I'm beyond thankful for Viji and her personalized, holistic approach throughout my pregnancy and…read morebirth. From the start, she took the time to understand my unique needs, offering tailored guidance on nutrition, stress management, and natural remedies to reduce inflammation and support healing. She has a deep understanding of how to complement the medical recommendations with natural remedies. She helped me understand why things were happening in my body and what options I had at each stage. She connected the dots between my medical history, daily habits, and birth experience in a way no one else had. I felt prepared for conversations with my care team instead of overwhelmed. She helped me adapt my plan when unexpected challenges came up, like getting covid :(. Her care didn't just help me feel physically strong and balanced during pregnancy--it also minimized risks for both me and my baby. Postpartum, her support continued to make a huge difference in my recovery. If you're looking for a doula who genuinely cares and provides thoughtful, individualized care, I cannot recommend Viji enough! I would also add that this felt less like standard doula care after interviewing several. This is more like having a personal guide through pregnancy, birth, and recovery with takeaways for well beyond the birth and for lifetime.

Viji is truly one of a kind. Every mother deserves someone like her by their side during their…read morebirth journey. After a traumatic first pregnancy and postpartum preeclampsia, I was considered high-risk during my second pregnancy as well. Around 32 weeks, I started seeing elevated blood pressure readings along with severe white coat syndrome. I was anxious and searching for support, and that's when I found Viji. Even before our first consultation, I had a strong feeling that she was God-sent -- a true blessing -- and that feeling only grew stronger with time. Viji stepped in with so much calm, confidence, and care. She took everything upon herself and made sure I was prepared in every possible way -- physically, mentally, and emotionally. She guided me through provider decisions, helped me find the right midwifery care, and thoughtfully connected me with an exceptional midwife, Lin Lee, who aligned perfectly with my needs. Because of Viji's discernment and support in building the right team around me, my entire experience was completely different from my first pregnancy. The birth itself felt smooth and empowering -- no tears, no episiotomy, and my blood pressure remained well controlled throughout. What truly sets Viji apart is how deeply she cares and how holistic her approach is. She took the time to understand my full medical history and personal background, worked to get to the root of my previous complications, and helped me navigate provider complexities with clarity and confidence. She also combined her Jyotish knowledge to help identify the most supportive and auspicious timing for my induction, which brought me an incredible sense of peace and trust going into labor. During labor, Viji was there through it all. She supported me with Ayurvedic care, calming massages, constant reassurance, and gentle guidance. She made sure I was comfortable, grounded, and never felt alone. She even stayed with me through the entire night -- watching over me, advocating for me, and helping me make important decisions when I was exhausted and vulnerable. Because of Viji, my second birth experience became healing, empowering, and beautiful. She didn't just help me prepare for birth -- she helped me heal from my past experience and trust my body again. I will always be grateful for her presence, her wisdom, and the love she brought into one of the most important moments of my life. I thank God every day for leading me to her at exactly the right time.

My husband I are so grateful we found Marilou at fairly last min notice, she brought such a…read morewonderful, calming energy to our house to help with our 6 week old. Our daughter immediately took to Lu, as did our toddler, who loved to stop in to the nursery and say hi. Marilou helped us figure out bath time, feeding, and tummy issues, all with a super gentle approach that put both me and the baby at ease. While she was here I was able to truly rest, a rarity in those early PP weeks. I would highly recommend Marilou to anyone!! I teared up when she left!

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!

