I have received multiple massages from Gracie during pregnancy and postpartum and they have all…read morebeen fabulous. Especially when I was 9 months pregnant, she did a fantastic job making sure I felt comfortable and helping relieving the physical pain of the third trimester. During postpartum, I have received a couple of massages for back pain related to breastfeeding and I always leave feeling rejuvenated and more aligned. Highly recommend

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.

I honestly didn't know exactly what a doula did until I spoke to one of my mentors and she…read moreenlightened me (and thank God she did!). I quickly asked fellow moms in my area for referrals and after meeting with a few over zoom, I felt this deep connection with Nattasha and decided to go with her. I was planning a VBAC and Nattasha supported my decision from day one. She was kind, attentive, warm and knowledgeable. I did have a traumatic birth experience with my first born and Nattasha was always very eager to listen to my fears and my hopes for my second birth. To prepare for the birth, she came over to our house a couple of times to discuss the process of labor, practice comfort measures, and generally talk me and my husband through our plans and emotions. I was especially grateful for how she worked with my husband, gently teaching him ways to support me in and around labor. It was nice that she included my partner in the process because they also need support to navigate all of this. From 37 weeks on, Nattasha was always available if I needed her. We exchanged texts and I constantly felt supported by her. When I went into labor at 39.5 weeks, she was ready to meet me whenever the hospital let her. During labor, my husband and I felt extremely supported by Nattasha. There was a lot of waiting and decisions to be made and Nattasha reminded me of all the things we talked about and never forced a decision on me. She took care of me like a mother would and I'm forever grateful. My husband was able to be fully focused and present because he was somewhat rested and had the support from Nattasha as well. In the end, I did have the most beautiful birth experience and we know that Nattasha was a huge part of it! After giving birth, Nattasha continued to support us by coming over to the house to talk and check in on us. We talked about my concerns and she provided a wide range of information that really helped me. If you are on the fence about hiring a doula, don't be. It was the best investment we did during this pregnancy and we highly recommend Nattasha!

I had always heard that having a doula throughout one's pregnancy and birth would be beneficial…read more But, I didn't realize how much of a difference it would make until I met Nattasha. I interviewed several different doulas and went with Nattasha because of how open and straightforward she was during our initial conversation - her warmth coupled with passion for creating a memorable birth experience drove me to choose her for our journey! Nattasha is incredible, to say the least! She was so caring from day one and provided so many insights for all the questions I had during our prenatal visits to ensure that my husband and I felt empowered to make the best decisions for our family. The prenatal visits were not only educational, but also provided an opportunity for us to develop a relationship that felt comfortable. With Nattasha, I felt cared for and supported 100%! She was a true advocate for what was best for me and I can't begin to express how important that was for me to feel ready to give birth. I can't emphasize how useful it was to have Nattasha in the room with us during labor -- her presence was calming and energizing at the same time. As soon as she thought I needed her physically present with me, she joined my husband and I at our place (and later in the hospital) to help me get through the hardest part of labor. And, for that, I'm forever grateful. Since this was our first pregnancy, I was overwhelmed and anxious throughout the process, but Nattasha eased my nerves not only during our prenatal sessions, but also during birth. I felt empowered, connected, and present throughout the experience, which is what I had visualized. Thank you Nattasha for being so phenomenal in every way -- we could not have had such a beautiful experience without your varied support. If/when my husband and I decided to have a second little one, I would, without a doubt, want Nattasha on my care team again!!

Hiring Erin was one of the best decisions we made as first-time parents. From day one, she brought…read moreso much knowledge, warmth, and reassurance. She helped us understand our newborn's cues, feeding, sleep, soothing techniques, and so much more. No question was ever too small for Erin. She gave both my husband and me the confidence we needed as new parents. Her support during my breastfeeding journey was truly amazing. I went through mastitis that eventually developed into a breast abscess requiring surgery, and it was one of the hardest parts of my postpartum recovery. Her experience with lactation, practical advice, and constant encouragement helped me through one of the most difficult times. She also cared for our baby girl with so much love and tenderness, which gave us complete peace of mind. On top of that, she prepared the most amazing homemade meals. Her chicken recipe was so yum! We are so grateful for everything Erin did for us. If you're looking for a postpartum doula who is experienced, compassionate, professional, and truly passionate about supporting new families, I cannot recommend Erin highly enough.

Erin was with me for the birth of my second baby. She gave me exactly the kind of support and care…read moreI had envisioned (and that we had carefully discussed ahead of time). Would absolutely recommend to anyone.

