My husband and I attended Tori's childbirth preparation and newborn essentials class a few weeks ago, as we prepare for the arrival of our baby in February. The class came highly recommended from our OB and I was happy to take any more resources that didn't involve too much doom scrolling. The entire class was very informative and it's clear that Tori is a very experienced nurse (my aunt also happens to be a L&D nurse as well). I found it very helpful that she went through all of the options in a very clinical way and it helped reaffirm what choices I had available to me. I don't think it's reasonable to expect that everyone will agree with all aspects of the class (especially when it comes to baby products), but it brought me a lot of comfort and understanding that I didn't have before. read more

My husband and I took Tori's One Day Childbirth Preparation Class and later went back for Baby Care and Breastfeeding. I guess why I didn't leave this review as 1 star is because the childbirth class was informative but we both walked away from the baby care class questioning Tori's credibility. The biggest red flag was discussing SIDS and baby's "bed". Someone brought up SIDS as a concern (btw she asks at the beginning of class what everyone's fears are and doesn't address them) and she basically said don't worry about it because it's very rare, we don't know why it happens and there's nothing we can do about it. Later another person asked if baby will have a bed in the hospital and she scoffed and said "What bed? Mom is the bed". Every modern literature states the "ABCs" babies should sleep Alone, on their Back, in a Crib. While the technical definition of SIDS means that the diagnosis after death is still unknown there is one measure that significantly reduces likelihood of SIDS: sleeping on your back. This was researched by doctor's worldwide and launched the "Back to Basics" campaign also known as "Safe to Sleep" program which reduced SIDS by over over 50% in the US in the following decade. Mayo Clinic, National Institute of Health, and even the pamphlet that Tori passes out in the childbirth class (Preparing for Birth by Plumtree, page 65) states that baby should sleep on their back AND additionally without things like blankets, plush toys, bumper etc. So saying that it's fine for baby to sleep on mom and that "there's no science/evidence for why we stopped putting babies on their stomach" frankly is dangerous for new parents who haven't done any of their own research and were hoping to get all their information from her classes which which is mainly why I'm writing this review. Then there is her demeanor - she is definitely blunt and takes a more blasé approach to childbirth and childrearing which I didn't find an issue with during the 6 hour childbirth class but the 2 hour baby care class was a different story. She says she's not here to judge anyone but then says things like "oh god please don't tell me any of you got the baby cappuccino machine (Baby Brezza)" or "why, why on earth do you need to look at your baby on your phone??? (baby monitors/Nanit)". I haven't bought any of these items and am also of the camp of minimal consumerism (buy thoughtfully, get free/secondhand) so that's not what bothers me, it's that she treats 20/30/40's something ADULTS as mind addled teenagers who are addicted to social media and don't have brains to think for themselves. Your audience in the Bay Area is largely college educated working professionals (tech, medicine, law, etc.) who can likely distinguish between actual evidence and science backed research vs Instagram influencers and make the right decision for their own family and their own specific needs. She also dismissed many questions and contradicts herself - someone asked what to do when baby has a cold and she just goes "What cold? Babies don't get colds" but later explains how to use the suction bulb when baby has a cold - she harps on "this generation" for buying too much and says "Why do you need to buy a plastic tub to wash your baby in?" then proceeds to whip out a flower petal pad thing and says this works fine... but isn't that just another thing to buy??? Overall I get that she's trying to de-influence people from over consuming and trying to assure new parents that they don't need to be anxious and paranoid about every little thing but the approach is borderline rude and condescending. And for people like my husband and I who aren't in that camp but just wanted to learn something her answer to most questions is "don't worry about it, baby will be fine whatever you do, anything important you'll figure out"... so why did we sign up for a class?? Again the attitude and lack of information falls second to any advice she had that was dangerous. She ends the class by saying she grew up in the 70's, playing outside, feral, youngest of 5 kids in the back of the station wagon without a seatbelt and that it wasn't really a bad thing. This pretty much sums up her mindset, nostalgia for "a simpler time" and "the good ole days" but some things have changed and for good reason, like babies should sleep on their back, not letting women stay pregnant past 41 weeks, vaccine and immunization advancements. Also, I get that statistically you're unlikely to die not wearing a seatbelt here and there but should you really be implicitly saying it's fine to not wear a seatbelt when presenting as an "educator"? read more

Tori's class is fantastic. She is incredibly experienced and deeply knows the material she's teaching. The way she broke down every part of the labor and delivery experience helped ease my nerves and made everything feel more approachable. When I ultimately went into labor, I had Tori's materials right by my side to track how I was progressing. And even before then, my baby rotated into a breech position - I called Tori and she walked me through recommendations on how to encourage him to flip and what to expect with interventions from the doctor if those became necessary. Tori really cares about the people in her class and puts her whole heart into what she does. I feel lucky to have taken her class and have had her in my corner as we navigated the last few weeks of pregnancy. I highly recommend PillowTalk to any expecting family! read more

Tori was great - the session was both warm and full of detail. She had our group engaged, answering all our questions and giving us a well informed framework to help us handle upcoming decisions. We feel better prepared for the physical and mental journey ahead - everything from prep, to labor, to changing diapers. Highly recommend her class to any soon-to-be parent. read more

