I found Labor of Love by doing some of my own research online. And thank God I did! My doula,…read moreKaren, was my rock throughout my labor and was 100,000 percent amazing--I'll definitely be working with her for my second! A little backstory: I was overwhelmed and so nervous about finding "the one" person to be a part of the most important event of my life. After doing my research and reading through all these bios, I honestly was left feeling overwhelmed, especially knowing how indecisive I can be. I knew I just had to trust my intuition and my gut on this one! After looking at Karen's bio on their website, I had such a good feeling. Staci (the owner), who was super friendly and professional, helped me get connected with Karen, and I booked an interview right away! Karen was so sweet and asked me about my pregnancy experience so far. We discussed how I wanted my birth to go and any concerns I had. There wasn't any pressure to hire her, and it just felt like she was already invested in me, like I was already family. I even had her video chat with my husband to make sure we both felt comfortable and vibed well together--and we sure did! Overall, Karen ended up being the perfect balance of knowledge, experience, and professionalism. It was the most perfect amount of care I could have asked for. She was also such an advocate for my birth plan to work out. Before, during, and after my labor and birth, she was always naturally in tune with what I needed. She was never overbearing, worked so well with my husband, and gave him space to be a part of my support team as well. I am so grateful to have come across Labor of Love

The business owner is quite the opposite of the type of person any vulnerable new mom should have…read moreto work with. My experience with Labor of Love was almost two years ago now but continues to upset me when thinking back on my experience. We hired Lauren as our doula, who made it clear she expected us to go far past my due date as a first time mom. While it's possible for that to happen, it didn't in my case. At 39 weeks and at 5am while in active labor and getting ready to head to the hospital, she let us know she had Covid. Her backup was Karen, who I wish we hired to begin with as she is far more caring and professional. Though unfortunately our experience still fell short and we ultimately delivered without Karen present. We were left feeling like we invested a lot of emotion and money into this process with ultimately no help. Staci has been incredibly rude to us since then and even revoked our access to watch her training videos, sending me a link to pay her once again when wanting to rewatch for our now second baby on the way. Karen herself even recommended we ask for a partial refund due to our experience, but Staci lacks the professionalism and courtesy to her clients. Truly mindblowing that she revoked access to the training videos after we had already paid for them. I would stay far away and recommend a more experienced and caring doula group.

I didn't know where to start in searching for a doula, and I'm so glad I came across this marching…read moreservice. It was an easy and quick process that helped me find a doula with some pretty specific preferences I had in mind. They gave me several great options and matched me with my doula who I absolutely love!

The Doulas of Orange County is a wonderful service that helped my wife and me out tremendously in…read moreour search for a birth doula. With so many doulas available, it was overwhelming knowing where to start our search. Doulas of Orange County simplified everything by first gathering a list of what we wanted and matching us with the perfect doulas who aligned with our vision and our budget. The process was easy to understand, and they consistently informed us every step along the way to keep us in the loop. Thank you, Doulas of Orange County!

Lia was an amazing resource for my husband and me as we prepared for the birth of our son. If…read moreyou're in Long Beach and interested in a natural birth experience or simply want to feel informed and prepared for labor and childbirth, I highly recommend her. She empowers her clients with information and helps them feel confident making the best decisions for themselves. Her kindness and support extended beyond class hours. When I went into labor, she promptly responded to texts from my husband, answered his questions, and offered guidance and reassurance. She helped him better understand how to support me during labor, and that made all the difference in our experience. Birth is beautiful, wild, and unpredictable. Lia helped us feel confident in our birth plan while preparing us to navigate the process as it unfolded. We're so grateful for her knowledge, warmth, and support. Highly recommend!

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.

Angela has played a major role in our birth preparation with her Hypnobabies course. Being a…read morechiropractor I have learned a lot about human development and the birthing process. With that said I was taken back on how much information was still unknown to me. The hypnosis will put your body into a parasympathetic state and allow for you and your birth partner to have another tool in your tool belt when it is game time. You will soon find out that this is Angela's calling. Is is a healer, a mentor, a educator, and has the joy of preparing mothers and fathers for the biggest day of their lives and beyond. I firmly believe that this course should be mandatory for new mothers. Know your rights, formulate a birth plan and learn the lingo of the docs before you go to the hospital. As always thanks again for your valuable time Angela it was truly life changing.

Angela is a gift and an incredible Doula. We did her Hypnobabies course which was amazing. I felt…read morelike a first time mama, even though this was my 5th baby. My husband and I learned so much in Hypnobabies with Angela. My husband loved it as well. Angela makes the class what it is though. As for Angela, my Doula, wow. We did so much work together in my monthly chats with her. It was like my own therapy session that I didn't know I needed. I did so much healing in the months I worked with her. She prepared my husband and I for birth so well. She has so much to offer! She doesn't leave anything unchecked. She will be your best advocate! She had a big hand in helping redeem all of my past birth experiences. I'll forever be grateful for Angela!

