I think what surprised me the most about doing a coaching session with Mary is how quickly she gets…read moredown to business. I'm used to counseling sessions where you have to go for a few sessions before some help starts, and so it just feels exhausting to even get started with someone new. But Mary is Very intuitive. She got right to the heart of the matter, very quickly, and gave me some really practical advice. And that advice Actually Worked. I'm still in awe as she has no context on my life or my "spirited" kid. If you're having any challenges with your kids, I totally recommend setting up an initial session with Mary to see if you like her style. I'm really thankful for her advice

I started coaching with Mary at my wits end. Not knowing how to handle myself towards my children…read more I wasn't myself anymore and my children were very much aware of that. Fast forward to today and I am a calm mother. I have 3 children. My daughter going into her tween phase and there's a parenting style for that stage which I had no clue about. I also have two rowdy preschool boys. They love to climb, jump, build, destroy, wrestle. That is something I had to learn to be comfortable with as long as it wasn't dangerous and learn there are safe ways for boys to have their time in their way. Mary is amazing! She has guided and open up so much to me to be the parent I want to be.

I cannot express how grateful we are to have had Aubrey as our doula during my wife's pregnancy and…read morebirth experience! As a first-time moms, we were filled with excitement but also a fair amount of anxiety about what to expect. Being a person of color and in a same sex marriage the healthcare system hasn't always been kind to me unfortunately. We wanted someone there as an advocate for us. We interviewed 3 doulas, Aubrey being one of them and it truly was a no brainer. From our very first meeting, Aubrey made us feel completely at ease. Her warmth, kindness, and incredible knowledge truly set her apart. Not to mention she has a great personality, that's important because you can potentially spend a really long time with this person during the birth . Aubrey was always available to answer our questions, no matter how small they seemed. She provided us with invaluable resources and information that empowered us to make informed decisions about our birth plan, we actually felt prepared. My wife's birth was a 4 day failed induction and Aubrey guided us the whole way through. Explaining all the procedures before it happened. On the 4th day we had to make a decision about a C-section and I think we would have been even more of a nervous wreck without her knowledge. She was always there to give us unbiased information so we can choose what we felt was best for us. We felt like we had a trusted friend our side. All this to say Looma is amazing, we also did the encapsulated placenta through them and since opening up their studio I am currently taking my daughter who is 1.5 years old now to their Spanish lullabies class with Xóchitl who is amazing! I'm looking forward to attending their Mama meetups and other classes they host.

The space is beautiful and welcoming! I am so excited to have this in our Long Beach community!read more

Kathy came to my house for a babywearing consult and I am so pleased with her services!…read more She responded quickly to my inquiry through her website and then we texted (my preferred mode of communication) about my particular situation, needs, and goals. Long story short: babywearing didn't really happen with my first child--even though I own 3 different carriers--because I was always uncomfortable. I want it to work with my 2nd child and I suspected Kathy could help make that happen. Kathy brought several brands and types of carriers to our meeting. With the help of her realistic, weighted model baby, she helped me correctly put on and adjust each carrier (including those I own already), indicating where they should be positioned for best baby and back support. Once we'd narrowed it down to my 2 favorites, she helped me practice loading up my real baby (7 weeks old) and I was feeling pretty confident about being able to use a carrier comfortably. Kathy's guidance and insights were revelatory but also sensible. I suspect almost everyone could wear their babies more comfortably in whatever carrier they already own after a meeting with Kathy. She doesn't try to push one brand or style over another because she isn't selling products; she instead wants you to find what feels secure and effective for you. You won't regret a consult with Kathy! She's also upbeat and fun. I enjoyed working with her.

Having been a newport NMS alumni for the newborn, infant and rising toddler classes, I was hesitant…read moreto sign up at the new los Al studio for the second time moms class. Since the studio is so close and this was an opportunity to extend my new mom network, I pre-registered for the second time mom class while I was pregnant. I was assigned to a class with Julie as the instructor whom I just adored from the moment I met her. She was such a warm smiling presence to come to for 8 consecutive weeks. The topics spanned different things like pelvic floor, infant PT, 2 different mental health therapists, a parent coach to help with the transition from 1 to 2. We had a small group of 7 moms and were able to meet up a couple times during our class series. I enjoyed my experience at the los Al location and the parking was certainly much less stressful than in newport. Iykyk.

