What a great birth experience with Napa Valley Midwives. Originally we hired Heather as our doula…read morefor our second baby. Once Covid hit we decided to change course and have a home birth. From the very beginning Heather and Kristina were so engaged with me and my pregnancy. It was the complete opposite of my OBGYN who changed all my appointments to be virtual and even forgot to schedule a few. Heather and Kristina saw me in their office and in my home following all the best practices during the pandemic. I felt safe every time I saw them. I really enjoyed the fact that they rotated which one of the saw me each appointment so that I could develop a relationship with each of them. By the time I went into labor I felt so comfortable with both of them. I believe this made the birth experience just that much better. During my labor and delivery, they were so professional but also felt like close friends since we had developed a great relationship and they truly care about their mamas. Once I delivered my baby, they gave us time to bond as a new family. While we did this they busily cleaned up. It was so impressive- you'd never know a birth had taken place in my house (haha). If you're considering a home birth, you'll be in loving and supportive hands with these two fabulous midwives.

I am not one to write yelp reviews, however, the care we received from Kristina and Heather was so…read moreegregious that I am scared for other women and feel an obligation to write about it. Our care with these midwives ended when I was 37 weeks pregnant and on day 5 of contractions. These contractions were not "real" labor contractions but rather contractions brought on by drinking large quantities of red raspberry leaf tea. They prescribed this to me because they said my son was too big and needed to be induced 2 weeks before his due date (this was later proven to be incorrect, as my son was born 11 days after his due date at a normal size and weight). During this bout of fake contractions, they registered a high blood pressure reading and told me that they feared for my life and needed to take me to the hospital or call 911 and have me removed from my home in an ambulance. I knew my high blood pressure reading happened as a result of feeling stressed out by the midwives and ultimately unsafe in their presence. They seemed to have little knowledge of white coat syndrome (a common occurrence where people have higher stress levels in the presence of a medical professional). I decided to fire them on the spot and switch my care to another midwife. Thank goodness I made this decision, otherwise I would have had a traumatic, premature hospital birth for no good reason. There were several signs along the way that Heather and Krisitina were incompetent. They made several incorrect diagnoses which were later proven incorrect by an MD at the hospital who said I was "a healthy pregnant woman ready for a homebirth." Misdiagnosis: Gestational diabetes: They put me on a very restrictive diet which caused me a lot of stress. When I raised concerns about the validity of at-home diabetes testing, Heather said she still thought it was in the ball-park. My health really suffered because of following their weird diabetes diet (I was encouraged to eat large amounts of meat, even in the middle of the night--this was the worst!) They told me they feared my son was too big and needed to be induced. This put enormous stress on me in the later phases of pregnancy and was completely inaccurate. My son was born at a totally average weight less than 8 pounds even 11 days after his due date. Another misdiagnosis! GBS. After my own research about this, I decided against antibiotic use. They went along with this, but encouraged a very expensive regime of supplements and consistently encouraged me to have antibiotics during the birth. Heather admitted to my mother that she herself had GBS and refused antibiotics in the birth of her own child. Hypocrisy?! They misdiagnosed me with a fever. Thankfully my mother was there and suggested it was warm in the house because of the heating (In December). When I went outside, my temperature was totally normal. Lack of Professionalism: They were late to most appointments. Kristina was 45 minutes late to one appointment. One time, Heather completely forgot an appointment and never showed up. She never even followed up with me to apologize, and I had to reach out to her to schedule the next appointment. They frequently did not have the right supplies for tests I needed to take, were missing batteries for their devices, and they only gave us the birth supply list at 37 weeks, when the baby could already have been born! As a first time parent this was very unsettling! Poor Communication: They didn't tell me which provider from their team would be at my birth, which was very unsettling. Then they set up an appointment with a colleague of theirs who gave me totally different suggestions about how to manage my "gestational diabetes," and at the next appointment Heather said I wasn't doing what I was supposed to do even though I was following her colleague's recommendations. Lack of Emotional Attunement. Both of these midwives acted from a place of extreme fear, rather than actually being able to see the person in front of them. They both never checked in with my husband and barely acknowledged his presence in our appointments. They asked questions in a style that felt more interrogatory rather than helpful/understanding. We left every appointment in fear, which was the last thing we wanted to feel approaching the birth! In addition to all of the grievances listed above, when we reached out to them to let them know that we had a healthy home birth and requested a refund for the fees we paid them, their response displayed a lack of compassion and accountability. They only gave us a 25% refund and never even congratulated us on the healthy home birth of our son, which was supposed to be their number one priority! I think their lack of professionalism, incompetence and lack of knowledge is evident with the numerous examples above. If you want to have a safe home birth and get good quality care, I would highly recommend choosing more experienced midwives.

