Agree that I could have tried working with TND before public Yelp humiliation. But we had such a…read morerough night with TND, by 2am (halfway through) I really wanted to throw her out, but stuck with it til the morning. As a new mom, I apologize for not having the patience to work through these issues privately. But that's as much compunction as I can muster. Here's my response to the TND response. Incidentally, my initial email to TND referencing my earlier review was prefaced with the following: "It is with great pain and sadness that I am writing this email. I'm not sure if there is anyone who leads the TND group and manages constructive criticism or feedback on behalf of the organization, but if there is, I wanted to let you know about our recent experience with TND. It is posted in a Yelp review. I made best effort to respect privacy, to be objective, and to be fair. The content of my review is copied below." --Response to Anna M.-- Re: unrealistic expectations with a 4-day old, I don't fault TND for my baby's cluster feeding night habit. I do fault TND for sitting around doing nothing while I fed him for a total of 4 hours over the course of the evening. Re: breach of contract response, I believe it's breach of contract on the part of our TND, and not us, when she did not perform a large majority of the tasks marketed on your website, reiterated during the "meet the doula's" session my hubby attended two months before the birth of our baby, and that our specific TND assured us she would do during the 1 hr interview in advance of hiring her. Re: extra bonding time, perhaps you should put that information on your website so you don't mislead parents who think a TND will be helpful during the first few days with a newborn. Re: taxes, I'm not an accountant, but I'm pretty sure under-reporting income is illegal. Our TND admitted during the first night that the reason she wouldn't provide her SS# is to under-report income. Post-partum doulas can be paid for using DCAP, and DCAP requires SS#. The only reason to not provide it is to evade taxes. If your policy is to not make DCAP payments possible, this information should be provided on the website as well. You are not cheating "the system" - you are directly taking more money out of your customers' pockets by shielding your own tax liability while increasing ours. Unhelpful and unsympathetic response from Anna M. came after what was intended to be constructive criticism and a chance for them to make right. Unrealistic expectations? I only expected the doula to provide the services as advertised. If only she did one of the many things she was supposed to...

I would like to recommend our night doula, Emma. She was basically a Godsend. She came and watched…read moreour baby the night I had to go back into the hospital for complications. As a brand new mother, although I had read a lot and attended classes, I was basically clueless. Emma gave us the practical knowledge and information we needed during the critical initial weeks home. Watching Emma bath and swaddle the baby was the best class I ever took. She taught us things about sleep and feeding that we would never have figured out on our own. To this day, our baby sleeps through the night, and as soon as she was over 11 lbs! Our friends told us that it was the best money they ever spent, and although it wasn't cheap, they were right. I had major issues with breastfeeding/latching, so our baby had to be fed formula initially. Emma helped implement the lactation consultants' advice. I couldn't have done it without her. The beauty with Emma was that she was completely supportive and reponsive to our wishes. Even now, once in awhile I have questions. Emma is always a text or email away. We could have done it without her, but boy we would have had a far far far harder time. She's an Irish blessing:)

The following is a very abridged version of what went down at UCSF in 2010 under the care of Dr…read more Deborah D. Kamali: Ready to push, had zero energy left and repeated attempts to coerce me into a moving up further into the plastic bag area even though I had denied multiple times with hand gestures. Watching video footage I have of the birth Kamali kept putting 2 fingers inside me and pressing down during each contraction, something known a perineal massage, which I did not consent to. Then, when my doula reminded them of my wish for delayed cord-clamping, and she said, "not with this baby, because of resuscitation"...which was completely absurd because she wasn't even out yet, why was she assuming there would need to be resuscitation? Also, I asked them not to continue with the fetal monitoring and they put a tiny metal screw into her head without my consent, something I didn't fully register until later, while I was in the NICU, asking about the small wound on the top of her head. I gathered all my internal energy, blocked out all the nonsense around me, and focused on the directing the energy of what "brought" her in downward, and pushed her out, and.. even though she was breathing and whaling loudly... she was not placed on me, like I had requested. I didn't know what to feel I looked over and was so upset but no longer had the energy to express it...frozen and dissociated from the shock of having my daughter separated from me. The biggest violation of all of them. They finally brought her over to me wrapped in a blanket and I sheltered her eyes from the harsh lights, She was absolutely beautiful. The expression on her face was that of a wise woman who'd just been through a war. I never wanted to let her go. She was mine and I wanted to protect her from this mob of people that were in the room. They took her from me after a couple of minutes to go to the NICU . Since she was small, 4 lbs. she wouldn't have normal body temperature regulation and needed the warmth of an incubator until she put on a pound. And then, they all left the room. Ironically, this was the moment my heart rate was that of a marathon runner. This was the moment I need to have a drug instantly pumped into my I.V. to bring my heart rate down. "Having the baby is the cure for preeclampsia, huh?"... What a load of crap that was. All they care about is getting baby out to avoid a lawsuit. Mother and baby are never looked at as a unit. Minimizing Trauma was never a factor they considered. After the birth I developed PTSD from not being allowed to sleep for so many days. I developed a sleeping disorder where I really only slept once every 3 days. The first part of the brain to go when you don't sleep is the language centers. For the first 3 years of my daughter's life I could barley speak in full sentences. My daughter is now 14 years old and I still have not fully recovered from the trauma. The speech centers of my brain have still not fully recovered and I suffer enormous anxiety and depression. I have spent thousands of dollars and countless hours trying to heal from what was supposed to be an empowering experience. Do yourself a favor and study natural childbirth. If I had to do it again I would never have stepped foot in that hospital. I would have stayed at home, took my own blood pressure, and found a like-minded friend or doula to support me to have a free birth at home. All birth comes with risks and I'd be willing to take that 1 percent risk of death over the 99 % chance of trauma any day.

