Did a prenatal massage with Gracie and she's wonderful! The room is nice, she had all the comfort…read morepillows and really listened to where I noted any aches or pains to address. She also included some breathing techniques which was nice. Afterwords she also offered drinks and snacks from the studio lounge which being pregnant is always appreciated. Loved my massage here.

I reached out to Brilliant Births to find a birth doula. They offer a matching service and…read moreconnected me to 3 doulas who work independently (not employees of BB). We were really fortunate to find our birth doula (who we love!), but the other 2 candidates were not very impressive. The first doula missed our appointment with no follow-up communication. We were initially confused and thought she was the coordinator for BB, because she only communicated by text. The actual meeting was just by telephone so there was no face-to-face interaction, which felt strange. We could've easily FaceTimed or Zoomed. So communication and reliability were not great. The second doula abruptly canceled our half-hour appointment when we were 10 minutes late for a 30-minute appointment due to my husband wrapping up a Zoom meeting. During our appointment time, she was responding to my emails (in which I apologized for being late), but insisted she could no longer meet with us. I thought this was a really bad sign about what she would be like to work with - labor and delivery is rarely precisely timed and some flexibility is needed. In addition, her email said that she lives in Portola Valley, but we live Berkeley (also where Brilliant Births is located). This also struck me as strange, because it would take 1.5 hours for her to arrive to meet us at the hospital, which is not ideal.

I am certain that my experience with Keelia made THE difference in achieving the birth of my…read moredaughter the ways that I wanted it- delaying at home for as long as possible, no pain meds and a positive, empowered experience. My biggest fears were my low pain tolerance and lack of control over knowing exactly how it would go. Shortly before our due date, Keelia came over to review our birth plan and a timeline of what to expect for pre-labor, active labor, travel to the birth center, transition, and delivery. She made sure we practiced comfort measures, breathing and how I wanted to be supported verbally. It wasn't until the last moments with Keelia where she looked me in the eye and said I was ready, that I actually felt prepared to go into labor and meet my daughter. 2 days later, my water broke in the middle of the night. For the next 44 hours of contractions, naps, two car rides up to the birth center, a traumatic cervical check on day one to then be sent back home, many walks around the neighborhood, yoga ball bouncing, 1 game of Monopoly, snacks, massages, and support - Keelia was at our beck and call. By the time we got to the birth center (again) on day 2 after 36 hours, I was only at 1cm and 50% effaced. Keelia helped me calm down from exhausition and frustration at this news, and we made a plan to get misoprostol to thin my cervix but hopefully proceed with no other interventions. Miraculously, Ava was born 7 hours later. Keelia coached me through contractions which came back to back for hours, waved lavendar oil in front of my face for nausea, massaged my back, covered the clock when she noticed it stressing me out, got me into the shower with Joe when I hit the wall of transition, and helped me breathe through pushing - 3 contractions! She reassured me every step of the way - calmly & knowing I could do it at all moments. In this amazing doula's hands, I felt loved, safe, and supported. Thank you, Keelia.

We interviewed a couple of doulas but the minute my wife and I met her, she felt an instant…read moreconnection with her and knew that she was the right person for the job. We met with Keelia at our place for dinner and knew she was the right person for the job. She has a very soothing and calm personality and is a great listener (which is a rare quality). She made herself available for texts and calls before the pregnancy and we had to text and call her a few times anytime my wife was exhibiting symptoms she was concerned about. Keelia was responsive to our questions and did her best to answer them even though some of them were of a medical nature. During the labor process she was also fantastic. Very calm and composed under pressure and very responsive to my wife's needs. My wife, in no uncertain terms, declared that she wouldn't have been able to do it without Keelia. Keelia massaged her during every contraction and it seemed that was the only thing that would help with pain management. In fact because of the massaging my wife was able to make it to 9 cm without an epidural -- she was super fatigued which is why she ended up doing the epidural but I'm pretty sure if labor hadn't occurred during the wee hours of the morning Keelia's massage techniques would have helped her give birth without using any medication. Thanks Keelia, you were great.

