This review is long overdue. I intended to write something soon after giving birth, and that was…read moreover 9 years ago! I was searching for an unrelated email this morning and came across our message. I remember Katherine being so great with us. From our first meeting I knew she was calm, personable, and genuinely kind. My partner and I were under a lot of stress at the time, and her energy was perfect. Not overbearing or intrusive. I went into labor on our daughter's due date and Katherine came right away. I had a natural birth, and I remember her checking in and making sure I was OK before she offered comforting touch during labor. It turned out I didn't want to be touched much, and she respected that, offering her support in other ways. She helped me push through the most painful parts of labor with breathing. I hope she knows how much I appreciated her presence.

Kathryn is awesome!!! She took me on last minute and was an amazing doula. I was past due and in…read morepain so she came over to show me techniques to help the pain. Shortly after she left my water broke and she came right back to help me. She kept me calm as possible and helped me focus. She also helped keep my husband calm I highly recommend her

patti was not only helpful while i was pregnant with my second. she helped me so much in the…read morebeginning of my pregnanc. her advice relived me from so much stress

From the owner: All pregnant women deserve Doula support. You deserve a…read morebetter pregnancy, labor, and a better birth! Hypo birthing, learning your body, how to relax and let your mind go! To know what to expect during your entire pregnancy and delivery! To have postpartum care, to help you when you need it the most, in the beginning, and after the baby comes! I’m here. Let me help you!

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!

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.

Best Doula in the Bay Area. She gave me amazing tips to control stress and anxiety, she helped with…read moretips for morning sickness. She is very helpful and resourceful when it comes to relaxation techniques.

From the owner: Labor can be a beautiful thing with proper support! Every woman should be able to enjoy her labor…read more I give you the support and strength you need to have the labor your way!

We took an EBB course with Jennifer. She's the best instructor anyone can ask for. She was very…read moreknowledgeable and absolutely amazing with how she shared her knowledge and taught the class, she's super through, had a great attitude and energy, was very open to question, and even shared her very personal experience in the last class. I learned so much in her class. She took her time collecting so many resources and putting them together in ways that were easy to consume and refer to afterwards. I woud highly recommend her class. And even though i didn't get the opportunity to use her doula services, I can't imagine a better doula by your side.

I just wanted to update my review to add that over the last few years since the birth of my first…read morechild, I have emailed Jen multiple times for assistance processing my first birth and working through options for my second birth. She was so positive and encouraging when I was doubting and questioning myself. Her support processing that first birth meant the world to me and I was able to change my story the second time around with her help. My only mistake was not having her as a doula for my first birth (she wasn't available for my second, but I would have worked with her in a heartbeat) Thank you, Jen, for helping me even years later. I appreciate you so much!

I met Joanne when I first became pregnant through my prenatal class. I am so happy that I met her!…read moreWhile we were in the class, I learned so much about my pregnancy and upon learning that she was a doula, I inquired with her immediately. She said she was available near my due date and we began the process. Joanne came to my home and talked extensively with me about all of my questions. She even discussed with my husband and me all about things we didn't think about. For me- I was incredibly fearful of tearing during child birth. I was obsessive - Joanne suggested meditation techniques to discover where the fear was stemming from as well as things I could do to prepare my body for the birth, specifically pertaining to not tearing. The night I went into labor I called Joanne as soon as I knew my water had broken. She picked up with the second ring and told me she would meet he at the hospital in 30 minutes. We arrived at the check in desk at the same exact time. I started having a contraction right when she walked in and I didn't even have to say anything. She was behind me helping me through the contraction immediately. Once we went into the labor and delivery room she helped my husband to coach me and listened to my needs closely. As soon as I said I was nauseated, joanne had a wash cloth with ginger & peppermint oil on my shoulder to help me to not throw up. With each contraction, Joanne was at my knees pushing to help relieve the back pain and reminding me to breathe, and keep my shoulders down. She made sure to ask me if I wanted to try all of the things I had requested in my birthplan. Of course, I was overly optimistic with how I expected labor to go, and when it came down to it, I didn't want to move from my chair. While giving birth, Joanne was right there along side the doctor - telling me how to breathe and how things were going. Knowing about my fear of tearing she also helped by reminding me of breathing techniques and applying mustard oil. Once my baby girl was safely in my arms I found out that I only had a minor tear. Joanne didn't stop following the birth - she helped me to appropriately do the breast crawl and help my daughter to latch for breast feeding for the first time. Joanne is a WEALTH of knowledge and never stops learning. She provided me with postpartum sercices as well and was taking a class for belly wrapping and essential oils around the time that she was working for me. The best thing - Joanne never stops learning or researching. She is there for her clients and loves what she does. If you want to work with a knowledgeable and proactive doula - hire Joanne.

