It's really hard for me to put into words how mush support Tiffany brought to the birth of my son…read more I did not have the easiest of labors, and knowing that I had Tiffany there to support me every single step of the way helped release extra stress around his birth. When something didn't work, she came up with another tactic and worked so well with my midwives in making sure I was getting the best care possible. When my husband needed a break, she was right there by my side offering support, encouragement and listening to my fears. I can't recommend Tiffany or her services enough. If you are looking for someone who is clearly so passionate about bringing healthy children into this world and making sure the mother has an advocate and supporter by her side the whole entire time, then you need to hire Tiffany 100%. I'll definietely be using her services for baby #2!

Tiffany Alblinger - a true angel here on Earth! This was our first experience of having a child,…read moreand Tiffany was the most amazing, helpful and supportive partner through the entire process. She came to our aid with information, experience and a quick-witted humor that always added fun to our time together. In this most intimate time, she was gentle, loving, hilarious, supportive, compassionate and incredibly generous with her time and knowledge - deftly answering my constant questions, no matter how silly or serious they were. She genuinely listened to us and respected our needs and preferences. Additionally Tiffany was integral in helping my husband feel supported and confident as we led up to the birth. And did I mention her sense of humor? She's hilarious - always keeping things light-hearted! One of the most impactful preparations Tiffany did with me during one of our pre-birth meeting sessions, was to walk me through my biggest fear. I was preparing for a drug-free, vaginal birth and an emergency caesarian section was my biggest fear. With her instruction, I closed my eyes and she gently led me (and my husband) through a scenario in which a c-section would be necessary. She stayed calm and gentle, as I got emotional and worked through the exercise. Once through it, I realized that my fear was almost worse than the potential actuality. And if it did turn to that situation, I would be more ready because we'd walked through it. This was incredibly effective for me, and my fear was eliminated. During the labor and delivery, Tiffany was such a calming presence for me and for my husband, as we navigated this new territory. She gave him support and instructions, while observing and helping me with whatever I needed. During the delivery, she held my hand, my leg and kept me focused in moments of doubt & fear, reminding me that I would soon see the beautiful eyes of my baby. After my baby girl was born, she celebrated the moment, and then gave us space as a brand new family of 3. This was a quality about Tiffany that I really appreciated - she always seemed to know when to insert herself to help, and then when to leave us to figure things out on our own. Tiffany has an incredibly special place in my heart, as she shared this intimate experience with myself and my husband. I can't imagine how the experience would have gone without her! We continue to keep in touch and if we decide to have another child, we will definitely look to her to take part in some way, whether it is again as a doula, or as our midwife. I can't recommend this amazing woman highly enough.

Doula Jenn is the absolute best. This was my second birth with a doula, and Jenn is without a doubt…read morethe calming, positive and hands on presence that you and your partner will want in a birth. I had a vision for my birth, and it wasn't going to plan, but Jenn has a beautiful way of validating your feelings while also bringing it back to a positive and productive space. My husband and I looked back at many moments in my labor where Jenn was invaluable from helping with better positions, to remaining stable and calm through the twists, turns and moments you need it the most. Our nurse at Scripps I could tell really respected her. She truly cares, is always within reach, and I feel so grateful that she was part of the journey to get my daughter here safe and sound!

We had a wonderful experience with Doula Jenn and highly recommend her!…read moreJenn has a lot of experience as a doula. During pregnancy she was a great source of information and peace of mind. Then I had a long, hard labor (including laboring on pitocin only- no epirural- for about 5 hours). We appreciated that she was so positive and always had ideas to try. She was a huge support to my husband and I during labor. In the end, I got a c-section. Jenn came back after the surgery and helped with my immediate recovery, and helped my husband get settled with baby. I did a lot of research and interviewed about 5 doulas before booking Jenn. Jenn was the best communicator out of all. We were always so thankful and felt like she was really there for us. Thank you Jenn!