TLDR: Liat is incredible. If there's one thing I would recommend to help you through your labor,…read moreit's having her by your side. She was the best decision we could have made. My husband and I went back and forth for months about whether we wanted to include a doula in our birth experience. After a lot of discussion, we decided to hire one for two reasons: first, we wanted someone who could help us advocate for ourselves in the hospital so we could stay as close to our birth plan as possible. Second, we wanted someone who could physically support me throughout labor. Liat is truly one of the most incredible human beings I've ever met. She became such an essential part of my birth experience that, looking back, I genuinely don't think I could have done it without her. To make a very long story short, I chose to be induced at 41 weeks after a lot of pressure and fear mongering from my doctors due to elevated amniotic fluid levels. I labored at the hospital until my contractions reached a certain intensity, and then Liat joined us. The moment she arrived, she jumped right in--rubbing my back, talking me through each contraction, and bringing such a calming presence into the room. For the next seven hours, she coached both my husband and me through contractions that were every 2-3 minutes apart. She constantly adjusted my laboring positions to help my baby descend and was incredibly attentive to the fetal monitor. Anytime my baby's heart rate dipped during a contraction, she immediately repositioned me to help him tolerate labor better. Those seven hours somehow flew by. I labored on the birth ball, in the bed, in the bathroom, and even did lunges at one point! Liat was always thinking one step ahead, using every tool and technique she had to help labor progress naturally. Eventually, I reached a point where I decided to get an epidural. I was exhausted, in pain, and my baby was having a harder time tolerating the contractions, with his heart rate decelerating during each one. After the epidural, my labor was paused to help baby, and I was able to rest for about an hour. When I woke up, the nurses wanted to talk about interventions (even the possibility of a C-section) because my labor "wasn't progressing"--despite the fact that they had just given me medication to stop my contractions. Liat immediately stepped in and advocated for us. She calmly explained that labor couldn't progress without contractions and suggested restarting the Pitocin, giving it time to work, and then reassessing before making any decisions. Sure enough, labor picked back up beautifully. A few hours later, I was fully dilated and effaced, but my baby's station was still a little high. Liat spent what felt like hours gently rocking my hips and helping my baby naturally move farther down into my pelvis until it was finally time to push. She stayed by my side every step of the way until our son was born later that afternoon. If you're on the fence about hiring a doula, I cannot recommend Liat enough. She advocated for me every step of the way, helped me navigate unexpected twists in my labor, and supported both me and my husband physically and emotionally throughout the entire experience. Her knowledge, calm confidence, and compassion made all the difference. A few weeks after our son was born, Liat came to visit us at home, and it honestly felt like having family over. Liat, we are endlessly grateful for everything you did to help bring our son safely into this world. We love you, and we can't wait to have you by our side again when it's time to welcome our next baby. Love, The Zimmerman Family

I had the most wonderfully redemptive unmedicated VBAC a few weeks ago, and it is difficult to…read moreoverstate how critical of a role Liat played in making that happen. My first birth had gone much differently than I had hoped (preterm labor that led to immediate C-section due to breech positioning). I had come to terms with that experience, but I was surprised to find in my second pregnancy that it would be difficult to escape those "labels" from my first pregnancy, making it harder to be given a fair shot at having a vaginal birth. Thankfully, I found Liat whose passion for VBACs is infectious and whose no-nonsense approach is grounding. In our conversations before the birth, my husband and I both appreciated the balance of her approach - she strongly believes in the benefits of physiologic birth, but she also recognizes there is a time and place for medical intervention. My primary hope for this birth was that I wouldn't undergo any interventions that I wasn't convinced I needed, and she was a trustworthy sounding board throughout the entire pregnancy and delivery to ensure that was the case. This time around, my baby decided to stay inside long past the due date, so I agreed with my provider that it would be a good idea to induce. This was pretty disappointing for me, but Liat was wonderful at helping me stay in a good headspace in those final days, checking in frequently via texts and calls. When it came time for delivery, she was every bit as exceptional as all her other reviews describe. When she arrived at the hospital, she took one look at me and knew exactly how to change my environment to help me relax. Sure enough, labor accelerated rapidly after she arrived. She massaged my back through every single contraction. She knew exactly what to say to keep my mind present and focused. When she was talking me through my contractions, they were noticeably more efficient. At one point, I almost wanted to give up and she knew exactly how to keep me going. And sooner than I could have dared hope, my baby arrived. I'm pretty sure I professed my love for Liat minutes after giving birth :) And just as she had been for the entire pregnancy and labor, she was a constant comfort and encouragement to us in the minutes, days, and weeks after the delivery as well. Liat takes absolutely no BS, but is also the warmest and most compassionate woman you've ever met. She's exactly who you want at your birth. I know I want her at my next one!