From the owner: JoDoula is continuing the tradition of cultures around the world in supporting women and their…read morefamilies in becoming parents. As a birth worker, I believe that self-exploration and the integration of natural, mental, physical and spiritual support can enhance the women's experience through the different phases of pregnancy, birth and postpartum. At JoDoula I bring my experience of growing up with my grandmother and seeing first-hand how prenatal and postnatal support strengthens the relationship between mother and her new born. My intention is always to allow you to feel comfortable so you can find in yourself the strength and wisdom to motherhood. At JoDoula you will be happy to find: ~ Resources ~ Options that will compliment or assist you in decision making ~ Clarity on your birth and an understanding of the birth process ~ How your decision making can impact your goals ~ Someone that will sit with you to observe, listen, ask questions and interpret your needs so that you can receive the support you are looking for. JoDoula is designed for people like you who are looking for personalized support. You get to make your own decisions and JoDoula will stand by you to support what works for you and your family.

Abbie was everything I was looking for in a doula: knowledgeable, responsive, and calm. My birth…read moredidn't go quite as planned and Abbie was there to help at every turn. As a first time mom, I was very happy to have a doula and I would recommend Abbie as your doula 100%.

Best Doula ever!! Sorry for such a late review... We were due with our second one in November. I…read morecontacted Abbie somewhere around July 2021. And she immediately replied back when I told her I really really really want to go for a VBAC after a very traumatic c-section with my first born. Abbie gave me the dates when she can come over to our house and discuss everything about our past birth experiences and future plans for this new birth and baby. VBAC was something I have been dreaming all these years as my c-section recovery was too much for my body and it didn't let me bond with my baby. I told abbie everything and she supported me and my decisions from the first day we met till the day we bid goodbyes to each other. She taught so many ways, exercises and labor positions to cope with everything related to birth especially a VBAC birth. She gave us so many resources about what to expect for our labor, birth, baby and even breastfeeding. The best part was that she was so accommodating and friendly that her presence never felt like a stranger or a new person, but rather it felt like I knew her for so long. We had to change the location of our birth in the last moment after my water broke, because the hospital we chose was over-booked, she never even flinched about that change and went ahead with whatever was needed in that moment because I felt that for her my needs and my mental health and support was most important in that moment. So if you want an experienced, patient, extremely supportive and gentle doula who will listen to you, suggest you what and how you can do things right and who is very resourceful, hire Abbie right away!!

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.

This would have been 5 stars based on the breastfeeding class I attended. I was reluctant to even…read morego to any breastfeeding class because it was important to me to not be attached to the idea of breastfeeding, and I was worried I'd be beaten over the head with how important it is and set myself up for mom guilt if it didn't work out. Quite the contrary, the speaker was really approachable and practical. She talked through just about every scenario and offered a really great mindset - feed as much breastmilk as you can whenever you can, and it's totally OK to make up the difference with formula. Unfortunately, the baby care class dropped this down to 4 stars. It was borderline a waste of time. The instructor was scattered and not very helpful. Lots of tech challenges. Not much help in the way of answering questions or providing practical advice. Very limited hands on practice. I went with a friend because my husband was out of town and I was almost embarrassed that she wasted time in that class with me.

