I took the 3-day birth preparation course with Amelia, and I couldn't be happier with the…read moreexperience! Her energy is truly unmatched. She explained every concept in simple, practical terms and made me feel so genuine cared for and we laughed a lot. While I expected the course to focus primarily on natural birth--and in many ways it did--it was completely free of judgment regarding medical interventions.

I reached out to Brilliant Births to find a birth doula. They offer a matching service and…read moreconnected me to 3 doulas who work independently (not employees of BB). We were really fortunate to find our birth doula (who we love!), but the other 2 candidates were not very impressive. The first doula missed our appointment with no follow-up communication. We were initially confused and thought she was the coordinator for BB, because she only communicated by text. The actual meeting was just by telephone so there was no face-to-face interaction, which felt strange. We could've easily FaceTimed or Zoomed. So communication and reliability were not great. The second doula abruptly canceled our half-hour appointment when we were 10 minutes late for a 30-minute appointment due to my husband wrapping up a Zoom meeting. During our appointment time, she was responding to my emails (in which I apologized for being late), but insisted she could no longer meet with us. I thought this was a really bad sign about what she would be like to work with - labor and delivery is rarely precisely timed and some flexibility is needed. In addition, her email said that she lives in Portola Valley, but we live Berkeley (also where Brilliant Births is located). This also struck me as strange, because it would take 1.5 hours for her to arrive to meet us at the hospital, which is not ideal.

This was a wonderful experience for me and I have to give these caring midwives praise. Lael and…read moreShannon are a wonderful team. The hospital was always busy and giving birth during COVID 19 sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. We opted for the home birth and my midwife through lifelong submitted the approval to have a home birth. When it was time to give birth, it felt good being in your own home, that you know is clean and sanitized. I didn't need too much assistance since this was my second birth but I'd recommend the whole package. I met Lael to discuss the plan for the homebirth. I had so much going on and I truly appreciate Lael and her consistency with me. I would call or text any questions or concerns and Lael and Shannon were very patient. Delivery Day: Lael showed up and I was able to do things my way, if I wanted to do a cartwheel I could. I started in the pool and it was as comfortable as possible, it's childbirth lol. After maybe an hour or two, I asked if I could find do a different position and Lael and Shannon said it was fine. It is honestly the best feeling to do things your way especially bringing a baby into the world. After delivery, Lael and Shannon helped me and my little one start the breastfeeding process (Fast forward she's still exclusively breastfed, woohoo!). This was tricky during my first pregnancy so I was amazed at how the baby latched on, it also was a relief for them to debunk a lot of theories on how newborns are hungry. Also, they clarified what steps to take next concerning my health. They completed post-partum check-ins and even sent me lunch which was so helpful. It was an amaZing experience for myself and my family, a lot of relatives were interested in a homebirth after that. Lael and Shannon, me and my family are grateful for your services.

