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 loved our time at TMC's toddler class! Learning from experts each week plus connecting with…read moreother moms in the same stage of life, all while our little ones explore and made new friends has been absolutely amazing. Thank you Michelle and the TMC team for creating this incredible space for moms!

The Mommy Center has been such a wonderful experience for both me and my daughter. Michelle and her…read moreteam have created such a fun, welcoming, and judgment-free space where moms and their little ones can connect, play, and feel supported. I've taken two of their mommy-and-baby class series, and I loved both of them. Each series includes special touches like each week is a different topica mini photoshoot, a swim party, and so much more, which makes it absolutely worth every penny. Carmen, who helped lead the group, is amazing. She is incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and always makes me feel heard. She gives thoughtful advice and truly cares about the moms and babies she works with. You can tell she genuinely loves what she does. I've also attended several music classes with Michelle, and those have been some of my favorites. My daughter absolutely loves music time, and Michelle does such a great job keeping the kids engaged and entertained. We truly love The Mommy Center and are so grateful for everything they offer!!

This review is long overdue. I'll begin by stating that Christy successfully delivered our…read morebeautiful daughter Saturday, January 18th 2025. This is was not my first homebirth, prior to this my 3 sons were all born using South Coast Midwidery (SCM), their births were Dec. 2009, Dec. 2013 and Dec. 2015. The very first birth in 2009 was a great experience and SCM provided a great experience, but the following 2 homebirths left a lot to be desired. The compassion, love, care and humanity had left their practice by 2013. Having had this experience, when we became pregnant with our daughter 10 years after my last home birth, I knew I would need to find a new Midwifery/Midwife to work with. We did interview 1 other Midwife who we decided not to pursue care with, and I also reached out to Lindsey from OC Midwifery who I heard back from once, but not again (after multiple attempts) after mentioning we were in the "trying" stage of having a baby. When we discovered Christy it felt like a Godsend, it was coincidental, but driven by more than pure coincidence; it felt more as fate. Christy was quick to respond to our inquiry. When we had our initial video call with Christy we immediately knew she was our midwife. She embodies compassion, positive energy, care, enthusiasm, humanity and friendship that I believe every pregnant women needs! An impressive characteristic Christy owns is she in present and listens to mom and dad from beginning to end. She takes it all in and becomes the physical manifestation of what her client is in search of. Needless to say every in home appointment would build on the previous one and a bond was formed by all of us, but most importantly the bond of trust between mom, baby and Christy. Christy gave my wife the empowerment of being confident she was more than capable of birthing at home. (Read Steph T.'s review, that's my wife). We all felt the birth would go quickly, and it did when baby's birthing time came. We used the knowledge we gained at Christy's Bradley Class and although we had a slight complication, we were never concerned, worried or scared. We had all faith in God and Christy's experience and expertise. Christy put her game face on and delivered our baby girl earth side and we couldn't have been happier with our experience. Christy did have an assisting midwife, by the name of Ana, who we met several times, weeks before our "guess date". Ana was also great and of course she was, because Christy chose her and I wouldn't have expected any different. Now, fast forward a little over a year later and we have a very healthy baby girl who is thriving. We are pregnant again and excited to have our second birth with Christy as our midwife. This time our bond is much stronger, which I believe will serve as the catalyst of creating a similar birth as before, or possibly even better. I hope this review reaches any mom and/or dad looking for a midwife; who may be unsure of who to go with. The birth of our daughter this year (2026) will be my 5th homebirth experience and I will confidently vouch for Christy as the right midwife to choose every time.

Christy was so amazing! I am so thankful we took this class before our first child. Although our…read morebirth plan didn't go how we wanted, I was extremely prepared and had back up plans. So thankful! Highly recommend for anyone wanting a more natural, holistic route- even if it doesn't end up that way.