So grateful that I found this amazing doula team and mama community!…read more Krista Jawin worked closely with my husband and I to prepare us for the birth of our first child. She has truly been the guiding light through our journey into parenthood. We had the amazing, magical, beautiful, empowering home birth that we visualized during our birth education sessions with Krista. We know we would not have had this experience if it were not for her guidance before, during and after the birth of our baby. Thank you Krista for the amazing selfless work you do for mamas, babies, and families!!!!

I love Maureen and the team at In One Breath Center! I'm so thankful that I was referred to…read moreMaureen: I was halfway through my first pregnancy and my yoga instructor encouraged me to become educated about labor, birth, and postpartum life. I am SO glad I received that encouragement and Maureen's name from her. I had interviewed a couple doulas who I found on Yelp, but my 3rd call was Maureen and I knew by the end of our first phone conversation that she was the one who would be my teammate and would be there to witness the birth of my first baby! We opted to do a hospital birth (although I loved the idea of a midwifery center or a home birth, my husband's desire was to have our son born in a hospital setting) and I knew that I wanted the wisdom and support of a birth doula to assist my husband and I in making the best decisions possible during the labor & delivery process. My goal was to have a natural birth and I knew that might be challenging in the hospital setting. As a side-note, I had previously thought birth doulas were mainly for people who had extra money laying around - but now I don't know why I had that idea because it's not true in the least bit! We made a point to save where we could so that we could spend some on a doula. Before "The Day" arrived, we met with Maureen in person. She asked great questions about our wishes, fears, uncertainties and she helped us to write a very simple birth plan (or 'birth preferences'- since most of the time things DON'T go exactly as you plan for with birth!). She was in contact with us often in the weeks leading up the my due date, especially because at 34 weeks I needed to go to the hospital Triage due to intense/frequent Braxton Hicks and we also found out that baby was breech and would need to turn - and soon! She and Krista gave me excellent advice that I wouldn't have otherwise received - little suggestions and tricks for taking care of myself at home leading up to my due date. We wanted to keep the baby in the womb until he was closer to (or at) 40 weeks and we were hopeful he would flip around, too! So, Maureen advised me to rest, calm my mind, listen to hypnobirthing mp3s, etc. We kept in touch regularly for the 3-4 weeks before my water broke at 37 weeks + 1 day - baby boy waited until he was considered full-term and then wouldn't wait a day longer! He was placed in my arms 37 hours later! For the actual labor & delivery she met us at Hoag while we were still trying to get labor going (unsuccessfully) and then she supported us as the nurses suggested Pitocin to get things going. PItocin wasn't in our "Plan", but with Maureen's support, my husband and I asked that we start the process very slow & steady... LONG story short, I was able to deliver the baby vaginally without any drugs or intervention with exception of the Pitocin. Thank God we had Maureen - she helped with massaging, bathroom trips, various labor positions, pep talks, and she really supported my husband. I think that's the biggest takeaway- my husband had the confidence to tell the hospital staff our desires (when needed) because Maureen was his teammate when I was out of my usual mind during the labor process. Maureen is sincere, hard-working, loving, and just an all-around JOY to be around. God knew what he was doing when he set us up together. It's been nearly 6 months since my son was born (another pregnancy isn't in our imminent future) and when the time is right I know I will be dialing Maureen as soon as we make plans to have Baby #2. I encourage anyone who read this long-winded review to connect with Maureen before making your final decision if a birth doula is right for you! As my husband has told several other of our expecting couple-friends: "Talk to Maureen (or any doula you're considering), it's the best money we chose to spend during this season!"

Lauren is an exceptional doula and we feel incredibly grateful to have had her as part of our birth…read moreexperience. She is extremely knowledgeable about all things labor and delivery, works seamlessly with the staff at Hoag Newport, and is fantastic at collaborating with the husband (me) both leading up to and during labor and delivery. Lauren even came to our home ahead of time to see our space and provide education, which was such a thoughtful and comforting touch. She truly has a gift for bringing calm, clarity, and confidence to the birth process. She was texting us consistently leading up to going to the hospital, which made us feel deeply supported, cared for, and never alone. We would absolutely recommend Lauren to anyone looking for a doula who is skilled, compassionate, and genuinely invested in your experience.

Lauren was my doula for the birth of both of my children. Like many first time parents, we had…read moreabsolutely no idea what to expect for birth or the post partum period. She had very helpful info on the birth process, options for birth plans etc. we were so thankful for her guidance with our first. I had to be induced both times and labored with pitocin. For my first birth Lauren really stepped up to help me meditate through the contractions when I started to panic. During my recent second birth, she helped me stretch and move around to reposition my baby and help him move down. She also can take photos/videos of the birth if you want and took the most beautiful photos for both of my children! Overall she's super knowledgeable, wants to advocate for you at whatever level you're comfortable with, and just generally helps everything go more smoothly. Highly recommended Lauren as a birth doula!

We were planning a cross country road trip with our toddler and for peace of mind I wanted to make…read moresure our car seat was installed correctly and there were no changes we had to make to it. We hired Amanda to come to our home and help us out. It was so convenient and she was amazing! She recommended some changes to make safety wise and showed us how to install them and let my husband and I each do it in our own cars so we felt comfortable, especially since I will be getting a new car soon and will have to learn to. She gave us some great tips and sent us a follow up email with a ton of resources and information. Overall I would highly recommend this service to make sure everything is correct with your car seats, car seat safety is so important and I feel so much better knowing my son is as safe as he can be.