Yelp seems like a weird place to find a midwife but these reviews gave me the confidence to choose…read moreJinny and now I'd like to pass on the favor. Jinny is an incredible midwife that I'd recommend to anyone in a heartbeat. The least you can do is get in touch with her and see if you like her style. The Jinny we met at our first meeting was the same Jinny that showed up at every appointment, every diagnoses, and most importantly - at the birth. She is a knowledgeable professional that is supportive of your decisions. And the level of calmness she presents in the most intense situations is remarkable. Jinny provided thorough care from pregnancy to postpartum. Communication was easy and consistent. She heard my concerns about the birth and showed up 100% to help mitigate them as best as she could during the birth. I'm forever grateful to Jinny for giving me the home birth experience I had hoped for.

Jinny Pagle is an outstanding midwife who does both home births and can do pre- and postnatal care…read moreif you want a hospital birth. After several days of labor at home, she supported me at the hospital in making sure to remind me to remind staff about my wishes for how I wanted the birth to go, which enabled me to very narrowly avoid a C-section! She has a great roster of related experts in her network too including an acupuncturist who came to my house during labor and really helped a lot with the process. It was also really wonderful to be able to have her come to my house to check on me and the baby in the first few weeks after the birth. She offers her clients choices of a spectrum of options from alternative wellness resources to standard medical practice depending on your inclinations. Her attitude is very empowering! It was also super convenient for her to be able to do bloodwork at my house and save me time going somewhere else for that. She also does placenta encapsulation. If you're considering a homebirth, or if you want a hospital birth but want to have 60+ minutes per appointment and not the 10 min you get at an OB's office for pre/postnatal care, contact Jinny.

We had an outstanding experience with DOULAS by the BAY. They matched us with Mary Ann Cherie…read moreWolowski, who was with our family for the first eight weeks after our baby was born. She started right on the day after delivery while we were still at the hospital. This was incredibly helpful because it allowed my partner to focus on caring for our toddler while I recovered from my C-section and bonded with our newborn. Mary Ann was exceptional in every aspect of newborn and postpartum care. With her background as RN and an experienced nanny, she confidently took charge from day one. She handled everything--from swaddling and keeping the baby on a feeding schedule to making sure I stayed on track with pumping. She always had my pump parts cleaned, sterilized, and ready to use, which made those early weeks so much easier. She also gave me invaluable breastfeeding support. Thanks to her guidance, I established a full milk supply within just three days of my C-section, and I'm still successfully breastfeeding. She also referred us to an amazing lactation consultant who was an absolute game changer. Mary Ann was meticulous about everything baby-related and followed best practices in every detail. Her logging and tracking were incredibly thorough, giving us complete peace of mind. She was professional, respectful, organized, and kept everything spotless. The greatest gift she gave our family was rest. There were moments when it almost felt unreal how much recovery time my partner and I were able to get because we trusted her completely. She would even bring me a glass of iced water wherever I was--a small act of kindness that made a huge difference in my recovery. Because she took care of so much, I was able to focus on postpartum healing and even carve out time for simple self-care, like getting a haircut. Although her primary responsibility was caring for our newborn, she also formed a wonderful bond with our toddler and always made him feel included. She consistently went above and beyond by helping keep our home clean, making countless trips up and down the stairs without ever complaining, and never leaving before everything was tidied up--even if it meant staying a little past the end of her shift. We're incredibly grateful to Doulas by the Bay for matching us with someone who fit our family so perfectly. The agency made the process smooth, and Mary Ann exceeded every expectation we had. We wholeheartedly recommend Doulas by the Bay to any family looking for expert postpartum support. They gave us the gift of rest, confidence, and a much smoother transition into life as a family of four.