New Mom School is the best investment during postpartum! I took the Second Time Mom class at this…read morelocation and it was so special. We had a different expert each week and it was helpful to talk about all things baby, but what made it so great was the connection to other moms going through the same stage in life. The owner, Vivian is so kind and helpful with answering any questions about the classes, programming, etc. Highly recommend NMS for new moms, second time moms, toddler moms, and more!

I just want to say that Families Uniting Families is amazing, caring, supportive, and communicates…read morewith ease. We reached out to them two years ago with interest in adoption. They had classes for us to take to get certified. We choose the route of fostering to adopt. Our FFASW went above and beyond any of our expectations, and we greatly appreciate everyone at Families Uniting Families and highly recommend them for your fostering or adoption needs.

This is a great non-profit group that helps individuals that are unfortunate to need it.read more

Wanted to provide an additional update since it's been about 3 months. On October 27,2025 I…read morerequested a receipt for the "services" and Marisol agreed. Till this day I have not received any sort of receipt for the "services" provided. Adding to my feelings of being ignored, since she got what she wanted the payment of $2,800 dollars.

This review truly breaks my heart to write. When I get pregnant with my second child and I…read morecontacted Marisol right away to book her as my Doula. I was so excited to finally meet her in person and I signed the contract right away. I immediately sent over my deposit and I requested that she provide me with a receipt for the deposit . The fact that she was initially declining my request for a receipt because she wanted to wait until after the baby was born was probably the first sign that trouble was coming. I went back-and-forth with her and asked to get my receipt for the money that I had already paid so that I could use that receipt for a reimbursement with my flexible spending account. She still refused to give me the receipt so I reached out to my flexible spending company and asked them if I had to wait for the baby to be born in order to be reimbursed and they said no. Finally, Marisol agreed to give me a receipt for my deposit. I found this quite odd since people generally get a receipt when money exchanges hands. My husband and I meet with Marisol around 36 weeks to go over the birth plan. I tell her that my plan is to have her help me labor at home as much as possible since I wanted to reduce the likelihood of medical interventions. I also asked they she capture some photos for us. Marisol explained that we should not contact her right away if labor starts in the middle of the night, only call when ready. She kept stressing this point and even emailed me a document that says to only call when we are ready for her to come. A couple of weeks later I go into labor late one night. My labor progressed quickly and we called Marisol when we wanted her to come over, no answer. I then texted her. A short time later I told her we were headed to the hospital. Labor pains got so intense that I was not able to monitor my phone so my husband and Marisol were texting. Labor pains were so intense so I requested an epidural at the hospital. Once Marisol got this information , she assumed she had more time. I guess she didn't take into account that that epidural was not completed. Long story short, she didn't make her way to the hospital until after the kid was born. Per her contract, she had 90 minutes to get to me. My labor was quick but she had a 3 hour heads up. I was actually disappointed that she came to the hospital because now it feels like a random acquaintance just showed up for one of the biggest days of your life and now you have to entertain them. She stayed with us until we got transferred to our postpartum room. At this point, Marisol was not a part of my birth story at all and I was angry. A couple days later I immediately requested a partial refund. She denied my request saying she was "available." Instead she offered me one additional 3 hour postpartum visit. I didn't accept that and said we could discuss this matter when she did her postpartum visit. During the visit, Marisol said she could tell that I "felt some type of way" and she asked me to share my feelings. I told her I felt cheated, I'm out a lot of money and she didn't have to do anything. It was her choice to not come to me right away, I followed all of her instructions. Marisol then told me she was actually on her way to me but she needed time to shower, clean her doula supplies and pack her doula bag. Once she heard about the epidural, she returned home to pack snacks. This information infuriated me....she missed my birth for this?!?! This is an area where you don't get a do over. I would imagine that with the nature of this job you would always have your supplies clean and ready. She ended up offering me 12 postpartum hours. I told her that was not what I wanted since I didn't want to think of things for her to help me with. In plus, it's easy to get help during the day. I ended up requesting my money back and threatening legal action since she breached her own contract. In the end she agreed to return 1/2 of my money ($1400) and I was able to avoid legal action. (I didn't mind taking legal action, this was an open and shut case according to the guidance I received). I'd say she still came out ahead, $1400 for 2 short visits to my house and a short 45 minute visit to the hospital after my kid was born. I am beyond bummed about this experience. So yes, I still "feel some type of way!" I'm not sure how you could say you were available yet you missed the birth. And I still can't comprehend the rationale. I'm so confused.