To say that investing in a doula was a good idea would be the understatement of a lifetime. My wife…read moreand I heard about this magical concept as if it were a fairytale idea out of our reach, a luxury item in no way meant for us. That was until we met Kathryn and One Moon Doula. They showed us how we could achieve the dream goals we had for those first precious weeks while also honoring our modest budget. Not knowing what to expect, as this was our first child, we did understand that having someone with us would change everything. We were quickly linked with a few doula interviews and fell in love with one of them. Our schedules aligned and boy did it ever change our lives. I can't imagine not having our doula there for those critical nights of transitioning into parenthood, while making space for healing and recovery. We both slept more than we ever thought possible, while our son was cared for better than we could have imagined, AND we learned so much to build a foundation of comfort and confidence moving forward. No family member or friend would have been able to step in the same way. If you have nothing else on your registry other than a fund for this...do just that. It will change your whole early parenting experience for the better. Thank you to One Moon Doula and their network of Angels.

Lindsey was a blessing. She was more than I could have asked for. I don't have family nearby to…read morehelp so I looked into doula services. She made me so comfortable with her caring for my newborn, which is very hard to let someone else do. She was very easy to get along with and offered tips and advice that were so helpful to me, even as a second time mom. She made it so I could get good sleep and be ready for the next day with the baby and my oldest, refreshed. Thank you!! I am forever grateful. :)

Within minutes of meeting Kylie, my husband and I knew that we wanted her to be part of our birth…read moreexperience! As a first time Mom I was nervous about the process and had my doubts of whether or not I would be able to deliver naturally. Kylie taught my husband and I "hypnobirthing" techniques, checked in frequently, and was there every step of the way to reassure me that everything I was thinking and feeling was normal and OK. She has a very calm, non-alarmist demeanor which allowed me to remain fearless throughout the process (from pregnancy to delivery). My goal was to delivery naturally, which not only did achieve, but more importantly I had FUN doing it! Thanks Kylie, we love you and will see you for kid #2.

Kylie is so skilled in her line of work as a doula and hiring her was one of the best decisions my…read morehusband and I made. I recently gave birth to my first baby, a beautiful son, at Scripps Encinitas with Dr. Cap. With Kylie's help, we had a smooth, stress free, intimate and beautiful birthing experience. She provided valuable pre and postnatal information as well as helpful tools to prepare for labor & birth. Being a hypnobirthing instructor, she is an expert in comfort measures and creating an environment of trust & deep relaxation. We immediately felt a connection with Kylie from the moment we met her. She is outgoing, funny, open minded and excellent at reading emotions and anticipating needs. She cracked a joke when one was needed. She took over when my husband needed to rest. She provided us with comfort, reassurance and confidence during the labor process, which allowed us to stay home much longer than we would have had it just been my husband and I. She helped my husband be the best birth partner possible. Her communication was excellent- from answering questions during pregnancy, checking in with my husband via text during early labor, providing words of comfort and reassurance while laboring with us at home, and during the birth process to make sure we were fully present and did not miss any of the magic. She advocated for our birth preferences and spoke up to the nursing staff to make sure I was laboring in the best positions possible. She even handled everything with the placenta encapsulation. Because of Kylie I was able to have the unmedicated birth that I had dreamed of. We highly recommend Kylie and hope to work with her again in the future. If you are considering hiring her as your doula, do yourself a favor and say YES!a

I had an amazing experience with Madison as my doula. I felt heard from all aspects of my pregnancy…read moreto birth and after! As a first time mom this world of information can be really overwhelming but having Madison as my doula, she was able to provide me with all the information and knowledge to help my family make the best informed decisions. The tools she gave me during my birth helped me tremendously! She was there with me through my 26hr labor giving me encouragement when I needed it, timing my serges, assisting my partner in ways to make me comfortable, etc. My original plan was to have an unmedicated birth, after about hour 22 I gave in and got an epidural but before then I was able to get to 7 centimeters dilated with Madison's encouragement. I truly enjoyed my experience becoming a first time mom and I truly attribute a lot of it to my amazing doula! Madison will my doula for all other pregnancies moving forward. Don't hesitate to make Madison your doula. You will not regret it! Thank you Madison!

