There is no way that I will be able to truly express my gratitude and love for this woman, but I will try! I had always planned to have a natural birth with no medical interventions (if possible), so I knew I wanted to work with a Doula. I knew that a Doula would make my experience better, but I had no idea HOW much better it would actually be. From the start Jenna made me feel comfortable, supported, and empowered. There were no"dumb questions" or concerns, even when my hormones had me acting and feeling crazy leading up to the birth. I cannot imagine (and I don't want to imagine) my birth experience without her! OK here comes the long labor and birth story... I started having pre-labor contractions and weird symptoms (I was barely 37 weeks along)- Jenna texted and checked in with me throughout the day and into the night. I woke up when my water broke at midnight, my husband called Jenna and she helped time my contractions until it was time to head to the hospital (which happened very quickly). Jenna must have left get house immediately because as soon as we checked in, she was there with a smile on her face and excited to help! I was happy to find out that the nurses knew her and were actually happy that she was there to assist with my labor and birth! Over the next 22 hours, Jenna encouraged me, supported my husband, helped me get into different positions, heated water bottles for my lower back pain (she brought her own heater for this!), tracked all vitals reported by the nurses (there was even a time that they double-checked my previous blood pressure with her), helped me to the bathroom, fielded questions from the grandparents. There were long periods of time that my husband and I would have been alone, so we were so thankful that Jenna was there. When it came time to push, she and one other nurse held my legs so my husband could hold my hand. When our little baby made his arrival, Jenna was taking pictures and video (I forgot that I asked her for this)- somehow she managed to only capture the beautiful moments, haha! She continued to check in with me the days after delivery and came to our home a couple weeks later. My baby is now two months old and she still checks in on how we are all doing. My main concerns for labor and birth were that I would feel out of control, and scared- with Jenna there I never felt that way. She made sure our birth experience was miraculous and beautiful! I can't wait to call Jenna for our next baby's birth! Oh, and thanks to her, I was able to have a fully natural birth without medical intervention! Thank you, Jenna!!! read more

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I hired Jenna for the birth of both my children. When my husband and I met her we instantly knew she was a good match for us(we didn't even feel a need to interview anyone else). We knew her personality was a good fit. Jenna knew how to calm me down through my anxieties. She was also great with my husband too! Leading up to delivery she would give/recommend great reading materials and check in to see how I was feeling. With my most recent delivery, one of the first things I tell people is I couldn't have done it without my Doula. Jenna helped me with positioning to move through early labor. Then when active labor hit she knew exactly how to ease my labor pains and help me through all my contractions. She also gave me a great OBGYN recommendation and clearly knows a lot about San Diego's birthing community. It is very clear that Jenna genuinely loves what she does. You can feel her passion and positive energy fill the room. read more

I have nothing but great things to say about Jenna and Annely both. Annely was originally our backup, but she ended up meeting me on the day I delivered, as Jenna was initially with another client. We had met with both Jenna and Annely in advance and liked them each very much (I would highly recommend doing this - you never know what might happen on game day!) so I felt totally comfortable with Annely. Funnily enough though, Jenna finished with her client and arrived at UCSD just as I was starting to push, so I was lucky to have both of them there for the birth itself! They are each incredibly calm and comforting to be in the presence of, and are truly warm, caring people -- exactly what I imagined doulas to be. I liked the fact that Jenna is close to me in age and had recently been through childbirth herself, and I also liked that Annely felt like a mother figure to me, who had years of experience under her belt. One of the many reasons we picked them as a pair was that they are both very "middle of the road" and balanced about things, and I could tell they were also very non-judgmental. They truly wanted my husband and I to be comfortable and feel good about our choices, but at no point did they weigh in on what they thought those choices should be. I can't recommend them highly enough. While most of you won't be so lucky to have both of them at the actual birth, you would be blessed to have either one of them there. They are gifts to the birthing process and I'm grateful our daughter was brought into the world with both of these women by my side. read more