We hired Mackenzie for our newborn photos and when I tell you she is SO good with babies - she is…read morethe sweetest, most gentle soul! We are absolutely in love with our newborn photos and can't wait to book her for more sessions. One of my best friends hired her as a doula and said she is worth her weight in gold! Highly recommend if you're in search of a doula

We had the BEST experience with Mackenzie as our doula and we HIGHLY recommend her to anyone…read morelooking for a doula for pregnancy and postpartum! My husband and I were in search of a doula for the birth of our daughter and met Mackenzie at the OCWMG Midwife Meet 'n Greet. Mackenzie provided me with such great tools and resources to prepare my body and mind for labor including chiropractic and acupuncture care, labor prep circuits, colostrum harvesting, and hypnobirthing tracks. She also met with my husband and I to go over labor prep exercises for when I labor at home. Having Mackenzie by our side helped me to have my dream birth experience! Her calming presence allowed me to tap into a deeper strength I never knew I had within me. Mackenzie was so amazing to have for my husband as well during my birth - they were such a great team of support for me! From the moment I met Mackenzie, she has been such a kind, comforting, and loving presence. Her dedication to ensuring that I had my dream birth experience and my birth preferences were honored was such a blessing to me. We were so grateful that she also took my maternity photos and newborn photos after our daughter was born! Mackenzie is truly an angel and I am so grateful that she has become a great friend of mine! 10/10 !!!

My wife and I joined the birth class a little late into our pregnancy (end of October 2020 when we…read morewere due mid-December 2020), but Meredith was so accommodating and kind about the situation! Because of the pandemic, Meredith gave us options to come in-person or attend the class virtually, and my wife and I felt comfortable enough to do a hybrid of the two. Meredith was very Covid-conscious and always made us feel safe. After looking up different birthing methods, we thought the best one that suited us was the Bradley Method course. We learned so much from it -- we know so many people who go into giving birth with zero knowledge and even though it's scary, we still felt so prepared. We learned about childbirth itself of course, but also patient advocacy, postpartum care, etc. The best part is that Meredith was still available as a resource and pillar of support when we needed it -- even to this day when our son is 14 months old! I gave birth at a birth center with a midwife but felt wholly prepared if I had to be transferred to a hospital. When it's my wife's turn to carry, we'll be retaking the course so that I can take on the role of the coach like my wife did for me.

Meredith was such an amazing birth coach. Despite the challenges she was presented during COVID,…read moreshe really managed to make the class as informative and personal as possible even though we were virtual. Her knowledge and support was beyond anything I imagined and it really equipped me in preparation for birth, informed consent, breastfeeding and motherhood. I recommend her to anyone looking for a natural holistic birth approach! She was so much more then just a birth coach and I can't thank her enough. She is the best!

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.

Oh my gosh, where do I start? Nicole is simply amazing. Amazing human, amazing energy, amazing…read moresupport and amazing educator! My hubby and I learned so much from Nicole and her Bradley method classes. We were so comfortable and at ease in Nicole's presence that we chose (and were fortunate enough that she was available!) to work with her as our Doula for the birth of our first baby in my Hospital delivery just 2 weeks ago. Having Nicole by our side was not only the best decision we made to help ensure we made it through to the end unmedicated, but it also helped both of us stay at ease while navigating different scenarios that played out as my labor progressed. I can't speak enough about having an amazing birth team around during pregnancy, labor and delivery and I will always get to look back on the birth of my daughter as a really beautiful day and event and we have Nicole to thank as a huge part of that. If nothing else, please attend the birth school! My friend and client implored me to and I'll never be able to thank her enough! Now I want to pay that forward to every mama I can! :)

Nicole's passion, empathy, and knowledge are unmatched. My fiancé and I did group classes with our…read morefriends who are also expecting in August. It's safe to say we entered into class feeling anxious and unsure about many different aspects of pregnancy, birth, and labor. After one class with Nicole we felt so heard, seen, and over all more calm. These feelings continued through each class accompanied by well thought-out and communicated curriculum about all things pregnancy/birth/postpartum. My fiancé and I were bummed when our classes were complete because Nicole truly facilitated such a beautiful & safe space for us to be in during a vulnerable time. I cannot recommend her and her services enough.