I reached out to find a birth doula and the initial meeting giving an overview of how they work was…read moreclear and straightforward. Doulas through this company are employees (not independent providers) and they stress that this is really good for always having a backup. We were then matched with 2 doula candidates and the scheduling process was easy and professional. However, we ultimately felt that these candidates were not properly trained or vetted. We never received any materials such as CVs for the doulas. The first doula said right away that she had never been a birth doula before and we would be her first birth. Her only experience was that she had been a night doula before. I was shocked that she had never even shadowed another birth doula as part of her training as a company employee. Bless her heart for being honest, but I did not want to pay to be her guinea pig. After this, I requested an additional candidate, but I was told the other one should be great. The second doula was also not a good fit. She kept emphasizing that at previous births hospital staff did not believe she was a birth doula (and thought she was just a family friend). It became clear why. I asked about her qualifications and she said she's working on her bachelor's degree even though she already has a master's degree. I thought this was strange and asked some follow up questions and ultimately could not determine what degree she had (maybe an associate's degree) or didn't have (definitely did not already have a master's). I also asked some basic medical questions about pain control and epidurals and she was not able to answer them. Ultimately we were able to find a wonderful birth doula through another matching company - experienced and with a real master's degree (in public health).

Casey is something special. I've called on her when I needed help, processing and general guidance…read moreon what this big world is. She's not fluffy, she's not too ethereal, she's a modern woman's support system. She's kind and helpful and open. Each time I connect with Casey, I know it won't be the last. If you're on the fence, reach out and schedule time with her but I deeply suggest doing a natal chart reading to get your bearings. Thank you Casey!

So much care put into my session with Casey. She was so attentive and compassionate. I had a failed…read moreembryo transfer last year and am preparing for another in the coming months and reached out to Casey per recommendation from a friend and I am so glad that I did! She walked me through benefits of different herbs specific to my situation. She listened and took the time to hear me out. So much was included within the session I had which was a Guided Healing Chakra Alignment. She had me lay under a warm red light on my belly for a few minutes, did a reading based on my birth info then prepped the herb to steam. The yoni steam with the sound bath was absolutely beautiful. An experience that requires openness and encouraged me to connect with my own self. She then did an oracle reading. I felt cared for and supported. Afterwards she provided a detailed summary of all that we discussed and things she'd recommend to support me on my journey outside of the reading. Loved that I had something to reference afterwards to recall some great nuggets we discussed in person. 10 out of 10 highly recommend!

I highly recommend Khatherine of Duyan Care! She was the first night doula we've ever worked with,…read moreand immediately put us at ease with her friendly, professional and knowledgeable demeanor. Khatherine took incredible care of our son for three weeks and also helped with breastfeeding tips as we'd been having a lot of trouble with our baby's latch; despite working with multiple lactation consultants, it wasn't until Khatherine observed and provided some helpful feedback that my latch drastically improved and pain subsided almost immediately. Khatherine was gentle and calm with our son, and treated our entire household with care and respect. She would wash our bottles, fold any laundry, leave our space tidy and provide in-depth notes on her night shift which provided invaluable information. It was evident she is passionate about her job and truly cares about the babies and families that she works with.

We cannot recommend Rita M. highly enough! She was our night nurse for first born and was with us…read moreon our very first night home from the hospital. As first time parents, we were learning as we went, but Rita immediately brought a sense of calm into our home. From night one, Rita was warm, attentive, and genuinely listened to every one of our needs and concerns. She quickly felt like a member of our family. She actually held our baby for the majority of the night, which, to us, was truly above and beyond. This allowed us to get much needed rest and gave us complete peace of mind, knowing he was in the best hands. Those first six weeks with Rita were invaluable. As a first time mom, I was truly able to rest because I completely trusted her. She was also incredibly knowledgeable and supportive with breastfeeding, pumping, and storing and freezing breast milk, answering all of my questions with patience and encouragement. What really set Rita apart was how much she cared beyond her basic responsibilities. Without us even asking, she took the time to read the instruction manuals for the bottles we were using and our baby carrier to make sure we were using everything correctly. As new parents, those extra "gut checks" gave us so much confidence and reassurance. Rita didn't just care for our baby, she cared for our entire family. She educated us, supported us, and helped us build confidence as new parents. Even now, we still keep in touch with Rita and send her updates on our little guy. We truly feel like we've made a lifelong friend. Rita M is compassionate, knowledgeable, dependable, and an absolute gift to any family lucky enough to work with her.