If you are reading this as a newly expecting couple, looking for the best midwives around, this…read moreletter is for you. In my review, I'd like to highlight everything I have found to be absolutely delightful about the midwives from Midwives Bay Area that my wife and I have worked with (Lael & Shannon). I want to share this with you as an aid for any families that desire to discover a diamond in the rough when it comes to everything related to Midwifery in the Bay Area. 4 children later, all delivered by these masterful women, and we have nothing but the best to share from our personal experiences! Dear Aspiring Family, When my wife and I were first looking for a midwife, we had various concerns about trust, expertise and care. After an extensive search through various different people and organizations, we were blessed to finally meet Lael. In this first meeting, we could tell that she was not only someone that could be trusted, she was full of experience, and she gave my wife a sense of care that we hadn't witnessed anywhere else. After leaving that meeting, we knew our search had come to an end, and we were so excited to embark on this journey with an such an amazing advocate. **Let me remind you that neither my wife nor myself had any prior exposure to home births at this point, and were completely new to the scene.** TRUST: I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I trust Lael and Shannon with my entire family, because without them, we wouldn't have the same confidence in parenting that we currently have. See, the thing about home births is that they empower the entire family unit to be connected and helpful to one another - starting with husband and wife. Collaboration has always been encouraged, and I am forever grateful for Lael and Shannon's ability to listen to the husband as well as the wife as a team unit. EXPERTISE: We have had 4 home births with Midwives Bay Area, and each birth comes with a beautiful story that I will share for the rest of my life. Their professionalism has extended beyond anything a hospital has ever been willing to offer us, and even more than this we have life-long advocates for our family that continue to impact us to this day! Both Lael & Shannon have countless home birth stories they could share like ours (in addition to their very own family stories), however what is most amazing to me is that I continue to discover areas they specilalize in. These are some of the most authentic and hard-working midwives I have ever met, and we feel so priviledged to call them when we discover we are expecting another little one :) CARE: Whether it be text messages with slight concerns, or phone calls late into the night, we feel as though Lael and Shannon are family due to the depth of care they continually provide. It's truly hard to put into words how much this means to my family, it's really the "X Factor" in searching for a midwife. Finding someone you can trust is huge, knowing that your midwives are beyond capable to give you premium support thanks to their vast expertise is priceless, but meeting someone who cares for your family as a mother cares for her children is as I said inexplicably critical. Seeing the level of care that we have experienced the past 5 years and counting ties together all the trust and expertise, to make a perfect masterpiece of a midwifery team. If it means anything to you, who are reading this as a complete stranger, we love our midwives, and have no doubt that you will too. God Bless you and your beautiful family! ...& a very big THANK YOU from the bottom of my family's heart to Lael, Shannon and the whole Midwives Bay Area team for the opportunity we have had to witness something so undeniably special from you all.

Made an appointment, got multiple confirmation emails, including an hour before the appointment…read more She never showed. I also emailed her two days before to try to get a response since I assumed the confirmation emails might be automated. She never responded. Phone number listed on Kaiser goes straight to voicemail. Unprofessional - can't imagine trusting this person with anything

Davon is just the BEST person you could ever have as your Doula! My husband and I are extremely…read morehappy for choosing her and will definitely recommend her services for everyone we know. Since our first interview, we felt a deeply connection with her and we chose her because of her KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, NATURAL APPROACH to pregnancy and childbirth and, most importantly, because we just felt that she understood us and would support us in the way we needed. This is my second baby and I've had a very traumatic experience with my first kid birth, so I wanted to have someone by my side who I could trust and who would help me to trust myself and my body to have a positive birth experience. My husband was a little reluctant to hire a doula, but after meeting her he was already feeling supported and more confident in the birth process. During the pregnancy she was always making herself available for questions and/or concerns and sharing resources to help us navigate through the different stages of this process. She also has an amazing Childbirth Course, that helped us to prepare for the big day. During the prenatal visits, we had an amazing time together, just like friends hanging out. She would spend enough time talking to us about everything we needed; she was never rushing out and would listen to us carefully. Davon is so KIND and she made us feel so comfortable from the very start. She is also very knowledgeable and would help us with our questions, doubts and insecurities. The whole time she was showing her trust in me and my body to go through the birth. On the birth day, she was available right away when we contact her. She arrived at the Birth Center at the same time we did and was there for the whole time. We arrived there at 2am and my baby was born at 7:30am. She never left my side and stayed there until the first hours of postpartum were over, making sure we were both fine. During labor, she always knew what to do and what to say to help me cope. She had many comfort measures for me during my painful contractions. Although I was almost giving up and asking for medication, she never got discouraged or let me feel that I couldn't do it. Her positive affirmations, calmness and confidence were definitely the reason I was able to go all the way through with the unmedicated birth, even when I thought I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't have done without her!!! She also has an amazing back up doula (Tanara), who we met virtually and then in person at our last prenatal appointment. This made us feel even more comfortable because we knew that if Davon couldn't make it to the big day for any reason, we still would have someone we trusted to support us over there. She also encapsulated my placenta. She took care of everything in the birth center and brought the capsules to my home on our postpartum appointment. She also made a cute keepsake out of my dehydrated cord, which was a special touch. Davon is like family to us know! We are extremely grateful that she came into our lives and will never forget this experience.

