, April was the one on the phone coaching my husband and me through contractions, helping us feel safe and calm. She offered different suggestions for positions and comfort measures that made such a difference. My husband shared after that he would have been freaking out much more and probably would have pushed going to the hospital earlier if it was not for her guidance. When Joy met us at the hospital, I instantly felt a huge sense of comfort and relief the moment I saw her. She was tremendously helpful supporting me through contractions with her touch through different comfort measures. After I got the epidural, she continued to be so knowledgeable and helped position me in ways that encouraged baby to be in the best possible position for birth. He was more to the side before but she made such a difference in getting him in a great position. What stood out most to me was how deeply seen and understood I felt by her. She was so in tune with my needs, emotions, and what I needed in each moment in a way that felt different from anyone else present in the room at my birth. Her presence was grounding and incredibly reassuring. Even after I gave birth, when I was feeling overwhelmed by all the emotions and hormones, she noticed immediately and supported me so thoughtfully and gently. That care meant so much to me. I know hiring a doula is an investment, but truly, it was one of the greatest gifts I could have given myself, my family, and my birth experience. If you are considering working with Joyful Roots, I cannot recommend Joy and April enough.

We are working with night and day for their lactation consultant services, and they've been…read morefantastic. We opted for home visits, which are covered by insurance other than a travel fee. The team has been very kind, helpful, flexible, and supportive of our goals without being pushy. Highly recommend!

I cannot say enough good things about Night & Day! I've worked with Rachael twice now (both times…read morefor lactation support), and this past birth had the pleasure of working with Sarah (for lactation support) and Katie (as our Postpartum Doula). Rachael and Sarah are the dream team - incredibly knowledgeable, empathetic and genuine. I opted for in-home visits so it was incredibly convenient to welcome them to my home and know that they had me and my sons' best interests at heart. It was always great having the option to text for quick questions or do a video call if needed. Also, I love how they would send me a recap of our visit so I could reference at any time (because those first few weeks are a fog). Katie was also a dream - I honestly have no idea how I would've survived postpartum without her. Thanks to an employer benefit, I was able to have her services for 3 night shifts and 3 day shifts and she was instrumental to helping us juggle newborn life with a toddler at home. Katie went above and beyond to check-in with me before my baby was born as my last few weeks were a roller coaster. She made the space for us when he was born 3 weeks early, providing me with the emotional and physical support I needed after my c-section. My toddler son looked forward to her visits every time - she was incredibly sweet and took the time to bake with him, read with him and make sure I was able to spend 1:1 time with my newborn. Our family would be lost without her!

This class was amazing. Emilie is one of the most caring people. She taught me so many necessary…read morethings to prepare for child birth. She is funny and made me feel seen and heard.

I have known Emilie for a couple of years through church. She was an extremely trusted and…read morerecommended birth educator and doula from my friends. I had read the Hynobirthing book before the labor for my first child. I did not connect with techniques, they felt too "heady" and like they were trying to ignore the immense amount of pressure I was feeling in my body during labor. Those methods lasted about 1 hour in my labor, then I was like, "If you ask me to envision another ocean wave I will slap you!" ... Needless to say, I knew going into labor #2 with our next babe I needed to do something different. Emilie taught Bradley Method (I think she is teaching something slightly different now?) at the time (2017). My husband and I decided to attend her class in Kearny Mesa for many weeks (was it 10? 12? It's all blurry now haha!). What I LOOOOOOOVED about Emilie is she is confident in her birth knowledge, so she swayed slightly from the 90's Bradley Method book that desperately needed some updates. AND she also combined some of the more natural techniques that swung closer to hypnobirthing, included some labor videos, and brought in previous clients, midwives, and nurses for questions. She acknowledged the immense amount of pressure/pain during labor, and didn't call it something else. I NEEDED that acknowledgment. YES, labor is SO HARD. And Emilie knows that. Yet she so brilliantly taught us techniques to labor well. I think the best shift for me was the practice of the techniques in and out of her class. She made sure we practiced at least 10 minutes a day. Doing that from week 28 of pregnancy till labor-- I felt equipped. My second labor was AMAZING. I knew how to labor without exhausting myself. I was equipped with a rebozo that felt right for my height- which I only knew because I had so much time to practice with different ones during Emilie's course. I learned how to communicate to my husband without making him feel like a failure. My husband learned how to be hands on when I wanted him to, and how to serve hands off when I needed to be in my head. He learned methods like head squeezing, gentle squeezes on a wet wash cloth consistently running down my back during contractions, how to position himself to hold my full body weight on the rebozo and not hurt his back, he learned how to track my labor progress by sight without asking me any questions of where I was at, and so much more. I highly recommend Emilie's services, in whatever capacity you desire. Doula, birth educator, advice, etc.