I can't recommend Jessica enough as a prenatal yoga instructor. I took her class at Innerstellar in…read moreBerkeley during the second half of my pregnancy and I always left feeling so much more relaxed and confident. I loved the mix of conversation/support, meditation and yoga. If you're looking for a more vigorous practice, this might not be your cup of tea, but for me it was perfect. As someone who was fairly new to the area at the time and in need of a community of new mothers, I really appreciated Jessica's connections. If you need anything -- massage, acupuncture, a midwife, etc. -- she knows someone or several someones. She is also a great listener, a kind voice of support and extremely knowledgeable about pregnancy, birth and parenting. A lovely person to know!

Prem's prenatal yoga classes were one of the highlights of my pregnancy. Her classes are not only a…read moremuch needed time-out for you to look inward, they're a conduit to support and stories, which I found so helpful during my pregnancy. Prem is understanding, funny, warm and patient. She facilitates a google-group community of local moms and I actually very much look forward to the emails that come through! Because of the community she's created and all of her knowledge, her classes led me to find an incredible doula, the best postpartum care, the couple we're going to do a nanny-share with, and so much more. Proud, card carrying member of the Prem Fan Club :)

She is the best birth doula in the world She is kind and…read morecompassionate. I recommend her for sure.

I took Renata's birth and postpartum doula course some years ago and finally decided to get…read morecertified. It was amazing and very educational. She's very knowledgeable and passionate about the work she does. I also volunteered at her doula program at Alta Bates in Berkley. I am beyond thankful for all the work she does and the help she wants to give to us as students and the clients as well. It is easy to get in contact with her and get whatever information you may need. I am glad I got to meet and learn from her.

Itzel treated me with respect and empathy through every step of my care. Her package emphasizes…read morebirth education. Itzel was with us for 30-some hours for our birth and never wavered in her energy and support. I would highly recommend her services for any first time mother.

Itzel is an absolute gem. From the moment I met her, I knew that I had the right woman to guide me…read morethrough my first pregnancy where there are endless questions and concerns that arise along the way. She was a gentle and intuitive guide that ultimately led us to our special day where our daughter was born. She offers a wonderful balance of guidance and advice for the mom and dad to be, which I believe is so important. My partner really valued having her support, especially on delivery day. Itzel recommended on the day of labor that my partner and I should find our own pace before calling on her for help. We did just that, and it was perfect. She arrived when I needed her and she assisted us the whole way through. I was lucky enough to only labor for 12 hours, so the process was pretty smooth. She surprised us with wonderful photos and a timeline of what had occurred the entire day. It was so beautiful and touching. What an amazing gift! I highly recommend Itzel for her expertise, authenticity, intuitiveness and kindness. Thank you, Itzel!!

As a postpartum doula, I was somewhat surprised to learn that I, too, needed postpartum support…read morewhen my baby was born! I've worked closely with many doulas, and Tanya really stood out as proactive, sweet, responsive and a very comfortable person to talk with. She showed up on-time, kept herself quietly humming around taking care of things without even being asked -- such a wonderful thing because I was frazzled and exhausted, so being able to just rest and not have to ask for each little thing was sooo wonderful. A glass of water would appear, and I felt I could take a glorious nap with full trust she would take great care of the baby when I did. I'd wake up to a clean house (no chores left, yay!) and felt replenished emotionally too. I cannot recommend Tanya highly enough. In fact, I recommend her all the time! You'd be lucky to have her if she is available.

Tanya is a wonderful, calming, responsible presence that you would be LUCKY to have in your…read morepostpartum home. We met Tanya through a friend and were so grateful for her help. She educated us on what a postpartum doula can help with - and went above and beyond every time she showed up! Tanya would help by cooking me breakfast, holding the baby while I took a (blissful) shower, and making sure the house looked in great shape so I didn't feel stressed about it. She taught us about babywearing, the Wonder Weeks, and special Boon drying rack pieces - and on top of it all, was so kind and gentle with our son. If you're considering a postpartum doula, definitely reach out to Tanya. She's super responsive and completely worth the investment!