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.

Brilliant Births matched me with an amazing night doula, Mirai! I so appreciate that they provide…read morethis helpful matching service. They quickly processed my application and sent me profiles of several doulas to interview, all of whom were excellent. I was especially grateful that they provided the referrals so quickly, as we were in desperate need of some help at night with our first daughter.

I could not imagine giving birth without Shauna's soothing voice and loving presence!…read more I had some previous experience with Shauna at a restorative yoga workshop and her warm and gentle nature helped guide me into a deep relaxation. Additionally, three of my friends hired Shauna as their doula and had amazing things to say about her, so once I got pregnant I knew that I wanted her to be my doula too. She met with us a few times while I was pregnant to discuss birthing plans and lactation, as well as offering a folder of information and helpful books. I also got an incredible restorative yoga session!! But it was the day of my second daughter's birth that she exhibited her true gift as a doula. Shauna acted as a lighthouse and I looked to her for guidance. From the moment when the wave of contractions got closer and closer together, I messaged her and she was the one who called my love to let him know he needed to come home from work to take me to the hospital. To the middle of labor when I wanted to proverbially "jump ship", she was there reminding me of my inner and physical strength. Her voice was gentler yet louder than the voice in my head that was saying, "I can't". To the hand delivery of my placenta to her colleague who created pills and a tincture for postpartum. Shauna was an integral part of my incredible experience giving birth naturally. I would definitely hire her again!!!

Shauna is such a lovely human being, both inside and out. We knew right away when we met her that…read moreshe would be the perfect doula for our pregnancy and birth. She's incredibly sweet, ridiculously funny, and is so comfortable to be around. She felt like family during all of our interactions with her. Thanks to the sessions that we had with her, I was able to have a pretty manageable birth experience. Our little one arrived early at 36 weeks. Everything happened so quickly that Shauna barely made it to the hospital before he was born about 30 minutes after her arrival. Due to some complications, things didn't exactly go as planned, but keeping the wisdom that she shared with us in mind, I was able to come out of the ordeal fairly unscathed with a healthy little preemie. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to have a positive and supportive pregnancy and birth.

Due to my privileged position, and very personal experience with Silicon Valley doulas, I can tell…read moreyou it has been nothing short of exceptional since their inception. Czarina brings over 20 plus years of experience, extensive training, and a true passion for supporting families through one of life's most meaningful transitions -- welcoming a new baby. Her background covers everything from lactation consulting and sleep training to postpartum depression and psychosis support, patient advocacy, birth preparation, and more. She's worked with over 300 families over her career thus far, providing truly personalized and compassionate care each and every time. Her depth of knowledge about the birth journey, babies, and the postpartum period is remarkable, and she always approaches her work with professionalism, empathy, and a calm confidence and experience. One thing I respect deeply is her clarity and integrity when it comes to her business policies. She has a no-refund policy that's clearly stated in her contract (which is completely legal and standard for her field). The reason is simple and fair, much like many other businesses she reserves specific dates and times for the families she assists and does not take other clients during those scheduled sessions. When someone cancels or tries to back out of a contract she's already set aside that time, so it's clearly ethical that her time and commitment are respected. If you're looking for a highly skilled, knowledgeable, compassionate, empathetic doula who combines unmatched experience, professionalism, and genuine care, Czarina is the person you want by your side through pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