I don't know how to begin.....I didn't even know what a doula was until my daughter told me that she and her husband hired one. How could this woman encourage and support my own daughter giving birth better than me??? Well I'll tell you....She's a God send, an Angel maybe a Saint. My husband and I were told by my daughter in a very very nice way, it's time to leave mom and dad and we did but I was worried the whole time but knowing that Jenna was in there taking control of the situation and knew what she was doing and letting our daughter and son in law in on what exactly was happening made the wait a whole lot easier. 24 hours......plus the before and after question answer time, boy was she worth every penny‼ I wish we had doulas 32 years ago cuz I didn't know what I was doing......twice. Haha. EXCELLENT DOULA and a very kind and compassionate person read more

We hired Jenna to be the doula for our second birth, and I can't imagine my pregnancy and birth without her. She was caring, empathetic, funny, professional, and so incredibly encouraging along the journey. Her calming and intuitive presence at our home birth made the experience that much more joyful and allowed me to be that much more present. Such a blessing to our family! As a doula myself, I am always referring moms to her and truly trust that any mama who is partnered with Jenna will be truly blessed by their experience with her! read more

I dont even know if I have the words to express how much we love Jenna. I met her on Skype as we live overseas and came into the SD area for the birth of our daughter. After and hour on Skype, I knew we found our doula. She was so kind, warm, generous and helpful in those months before the birth, leading us to our Obstetrician, yoga class, chiropractic, massage. Everything I needed, she had a wonderful recommendation. She was so amazing with us during the whole process, making my husband feel comfortable (English is not his first language) and supporting me physically and emotionally every step of the way. Ten stars from me!!! I almost want to get pregnant again just so Jenna could be my doula :) read more

Where to start...Jenna is just amazing. We will surely make mistakes as parents, but thanks in large part to Jenna, we got off to a great start. From the initial interview, through the wee hours of the night in the hospital, to the follow-up visit - she was so helpful. As this was our first child, we really didn't know what we were getting into. We had read books and taken classes (which were also extremely helpful), but no one can predict how your birth will actually play out - thankfully, Jenna was there - who was prepared for anything! She was professional, knowledgeable and always caring, but I think what I appreciated most was that she never judged. SO glad we met Jenna - she's extremely good at her job, and just a wonderful person. read more

My experience with Jenna as our doula was wonderful. She was very caring, patient, a wealth of knowledge, and so approachable. She allowed me to have a great birthing experience; listening to my needs and helping guide my husband and I through the sometimes crazy labor experience. She was very calming throughout the whole process from our interactions prior to birth, through birth, and postpartum. Jenna was great and I highly recommend her as a doula. read more

I highly recommend using Jenna as a Birth Doula. We hired her for the birth of our second child and are using her again for the birth of our third child. Jenna is warm, supportive, knowledgeable and patient. She listened to my birth goals and was extremely encouraging start to finish. I found the prenatal home visits to be informative and very useful. During labor and delivery Jenna provided hands on comfort and was a great advocate for us at the hospital. The birth of my daughter will always be a memorable and joyful day thanks to Jenna! read more

My husband and I will be forever grateful to Jenna for everything that she did as our doula. She is supportive, kind, compassionate, patient, and gave us such peace of mind before, during and after my birth. She was such a calming, soothing presence throughout my labor. We also love that she and Anelly work together and back each other up (Anelly is also wonderful, we took our breast feeding class with her). Leading up to my labor, Jenna was there to answer every question that came up, and to walk me through the two false alarms I had. I wound up being induced sooner than planned and Jenna's husband's flight home had gotten delayed so she couldn't head to the hospital right then, so she offered to have Anelly come for just a few hours if I wanted, not wanting us to be alone. We didn't think it was necessary, so she sat on the phone with me for awhile (I was slightly scared/nervous with the plan getting changed last minute), walking me through what would happen and making sure any questions I had were answered, and then she continued to touch base with us until we asked her to come to the hospital. She headed right over and jumped right in when she arrived (I was in very active labor at that point), and she didn't stop for the rest of my labor, she was right there along side my nurse and husband the whole time. She also checked in once we were home making sure we were doing ok and making sure I knew that she was there if I needed anything. Words really can't express how thankful we are for having Jenna there for us on such a special day. read more

