I have nothing but glowing things to say about Shannon! She is amazing and I am so thankful to have…read moreher in my corner for the birth of both my sons (in 2021 & 2023). Overall: if you are looking for a doula who is approachable, accessible, nonjudgmental, and has a good balance of respecting medical decision making as well as understanding traditional birth support methods, look no further! Pre-natal: - Shannon offers two formal sessions to talk through expectations for birth and exercises. These don't substitute a full birthing course, but were a great primer and supplement to the course we took. - Shannon was extremely accessible via text, email, and phone for any support as needed; she checked in frequently, especially before and after OB visits to make sure I understood my options for any decisions that came up. - Shannon helped me draft a birth plan to discuss with my OB, presented different options, and was extremely supportive as I picked what was right for our family. - As we got closer to the due date, Shannon advised us on some exercises to do to manage various aches, pains, and help prep for labor. - For my first, Shannon was unavailable for 2 days about 2 weeks before the due date; she set up a backup doula just in case, which we appreciated! Labor & Delivery: - Shannon was highly communicative as labor started and progressed, coaching us via text in the middle of the night and advising us when it was time to head to the hospital. - She met us at the hospital promptly, helped us navigate the paperwork efficiently, and aided in settling in to the room with music, aromatherapy, and lights. - During labor at the hospital, she helped with different positions and massages to keep me calm and manage the contractions. - She made sure my partner got a break to rest and eat before the baby arrived. - Our L&D nurse asked me for Shannon's name as she really enjoyed working with her, which is a huge testament to her behavior in the room and interactions with medical professionals! Postpartum: - Shannon checked in with us a few times during text, as well as came in person to make sure we were settling in OK. - She had several recommendations for lactation consultants, postpartum doulas, etc. I can't say enough good things about Shannon and feel so grateful she was a part of our birthing journey. I look back at both of my deliveries with such positivity, fondness, and joy--largely thanks to her!

It was a pleasure to have Shannon as my doula. Shannon exudes warmth and kindness. She's…read moreapproachable and makes herself available. Shannon always provided evidence based unbiased information and respected our decisions. She has lots of connections to the birth community in the area and all her referrals and resources were amazing too! I definitely will be recommending Shannon to anyone looking for a doula. Thank you Shannon!

My last review was removed because I didn't provide enough "details" about my experience employing…read moreMelissa Dean as my midwife. So Yelp reviews have set standards in terms of the number of details you must leave now? Let me give you more details. These are my OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. DO NOT REMOVE THIS REVIEW. 1. Melissa was busy with other births all scheduled around the same time as mine. There ain't no way of scheduling your birth to be when someone else's birth isn't. FYI - it's her and Ricki. That's it. So when you in the middle of a 48hr labor and Melissa's been gone for 12hrs since you crawled on your hands and knees into SCVMC. Just realize that things could have gone differently. 2. If your baby has any number of problems that could be detected with modern tech, she cannot help you with that. She'll put you in touch with other facilities for ultrasounds etc. (all extra costs) but that should be a red flag. She really ain't scientifically or medically equipped to make decisions for you or your baby. All of your visits will be soothing and cozy. But your just paying for nothing more than contact with someone who has delivered babies away from hospitals. That's great. But sometimes problems can be prevented. 3. You will be charged the full amount no matter whether or not she does anything at all when you deliver apart from direct you to SCVMC hospital. 4. If you end up needing to go to the hospital she will ask you to drive yourself to SCVMC. And by the way, there are some really smart and talented medical staff there. In the end I owe them my life. But, are there also some not so great staff there? Most definitely, in my opinion. Will you have any idea who will be there? No. The doctors will also tell you point blank that you were naive (that's the nicest way I can think of describing what I was told by multiple nurses and doctors) to put your trust in a midwife like Melissa Dean. Hopefully you don't pay for that decision with your baby's or your own life. You won't need to be told that, you'll get that exact vibe from everyone there the minute she walks in. 5. If you end up at SCVMC, and there's a bed available for you after a few hours, and you get a doctor who isn't completely disgusted with you that you endangered your own life and the baby and now you're there begging for your life to saved.... *If* that happens, and if it does happen, and you're lucky to get away with your health and the baby's health. That's awesome. But if like me, you could be separated from your baby for a week because you almost died (doctor's words not mine) and your baby is on a ventilator in the NICU as a direct result of the trauma caused from not seeing a doctor earlier. 6. Finally, you'll have paid Melissa Dean and you will have to pay her 100% of her costs. But you should budget and figure out whether your insurance is accepted at SCVMC and what your costs will be for delivering there. It might be best if you don't have insurance because it is a teaching hospital and as far one of the doctors told me they won't turn away patients in need regardless of if they have insurance or not. How the bills work out afterward for everyone, I have no idea. But the bills I got from an emergency C section and a week in the NICU were, as you can imagine, astronomical. Why two stars and not one? Because she doesn't mean any harm and she's a nice person who believes what she's doing is a great service to people who want to deliver at home or with a midwife at a birthing center. But that's not always the case. My point in leaving a "review" that gives a different side to the one that Melissa Dean tells you is so that you can be informed and ask questions. Don't go into this process without having some sort of check on the facts of what you're getting yourself into. With hindsight, if I was to give advice and you really want to deliver at home, don't be afraid of it. But also have a plan B organized. And that means having a doctor that supports your decision and also can provide you with immediate care and deliver your baby for you at a moments notice. Check in with that doctor regularly. Ultimately I blame myself for not preparing in this way for my delivery. A doctor that can tell you it's okay for Melissa Dean to leave now and he/she can take over. And does that have enough detail? Or Will Melissa Dean complain again and have the review taken down again?