This class was life changing. I had two beautiful unmediated births because of the knowledge I…read morelearned in this class. I didn't go into it knowing much about child birth or having a strong opinion about how to give birth - I left feeling so informed and now, four years later and knowing SO many women who have gone through it, I can passionately say this class is so important for every pregnant woman to take. If you're considering, look no more and sign up.

I took the four classes for hypnobirthing with my partner. I strongly advise going and taking these…read moreclasses if you are anxious or want guidance on giving the process of giving birth. The internet is flooded with false information or too much information these days. This gave me the structure I was looking for with education and information. The environment was comfortable and encouraging. I'm really grateful I took the time to research and find Mind Body!

Ana is very professional and knowledgeable, yet deeply caring and respectful of your opinions and…read morevalues. Even though this was my third pregnancy, I learned so much about how to care for myself and my baby. I loved that she wasn't pushy, but gave us the facts and let us make our own decisions. We often covered the importance of exercise and nutrition, and I made changes from that, which I believe contributed to a smoother and easier pregnancy than my first two. She also was so calm and professional throughout my labor and delivery. My husband noted how much he appreciated her composure during the most intense moments of my labor. She's the kind of person you'd want by your side when you're not in the right frame of mind. She also collaborated very well with her assistant, respecting her skills and experience during my postpartum assessment. We loved having her as our first midwife and home birth experience and will definitely be reaching out to her again in the future!

Ana is a godsend. When I was planning to have my 5th baby, the one thing I knew for sure is that I…read morewanted to have him at home. I interviewed so many great midwives, but as soon as I met Ana, I knew she was the right fit. She took me on late in my pregnancy (27ish weeks), and onboarding with her was so easy. The care that I received from her was supportive, kind, compassionate and steady. I appreciate how calm and nurturing she is while staying firm in her knowledge of pregnancy, birth, and of a woman's body overall. Her care is holistic and evidence-based, and she makes her clients actual partners in their care. We never did anything that I was uncomfortable with (which is almost unheard of in a hospital birth). When I started to go overdue, she was there to reassure me, and because she genuinely trusts the process of birth, she helped me trust my body as well. I had an absolutely amazing birth experience that my husband and I wouldn't trade for anything. My baby is two now (sorry this is so late!), but I still think of Ana often and so fondly. She became part of our family for the time she was with us and I will always love her for helping me have the birth experience of my dreams (even at 43 years old). Thank you Ana!

Tiffany Alblinger is a Godsend! I used to think doulas were like a midwife's assistant and were not…read morereally necessary. However, after some encouragement from a friend, my husband and I decided to meet with Tiffany. I knew immediately that she was someone I wanted at my labor. Tiffany has amazing energy and a very calm spirit. Having a doula meant everything to us as Tiffany prepared us before the event and stayed with us as long as I needed her. One of the things I loved about having a doula is she gave my husband incredible confidence and support. We both felt prepared and excited before having our son. Do to some health issues, I ended up giving birth in the hospital. Tiffany was a rock for both my husband and myself. If it wasn't for her, I would have gone to the hospital many times before I needed to. She answered all of my calls and texts and was right there with me when I was ready to go to the hospital. I was already 8 cm when we arrived! I could go on forever, but I will end this by saying every pregnant woman should have the individual support of a doula. Meet with one and see, like I did, if it is an option for you.

I dealt with the owners under her previous company Embracing Labor, which after I had completed…read morework for her, that took several hours of my time. In the end she stopped communication and when I finally did get a response she felt that because she didn't use the work I had produced for her she didn't have to pay me. I am not sure how anyone who is suppose to responsible for bringing life into this world can have such blatant disregard for the efforts put forth by another female owned company.