Update I thought I would update my review since it's been 3…read moreyears. Since then we have been blessed to have Charlee as our midwife two more times. In total she has been our midwife for three of our births! Which is honestly amazing! As you can imagine I cannot speak more highly of Charlee! She is the best at what she does! Every birth I have had her in she has been so wonderful and so supportive! My pregnancies are always something I look forward to and one of the big reasons is because of her care. I always look forward to my kids being included into our appointments. They get so excited every time she comes over she is practically family at this point! charlee is so patient with my kids and includes them into the experience, allowing them to help with hearing the baby's heart and checking my blood pressure. It truly has made my pregnancies all the more sweet getting to experience it in this intimate way with my kids and having all these memories with them. I have had hospital care before and to me this is totally different! In the best possible way! It's so individual and includes my family into the process. The appointments are longer allowing ample time to ask questions and go over any concerns. She gets to see how the pregnancy is progressing. I love the fact that she lets me make true informed decisions for me and my baby. She always goes over everything and if I understand the risks and benefits of any decision that I make. I always feel heard and seen. During my labors I've always felt so taken care of. I rely so much on her experience and knowledge and trust she is looking out for my best interest as well as the baby. There have been so many times she has seen things that I hadn't really thought of. Whether that be taking things and doing things to ease pregnancy symptoms to things to do during birth. Postpartum care is just top notch! The fact that she comes to check on me and the baby. I don't have to get out of my bed or leave the comfort of my home. I get to just snuggle my baby and be in newborn bliss while she checks us over. I'm just so thankful for her loving care! If I am blessed to get pregnant again no doubt I will again ask her to be my midwife. No one I trust more and couldn't imagine doing it without her!

I chose to hire Charlee as my midwife for my first pregnancy because when I spoke with her she said…read moreshe had over 10 years of experience and has done 200 births. As a first-time mom, those credentials gave me confidence that I was putting myself and my baby in experienced hands. During one of our visits, she was prepping me for delivery day. She not to reach out to her in the middle of the night unless my contractions were at a 3-1-1 pattern because she wanted to be rested for me during the day. The day came for baby to arrive. Around 9pm on a Saturday I started having contractions. At 2am on Sunday, my contractions became very intense contractions. They were coming every 2-3 minutes and lasting 6-8 minutes long, my husband and I were tracking them with a contraction app. The contractions felt pretty intense. We sent Charlee screenshots of the contraction patterns and reached out for guidance, but a she told us I was not ready yet because I was not at a "3-1-1" pattern, but that if I think the baby is coming, to let her know. How do I know if the baby is coming in not? I've never had a baby before. As a first-time mom, I had no way of knowing whether my labor was progressing normally and it was going to get more intense than what it was, or whether my baby was coming. That's exactly why I hired an experienced midwife to help me make those decisions. I was alone in my living room for hours, my water broke and gushing out (it definitely was not a trickle like they say it would be), feeling like I was on a rollercoaster. By around 6:30 that morning, my doula arrived, saw the amount of pain I was in, looked at my contraction pattern, and immediately called Charlee, telling her "you need to get here now". Charlee arrived about an hour later. By then, my contractions had already slowed down considerably. During the day Charlee commented that she wondered why my contractions had slowed down, which surprised me because I expected someone with her level of experience to have insight into what was happening. While I was laboring in the birthing pool, I also overheard Charlee talking with my doula about wanting to pivot careers into being a motivational coach instead of continuing to attend births. Whether or not she ultimately chooses another career is her decision, but hearing that conversation while I was in active labor made me worry because in my field of business, that is what people say when they aren't getting much business. This was not something I expected or wanted to hear during one of the most vulnerable moments of my life. Unfortunately, this was only the beginning of an experience that ultimately left me feeling unsupported and questioning the care I received. The baby was stuck in my canal the whole day. We could feel her head. At 6:30pm, I got transfer to the hospital. We ultimately had to do an emergency vacuum delivery. My body was not contracting, and it was not ready for a baby to come out. I ended up with a permanent spine injury, along with other injuries post delivery that were still having trouble diagnosing. I had to go back to the ER by ambulance 2 days after come home from the hospital. I was in a wheelchair for 2-3 weeks, graduated to a walker, then cain, and now I have on going treatment 9 months post delivery. Which all could have been prevented, if my baby came out when I my body was contracting at 2am in the morning. Charlee charges you $9,500 for her services, but split it up in four sections. She said because I delivered at the hospital, she would not submit me for reimbursement for the delivery costs, since I did not deliver at home. If Charlee could not do her job and deliver my baby, then why can't I get refunded for her not doing her job? I don't know how you can take someone's money like that and sleep at night. I do not recommend Charlee as a good choice for a midwife, do not trust this person with your life!