I had been hoping to have a home birth for a really long time, so when I got pregnant, I knew I…read morewanted to find a midwife who would help facilitate that. After our initial interview with Melissa and her assistant Ricki, my husband and I really liked them and felt like they would be a great fit for my pregnancy. My husband is fairly skeptical of any kind of hippy, holistic medicine, but Melissa was great at balancing the holistic and scientific sides of midwifery, and I really appreciated that she never pushed me to try any of the more woo-woo aspects that can come up with a home birth (such as anything to do with the placenta that didn't involve disposing of it as medical waste or telling me that I need to eat any kind of specific diet or buy expensive products). All throughout my pregnancy, Melissa and Ricki were super supportive and answered all my questions really clearly and provided so much reassurance when I started feeling anxious. They were great about responding to texts and emails, and provided me with great care. I really liked having one hour appointments, so I had time to chat with them and get all my questions answered. I was able to get all the standard testing done through their office; Ricki drew my blood to get genetic testing done at 13 weeks at my regular appointment, and when it came time to do the gestational diabetes test, they sent me out to eat pancakes before they drew blood at my appointment - no nasty orange sugar drink for me! When we were nearing the end of my pregnancy, they visited my house to help us figure out the best place to set up their inflatable birthing pool, and answered all our questions about what it would look like when I went into labor. When my baby was overdue and then my water broke but labor didn't start, they gave me suggestions for how to try to naturally induce labor, and checked in with me every day to see how things were going and listen to the baby to make sure we were both staying healthy while we waited for labor. Unfortunately, none of that worked, I ended up having to be induced at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, but I was so thankful to have them on my side. They were there with me when we checked in at the hospital and prepared us for what the medical team was going to do to get labor going. Ricki was there to support us when my contractions were getting really strong, and Melissa made sure I only had the best doctors checking in on me. When my labor didn't progress as quickly as we were hoping, Melissa was there to answer all our questions about when they would start talking about c-sections and what that experience would be like. She was so supportive and caring as I watched all my birthing hopes and plans went right out the window. Perhaps the most important thing Melissa did, though, was to make sure my baby was able to start nursing as soon as possible. She checked on him in the nursery and told the nurses that they needed to give him to me right away to nurse. She then came and helped him latch on and showed me how to hold him and get him situated so I could do it on my own later. We have had so many friends who did not have that advocacy after their births who really struggled to breastfeed their babies, and I am so so thankful that Melissa was there to make sure we didn't miss the window to feed in the first hour. My baby has been a champion breastfeeder ever since, and we had so many fewer struggles in that regard. I also really appreciated that we had Melissa and Ricki to check in on us in the days and weeks post-partum. They texted, called, and visited us at the hospital and at home to see how we were doing and to answer any questions. I really feel like they helped get us off on the right foot, and I would absolutely use them again to try for an at home VBAC.

I would like to wholeheartedly recommend Rotem Perleson, whom I contacted about a week ago for…read morebreastfeeding advice and had an amazing experience with. Who accompanied me for several consecutive days and helped me and my daughter in an amazing way! In addition to the long support with messages and her incredible care that was felt at every moment, she came to visit us and gave me tools that I feel have changed the entire course of our day for the better. So if you are looking for someone who is tolerant, professional and supportive to help you strengthen your connection to breastfeeding and your baby From my personal experience, Rotem is the address!