We feel extremely fortunate that we got to have Keelia help us settle into being a family of four…read more She was a consistently warm and caring presence, not just for our new baby but for all four of us. And she has a special knack for just finding ways to be helpful even if we're frazzled and don't know what to ask. She's also very thoughtful about providing advice--in addition to answering whatever random questions we have, she gently offers advice without it ever feeling like she's forcing it on us or it feeling overly didactic. We could go on about how great she is, but the long and short of it is that she's amazing at what she does.

I am certain that my experience with Keelia made THE difference in achieving the birth of my…read moredaughter the ways that I wanted it- delaying at home for as long as possible, no pain meds and a positive, empowered experience. My biggest fears were my low pain tolerance and lack of control over knowing exactly how it would go. Shortly before our due date, Keelia came over to review our birth plan and a timeline of what to expect for pre-labor, active labor, travel to the birth center, transition, and delivery. She made sure we practiced comfort measures, breathing and how I wanted to be supported verbally. It wasn't until the last moments with Keelia where she looked me in the eye and said I was ready, that I actually felt prepared to go into labor and meet my daughter. 2 days later, my water broke in the middle of the night. For the next 44 hours of contractions, naps, two car rides up to the birth center, a traumatic cervical check on day one to then be sent back home, many walks around the neighborhood, yoga ball bouncing, 1 game of Monopoly, snacks, massages, and support - Keelia was at our beck and call. By the time we got to the birth center (again) on day 2 after 36 hours, I was only at 1cm and 50% effaced. Keelia helped me calm down from exhausition and frustration at this news, and we made a plan to get misoprostol to thin my cervix but hopefully proceed with no other interventions. Miraculously, Ava was born 7 hours later. Keelia coached me through contractions which came back to back for hours, waved lavendar oil in front of my face for nausea, massaged my back, covered the clock when she noticed it stressing me out, got me into the shower with Joe when I hit the wall of transition, and helped me breathe through pushing - 3 contractions! She reassured me every step of the way - calmly & knowing I could do it at all moments. In this amazing doula's hands, I felt loved, safe, and supported. Thank you, Keelia.

We had two amazing doulas for our second daughter, both covered through my Carrot benefit at work,…read moreRhona at night and Julie during the day. Rhona was our overnight doula for both of our girls, and honestly I don't know how I would've gotten through those first months without her. With my first, she helped me figure out breastfeeding, kept me going on the hard nights, and taught me how to pump so I could actually get some sleep. With our second we had jaundice and an unplanned trip back to the hospital and Rhona was such a calm, steady presence for me while I got through it. Rhona is just so good at what she does, and clearly cares a lot about the families she works with. Julie was equally wonderful during the day. She's sincere, honest, and has this calming way about her. She normalized so much of what I was feeling and hyped me up until I actually felt ready to handle life with two kids. Genuinely fun to have around too, even on the rough days. We're so grateful for both of them and would recommend them without hesitation.

We had the absolute pleasure of having Agnes K. as our night doula after the birth of our newborn…read moreand we are incredibly grateful for her help. She is extremely knowledgeable about baby care, and we could tell that our baby loved how calm, caring, and confident she was. Agnes was happy to not only help with taking care of our baby at night, but also logged feedings and kept bottles prepped. She also was easily accessible via text for ongoing support. She was able to give us plenty of actionable advice and feedback on how to take care of our little one which, as new parents, made a massive positive difference with our confidence as well. We definitely would be in a far worse place in terms of taking care of our baby if not for her help, and highly recommend Agnes to any family who is looking for a doula who clearly loves what she does and is really good at it too.

I strongly recommend Kim as a doula. Her guidance and grounding presence were a big part of the…read morepositive birth I had after a rough first birth. First, Kim did an excellent job of mentally preparing my husband and me for labor. She did so by getting to know us and educating us about birth preferences during a couple prenatal sessions. When labor began, Kim helped me navigate the hospital and some unexpected developments. She advised me based on her years of experience while being respectful and letting me make all the decisions. She also guided me through the physical challenges with gentle, thoughtful care. Finally, Kim followed up postpartum to debrief the labor experience and help me with some early issues. I'm so grateful for her steady support throughout the process!

Kim helped my wife and I through the birth of our first child. In today's world we don't have as…read moreclose family connections as in generations past, we didn't know exactly how it would be. Her calm confidence and assurance, and knowing that she has experienced this before was most helpful to us. Just meeting with us was helpful to ease my worries and make me feel more calm and comfortable about the whole process. The prenatal meetings were very helpful to ease my nerves and calm me about the upcoming birth. I especially remembered the description of the expectant mother going to her safe cave for protection from predators, and how it prevents the labor from being slowed by adrenaline. This helped me more accept my wife's desires to have no family in the labor and delivery room.

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!