Updating my review to include Julie's service for placenta encapsulation! I recently had my second…read morechild and had Julie encapsulate my placenta. She was an open ear to give advice when I was pregnant, and came to the hospital first thing after we delivered our son. She had our placenta pills returned to us in about 28 Hours and brought them back to the hospital. Julie is awesome and I'd highly recommend her!!

Although the name "hypnobirthing" conjures up images of David Bowie from Labyrinth performing a…read morefreaky-mystical birth while looking into a crystal ball, I think a more accurate name might be "focusing your energy through breathing and concentration - birthing". My wife and I first met Julie as our hypnobirthing instructor and felt very comfortable with her and decided that she would be a perfect fit as our doula. We were looking for someone who was familiar with natural child birth but wasn't named "Rainbow" and lived in a VW bus. Julie is that perfect mix of knowledge, experience & assertiveness while still having a calming presence. We had a beautiful 100% natural birth and don't think we could have done it without the support of Julie. She exceeded our exceptations in every way. If you are looking to do the whole natural thing you should definitely give her a call.

I know that 12 months from now I'll regret this, but her art must be experienced by all…read more First let me start by giving you my theory, her hands are not from planet earth. I'm pretty sure she came from the planet that Avatar was in made, except she transferred to a human body, even though she swears she's from here (sure, good story ;) I've always been good with 60 min massages, this is the only time that I'm more than willing to do the full 90 (which is what I booked for next time) Experience her magic now, before she is discovered by some Hollywood star and takes her away from us all :) Please, leave at least 90 minutes on Sunday's for me. Thanks in advance.

Today I received my first ever prenatal massage and it was absolutely incredible…read more I really enjoyed the environment and scenery around me it was extremely relaxing. I've never felt so relaxed during pregnancy like I did when I left here. Amy was absolutely wonderful and sweet. If you are considering a prenatal massage I would highly recommend experiencing it at least once and coming here you'll be happy and relaxed just like I am!

As a dad-to-be, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect going into a hypnobirthing class. If I'm being…read morehonest, I was a little skeptical at first--"hypno" anything sounded a bit out there to me. But I signed up to support my wife, and I'm really glad I did. This class completely changed how I see birth and my role in it. Instead of feeling like a bystander, I walked away feeling informed, useful, and actually confident in how I can support my wife during labor. The techniques we learned--breathing, relaxation, visualization--aren't just for moms. I found myself using them too, and they've already helped us both stay calmer leading up to the big day. What stood out most was how much emphasis was placed on teamwork. I learned specific, practical ways to advocate for my wife, help her stay relaxed, and create a positive environment no matter how the birth unfolds. It made me feel like an active participant instead of just "the guy in the room." The instructor, Care, was very knowledgeable, approachable, and never made any question feel silly. She made the classes very comfortable and even pretty funny at times. The class also struck a great balance between education and hands-on practice, so it didn't feel like we were just sitting through lectures. If you're a partner on the fence about taking a hypnobirthing class--do it. Even if you're skeptical like I was, you'll come away with tools, confidence, and a much deeper understanding of what your partner is going through. Honestly, it's one of the best things we've done together to prepare for becoming parents.

I gave birth a couple months ago, and decided to go through Care's Hypnobirthing class, and also…read moreuse her for my placenta encapsulation, and I can't recommend her highly enough! From the very first class, it was clear that Care is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about empowering expectant parents. Her approach to hypnobirthing and breathing techniques was not only informative but also calming and reassuring for both me and my partner. We completed it feeling much more prepared and confident for the birth experience ahead. Care provided a wealth of resources, ensuring we had everything we needed to make informed decisions about our birthing plan. She was always responsive to our questions, both during the classes and even after the birth, which made a world of difference in our journey. It's rare to find someone who continues to support you even after the classes are over. Overall, the entire experience with Care was amazing. Her warmth, expertise, and dedication to her clients truly set her apart. If you're looking for guidance and support in your birth preparation, look no further than Care Messer at the Birth Education Center!