TL;DR: Last-minute cancellations, fell asleep on duty watching our newborn, refused hands-on baby…read morecare, offered useless virtual support, prepaid for 13 nights, and refused refund. We're disputing the charges with our credit card company. Do not recommend. We hired Czarina for evening doula services shortly after welcoming our newborn, hoping for support and rest. Unfortunately, the experience caused us significantly more stress than doing it alone. The most alarming issue was that she repeatedly fell asleep snoring loudly while on duty watching our newborn. This happened on multiple visits. We could see and hear her sleeping, which meant that instead of resting, we stayed awake monitoring her to ensure our baby was safe. When we addressed this directly, her response was shocking: she claimed she was doing it to "train us to be better parents" and get us used to sleeping while the baby sleeps. As exhausted first-time parents, this felt unreassuring and completely unsafe. We hired a night doula to reduce anxiety, not to monitor the caregiver. Beyond the safety issues, basic doula duties were neglected: * Refusal of Care: She was unwilling to help wash the baby and unable to provide clear, hands-on guidance for newborn care. * Household Help: She provided little to no assistance with basic household tasks. * Ineffective Virtual Support: She attempted to substitute some support with "virtual" sessions, which offered zero value to us as parents who needed physical, hands-on help with a newborn during overnight hours. Her reliability was poor, with multiple last-minute cancellations and rescheduling. Most importantly, we prepaid for 13 nights of service. When we terminated the arrangement due to the safety concerns and poor service, she refused to provide a refund for the unused nights. We were forced to escalate this to our credit card company to try and recoup our funds. Czarina was pleasant to speak with initially, but her actions put our peace of mind at risk and violated our trust. If you are looking for reliable, hands-on postpartum care that allows you to rest, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. Ask specific questions about staying awake during night shifts, hands-on newborn care (including bathing), refund policies, and what "virtual support" entails before hiring.

I have only wonderful things to say about Stork & Sprout! As our Postpartum Doula, Jordan was…read moreabsolutely amazing--kind, thoughtful, and incredibly supportive. She brought such a calm and positive energy into our home, and her flexibility and attentiveness made a world of difference for us. I especially appreciated how responsive she was--always replying to my texts quickly and with care. I'll always be grateful to both Britany and Jordan for supporting me during one of the most special--and chaotic--moments of our lives.

As a new parent, the postpartum period is challenging enough without having to deal with the stress…read moreand disappointment of a difficult agency. While Stork and Sprout does have some excellent doulas on its team who provided great support and coaching, my experience with the agency's leadership was overwhelmingly negative. We had a particularly difficult time with Brittany. She demonstrated a pattern of manipulation, gaslighting, and lying, both to us and, from what I understand, to her own employees. Our contract promised consistent coverage, but the scheduling was erratic and communication was poor. We were left to wonder many nights if we would have support, and for several weeks, we only received 1 to 2 days of support instead of the 6 to 7 we paid for. When we requested a refund for the services not provided, Brittany refused and even fought our bank with out-of-context emails and more lies. She claims she "offered a refund" but is even today refusing to honor it as she says in the response. The lack of professionalism extended to some of the staff as well; one sick doula was sent to our home and intentionally caused our newborn physical pain. Brittany treated us like we were the difficult ones and responded with empathy-less chatGPT emails to manage the situation. We were also led to believe we would have one primary doula with a backup, but over the course of our service, we had seven different doulas come to our home. This complete lack of continuity made an already difficult period even more stressful. Based on my experience, I would advise new parents to skip Stork and Sprout and work directly with an independent doula. You will not only save the 30-40% extra fee the agency charges for scheduling, but you will also avoid the toxic and difficult management. This experience is unacceptable for a service that costs tens of thousands of dollars and demands payment upfront months ahead of providing the service. We were not able to switch easily due to the inflexible Carrot reimbursement process through the employer.

Rauzana is absolutely amazing!! We hired her to be our overnight doula for our first child. We dont…read moreknow how we would have survived without her. She was there the first night we got back from the hospital, and was such a calm, steady presence for us as first time parents. She did everything you could think of from, taking care of the baby through the night and allowing my wife to fully heal from the birth, to doing our laundry, washing bottle parts, and even cooking us amazing food!! I cant forget to mention the massages for my wife, which she loved so much. Our baby was sleeping through the night by the end of our time with Rauzana. I think the best part about Rauzana is that she actually cares about your baby and treats them like a grandchild. She would text us everyday that she wasnt with us and ask us how she was doing, you could tell that she genuinely cared about us and the baby. She truly felt like she was part of our family and on our team for everything. We love her so much! She also never took a sick day and would show up 15 minutes early than her shift every time! Make sure you book her early because she is always booked!! There I was at a point where I was literally waiting at the door for her at 9:45pm every night, because we were so excited that she was here. Thank you Rauzana so much everything!!!