We couldn't imagine the experience of our first pregnancy and the birth of our son without the…read moresupport and guidance of our incredible doula, Abbie! My husband and I were intrigued by the idea of working with a doula early in my pregnancy, but looking back, we had NO idea just how meaningful Abbie's expertise and care would be. With each session, she educated us, encouraged us, gave us incredibly useful tools and resources, and most importantly, empowered us as a couple. We weren't able to follow our birth plan as we had initially hoped due to unexpected circumstances, but Abbie helped us navigate every change with confidence. We felt informed, supported, and at peace amidst all the unanticipated redirection. She played such a meaningful role in making the birth of our son an incredibly positive and empowering experience, and we truly can't imagine having done it without her.

Abbie was everything I was looking for in a doula: knowledgeable, responsive, and calm. My birth…read moredidn't go quite as planned and Abbie was there to help at every turn. As a first time mom, I was very happy to have a doula and I would recommend Abbie as your doula 100%.

We feel so incredibly lucky to have had Marilou as our postpartum night doula. I ended up needing…read moreto be induced earlier than expected, so we had to arrange support at the very last minute. I was honestly pretty anxious going into it because we didn't have the opportunity to interview or even speak with her beforehand, and we were simply going off her profile that was shared with us. But from the moment she arrived, she immediately put us at ease. She was with us for those first few nights home from the hospital, when I was exhausted, emotional, and very newly postpartum. She had such a warm, gentle, and calming presence, and having her there made those overwhelming first nights feel so much more manageable. She was incredibly sweet and attentive with our baby, but she was equally caring toward me, always checking in and offering thoughtful tips for both newborn care and taking care of myself during recovery. She helped with feeds, baby laundry, and washing and assembling bottles and pump parts, and was always punctual, dependable, and proactive. Most importantly, we felt completely comfortable having her care for our brand new baby during such a vulnerable time. Our only regret is that we didn't find her sooner! Because everything came together so last minute, she was only available to be with us for a few nights, and we absolutely would have loved to have had her for longer. We're so grateful she was there when we needed her and would wholeheartedly recommend her to any family looking for a kind, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring postpartum doula. Thanks Marilou and Doulas by the Bay!

My wife and I had Jordan from Doulas by the Bay help care for our newborn overnight from 11 p.m. to…read more7 a.m., and she quickly earned our trust. Jordan is young, eager, and incredibly attentive. Throughout every overnight shift, she remained awake and alert, always ready when our daughter needed her. Most importantly, she cared for our baby with the same patience and gentleness we would ourselves, which gave us tremendous peace of mind as new parents. Her reliability was equally impressive. She was consistently punctual, arriving between 10:58 and 11:00 p.m., and was always respectful and ready to help. Trusting someone with your newborn is no small thing. Jordan made that trust easy. I would confidently recommend both Jordan and Doulas by the Bay to my closest friends and family, and we'd happily welcome her back into our home. Thank you, Jordan, for taking such wonderful care of our little girl!

I can't recommend Jessica enough as a prenatal yoga instructor. I took her class at Innerstellar in…read moreBerkeley during the second half of my pregnancy and I always left feeling so much more relaxed and confident. I loved the mix of conversation/support, meditation and yoga. If you're looking for a more vigorous practice, this might not be your cup of tea, but for me it was perfect. As someone who was fairly new to the area at the time and in need of a community of new mothers, I really appreciated Jessica's connections. If you need anything -- massage, acupuncture, a midwife, etc. -- she knows someone or several someones. She is also a great listener, a kind voice of support and extremely knowledgeable about pregnancy, birth and parenting. A lovely person to know!

Prem's prenatal yoga classes were one of the highlights of my pregnancy. Her classes are not only a…read moremuch needed time-out for you to look inward, they're a conduit to support and stories, which I found so helpful during my pregnancy. Prem is understanding, funny, warm and patient. She facilitates a google-group community of local moms and I actually very much look forward to the emails that come through! Because of the community she's created and all of her knowledge, her classes led me to find an incredible doula, the best postpartum care, the couple we're going to do a nanny-share with, and so much more. Proud, card carrying member of the Prem Fan Club :)

Terrible customer service. I called them first when I was searching for a lactation consultant and…read morethey never returned my call.