Cannot thank Madison enough for all of the support she provided during pregnancy, labor, and…read morepostpartum. With my husband in the military and away at sea for long periods of time during my pregnancy, Madison was my go to for advice and helped me navigate my many doctor appointments. Whenever I was nervous or unsure of something, she talked me through it and empowered me to make the best choices for myself and my baby. She's incredibly knowledgeable and made me feel so prepared and excited going into labor! She was the calming presence I needed in my anxious moments and an absolute rockstar during labor, coaching me through every contraction and making the day one of the most memorable and beautiful of my life. With Madison's support, I delivered a healthy baby boy! She continued to check in and help with breastfeeding and pumping tips postpartum and I couldn't be more grateful! Highly recommend using her services. I know I couldn't have done it without her and can't wait for number two!

I am so glad that I chose Beautiful One Midwifery for my care during my first pregnancy and birth…read more Kelly, Tiffany, and Christina all gave wonderful care, took time to answer all my questions, and never pressured any decisions. I always felt informed and supported in my decisions. After a long labor and successfully delivering my baby at home, I required a hospital transfer for extensive stitching. Tiffany drove me to the hospital and stayed with me the whole time, advocating for me and providing emotional support during the procedure. The postpartum care (in my home!) has been invaluable as I have navigated these first few weeks of having a newborn. The ladies would check on me and my newborn, provide breast feeding support, and answer any questions or concerns.

I had a baby in June of 2014 and decided that having a doula for my first baby - one I hoped to…read moredeliver naturally - would be helpful. I asked a friend who is very well connected in the birthing community who she would recommend of the names Id heard and she immediately said Kelly was outstanding. I was leaning that way already - her website was so thorough and she clearly cared about being thorough and stretching to extend all of herself and the resources she had to support her clients - but also just to be a resource to anyone visiting her page which I loved. I also wanted placenta encapsulation and she was able to offer doula services as well as the placenta services - and she also teaches a birthing class which I was able to watch online - so great!! I came to realize that my biggest need was someone to talk to prior to the birth to learn about exactly what was going to happen. Also - I would find myself with free-floating anxiety. The initial meetings with Kelly and my husband and then the availability to text or chat when stress or fear hit was honestly one of the best things I got out of our Doula relationship. Kelly was so able to validate and yet present either her experience, observations, or just a way to think about giving birth that removed the fear I didn't expect to have. I ended up being induced - during the two weeks "overdue" I was especially anxious and Kelly was again a helpful calming voice. The day I went in for the induction I was terrified. She had given me a link to online meditations Id been listening to for the last month and I was able to listen to them there while the contractions started. It was the perfect way to begin labor. It was also cool to have subtle but definite encouragement to go into myself and not worry about holding conversation with the others in the room. The labor ended up being awesome - no epidural, I was stronger than I expected and Kelly was there encouraging me but not "coaching" me. As the pushing continued and it became clear that I was going to need a c-section, she was again a good counterbalance to look to as my husband and I reconciled that it was indeed the way to go. While the crash c was happening, Kelly was there talking with my husband while they waited. After the baby was delivered, Kelly was there in the room to ensure my skin on skin feeding request was granted and Im really grateful that she took photos in case I wanted them of my first moments with baby. I was still under anesthesia and everyone else there was meeting the baby and stabilizing him. I'm so grateful to have those pictures to see what I couldn't experience consciously. Kelly came over after the birth to check in and see our baby again and chat through the day. I had some residual questions about maybe had I squatted longer, I could have delivered naturally etc. Kelly was quick to share her perspective having been there and to also encourage me to get the medical records so I could see exactly how it went down. I wouldn't have thought to do this - it was really informative and reassuring to read what happened and to see that we made good choices in the heat of the moment to ensure a healthy birth. Kelly's insights and experiences were so helpful. She also gave me a great lactation resource when I struggled with breastfeeding after the c section. I couldn't do the placenta encapsulation because of the c section so I can't review that - but I can assuredly say that my experience was what I hoped for an more and I was so much more prepared and supported at every stage because of Kelly. She is a nurturer, a super knowledgable professional (I loved that she has a masters in psychology too - so well able in dealing with highly emotional situations), and just a lovely grounded purposeful woman. She is not only a part of the birthing community but she creates a community for her clients to continue to support one another as we mother. I'm so glad I found her and highly recommend.