As first-time parents, my husband and I truly needed someone who could guide us through everything…read morebaby-related...from changing diapers, bottle feeding, giving baths to trimming tiny fingernails, and most importantly, helping us establish a healthy sleep routine habit for our daughter. This is where Rauzana made an incredible difference during those first few weeks postpartum. Looking back, we genuinely don't know how we would have navigated those early days without her. The night we came home from the hospital, we were completely exhausted and overwhelmed. Knowing Rauzana was there to care for our girl brought us an immense sense of comfort and relief. She came highly recommended by a close friend of ours. Every time Rauzana sees our daughter, her face lights up. You can immediately feel how genuine her love and passion for caring for babies is. But what makes Rauzana truly special is that she doesn't just care for the baby....she cares for the recovery of the mother as well. During such a vulnerable and emotional time, she was incredibly empathetic and supportive. She would even give me massages whenever I needed one. Rauzana also helped with everyday tasks like doing laundry and washing the dishes, small things that made a huge difference when we were running on very little sleep. She has also been incredibly flexible with her hours, always adjusting her start and end times to accommodate our schedule and plans. Rauzana is part of such a meaningful chapter in our lives, and she made a lasting impact. We will always be grateful for the care and support she gave us!

We were incredibly lucky to have Thais as our postpartum doula for the first 6 weeks with our first…read morebaby. From the start, she was thoughtful and well prepared. She even came to our home beforehand to review what we had for the baby and helped us identify what we were missing. Thais truly loves babies and her work, and it shows in how gentle, attentive, and calm she is. She also organize our baby items very well, which made daily life much easier. Before her last week, she checked in to make sure I felt confident caring for the baby on my own and taught me essential skills like bathing the baby and using a baby carrier. As a first-time mom, her support made a huge difference. I highly recommend Thais to any new family.

I feel so lucky to have Thais helping me take care of my first newborn baby!…read more She has been so patient, passionate, knowledgeable and really into the details of everything. She also turned my husband and me into parents who are capable of handling different situations! She gave me good guidance on breastfeeding and pumping. And our cat loves her!

Rachel helped me out in a way that nobody else could when I had a newborn. I was struggling when we…read moremet and she swooped in to give me the confidence I needed to keep going. She shared a schedule with me when he was around 2 months old which changed everything for the better. She has helped me with so many things: my main struggles were feeding, napping, and general care for the baby. Sometimes it just helped me to watch how she handles the baby. I always learn something new or pick up a new skill each time we are together (how to burp, give a quick bath, start solids). Rachel is such a pleasant and warm person, I hope to work with her as long as possible! I've been lucky enough to have her come over during the day for several hours when she has time and I feel I need her advice. She is so proactive, she asks me to help with things I don't even expect "here let me clean that bottle." She has the calmest voice and demeanor, when she's around it's reassuring just by being in her presence. In the beginning I'd have a page full of questions, and each time she left I felt so much better. Even my Doc couldn't answer the types of things I wanted to know about like she could. She has so much real world experience taking care of babies, it really shows. I want her by my side for every major milestone, that's how good she is!! Thank you Rachel for your support, anyone who works with you is so lucky!

Rachel is a miracle worker and a life saver! She worked with our family as a post-partem doula and…read morehelped our baby boy get onto a schedule that has immeasurably changed all of our lives for the better. People are in awe of how great of a sleeper our son is and how well behaved he is and we owe so much of it to Rachel. As first time parents, we really didn't know what we were doing - despite reading many books, taking classes, etc. - and the time we spent with Rachel was by far the most valuable thing we've done in this new phase of life. THANK YOU RACHEL! Best money we've ever spent and I don't say that lightly. If you have a chance to work with her, you'll be happy that you did.