It's hard to put into words the gratitude my partner and I feel for the Sisters Doula team -- Allison, Renata, and Andrea are truly incredible. Before meeting them, we thought of birth as something to get through. They helped us shift our thinking and see it as something to be experienced. The birth of our son became a deeply intimate, connected, and transformative experience. Even weeks later, we still find ourselves in awe, and we're certain it wouldn't have been the same without the Sisters team. They prepared us for labor in a way that felt both meaningful and empowering. We feel so grateful that we began our journey into parenthood in such a beautiful way with their support. From our initial at-home meeting with Allison, we immediately felt at ease. Her calm presence and deep wisdom around birth were grounding from the start. Renata's classes were interactive and experiential, helping us feel informed, capable, and prepared. When labor began, the Sisters team was an invaluable support. Andrea checked in consistently by text during the early phase, and when we were ready, Renata joined us on the phone--calming us and helping us with decision-making. Allison then met us at home and helped guide us in timing our transition to the hospital. Throughout labor, she was a steady, reassuring presence--gently guiding me through different positions, offering encouragement, and helping me stay grounded. The postpartum visits with Allison have been meaningful in ways we hadn't anticipated. Having the space to revisit and process the birth experience with her felt emotional and meaningful. She has been incredibly helpful in normalizing the challenges of early parenthood while also sharing in and celebrating the joys. read more

I found sister doulas when looking for a doula who worked with Kaiser (my insurance). We did an initial meet and greet type call where they introduced themselves, their services and answered our questions. They ended the meeting saying they recommend we meet with several doulas before making a decision. As soon as the call ended my husband and I looked at a each and knew our search was over; we signed paperwork that week. Between the prenatal home visits to the group educational classes we felt like we had the support we needed going into labor. The wealth of knowledge and experience between them was incredible. When contractions got serious and we reached out it was sister doulas calm voices on the phone that helped us slow down and make decisions. Their existing relationship with the hospital staff was reassuring. They ensured I/we felt supported, cared and advocated for the entire 22 hour labor. The post partum visits were helpful in a way that I hadn't expected. After the initial new baby excitement when family leaves and lack of sleep kicks in it was so wonderful to have sister doulas reach out and come to our home to check in on us. Without hesitation I would recommend Sister Doulas to any expecting family. read more

I can't believe it's taken me this long to write a review! This team is absolutely phenomenal. We mainly worked with Renata and Andrea during our experience, but every interaction with Allison was also lovely. Renata is the most warm and supportive person. We instantly felt comfortable with her and we're so happy to go through delivery together. Thank god for her post delivery check in, she helped me so much with breastfeeding while I was an absolute wreck. Andrea was also fantastic during delivery. She was supportive, knowledgeable, and such a calming presence. Their classes were not only packed with information, but it was engaging and fun to learn. I HIGHLY recommend this trio and wish I was still in the bay area to work with them again. read more

The dream team.... Allison, Renata, and Andrea are all amazing doulas with individual strengths that they have honed to perfection in this doula practice. Allison immediately felt like family and a life-long friend. We are thankful she attending our multi-day birth. I cannot imagine labor without her calming presence and guidance. My husband and I started calling Renata our "doula mom" because she is so nurturing. Her classes taught us so much and helped us figure out our birthing goals. Andrea is exactly who you want to talk to when you think you're going into labor. As a nurse, I felt like I hit the jackpot having a doula who is also a L&D nurse. This group is amazing, especially for first time parents since they provide classes. Highly highly highly recommend. read more

We are so grateful for our experience working with Sister Doulas. While Renata was the doula at our birth, working with each of the doulas added so much to our prenatal and postpartum experience as well. We felt cared for at every step of the journey. The classes offered added so much value that we didn't know we needed. I am a very structured person, and the classes were not very structured, but just showing up, being present, and trusting the process, we learned so much and got so much value out of those experiences. Allison kept us on track and organized and communicated well. Andrea provided really wonderful in person support shortly before the birth. And Renata was the most amazing person in our birth story. We navigated a late stage diagnosis that changed our original birth plan. Renata guided us first from afar via text and phone calls, and then showed up at just the right time. She was so incredibly supportive, powerful, and experienced. We are convinced without her our birth could have been a traumatic nightmarish experience, but she advocated for us and what we needed in a way that was supportive, safe, and respectful. Then the post-birth visits in our home were so caring and catered to exactly what we needed. I cannot say enough about the impact working with Sister Doulas had on our experience becoming parents for the first time. You need to find a doula you trust and who understands you so always take your feelings into account, but I will recommend to anyone to consider Sister Doulas because they were such a supportive and wonderful fit for our family. read more

We couldn't have asked for a better support team. Renata, Andrea and Allison were absolutely wonderful in supporting us for the birth of our daughter. They were always available and gave us invaluable guidance. Our daughter came very fast but Renata made it to our birth just in time and it was amazing how her arrival helped me get through my delivery. I recommend them to everyone! read more