I didn't have a very good experience with Dr. Kamali. I had to book an urgent visit with UCSF obgyn…read moreafter my visit to the ER in March 2020. Here's a breakdown of my experience: Pros: 1) the office accepted my insurance Cons: 1) Despite this being a follow up visit to the ER and the need to get in to see the doctor immediately, I had to wait a month for my visit. 2) The doctor would only see me via telemedicine despite me telling her that I had severe abdominal pain. She refused to bring me in for an exam despite my request. I also requested an MRI which she stated that I didn't need. 3) At the end of the visit, the doctor told me that I was most likely suffering from gas, and would benefit from having a colonoscopy. 4) I requested a referral to another obgyn from this doctor because I was unsatisfied with her services. She blatantly ignored my concerns and complaints and also refused to refer me out stating that was not necessary. Bottom line: I would not recommend this doctor. She was dismissive and uninterested in performing a full examination. This doctor overlooked serious issues, and I found another provider who was able to identify my issues very quickly within the next month. I was in so much pain and this Dr. Kamali couldn't have cared less. By the time the next doctor was able to identify my issues, I needed to have a serious surgery. Do yourself a favor and find another doctor that listens to and treats your concerns in a timely fashion before it's too late.

Stephanie and her mom were wonderful and amazing to work with. My baby was scheduled to arrive on…read moreNew Years Day, which made booking a doula practically impossible and I was doing the research back in August of last year. They were by far the most professional team that I met with over the phone, they were by far the most communicative and encouraging. I would love to work with these ladies again. By all means they are worth it!

Deundra and Stephanie are beyond amazing to work with. We took part in their new child birth…read moreeducation course and I could not say enough good things. Deundra provided so much information in a way that was easy to digest and keep on hand for when I am in labor. We did partial virtual classes and partially in person classes and all of them were amazing, but something about being in person with Deundra is grounding, calming and makes you more confident for this immense change your life is going through. I plan to stay in touch with both Deundra and Stephanie over the coming months and years and if we decide to have more children we will undoubtedly seek them out again to help us on that path. Thank you both, you have our biggest gratitude and love, we couldn't have come this far without you!

Susan is incredibly helpful, caring, and knowledgeable about breast feeding and baby care. She…read morehelped me figure out how to get my twins latched, how much to expect them to eat, and never judged me for the fact that I am also pumping and supplementing with formula (with twins, you do what you have to in order to stay sane!) I can't recommend her enough.

Susan was exactly the person we needed when our third child was born. She is a true newborn expert…read moreand helped our little guy get off to an amazing start with feeding and sleeping. She even got our son to learn to sleep in his crib by himself with no tears! She's intuitive about babies and went out of her way to learn exactly what our little guy needed and responded to. She also effortlessly cared for our baby while watching our older sons (no easy feat), bringing special cooking projects, crafts, board games, and stories for them to enjoy. Instead of feeling left out with the arrival of a new sibling, our older boys received so much attention and looked forward to Susan's arrival each day. I credit much of our older sons' close bond with their baby brother to Susan's expert care. I trust her judgment and instincts 100% and always felt like she went above and beyond to care for every member of our family. She gave us the gift of a fantastic newborn period, and we will forever be grateful!

Heidi delivered my baby, and I had an absolutely wonderful experience with her. She clearly loves…read moreher work, and was so supportive, enthusiastic, and kind throughout. I felt comfortable in her care, and cheered by her energy. Highly recommend! Currently at Sutter Health, delivery is based on who is on call when you're in labor. So you can't guarantee having Heidi for your delivery, but you can see her during pregnancy! Of the 4-5 providers I met at Sutter at various points in my pregnancy, all seemed solid, so it's hard to go wrong there. I scheduled most of my appointments with one provider (Dr. Nseyo, who's also amazing!) and a few with others so that I'd be familiar with them if I ended up delivering with them.

I was a patient of Dr. Kaul's from 2013-2017 and she delivered both of my boys, one in 2015 and the…read moresecond in 2017. I loved having Dr. Kaul as my OBGYN. She was helpful with all of my questions and nervousness during my first pregnancy and was really supportive during my second when there was a chance that my husband had been exposed to Zika just before we found out we were pregnant. She delivered both babies through C-Section because my first had some distress during the end stages of labor and the second baby was even bigger than the first. When they put me on the operating table and his heart rate dropped, everyone in the room seemed pretty frantic and I was freaking out, but Dr. Kaul was calm, cool and collected, which put me at ease. She performed both c-sections wonderfully and I had easy recoveries. Now that I'm planning a third pregnancy, I'm so sad she's no longer my doc...thinking about moving back to SF for about 9 months just for her. ;)

All these past reviews are definitely not recent because Poornima Kaul is a terrible doctor with an…read moreincompetent team. Expect to wait an hour before any of your appointments, and if you're lucky, you'll be given the option to quickly see a PA or wait said hour. When you do see her, it will feel rushed.