AMAZING experience with Amanda. She helped us installed two different car seats in two different…read morecars. She is very knowledgeable, I learned a lot from installing the car seats to how to keep our baby safe in them, because it is not only about strapping the harness around your little one, it's about doing it right. Thank you Amanda.

This was our first time working with a doula, and Carly couldn't have been a better choice. We…read morewanted to hire an overnight doula to help us get better sleep, and I would highly recommend it to protect not only your sleep, but also your mental health and relationships. From our very first meeting, her calm, grounded presence put us completely at ease. She provided compassionate, expert guidance, helped us navigate every decision with confidence, and offered invaluable support during those exhausting early postpartum weeks. Whether it was physical comfort measures, emotional support, or practical advice for newborn care, Carly was always there with unwavering kindness and knowledge. We truly could not have done it without her and cannot recommend her highly enough!

Going with Breezy Doula was my favorite decision during pregnancy! Wanted to update my previous…read morereview, post delivery. Long story short, I labored at home starting at 6am, got to triage at 1pm (5cm dilated 80% effaced), got to our room at 2pm, and our baby was here by 4:08pm! Because I was SO SO terrified of the epidural needle, catheter, and the whole epidural process, my birth preference from the first trimester was to not get it. Truly believe this was not possible without all the skills and tips I learned from Bree's Hypnobirthing course, Spinning Babies course, partner support or support from my doula, Carla. For months, my husband and I religiously listened to the Hypnobirthing tracks at bedtime and did the readings provided randomly throughout the day. We really learned it is not about pain tolerance but mostly mental prep. During early labor, the poses we learned during our Spinning Babies class really helped! -- Carla (birth doula): Exactly the energy, support and vibe we were going for! We really loved how we were able to communicate with her as soon as we booked. She would regularly check in on us and send us links to free events / classes and other resources. Carla was always SO warm, responsive, and knowledgeable. Highly recommend including her in your doula interview process :) Kalista (placenta encapsulation): We had so many questions about the whole process, Kalista was very patient and great at explaining everything in a way that was easy to understand! We received our kit prior to birth without any issues. Post birth, we loved the care, info, and packaging! Definitely worth a call with Kalista if you're interested in learning more or encapsulating. -- If you're on the fence about any of this, definitely check out one of the free events hosted by Breezy Doula! You'll definitely see and feel the community and passion Bree and her team pour into their work.

Just want to keep this short and to the point. We had a newborn that needed a heart transplant and…read morewere not able to communicate and attend immediately; however, I have made numerous attempts to try and get our placenta. My wife has gone through some serious of emotional hardships and we have heard the benefits of this service. I like to know where is our placenta. Secondly, it would mean a lot to get a response.

At thirty-five weeks pregnant with my firstborn, I knew I wanted a med-free birth in a hospital but…read morewas worried that unnecessary interventions might take place, so we decided to hire a doula for additional labor/hospital birth support. I found Renea online & met with her a few days later in our home. I knew by the end of our meeting that she was who I wanted beside me as I labored and gave birth. On the day I went into labor we were in constant communication via text. Once active labor began she came over to my home (with all of her essential oils!) and worked through the contractions with me. She was a strong supporter for me during this intense time! She came with us to the hospital and was right by my side as I delivered my son. We hired her again for our second-born son's delivery and she was with me, again, during active labor and at the hospital. We also saw her for a postpartum visit after each delivery. It's been 2 years since we first hired her and we are still friends. I text her randomly with a question and she is quick to reply! I've said this before and i'll say it again--i wouldn't want to birth my babies without Renea by my side!

Nurture Birth, Whitney and her team are fantastic! You will be supported in your journey of…read moreparenthood every step of the way. These ladies are in high demand for a reason, because of their experience and attention to personalized care you will feel a new sense of empowerment after working with them. I have personally used Whitney as my birth doula for my VBAC baby it was nothing short of everything I ever dreamed of. Through the pregnancy, complications included and the birth/labor Whitney was my support and I accomplished my birthing goal my way. It was perfect! Additionally I have attended some workshops by Nurture Birth and all I've been informative and worth my investment and time. I'm continually pleased with every offering and most recently have completed Nurture Births Doula Training. I appreciate the honesty, the community, support and logistical practicality that Whitney provided in her training. It was quick and thorough, perfect for a busy mama like myself. I hold additional certificates from other trainings, however Whitney has a special energy that elevates your self being. Not only are you more educated but you leave inspired, and motivated with other like minded and supported professionals at your side.

Nurture Births doula training is absoultely amazing!! I recommend this training to everyone!…read moreWhitney ran the training that I took and she is incredible! We were provided with tons of information, given goodies to help us with our own clients, and there were lots of hands on learning to help us perfect the skills that are essential for being a doula. The women that you are surrounded by when taking this class is unmatchable. They are so kind, talented, and very down to earth.