I never planned on writing this negative review, as I have no personal ill-will toward Jenna. She seems like a lovely person. However, I feel compelled to write a review after listening to my friends and moms-group acquaintances, and most recently my own cousin, share how supportive and wonderful their birth experiences were with their doulas. They raved about the care and support they got from their doulas during pregnancy, at their births, and post-pregnancy. I am so envious of their experiences. Mine was the opposite. Jenna charged almost $1,000.... for missing my entire 14 hours of labor. (Even though my husband and I spoke with her several times on the phone throughout the 14 hours.) When my husband finally asked her when she was coming over, (at the 12 hour mark) she said, "I have to take care of some stuff first." What?!? I was shocked! Isn't this what we paid her for? She seemed disbelieving that I was in heavy labor. She asked me if I was going to keep my scheduled OB appointment that day, and I answered, "No, there's no point since I'm in labor and I know I'm going to have this baby today. I will be seeing my doctor at the hospital in a few hours when I give birth!" When she finally showed up at the 14 hour mark, I was crowning and pushing the baby out on my bed. I was absolutely panicked and crying. She said, "Wow, you weren't kidding, you really are in labor." What was the point of hiring a doula for my labor.... when she doesn't show up for my labor?? During our original meet and greet, and during the second subsequent meeting we had before our birth, I noticed Jenna texting quite a bit. She seemed distracted and disengaged. My gut instinct was this woman was not physically or emotionally available for this job. I wish I had trusted my gut and hired her wonderful partner, Annely. My birth would have been a completely different experience. I could go on about our dissatisfying experience with Jenna, (offering to get me a sandwich after my birth, but not coming back until an hour and a half later? No phone call? Intermittent communication from the beginning. No phone calls, only random texts. Some of my texts back to her weren't answered until days afterward) as it goes beyond her just not showing up for my labor. But it would take too long, and I just want to enjoy my beautiful baby. The final straw for me came a week after my birth, when my doctor recommended I call Jenna for some healing spray she had on hand for my post-birth, mangled crotch. I called Jenna to ask when she or Annely could bring it over and Jenna actually answered, "Annely can bring it over in two or three days...." Whaat?!? I just hit a breaking point after this, realizing how low on her priority list I continued to be. I was in shock. I called Annely myself and she brought it over that day or the next. To her credit, Jenna returned half our money. I seemed to have caught her at an incredibly busy time in her life. I wish I had been higher on her priority list. Mostly, I wish she did what we paid her to do...to show up and support me through labor. read more

I have had the pleasure of working with Jenna first hand on several occasions. As a birth practitioner, I recognize the importance of a caring and supportive individual when it comes to helping a mom through labor. Jenna is a very kind spirit, and does a tremendous job of supporting moms and families during such an important and transformative time. She is totally commited to her clients, and that comes across in her interaction with them. I have had numerous patients who rave about her work, and they make it a point to tell me how influential she was in helping them achieve the birth they wanted. read more

Amazing!! We hired Jenna as our doula for our first child. From the very first meeting Jenna was honest and comforting. Reassuring that what I was feeling or questions I had were normal. We signed up for the birthing class that they teach as well and ended up having Jenna come to our house to teach because we were the only couple signed up for that month. It was great and felt like I was talking to a friend about the process. When I did go into labor Jenna was quick to answer my husbands phone call and help us figure out what to do. She continued to text me while we were getting to the hospital and getting settled in. At 4 am when I decided I wanted her there, she was there in what seemed like a couple of minutes after my husband called her. Instantly I felt relief and calm that she was at our side. She helped tremendously during labor with positions to try, comfort tricks, and supporting myself and my husband during the whole labor and delivery. I ended up needing to push for quite a while ( a little over 5 hours) and she was there encouraging me the entire time. She was priceless at the end when I really needed that extra support and encouragement. She stayed for about an hour after delivery to help with breastfeeding support and to make sure that we were all ok. She also texted over the next few days with more tips and then did a postpartum visit to our house. There is no price tag that I can put on how valuable she was and will always hold a special place in our hearts with how important she was in that day. read more