Erlinda is amazing!…read more The care she put into encapsulating my placenta. She also educated me on the services and types of services she offers. I went with the traditional method and a keepsake. I kept in touch with her via text and provided a Zelle deposit then paid cash for day of service. My husband met with her to provide my placenta and it was ready before we left the hospital to go home. It has since been a year since I used her services and she does service contra costa county although she is in Solano county. My labor and delivery was in Walnut Creek. I still have all the keepsakes and beautiful jar she provided my capsules in.

I had never thought about placenta encapsulation until reading about it online and I thought I'd…read morefinally give it a try. My baby was due 2/20/24, however, she decided to come on 2/1/24 and I didn't even have time to reach out in advance. About 2 hours before having my baby I messaged Nor Cal Placenta Services and the owner, Erlinda, got back to me within 5 minutes if not less. I explained my situation and she advised that it wasn't a problem. She instructed me on what to do an about and hour after I had my baby, she picked it up. I didn't get to meet her but my husband did. He said she was kind and professional. I was released from the hospital on 2/3/24 and she also delivered my capsules about 2 hours after. I don't know if I'll have more babies but Id got through Erlinda again and highly recommend her. I'm approximately 3 1/2mo PP and finally finished my capsules. I do feel like they made a big difference in my 4th trimester. Thank you so much!

Ritual Acupuncture is truly a hidden gem in Vallejo. I'm so grateful I found this space…read more As a hairstylist for over 15 years, my shoulders and arms take a beating. I've seen Umair twice now for stretching, and he is incredible. He's professional, knowledgeable, and somehow knows exactly how to move and stretch my shoulders and arms in the most effective way. The relief is real. What I appreciate most is that he also gives me practical techniques to do at home between visits which makes such a difference in my day-to-day work behind the chair. Today was my first visit with Dr. Moninder Chana for acupuncture, and we added red light therapy and cupping. She took the time to really understand my body and what I need. Her professionalism and attentiveness made me feel completely at ease. I walked out feeling supported, aligned, and deeply cared for. The front desk team was warm, accommodating, and welcoming the whole experience feels intentional and calming from the moment you walk in. Ritual is such a gift to Vallejo. I'm so thankful to have found my new home for self-care. Thank you, Ritual.

I went to Ben for massages to help with my chronic neck pain. His knowledge and willingness to take…read moreextra time to provide me with info about stretches and strengthening exercises to help me recover was invaluable. He helped me in a way that 3 different Kaiser doctors could not!

Sara taught a wonderful childbirth class to my partner and i. She provided the information needed,…read morewas knowledgable, and experienced. She did so in a comfortable setting, and was kind amd flexible enough to teach a group class inorder to lower her price for us. Sara then attended my homebirth. I had a long and hard labor and could not have done it without saras calming presence. Everyone needs a Sara in the room with them through their labor and birth.

Sara Vietti attended the homebirth of my first child and was truly an irreplaceable part of my…read morebirth team! She was able to bring calm, steadfast and nurturing support while also maintaining a light-heartedness and sense of humor... everyone appreciated that. She is gifted with the innate sense of when to give space and when to give encouragement... I never had to ask, but she always knew what I needed. Even before I did! At 10 lbs 5 oz, my son's birth was intense to say the least -- I was so lucky to not only have Sara there to support ME, but she also kept my mom and husband calm and informed which gave me the space I needed to do my job. In my postpartum haze, she helped me replenish lost fuel with nourishing food and drink and gently set me up for a successful start to breastfeeding. I cannot recommend Sara highly enough!!!

I 100% recommend Alpha clinics! They have such an amazing team. They gave me so many resources and…read moremade me feel so safe and comfortable. They also offer many different types of classes for first time moms! All around had an amazing experience every time I went it. If you are anywhere near the area i highly recommend choosing Alpha clinics.