We had a wonderful experience with Brenda. She came to meet us before the baby was born, which was…read morereally helpful and gave us a chance to get comfortable with each other beforehand. Once the baby arrived, she was incredibly helpful, especially with tips and guidance on how to soothe him and help him get to sleep. She was so kind, gentle, and caring with our baby, and it was such a pleasure to have her with us during these first days. We're very grateful for all her help and would absolutely recommend her!

Masako provided postpartum overnight care to my newborn twin girls from early April to early May…read more2026 and I can't speak highly enough of her. She was kind, caring, and extremely knowledgeable about all things newborn related, which was reassuring and extremely helpful to my husband and I as first time parents! Thanks to her gentle guidance, I was able to practice tandem breastfeeding my girls which was a huge goal of mine. It was an absolute godsend to have someone with twin experience there with us in the newborn trenches. I highly recommend Masako to anyone who is looking for postpartum support and care. I'd hire her again in a heartbeat!

Masako was my birth doula for my first birth in the hospital and I had a really positive…read moreexperience. She gave me really useful recommendations and knowledge leading up to my birth. During the actual birth, her knowledge of massage and acupressure helped get me through my contractions. Her calming presence gave me more confidence and helped me remain calm. She gave great suggestions on switching positions, getting my husband involved, and keeping the atmosphere calming. She greatly contributed to my birth experience being very positive and not traumatic. She helped me achieve the experience that I wanted and I am so glad I had her by my side for my birth journey!

Renata is an absolute angel, though you might not be able to see her wings. We would have had a…read moretraumatic birth had we not partnered with her. The story of our birth is multi-day and long so I won't write about it here, but I'll give you a few bullet points below on how Renata helped and how rare and special it was to have that support: 1. We managed to avoid a C-section just before they were going to wheel me to OR, after I had been prepared for it physically. Upon hearing this was happening she rushed to the hospital and before hand coached us on the phone on the right questions to ask. Thanks to her presence there, and also for the coaching, we managed to avoid the C-section. 2. Wow, Renata is so skilled at counter pressure during contractions! She knows the exact pressure points to press and voila, my contraction discomfort disappeared. I had initially refused an epidural so this was important for me to have. Later when I took the epidural, it only worked on half of me so one side of my body needed this counter pressure still, all the way through to the point of pushing. 3. Renata provided so many resources and education before the birth through her classes and individual coaching. I felt well equipped with knowledge going into it. Also with a plethora of information on the internet, it was great to have filtered info via a professional who has seen hundreds of births (I believe she has seen 700+). 4. Partner and family coaching and post birth support: I couldn't be more grateful to Renata for this! My family had zero ideas or knowledge about the critical postpartum period. They at least got an introduction to the concept from Renata. Anyway, there is so much more to say about Renata's skills and areas of support! I'll just say this instead: you're lucky if you have come across Renata! She is an amazing birth partner and I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to work with her. I'll mention one last thing: if you want to do things holistically, Renata is very well educated in this area! If you want to do things entirely the modern medical way, Renata is very knowledgeable there also! So it's a win win with her. Wishing you all the best in your birthing journey!

She is the best birth doula in the world She is kind and…read morecompassionate. I recommend her for sure.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Loving Arms Childbirth Services' birthing class! Jessica Cristen was our…read moreinstructor, and she was excellent! She's a certified midwife and lactation support specialist, with years of experience. Taking this class was the best decision I made for preparing for the birth of our baby girl. (even with the countless books I read and classes taken from Kaiser) My birth did NOT go at all as expected, but thanks to these classes I was super well prepared about all the possibilities that could occur during labor & delivery and helped my partner and I be on the same page (and have my partner know how he could best support me). Thus when things started to go different than what we prepared for in our birthing plan, we were really able to navigate the various options skillfully and have educated conversations with our care team. This made me feel way more secure when my health was declining during delivery. Even though I didn't have the birth I pictured for myself, I felt I had a wonderful birth story thanks to the classes from Loving Arms and our care support team. The class is very comfortable, super educational, and a good place to meet other couples about to have babies too. The instructors here really care about helping new families, and have years of experience and maturity. Again, best decision to take this class here @ Loving Arms. So glad I chose them!

We are so grateful we found Loving Arms and were able to take their childbirth prep class. I didn't…read morewant to have a doula and these courses helped me feel so knowledgeable about what to expect during childbirth and allowed my husband to know how best to support me. The lactation support and honest expectations about what to expect in the first few days with a newborn were invaluable. I ended up not having time to get an epidural and without this class, I think I would have panicked giving birth. However, armed with the knowledge from the courses, I was able to get through it and have a positive experience. Another plus is that we were able to bond with the other couples in the class and are still in touch now 9 months after our babies were born. Highly suggest!