We were referred to Tori's class by my OB and highly recommend it. It was helpful to learn about labor & delivery and also info from her childcare & breastfeeding session. It's hard to remember everything when you're in the thick of early days as parents, but regardless the classes helped us feel much calmer about what was ahead. read more

Tori is a really phenomenal resource for first-time parents. We found our session with her to be immensely valuable - thorough, fact-based and rooted in both science and Tori's decades of experience. It was helpful to better understand and visualize the different scenarios that can unfold during labor - what to look out for and what to advocate for. Highly recommend for a 1:1 session or class. read more

Fantastic class, thank you Tori! We did a full day (2 classes, labor and infant care). Tori was friendly, engaging and extremely knowledgeable. She also helped us navigate and reconcile the often mixed information we were reading from other sources. Highly recommended! read more

Tori was fantastic - informative and real. Would highly recommend for new parents to address any and all birthing questions. The format of the class was easy to follow, and Tori made you feel like you could ask any question at all. Thank you Tori! read more

Agreed with what the rest of the reviews say - Tori was great and feel much more prepared!

Tori's class is worth every dollar. She is super informative - straight talking - and very experienced person.

tldr: Tori spends the entire class dismissing concerns and ridiculing products parents buy. Her response to most questions includes, "you need to stop reading the mommy blogs." She treats the class like we're all brainless consumers that are incapable of forming educated opinions. Tori's class came highly recommended to my husband and me by my OB, so we signed up for both her childbirth prep and the newborn portions. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed with both classes. I would not recommend them at all. 0/10 Tori seems to have a formula for teaching these courses. Her method is to ask the class an open-ended question ("what are you worried about for labor and delivery?" or "What products have you bought for the baby?"), and then she invalidates and/or ridicules every answer. For example, when she asked the class what we were worried about for labor/delivery, I said that I was concerned that my baby was too large, because that's what my OB and various ultrasound technicians had told me. Tori's response was entirely dismissive saying that the ultrasounds are wrong. When I persisted and said that I'm still worried that my baby might be large, she told me that's not going to happen (spoiler: my baby was indeed large). Another mother in the class said she had read a peer-reviewed paper about the benefits of perineal massage, and Tori's response was "That's wrong. You have to stop reading the mommy blogs." The same pattern continued for the newborn prep class, only this time Tori began lambasting products. She started by asking the class what items they had purchased and then methodically ridiculed them all ("I know you all spent alot of money on muslin cloths. You don't need them, they're useless."). At one point, she even said how much she loves hearing about products and shooting them down. I would be fine with having her tell us which products are useless or what concerns are baseless. But my issue is that she never got around to telling us what we actually DO need-- either in terms of labor and delivery or newborn prep. Lastly, Tori's class was full of questionable advice and downright wrong data. She shared with us that Hong Kong's c-section rate is 95%, that there are no complications with the use of forceps or vacuum, that it's ok to have a stuffed animal or two in the crib to make it "not so cold and sterile," etc. When asked about specific complications, her response was often "that doesn't happen in our community" (i.e. CPMC). Rather than taking Tori's class, I would recommend the McMoyler Method class (online). That one was much more informative! read more

My wife and I took both of Tori's classes today. The first is an 8 hour class focused on the birthing process and the second is a 2 hour class focused on infant care. The classes were packed with information. Not a single question went unanswered. Even timely questions such as how expecting parents should react to COVID-19 were answered carefully and fully. I cannot recommend these classes highly enough, and will certainly recommend them to expecting parents in my circle. Note also that Tori is a celebrity in the labor and delivery world. She is the author of one of the leading books on the subject - The Joy of Pregnancy. Our OB recommended her classes to us, I think, primarily because of her status in the community. Was well worth it. read more

Tori was incredible! She is very candid and takes a minimalist approach to the gear you need to take care of your baby. She was a breath of fresh air during a time that can be overwhelming and stressful. Highly recommend! read more

We just took Tori's One Day Childbirth Preparation and Baby Care Basics, and we loved Tori's no nonsense, straightforward, and honest approach. Her classes were full of helpful info, and we now feel much more prepared for the childbirth process and for when we bring our baby home. She dispelled commons myths and gave us a lot of practical info around things like stages of labor, when to go to the hospital, what to expect when we get there, and also a sense of peace in that we can't predetermine or control exactly how labor will go and to be ok with that. Her Baby Care Basics helped us realize what we'll actually need and use when we bring the baby home and what things aren't necessary (spoiler alert: many!). Grateful that we found Tori, and we feel ready now to take on parenthood! read more

My husband and I first met Tori almost 17 years ago when I was pregnant with our first child. We took a childbirth education class from her and couldn't have been put more at ease or prepared for labor and delivery. She was so incredibly informative, yet kind and understanding at the same time. She has so much experience and confidence, no doubt due to her help in delivering thousands of Bay Area babies, our three included! We are more than happy to support Tori as she continues on with her valuable education classes. Can't recommend her more highly! Julie M., Corte Madera, CA read more

Does not respond to emails, even to those that paid ahead of time for her group class. Unhappy if this turns out to be a scam as I read great reviews about Tori online and I loved her first book. read more