I could not be happier with my placenta encapsulation. I reached out to Trisha from Zoe Bella after…read moremy birthing doula recommended her placenta encapsulation services. Trisha explained the whole process to me and answered all of my questions. She even offered a print of my placenta before she encapsulated it. We unexpectedly had to stay a few days longer in the hospital while my son received care in the NICU and Trisha graciously offered to get me the capsules to me within 48 hours AND personally delivered them to the hospital herself. I could not have been more thankful because I was experiencing a lot of stress at the time and the capsules helped regulate me. I've been taking the capsules as Trisha described for 6 weeks now and I have not experienced any postpartum blues, no dips in my mood or emotional rollercoasters. I've even experienced a surge of energy similar to having a cup of coffee about an hour after taking them (without the caffeine crash) which has been so helpful in the postpartum days caring for a little one. I would HIGHLY recommend any expecting mama to get her placenta encapsulated and would HIGHLY recommend Trisha at Zoe Bella for this service. You won't regret it!

Trisha is the best! I reached out just two weeks before my baby arrived, and she still managed to…read moreencapsulate my placenta for me. She was incredibly communicative, answered every question I had, and made the whole process feel so easy. I was honestly shocked by how fast she worked--she encapsulated everything and hand-delivered the pills so quickly. When she dropped them off, she even helped me with some breastfeeding questions I had, which meant so much to me as a first-time mom. And the cord artwork that comes with the pills is absolutely beautiful--something I'll treasure forever. This was my first baby, so I don't have another postpartum to compare it to, but I truly believe these pills made a positive difference. I had zero PPD or PPA, my milk supply was super healthy, and overall I had such a smooth postpartum experience. I'll definitely do this again for my next baby. Amazing experience! I recommend Trisha to all mamas--because honestly, when else do you get the chance to eat your own placenta?!

Overall we had a good experience - definitely a very well-run operation, coordinating with Cati was…read moreeasy, and I liked our doula. The breastfeeding support was great and I really think that made a difference on my breastfeeding journey. Overall, I was running anxious postpartum and think the time separated from my baby was actually kind of hard on me - but that's not a reflection of Nite Owl Doula, that's on me to figure out. That said, this is a 3-star review because of one specific incident where our doula fell asleep and didn't hear the baby crying (I woke up to find the baby crying, which was distressing to me). I shared this feedback when we finished our work with Nite Owl Doula, and I never heard back - that bothered me. Here is the feedback I left in response to the prompt 'what can we do better' which I never heard back from: 'We had an awkward night where [doula] had fallen asleep and didn't hear the baby crying. I heard the baby and woke up first/got her. Obviously this was upsetting to me because I have no idea how long the baby may have been crying for. [Doula] had mentioned another morning that she had been able to sleep too because the baby was sleeping so well. I felt uncomfortable with this but was feeling shy/uncomfortable about bringing it up. After this incident, I did bring up to [doula] that I'm not comfortable with her sleeping on her shifts. She was certainly apologetic about not hearing the baby first, but said that she and the team are encouraged to sleep when the baby sleeps. I didn't push that, but I do think it's a very important expectation for leadership/the whole organization to set with new moms upfront, because I was surprised by this. '

I had a great experience with Nite Owl Doula and can't recommend them highly enough. From the very…read morebeginning, Cati was exceptionally responsive and professional--she made the entire process seamless and stress-free. You can tell she truly cares about her clients and runs her business with integrity and heart. For 12 weeks, we had Jolene as our postpartum night doula, and she was a dream. She was always on time, never missed a single shift, and brought a calm, nurturing presence into our home. Her sweet and caring nature made all the difference during those exhausting early weeks. I felt completely at ease knowing our baby was in such capable and loving hands. If you're looking for reliable, compassionate support during the postpartum period, look no further.

If you are pregnant, book your class asap! I can't rave enough about their approach to preparing…read morefor birth. My husband had two kids from a previous relationship, but still was able to learn things he hadn't been present for with them. It improved our communication surrounding my pregnancy and birth, even when it took a different turn. We'd made it through four of the five classes when my son decided to he needed to get out at 30 weeks. I had so many tools in my toolbox that I felt prepared, even during the scary prospects of having preeclampsia and a NICU baby. I'm so grateful for Care and her entire team. Such a blessing!!!!

My partner and I took this class when we were in our 2nd trimester and I cannot recommend it…read moreenough! Care, the instructor, was absolutely incredible and her teaching style worked best for us. She is so funny, honest and relatable. She never sugar coats anything, but I always left class feeling more excited for my birth experience as well as less afraid. By the end of the class series, I felt completely confident to go through labor and birth with my first child and my partner and I have never been more connected emotionally, spiritually or physically. If I could take her class again just for fun, I would. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!