I had a wonderful experience with Renata, Andrea, and Allison during pre-birth classes, labor and birth. These ladies are pros at what they do, and they were invaluable in supporting me and my husband as we were preparing for the birth of our first child. Renata's prenatal classes were informative, thorough and absolutely hilarious thanks to her sense of humor. We left these classes feeling ready and encouraged to get into the birthing experience. Our birth doula was Allison, and she did everything to make us feel at ease and motivated. It was a quick 6-hour labor, and Allison helped manage contractions progress, positioning and pushing. Meanwhile, Andrea was always responsive and answered our questions over text promptly and in detail. Thank you Sister Doulas for making the birth of our first child such a positive experience! read more

As first-time parents, we were so grateful for the thorough and supportive care provided by The Sister Doulas. They created an environment that helped us feel truly prepared for the birth of our daughter. Their combination of one-on-one consultations and group sessions was incredibly valuable. The individual meetings (both virtual and in-person) ensured our personal preferences were heard and accommodated, and gave us space to ask specific questions. The group sessions were great for learning the essentials of childbirth, newborn care, and what to expect during the postpartum period, while connecting with other soon-to-be parents so we never felt alone in the process. We also appreciated having access to all three doulas and knowing they serve as one another's backups in case one is unable to attend a birth. That structure gave us extra peace of mind throughout the experience. read more

We had an amazing experience with the Sister Doulas! All three of the doulas are exceptional and we felt very cared for throughout. I truly can't imagine what my birth experience would have been like without Renata there. She was immensely helpful to me, and also to my husband, during labor. Her pre-natal classes were great, and we appreciated the postpartum visits too. read more

Working with Renata and that Sister Doulas was the best decision I made for myself and my partner during my pregnancy and postpartum journey. From our initial consultation and through every touch point, I knew we were in good hands. They are thoughtful, and considerate to the birth experience you want, and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. The pre-labour classes were great to make us think about not just the birth, but the postpartum period too. Leading up to a possible induction date (that I wanted to avoid) they were on hand to offer suggestions and support. I don't know how we would have made it through labor without Renata - she was the biggest advocate for my wants and needs, she knew many of the staff at Alta Bates, and was a support to my partner just as much as she was there for me. Postpartum, we had a few visits from Renata and she was available via text for any questions we had. These visits were so helpful for my mental health - having the opportunity to debrief about my labor was critical, and the focus on how recovery and the fourth trimester was going wasn't something I didn't even think I would need, but turned out to be more beneficial than my postpartum visits with my OBGYN. I can't thank Renata, Andrea, and Allison enough for their positive impact on this experience. read more

No matter how perfectly matched, there's always the risk the doula you choose will need to miss your birth and you'll be left to labor with a stranger. This is what initially appealed to my partner and me about the Sister Doulas' model: We would have not one but three experienced, compassionate, indefatigable guides to help us through one of the most challenging days of our lives. From the introductory Zoom meeting with Allison, Andrea and Renata, we knew we were in capable hands and that we would be happy to have any of the three present for labor. We appreciated how both Andrea and Renata also had medical training, but all three Sisters are thoughtful, straightforward, evidence-based communicators, traits illustrated in how they structured their partnership -- with Allison handling logistics, Andrea responding on demand to medical and quasi-medical texts and phone calls and Renata teaching a series of three extremely informative, reassuring group classes on childbirth and the postpartum period. This might sound a bit hectic, but in effect it was seamless, and all three made an effort to forge a personal, in-person connection with us well before the due date. When my partner's labor started, Andrea was in constant communication about her symptoms, suggesting stretches and checking in throughout the night. When we were ready for in-person support, Allison appeared promptly at our home and settled into a chair, calm and still, leading my partner in breathing exercises and stretches and bringing an immediate atmosphere of relaxation and safety. Allison coached us through the decision of when to head to Alta Bates and accompanied us once my partner was ready to go. At the hospital, she was an essential intermediary between the medical staff, explaining the repercussions of the choices we faced. We arrived at the hospital Saturday evening, and knew well in advance that Allison had Sunday afternoon blocked off to attend her son's birthday party, but we never felt any pressure about the slow speed of my partner's labor. Allison stayed with us through the night and headed to the party straight from the hospital. It was our luck that Andrea was working the night shift at Alta Bates Saturday and she was able to work as the nurse in our room. We had both Allison and Andrea helping us through some difficult middle-of-the-night medical decisions. My partner ended up laboring for 38 hours (much longer than average, though there was no additional fee from the Sisters), and Renata arrived just as Allison left. Renata swept into the delivery room in the middle of a contraction and in the 45-second span of pain, she had taken command of my partner's breathing, quizzed the nurses on her progress, coached me on two complicated pain-relieving handholds at chest and knee, and worked several other bits of pressure-point magic elsewhere on my partner's body. Then she began preparing a hot bath to ease the pain. During the contractions, Renata was masterful in a simple way. "I can't do this," my partner would say. "You are doing it," Renata would reply, hitting upon some novel method of distraction -- a repositioning or a squeeze-hold or a stream of pacifying chatter. My partner ended up having an epidural-free birth, as she'd hoped she might -- something she never would have achieved without the help of the three Sisters. When my partner started pushing, the nurses and midwives were looking to Renata for guidance, and Renata did everything but lead the baby out by his hand. After birth, Renata gave a brief, helpful breastfeeding lesson and then insisted on going to Whole Foods and bringing us back a fortifying tray of chicken and macaroni from the hot bar and a sandwich for later. Both Allison and Renata followed up with us afterwards at our home and helped debrief the labor, drawing on their vast experiences. We feel extremely fortunate to have passed the rubicon of birth with the aid of the Sister Doulas. That all three were physically present for our child's birth is perhaps atypical, but it's a testament to the benefits of their approach and their ease in working together. We couldn't have asked for better guardians. We truly feel like we had three doulas for the price of one. read more