Alpha clinic is one of the best clinics in Vacaville their staff are very helpful and caring they…read moregave me best care in my pregnancy journey. I thankful to all the nurses and doctors.

Christine is such a great doula and I highly recommend her…read more We hired Christine for the birth of our second child. I didn't have a doula for my first birth and I knew I wanted some support the second time around. Even though she was out of the country when we first contacted her, she was super responsive and was a great communicator throughout the entire process. Christine met us at our home to discuss the details, such as our birth plan and an overview of her services. She was very knowledgable and professional and helped with all of the birth related questions we had. She constantly checked in to see how I was feeling and eased my mind during the weeks before my labor. On the big day I kept her informed by text as to my progress. I wasn't convinced I was in true labor and didn't call her to join us until much later. When I knew we would be staying, my husband and I decided to have her join us when we were checked into a room (the triage space was so tiny there was barely any space for even my husband). Unfortunately it was such a busy night we ended up in triage for 5 hours! They kept telling us it would only be another 30 minutes...another hour, etc. as the time ticked away. By the time we did get a room and asked her to come, I got an epidural. She drove all the way to Alta Bates in the middle of the night. I think it was around 3 or 4am. When she arrived she took charge by calming me down, talking to the nurses, and answering questions the nurses would not explain. She massaged my hands and helped me turn from side to side/change positions. When it came to the pushing part she helped me gather my strength and even held my leg back as I pushed. After the birth she assisted with communicating our wishes like delayed cord cutting and immediate skin to skin contact, no eye medicine, etc. She stayed for several hours after helping me with breast feeding positions, my baby's latch, and getting me anything I needed (like water and food). Most importantly, my husband and I were able to bond with our baby together since Christine took care of everything we needed. During the weeks after the birth of my son she checked in with me many times. She sent me resources about breastfeeding and my local leche league meetings, and during my post partum meeting she even helped clean my house and do dishes. The birth of my son was so amazing and Christine was a huge part of that. I look forward to using her again for a third baby and highly recommend her to anyone looking for a birth coach!

I loved having Christine as my doula, she has been such blessing to our family…read more Like the other reviewers mentioned Christine met with my husband and I to review our birth plan. She informed us of what goes on during labor so that we could have a better understanding. I wanted a natural birth and Christine shared with us different techniques and positions that would help with that and we also got to practice some of them. She help my husband and I to come up with questions to ask for our hospital tour. Christine made herself available anytime I had questions or when I wanted to update her on how my pregnancy was going. She had laminated scripture cards that she let us borrow and my husband read those to me during the early stages of labor. When I was ready for Christine to come to the hospital she arrived quickly. Once there she was ready to help me get into a better position that would encourage labor to progress. When trying out the different techniques she would ask if I felt comfortable or if I wanted to try something else. She genuinely cared for how I felt. When my contractions were getting stronger she reminded me to breath, talked me through them, and held my hand, comforting me with the fact that each contraction would bringing me closer to seeing my precious baby. She again checked with me to see if I was ok with her talking and touching me or if I preferred her not to. I found her words comforting and focusing on her voice really helped me get through each contraction. My contractions got more intense and I felt that I couldn't continue, Christine reassured me that everything was progressing well and that I would soon see my baby. I was able to refocus and continue to have a natural birth. My baby's head came out without the nurses or dr present and Christine was calm and did a great job calling the nurses and dr in, since my husband was kind of in a panic mode and didn't know what to do. Once my baby was here I tried breastfeeding but was having trouble getting her to latch, Christine stayed to help me. She also visited me the next day to continue to help. Christine also provided resources and referrals which was very helpful. I highly recommend Christine to anyone looking for a doula. Christine listens to your needs and does her best to accommodate them, she provides great support and comfort. My husband and I are truly grateful for Christine.