* The best decision we made for our little one! *…read more As first-time parents, we were recommended Rotem by someone we trust--and working with her was truly an incredible experience. Simply put, she is phenomenal: deeply knowledgeable and experienced, compassionate, friendly, proactive, and endlessly supportive. I could go on and on. Rotem first visited us at the hospital, where her guidance was far more helpful and reassuring than what we received from the staff. She then continued supporting us once we were home, visiting multiple times a week during our baby's first month. She helped us learn what to do, supported us emotionally, and set clear expectations for what to expect--every step of the way. We are forever grateful to Rotem for the care and confidence she gave us during such an important time, and she has our highest possible recommendation.

This review is long overdue but I cannot describe accurately in words how instrumentals Alicia was…read morefor the birth of our daughter. She was our first and I was set on an unmedicated vaginal birth, however, our little one was breach and I was experiencing preeclampsia and needed to make a lot of decisions quickly. Alicia was a fountain of resources as we tried to find the best and safest way to birth our daughter. Even though I ended up with a cesarean I am confident and content because I was a fully informed and active participant. I would have never been able to navigate the birthing process with so much self-advocacy without Alicia. She provided evidence-based research, a kind and warm demeanor and so many intangible benefits. The classes, the home visits, the whole process made us feel cared for and I am so grateful to have had her as a guide. I would recommend her 1000% and if we hadn't moved away from the Bay Area I would have loved to have her at any future birth we may be fortunate enough to have.

This review is a bummer to write, but after reading other reviews about communication delays and…read moreissues on the administrative end, it's clear i'm not the only one experiencing this issue and something needs to be seriously addressed. Alicia herself is wonderful, and we used her for placenta encapsulation in 2019. We had an overall good experience, so as we are nearing the birth of our 3rd baby, I reached back out to Alicia as a return client looking for placenta encapsulation again. It took 4 days to get an initial response to my email. Julia (Alicia's assistant) reached out to let me know Alicia is on maternity leave and had a few clarification questions to get the ball rolling with another doula. Unfortunately, I never heard from Julia or anyone else again. I've since left a voicemail and 4 follow-up emails with no response. If Born Doulas is too busy to accept me as a client, I would have appreciated hearing that upfront vs. just ghosting me, especially as a returning client. These types of customer service issues are just unacceptable, and if you are looking for a doula or placenta encapsulation company during the very delicate time of pregnancy and delivery, I recommend looking elsewhere and finding a company that cares about communication.

If you are a new mom looking for legitimate support, Janet is your go to. She was my 5th consultant…read morewho did not A) immediately recommend snipping my son's tongue tie and B) teach me unsustainable techniques. Trust me, instead of wasting your time and money going to others, go to Janet first. My consultation with her was an investment that will shape my son for the rest of his life. May God bless this business. Thank you, Janet!! You are a talented professional, and I look forward to recommending you to all embarking on this difficult but rewarding journey of motherhood- Jazmin, Maurice, and Mo V

They say breastfeeding shouldn't be painful, but most moms I know have struggled initially. When I…read morewas dealing with pain early on, Janet made the difference between giving up and continuing. Janet brings tremendous knowledge and experience to her work and is an excellent and nonjudgmental teacher. She came to my house and brought several helpful props and tools, including a scale to weigh my baby before and after I fed her. She advised me on how to hold my baby and get her to latch and helped me heal wounds I'd gotten early on. I recommend Janet enthusiastically.

I would highly recommend Liz. She instantly put me at ease with her kind nature and significant…read moreknowledge and experience around breastfeeding. She is nonjudgmental and cheers you on no matter what. When she provides recommendations, they are always well thought out. She also follows up. I really appreciate that she has gone out of her way to have her care covered by insurance as well.

We're first-time parents navigating newborn care, parenthood, and everything that comes with it for…read morethe first time. I had a difficult start with breastfeeding in the hospital, and the hospital staff referred us to Liz Chang for support after we were discharged. Liz was able to come to our home for a consultation almost right away, which was such a relief because we really needed guidance during those first few days. She was incredibly empathetic about the frustration and struggles I was experiencing with breastfeeding and gave us plenty of helpful resources and practical guidance to make the journey feel more manageable. We especially appreciated how much attention she gave to understanding why our baby was having a shallow latch rather than simply focusing on the latch itself. She also connected us with an additional provider for further evaluation, which we found very helpful. We feel so lucky to have had Liz's support at the very beginning of our breastfeeding journey. She gave us hope and encouragement during a time when I was feeling very discouraged. It's inspiring to work with someone who genuinely loves what she does and truly wants to help the families she works with. We're very grateful for Liz and would absolutely recommend her to other parents who are struggling with breastfeeding or simply need some extra support and guidance.