Sister Doulas - Allison leads my partner through some lunge-like walking exercises in the Alta Bates corridor. - Doulas Near Me

I can't recommend the Doula Sisters enough! We were on the fence about whether or not we wanted a doula and after meeting them we were sold! They are so personable and knowledgeable. They immediately put us at ease. From our initial meeting on it was clear they wanted to empower us to have the birthing experience we wanted and helped us understand our options. The various classes were so informative and useful and they are always willing to answer questions. I can't imagine going through labor and delivery without their assistance. The best coach and extra set of hands we ever could have asked for during this challenging time. They supported our whole family and served as a objective and informed friend who only had our family's best interest in mind. After our experience with them we can't imagine going through pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum without them. read more

I had a wonderful experience working with them and I thoroughly recommend anyone to reach out to them if they are looking for birth support (or even just thinking about it!). My first baby ended having to be induced more than five weeks early due to life-threatening pregnancy complications, which meant that I didn't get to have the birth experience that I wanted and that I was inherently terrified of the same complications emerging in subsequent pregnancies. So, when I got pregnant with my second, I assumed that the same complications would emerge and I'd have an early induced birth again. But, by the time I hit 35 weeks (farther than I'd gotten into my first pregnancy!), the complications hadn't emerged and I started to hope that maybe my second birth would get to be more on my own terms. So I contacted the Doula Sisters, and even though I was so close to my due date, they were still willing to take me on as a client, for which I am very grateful! Even though I'd given birth before, the birth classes exposed me to completely new way to thinking about having babies. I was the client of the hospital and it was my choice how to go through this process. The doulas taught me some amazing language for communication with the hospital staff and I learned about all the possible interventions and how to request that they were only given to me if medically necessary. Also in the process of the birth classes, I had the opportunity to discuss my first birth in such that a way that absolved me of any guilt for the birth not happening in the way I wanted. So the classes filled me with confidence that I could give birth on my own terms with my second as well as healed some past trauma I'd had from my first experience. It might sound funny, but it was my dream to labor at home for as long as possible, then drive to the hospital in a rush in the middle of the night and give birth immediately upon arrival (it sounded very exciting!). I eventually went into labor naturally at 38w3d at about 5 PM. Because going into labor naturally wasn't something I'd experienced before, I didn't even realize it was happening, and by the time we called anyone the advice was "go to the hospital!" I arrived at the hospital at 10:30 PM with the doula arriving shortly after, and the baby was born that night less than an hour later. I'd gotten my wish of having a dramatic last minute hospital arrival birth! But more importantly, I'd gotten my wish of giving birth on my own terms. I was able to avoid any medications because I'd been instilled with so much confidence and because one of the sisters was there with me during the last hour telling me constantly that I could do it. I carry this confidence with me to this day and when is something is hard, I remind myself "you overcame all your fear and gave birth without any medication. You can do anything!" I thoroughly recommend to all women that they contact the doula sisters! They are a fantastic group of women that have tons of experience in supporting people through all different types of birth and who can instill you with the confidence you want in those last weeks. If I have a third (seems unlikely at this point!) I will certainly hire them again. read more

It was a joy working with the doula sisters for the birth journey of our baby boy. The experience is so much more than someone being there for the birth only. They provide an immense amount of education helping you set (reasonable) expectations, come up with a birth plan, and manage emotions throughout. Personally, I had a lot of anxiety from past lost pregnancies. They helped me feel supported throughout the process and even afterwards, they visit with you at home to guide and support in your transition home. These lovely ladies have such robust experience between them and I'm very glad to have worked with them. read more

I cannot recommend the doula sisters enough. Every step of the way they were deeply knowledgeable, incredibly kind, and professional -- exactly the type of people you want on your team for these important (and sometimes difficult) moments like the birth of your child. First -- the group birth classes were amazing. Very engaging, informative, and sometimes even comical. Second, we felt comfortable with all three doulas and knew we would be in good hands no matter who attended the birth of our child. Though my pregnancy was uneventful and I wasn't sure I would even "need" a doula, things took a turn for the more complicated and we ended up needing a lot of support and advocacy. We had interviewed many doulas and were actually about to just go without a doula when we got to meet with these awesome gals and knew immediately that they were going to be just perfect. I can confidently say that I had a better experience and my baby had a better outcome because of these women. Finally, the postpartum visits were so sweet and provided some support and closure I didn't even know I needed. 10/10 these are the best of the best. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone (as long as they still have space for me next time I'm pregnant). Whatever your birth plan, goals, or personality, Allison, Andrea, and Renata have got you covered. read more