Donna was exceptional and we feel so lucky to have had her as our postpartum night doula for our…read moresecond baby. Donna was more than I thought we could even ask for in a night doula. Every week we were looking forward to the night she came because we could really rest and build up energy stores for the next few sleepless nights. In addition to looking after our newborn, Donna always made a meal for us for the following day and every single meal was delicious and healthy. It felt amazing to have something really nourishing without the dishes or time spent planning. She also frequently folded the laundry, washed all the pump parts and bottles, emptied the dishwasher and other things around the house that made waking up a joy. We never had to ask her to do any of these things, and didn't expect it - Donna simply saw something that needed doing and did it. We were so grateful! Donna also makes the most delicious lactation cookies. When she brought our newborn in during the middle of the night for feeds, she would also bring a warm and freshly baked cookie - which I swear was the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. She knew that nursing (especially the first few weeks) causes so much hunger and I felt so cared for during those middle of the night feeds. When we were ready, she was also able to give our newborn middle of the night bottles to give me the precious extra hours of sleep. And even before then, she was amazing and rocking and comforting our newborn - which I swear helped him get on a good schedule of feeds even on nights she wasn't there. Wherever she saw the opportunity, Donna also had great advice. She recommended a lactation consultant who was great. We have already recommended Donna to several of our friends!

Donna is incredible! She is so knowledgeable, so kind, so caring and such a joy to be around. She…read morebrought such a sense of calm to our home during the first six weeks with our new baby girl. Donna truly loves caring for babies (and their families!) I would wholeheartedly recommend her for anyone seeking a postpartum doula.

I was looking for Ketamine Assisted Therapy for my treatment-resistant depression & bipolarity…read more Their bedside manner, specifically the anesthesiologist, is bordering on horrible. Their response time is great- Oli, the ketamine-coach, is usually available via phone and is patient and kind. My main problem: The medical staff did not look for ongoing verbal consent, they didn't explain what was happening during my intake and started putting "vitamins" in my bloodstream without explaining consulting/asking for consent. If you engage with them, be specific about your needs for ongoing verbal consent, clear medical explanations, and a bedside manner that leads to feeling respected. The MD (anesthesiologist) dismissed my concerns by saying "it's natural- it's not the medicine, it's natural." When I asked for clarity on the medical meaning of "natural," I was met with frustration and "it's things that are already in your body." Again- that's not a medical response- it's dismissive. Oli, the person in charge of guiding/coaching me through the experience, admitted that the anesthesiologist is a great doctor but lacks a good bedside manner. I was baffled- why would you allow that with severely depressed folks? Everything is paid out of pocket, which means that if they start any kind of IV bag (with or without telling you?) you are on the hook for the dollars. If you are looking for Ketamine treatments with psychotherapy, that is NOT the main thing this place offers. They do offer a legal space for therapists to come in and assist clients in a Ketamine session. This was not clear to me until I carefully read and signed their paperwork before my first on-site visit. They offer COACHING to accompany ketamine experiences. The coaches are NOT THERAPISTS OR PSYCHIATRISTS. If you are suffering, I'm sorry, mental illness is so debilitating. If you use CIT, make sure you explain your needs for information and consent as things are being done to you. READ their disclaimers. Also, they don't have encryption, so anything medical you share will not be protected by encryption. Again, I didn't find this out until I read the proverbial fine print.

It's hard to put into words how profoundly the team at CIT has positively impacted my life. While I…read morehave had previous ketamine treatments, the experience with CIT had been the most complete, compassionate, effective, and comfortable. Treatments can often stretch the limits of your comfort, and can bring up heavy feelings as you integrate your experiences and memories. You will be prepped ahead of time, and debriefed after/between sessions. The rooms are very comfortable, and you can utilize the level of stimulation (music, lights, etc) to your liking. I've only worked with Dr. Danforth as the administering physician, who is thoughtful and collaborative with dosing and care plans. I have spoken to Dr. Tibble at length on the phone, who provided me with a ton of information about their services and process. Joyce handles the scheduling and payments (and sometimes intake/IV starts), and is very responsive, kind, and skilled. The entire team exudes warmth. I recommend them highly to anyone who is considering ketamine treatment. I have been to both the Marin and Vacaville clinics, and both are great. While the entire team is fantastic, I have to give a special shout out to Oli, one of the guides. Oli has been by my side during each treatment, holding space, grounding me, asking gentle but pointed questions, and listening and reflecting with the deepest compassion and non-judgment. I can say with certainty that my treatments would not have been as effective without this guidance and support, though the ketamine itself does some pretty miraculous work (and some people prefer a solo journey). He is thoughtful, warm, and you get the sense that he truly cares about your well-being and future. I am incredibly grateful for his presence. Book a call to learn more - they are more than willing to provide you with extensive information and answer any of your questions.