Dara is an absolute angel. She's knowledgeable, sweet, helpful, and meets you where you are at. I…read morehad an oversupply and overactive let down AND my baby had a shallow latch. Dara helped with all of these circumstances and made me feel so comfortable. She showed me different feeding positions that specifically would help my baby. My baby is over four months now and he has never had to take any formula Because of her guidance and expertise I am a confident breastfeeding mama ! Thankyou Dara!!

While my pregnancy was wonderful and healthy, it was also frequently wrought with anxiety. I lost…read moremy mother just three months before discovering we were pregnant, and I had always envisioned that she would be there by my side, along with my husband, to deliver my first baby. In addition to desiring the type of nurturing and support only a mother can provide, I also wanted to have an unmedicated labor and delivery. Enter Dara, who instantly made me feel comforted and supported just after a few video calls. When my husband and I met her in person, we felt reassured and excited to have her by our side as we approached our due date. Dara was always available and easily accessible throughout the pregnancy for questions and provided me with an incredible amount of evidence-based childbirth information to help guide my birth plan and help me feel that much more prepared. And while nothing can truly prepare you for such an intense life event, I went in with much more confidence than I would have had without Dara's help. Once we were finally in active labor and called Dara into the hospital, she jumped right in with getting me moving and changing positions to help labor progress and get the baby in a good position. She also helped my husband support me by gently guiding him and educating him throughout the process. While I ended up getting an epidural close to 9cm, she remained active in positioning my body, keeping me hydrated, and helping both my husband and me get some rest before pushing. What I will remember the most from this entire experience is how Dara seemed to embody my own mother's energy with her tenderness. It was as if she knew exactly what I needed, when I needed it the most, without me needing to say a word. We delivered our sweet baby boy with Dara by our side and will never forget what a beautiful experience we had together. -Frances If there is one thing you do to prepare for your child's birth, pick up the phone and schedule a consult with Dara. As a first-time Dad, I had no idea what to expect at the hospital, even with the childbirth classes and e-learning videos. Nothing prepares you. While I initially thought the nurses would be there to support my wife, they're busy working. They don't have the bandwidth to be fully present. Dara was there every step of the way to help her emotionally and physically. Even with our relatively healthy childbirth with no complications, Dara stepped in. To watch her in action was such a relief because I knew my wife was getting the best possible care. Dara also didn't take over the reins. She made sure I was a part of the entire process. You can't put a price on that peace of mind. If I had to sell an organ to pay for Dara's services, I would. She's the most amazing, nurturing doula in north county. -Steven

I had such a great experience with Briana! She came to our home a few days after birth and…read moreimmediately made me feel comfortable and supported. She took her time checking baby's latch and weight, helped me understand what was going on engorgement and clogged ducts, gave me simple, realistic steps to move forward and created a personalized breastfeeding plan for me. She explained everything in a way that actually made sense and didn't make me feel overwhelmed. You can tell she truly cares about the families she works with. I left the visit feeling relieved, confident, and so much more prepared. Highly recommend her to any new mom looking for thoughtful, evidence-based lactation support.

I've worked with Brianna as one of my midwives, and as my lactation consultant, and she's…read morefantastic--absolutely saving my breastfeeding experience from being constantly painful (excruciating) to finally pain-free! It took a process of trial and adjustments to find the right pumping phalanges in the right size, and make micro-adjustments to baby's positioning on the boob, but Brianna was so helpful and knowledgeable every step of the way. I came out of every session with her feeling hopeful and more empowered, and I'm so happy to say: Baby and I now have the hang of this thing! (Because I was really, really ready to quit. There is no pain like breastfeeding pain. Hiring a professional to sort it out is 1000% worth it). Brianna has been a must-have for my baby team.