Yelp words truly cannot express my gratitude for having Jenna's support in my birth. I was very skeptical of the entire possibility of actually having an unmedicated natural birth, but thanks to Jenna and hypnobirthing, I actually did it! Jenna was there to support me and my husband throughout the entire process from my very first surges (contractions) at home until my daughter was born in the hospital. Jenna gave up her new year's eve plans for 18 hours of this! Jenna was always there to answer the many questions I had both during my labor and in the months leading up to it, Jenna coached my body through each stage of labor and gave me the encouragement I needed when I was ready to give up and use the "keyword" we had previously defined for epidural, Jenna endlessly rubbed my back when my husband was tired (which was a lot during 18 hours!), and helped me into various helpful positions that I never would've figured out on my own. Jenna was the communicator between my doctor and the nurses and my husband and I and she knew our birth plan forwards and backwards to ensure that our desires were all achieved. I'm forever grateful for Jenna's support in helping me achieve the birth experience I always wanted and would highly recommend her for anyone looking to do the same. read more

Jenna is an awesome doula. She supported my VBAC and gave me confidence and strength. She was there throughout my labor and birth. I love knowing she was there for us to help us make decisions and support us through the birth. read more

Jenna was absolutely essential to my birth experience. She answered any questions we had before our little lady arrived and checked in regularly to make sure we had what we needed. She provided so many resources to help during my pregnancy (like recommending a chiropractor and massage therapist who were much needed for keeping me healthy). When the time came, my water broke and labor started, I had the goal of laboring at home until she arrived, but less than an hour after I asked her to come, we knew we needed to head to the hospital. She was there minutes after us and sprang into action with the blessed hot water bottles and encouraging words. She supported my husband so he could support me and with them as my team, I was able to have the natural med-free birth that we wanted. Jenna's encouraging words were perfect when I was doubting myself and I'm so thankful that we had her there! After our daughter arrived, she made sure we were taken care of and even picked up food for us! She continues to be a calming presence in our lives and is well invested in "her" babies! Not that we're planning on another one soon, but when we do, we'll definitely be hiring Jenna again! read more

Jenna was an amazing doula. She met me at the hospital and I was already 10 cm and in a ton of pain. She was able to help me focus, calm down and push. She was a source of strength for me. Jenna was made to be a doula and has wisdom and experience beyond her years, not to mention she is just an all around great person. It's a privilege to work with her. read more

wow, i am soooooo grateful for jenna!! we met and i instantly loved her. she was a great support during my last weeks of pregnancy, birthing and afterward. i don't think i would have had a natural, med-free delivery without her. she is calm, kind, warm, reassuring and we can't imagine our son's birth without her. read more

I absolutely adore Jenna, and am so grateful that she was part of my first pregnancy, labor, and birth. If I had questions, she was quick to answer. If I had worries, she was quick to calm. Her presence during my labor and birth was quiet but strong. She guided in a gentle and compassionate way, which made me feel supported and never pushed. She was creative when the going got tough. When I started to get uncomfortable from kneeling in the tub, she ran down to her car and came back with a gardening cushion. When I struggled to push effectively, she grabbed a sheet and we "played" tug of war so I could really feel what it was like to curl myself up and around my baby. She helped me regain confidence when I began to panic and doubt, and energy when exhaustion threatened to take over. Thanks to Jenna's unwavering support and encouragement, I was able to achieve the birth experience for which I had hoped and planned. read more