When I first found out I was pregnant with my second baby I knew that I wanted to attempt a home…read morebirth. I search online for the best midwifes in SF and Maria popped up. After my first in person visit with Maria and Suzannah I felt confident in my decision. My husband, who was apprehensive at first of a home birth, also felt more at ease. Throughout my pregnancy, Maria was there for me physically and emotionally every step of the way. The student midwife/photographer, Suzannah, was even able to schedule a maternity photo shoot for me! Once it came time for my labor I was met with a hands on team, compassion, and professionalism. Since I had a toddler at home, my husband had to take care of the little one for parts of the labor. Maria filled in the gaps that were needed when my husband couldn't be present. Overall, having a home birth was such a special, intimate, and pure moment. It was the best decision I could have made for myself, my baby, and my family. I did not anticipate how fulfilled and proud of myself I would feel. Thank you Maria and Suzannah for supporting me through my pregnancy and labor. You both helped create such a calm and safe environment for me to bring my baby into the world. The support I felt from other women during this journey is unmatched. I could not have gotten this type of support and compassion in a hospital setting. I will definitely be reaching out to Maria when we're ready for baby #3!

We used Maria for our two boys, one born in 2018, and one in 2021. Both experiences were great…read more Through both pregnancies, we had ample time in appointments to get to know each other. She had calm and thoughtful responses to our questions, and a refreshing openness to discuss benefits and concerns at any stage without giving any feeling of pressure. By the time my wife was in labor with our first boy, we had complete trust that Maria could encourage and guide us through labor and delivery at home. We chose a home-birth for our second son, too. Maria always stays steady, clear, and calm, exactly the type of person you'd want at such a special and transformative event. Just like all the other reviewers, we can thank Maria enough - she is a true gem!

A few weeks ago, my daughter faced a serious liver health crisis. Her liver wasn't functioning…read moreproperly, and within a short span of time, we found ourselves moving from Fremont Urgent Care to Washington Hospital Emergency, then to Oakland Children's Hospital, and finally to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Emergency Room. Given my past experiences, the first question I asked the ICU team at UCSF was whether I should prepare for yet another transfer to a different children's hospital. The ICU staff reassured me that UCSF had highly experienced doctors and nurses, and there would be no need to go elsewhere. Over the next several days, we witnessed the incredible structure, dedication, and care provided by the UCSF Children's Hospital team. We met so many individuals along the way that it's difficult to remember everyone's name--I've done my best to mention them accurately, though I may not have captured them all correctly. In the PICU, nurses like Svet S., Marquitta T., Rachel B., Nia C., Katie W., Elaina M., and others worked tirelessly day and night to monitor my daughter's condition, making timely adjustments to her treatment as needed. They patiently addressed our questions and concerns and were always ready to support both my daughter and our family in every way possible. Frequent blood tests and neurological exams were part of their routine to ensure constant and precise monitoring. Dr. Sayyed Farshid and Dr. Abigail Burr, the attending PICU physicians, were deeply involved in her care. Dr. Farshid, in particular, stood out for his accessibility and detailed explanations. His dedication to his patients and profession was evident in every interaction we had with him. We were also under the care of pediatric liver specialists Dr. Kate Cheng (MD, Gastroenterologist and liver specialist) and her Indian colleague (whose name I unfortunately cannot recall). Both of them closely monitored my daughter's condition through the night, ensuring every development was responded to immediately. Conversations with Kate's colleague helped us remain mentally strong and focused on doing everything within our control. Kate was the one who courageously guided us through the difficult conversations about the potential need for a liver transplant and helped us emotionally prepare for that possibility. We also met with transplant surgeons Dr. Charles "Chuck" Rickert and Dr. Alexander Gupta to understand the details and implications of a possible transplant. Their openness, clarity, and willingness to address all our concerns gave us a great deal of confidence and peace of mind, even in such uncertain circumstances. Every morning, we witnessed a remarkable routine: right outside the ICU room, the entire care team--doctors, nurses, and specialists--would gather to review the previous night's observations and test results. They would meticulously go over every detail and chart out the next steps. These morning rounds gave us a unique opportunity to stay informed about my daughter's condition and ask any questions we had. We are incredibly grateful to every single member of the UCSF Children's Hospital team. Your dedication, compassion, and professionalism made an overwhelming situation feel manageable. We always felt heard, supported, and cared for every step of the way. Thank you for going above and beyond in your care--not just for our daughter, but for us as a family.

Very nice facility. All the staff were so helpful and kind. It's nice to have the grassy hill out…read morefront for the kids to run off their energy. Also the food at the cafeteria is pretty good.