This is the second birth I have had with Lorraine. For both births Lorraine was AMAZING! We had a…read morephone call and a one on one meeting where we talked about my goals and fears. We went over my birth plan and baby plan as well. In between we kept in contact via txt which is fine by me since I am a busy mom! I was able to text her and ask her advice and she was always incredibly knowledgeable and responded quickly. We were even able to chat the morning of my birth and try to find out if I was in labor or not. I was I am so grateful Lorraine was able to be with us for the birth of our baby. I know that I was able to have the birth I always wanted because she consistently advocated for us. My labor started that morning and she was able to help us decide when we should go to the hospital. I arrived at the hospital and she came within a few minutes of my arriving. All I wanted to do was labor in the position I wanted to labor in. She immediately started asking my hospital team if we could move have intermittent monitoring and was answering all of their questions about my birth. She was even able to give them our birth plan because (I forgot) and answer all their questions so I could focus on laboring. I loved hearing from my husband that the staff at the hospital were to the point where they just were watching my birth. Lorraine was guiding me the whole time. They came in last minute as I was feeling pressure to push and that was it. Even then Lorraine was helping me identify that sensation and that it was ok to push if I felt like it. I'm so grateful that I was able to birth the way I needed to on my terms and no matter what it felt like there was no other option. They had to follow MY lead and that made it all the better. I know there's so many times I felt like I was going to lose my focus on pressure waves but Lorraine's voice brought it back and reminded me I could do this. Remembering my cues and to relax between pressure waves. I gave myself permission to do what I needed because she reminded me that I could. I gave birth a a very healthy baby girl 9lbs4oz and 20.5inches. I am so thankful that Lorraine was that educated voice with the hospital staff. with us and always making me feel like my wishes came first. Lorraine guided me and reminded me to listen to my body and trust it. I have no idea how I could've achieved all of that without her. She has even been able to advise me Postpartum and answer all my questions. I couldn't be happier with my experience.

You give birth once and unfortunately I had a very bad experience with Lorraine. I would not…read morerecommend it to anyone. She definitely a good marketing person of herself and she did not keep that up during the birth for me. Please think twice before you hire her. I did hire her because she has experience but sometimes it's about the excitement. She is done. She is doing it just for money and she is not even doing it right.

This is a great place if you're interested in becoming a resource/foster parent. I took my PS-MAPP…read moreclasses here and also classes to renew my license. The people I've met during the classes were real friendly and helpful. They offer classes during the day, evenings, and weekends. The classes are usually very small. Please call ahead and let them know what class you'll be attending so that the class won't be cancelled for lack of enrollment.

IVA has been a wonderful experience. We are looking forward to our second child also attending. The…read moreentire staff, faculty and admin truly want to be there. The support is unmatched not only academically but also socio-emotionally. The community is diverse and welcoming. My child is challenged academically but not stressed and she loves her school and teachers/staff/faculty/admin. The way the material is presented and discussed is all truly with curiosity, engaging and to develop critical thinkers. We know there is nothing like IVA middle school in the best way possible.

My son is a now a junior in high school, but he remembers IVA fondly and has even volunteered with…read morethe school to give back to the middle school that he loved. What did he like about it? The small discussion-based classes, the kind and caring atmosphere, and the fact that it prepared him academically for a rigorous high school schedule. IVA still holds a special place in our family's heart and we consider ourselves very lucky that our son was able to spend such formative years there.