Tabitha is a wellspring of knowledge for everything birth related. I took a 7 week class with her…read morebefore giving birth and I feel like I really new what to expect in regards to pain, potential injury, breastfeeding, and comfort strategies. When I signed up for her class, I had virtually no idea what birth would be like (or motherhood) and I wanted someone to reassure me as I approached this pivotal change in my life. Everything about the process struck me as scary and Tabitha provided clear answers, which were very reassuring. Sometimes knowing is all it takes to calm down. I am forever grateful to her for some of the tips she gave me about breathing exercises during contractions, the suggestion to bring mint oil to the hospital (it saved me from so many potential vomiting sessions), and for the gradual pace of her class that helped me know what to expect. Better than any book: Tabitha can give you the best rundown. I'm sure she would also be a great doula.

We loved working with Ashley! She was so crucial in getting us, and especially me as a first time…read moremom, through the first six weeks postpartum. While we had contracted with her part-time for four weeks, we increased our number of sessions and length of time because she was such a lifeline. Ashley is incredibly trustworthy and diligent, with very high EQ and empathy. Adjusting to a newborn was very difficult for me, and she was there as a source of knowledge and a confidante, providing both emotional support and problem-solving on the many feeding issues I experienced. In addition to supporting me as a new mom, Ashley helped us learn the basics of newborn care -- how to bottle feed, change a diaper, give a bath, set up changing stations around the home. She helped us organize the nursery and find efficient ways to get things done. We were also quite careful with COVID and Ashley was especially cautious and respectful to ensure everyone's safety. I felt 100% confident in entrusting her with our newborn, and wholly supported as a new mom too. I'd recommend Ashley to anyone searching for a postpartum doula.

Ashley was a total lifesaver! We worked with her after having our second daughter two nights a week…read more+ 1 day and having her around was incredibly helpful and comforting. She was with us on our first night home from the hospital and I will never forget meeting her IRL for the first time that night... I was feeling very overwhelmed and hormonal and the second she arrived she gave me a hug as the tears streamed down my face. Her energy was so calming and supportive, I instantly felt better knowing she was there to help us. We looked forward to seeing Ashely each night she came and felt 100% comfortable having our tiny baby in her care. She was incredibly resourceful and texted us regularly to check-in. It was so nice to have her help on the day shifts as well - she would make sure I was well fed, and she confidently helped us navigate our baby's bottle refusal issues. My 3 year old daughter LOVED Ashley right away, and this is a kid who does not take to new people very well at all. Ashley has a very special spirit and I highly recommend hiring her as your postpartum doula. I would hire her again in a heart beat!

I am so incredibly happy that Becca was our doula for our hospital birth. This was my first baby,…read moreand I knew that all I wanted was for the baby to be healthy and to avoid an emergency C-section if I could. We met with Becca and knew right away that she was the perfect person to help us in preparing for and giving birth. She immediately set us at ease by assuring us that the hospital we chose had an excellent Labor and Delivery team. She was 100% right about that, and everything else. She helped me trust myself and my body. I never thought I would have such an amazing and thoroughly happy birth experience. Becca really cares. It meant a lot to us that she also visited us after the birth to check in and provide some very welcome support. If we have another baby, we will definitely work with Becca, again!

I could not imagine my first birth without Becca! From the very first phone call, I felt an instant…read moreconnection with her--she's such a kind, caring soul and a true expert in her field. One of the things that impressed me most was how seamlessly she read the dynamic between me and my husband. She always knew when to step in with support and when to step back and give us space. That balance was invaluable during such an emotional, vulnerable time. When my birth plan didn't go the way I had envisioned, Becca's expert advice and calm presence gave me so much security in the decisions I had to make. She helped me feel grounded, informed, and confident every step of the way and encouraged me to listen to my instinct and body. Another aspect of her support that you simply can't put a price on is how connected she is at Kaiser. She knew nearly every midwife and nurse, and because of her strong relationships there, I felt reassured that the care I was receiving was exactly what I needed. Her presence gave me an extra layer of trust in the whole process. Becca communicated beautifully, supported us with such compassion, and helped make my first birth experience one that I will cherish forever. I can't recommend her enough--if you're considering a doula, Becca is truly one of a kind! Thank you so much Becca!