Wendy was fantastic, and I would absolutely hire her again…read more She was a tremendous support during the pregnancy, during the birth itself, and then later during the first months. Wendy is super knowledgeable, has some great skills herself, and most importantly knows a lot of people. At the same time, she is a great listener, not trying to push you into anything, but rather helping you discover what's best for you. This combination helped guide my wife through all the options, connect with like-minded experts, and eventually find a fantastic midwife and do a home birth. So, while all of what Wendy did was extremely valuable (eg. body work sessions during the pregnancy, including fixing my back, or support during the birth), I think the best part is that she truly cares about you and your experience. In other words, it's about you, not about her -- she was always happy to connect us with other people who might be a better fit for something and was always ready to step aside and come back when she was needed. To me, this is rare and something I can only see and appreciate in hindsight. The result was a wonderful, life changing experience for me, and my wife, and I'm convinced that Wendy deserves a lot of credit for it.

At the risk of sounding dramatic, Wendy and Kersti have changed my life. There's no other way I…read moreknow how to put it. I went into this pregnancy not knowing anything about pregnancy nor birth. I mean that - I'd never even held a baby before, and I'm in my thirties! I was nervous and knew I needed guidance. A close friend of mine referred them to me after she had her own positive experience delivering her first baby at the hospital (without an epidural). A delivery without an epidural sounded like a good idea, and if my friend can do it with their help, I felt SO COULD I! So I scheduled to meet them in person, and then Googled the definition of a doula because that's how foreign the birth world was to me. Fast forward to today, I am 3 months postpartum, and incredibly grateful to have had Wendy and Kersti there for me, as a first time mom home birth. They prepared me, a total pregnancy/birth newbie, to having a home birth! They are supportive with whatever birth plan you decide and will provide tons of resources and information to help you make an informed decision, on whatever you feel comfortable with. I appreciated that they are well balanced, and will present evidence based research, as well as speak from their own experiences, but never pushing their opinions upon you. After months of research, I made the decision to go forward with a home birth and it was the most magical experience of my life. It was relaxing, calm, stress-free, and I felt SO supported throughout my entire pregnancy journey, after birth, and ESPECIALLY during labor. Wendy was present during my labor. When she arrived it was like my guardian angel had arrived, and I was so happy to see her. She had lavender essential oils and her hands worked magic on me during the most intense contractions. The back massages helped me Soooo much and she did it for hours. She not only supported me, but also my husband, and she knew just what to say to keep me positive and relaxed, and knew how to direct my husband to help. She also took photos throughout the labor. It all happened so fast, so it was so fun to have photos to go back and relive the moments. I will cherish these photos forever. Thank you Wendy and Kersti for helping bring my baby boy to this world. I know without a doubt that I'd like them to be my doulas again for my future baby.

Words can't express how grateful I am to have seen Debra! My son lost a significant amount of…read moreweight after birth due to latching difficulties and had to have bottles with formula to supplement. Thanks to Debra providing me with techniques and resources I was able to stop formula. My milk supply is better than I could imagine and my son is healthy and gaining so much weight on breast milk only

My wife and I recently had our first child and we wanted to try to exclusively breastfeed / use…read morebreast milk if possible. However, we found out during our first few pediatrician visits that our baby was actually losing weight instead of gaining the expected 1oz/day. Baby was latching, but constantly kept falling asleep at the breast and thus wasn't eating as much as she needed to. Our pediatrician recommended Debra as a local lactation consultant and we couldn't be happier! Debra was very easy to connect with and she has honestly been a life saver. From the first moment we exchanged messages she was so helpful, thorough and enthusiastic and supportive. Before even meeting Debra in person we had a FaceTime session with her and she immediately saw a few issues with the way we were breastfeeding and gave us real time instructions/tips on how to improve latching/feeding and they worked! After our first in-person meeting with Debra, she drafted up a game plan for us for a baby feeding "boot camp" where we needed to temporarily supplement breast milk with formula both via bottle feeding in order to get the baby's weight up so she'd stay awake during breastfeeding. She walked us through every step and was so responsive to texts and the portal at all hours of the day. Debra kept following up to see how things were going and she does not give up! She was so optimistic, persistent, and determined for my wife to start producing more milk and to breastfeed more easily and low and behold after two VERY HELPFUL sessions we pretty much are there! Debra is like an encyclopedia of knowledge and has the best positive attitude. She answered all our questions and concerns very honestly and was very straight forward, but always remaining positive and realistic. We wouldn't know where we would be without her! If you are having issues with breastfeeding look no further! Reach out to Debra and we guarantee you'll be beyond satisfied like we were!