After feeling dismissed and intimidated into making decisions against my better judgment during my…read morefirst birth, I knew I wanted a different experience the second time and specifically sought out advocacy--hiring Britt as my doula was one of the best decisions I made. From the beginning, she was incredibly relatable and easy to talk to, taking the time to truly understand my preferences, concerns, and goals. Her background as a former high-risk RN, combined with her doula training, gave me so much confidence. She explained things clearly, helped me make informed decisions, and always made sure I felt heard and respected. No matter what questions or worries I had, she met them with patience and reassurance. Even though my birth didn't go as planned and ended in an unplanned C-section, Britt's support never wavered. She was a steady, calming presence throughout and helped me feel empowered and cared for every step of the way. I'm so grateful for her support and would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking for a compassionate, knowledgeable, and truly supportive doula. During such a vulnerable time where appointments can feel impersonal and too "routine", it was such a blessing to feel/know that someone really genuinely cared about me, my pregnancy and by baby!

Hiring Britany was one of the best decisions hubby and I could have made for birth. We met her…read moretoward the end of my pregnancy and she was still willing to work with us. From the get go, she was super sweet, informative and educated us on the stages of birth. She showed us pain relief methods and stretches that would give baby space and optimize his position. She always checked up on me, answered my questions, sent evidence based articles, and even went to a check up appointment with me. When the day came she met us at the hospital. She was a rock during my birth, the soft voice that brought calmness when things got intense. She also helped me ask questions to get informed consent from doctors, in order to make the best decisions for myself and baby. I'm so so grateful for her! If you're thinking of hiring a doula, don't hesitate to hire Britany, she will help you rock your birth!!

Everyone wants what is best for their baby and nursing is something that most parents desire for…read morehealth and emotional bonding reasons. Sadly, it doesn't always come naturally and learning how to do it can cause a lot of feelings of inadequacy and frustration for a first time mom. After being removed to the hospital from our birthing center and a 37 hour labor, I was exhausted and shaken up to say the least. My experience with the lactation consultant at Hoag did not make this any better, as she told me my baby didn't latch and that I would likely need to use formula. This both scared me and broke my heart. So, my husband started seeking out a lactation consultant on Google and fate led us to Reka - thank God!!!!! Reka was at our home the same day. When we welcomed her in, I felt completely comfortable with her. She was so professional and warm and seemed to be confident that we would be able to get on track with nursing. She was right! Unfortunately, my milk didn't come in fast enough to keep my baby satisfied right away and we had some rough days and nights for the first three days. Reka was by our side every singe step of the way making sure that my baby was fine and that we were doing everything we could to ensure that my milk would come in shortly. Reka went above and beyond for us. When my pump seemed to be spilling milk from the bottom of the flange, Reka sought out new flanges and even borrowed a pump from her friends collection to see if that would help. She got us a bag of lactation tea from an herbalist friend of hers and dropped these things off to our home! She was available by text and was always super responsive when we ran into nursing issues. On day 4, my milk came in. Because Reka had already showed me and my baby how to master positioning and latch, my baby nursed like a pro right away! It honestly felt like we had never had a problem with nursing at all. If you are having any nursing issues at all, Reka is the answer!!! I highly recommend her. She is a true professional who has so much wisdom, love and compassion. Thank you Reka!! I am so grateful that we can have a healthy, breast fed baby!!!

Pretty annoyed that I requested an appt through their website twice. The first one cancelled the…read moreday before & the second request I put in, no one showed up, called to confirm/deny. Waste of time scheduling through their website & awful communication. Don't recommend especially if you are in quick need of help!

I can't recommend Veronica enough! She is incredible! For my second pregnancy, at 35 weeks, my…read moredoctor cleared me to have a VBAC because I was doing so well and not high risk this time around. My husband and I realized we needed some help navigating birth and so we began looking for a doula late in my pregnancy. We are BEYOND grateful to have found Veronica. I had been interviewing doulas and she is the first one who helped me feel confident, cared for, and I was surprised to find myself ENERGIZED about going into birth. During the last few weeks of my pregnancy she was so supportive and helped ease both my physical and emotional concerns. I was so impressed by how knowledgeable she was about each stage of labor and I really found that she knew how to support me during labor. She helped to supported me through a completely unmedicated labor and delivery in a hospital setting. I found that she was thoughtful and accepting of my husband and my preferences each step of the way. It helped me feel confident about what I wanted through my labor. During labor she helped coach my husband on how to support me physically and emotionally. She provided hand on physical support through contractions, and helped me utilize my own comfort techniques coaching me through my breathing, and positions to increase comfort during labor. I had some challenges arise during and after labor and birth with drs recommending certain interventions. She helped me stay confident and steady in my mindset and make it through. If you're looking for a doula, I really wouldn't look any farther! You'd be blessed to have Veronica as part of your team.

Goodness, I don't even know where to start! First time momma here! Somewhere along our pregnancy…read morejourney, we felt led to switch from OB care/hospital birth to Midwifery + doula care / home birth. My husband and I began searching and interviewing multiple doulas until Elizabeth, owner of Anointed Births contacted me to let me know she was in the process of adding Veronica into their mix and had only good things to say about her. We hopped on a FT with her and it was as if we were FTing a friend! It felt so easy, comfortable, she asked us questions, took notes, listened to our wants/concerns/plan/etc, and felt already supported from the first interview phone call. On that phone call we found out that our midwife was also hers-- it felt like everything was aligning! We knew we wanted to move forward with her and from then on she kept up constant communication with us, would answer any questions we had, addressed every concern, would give me all kinds of tips and tricks, encouraged us along the way, and then the birthing day! That girl put in WORK!!! She stayed with us for 12-13 hours and on a holiday! She never left my side, every time I looked at her during my labor and delivery, I was met with such a sweet smile, graceful encouragement, and continual guidance and support. She was helping me in every position, massaging my back, tennis ball to the back, gave a comb to squeeze, reminding and encouraging me to breathe and push the air down and out, to work with every contraction, to completely relax and rest in between surges, placing cold towels over my head and neck, making sure I was snacking and hydrating, pouring water over my back, whatever doula trick you can think of-- she did it and then some! AND she would check in with my husband and make sure he also had the energy to keep going, would asked if he drank water, if she could get him anything as he also held me every moment and stayed so strong for me. Even after birth she stayed to take care of me, help clean up our home, made me placenta ice cubes, made me my first ever super yummy placenta smoothie, did a beautiful placenta print, and just stayed by my side and held my hand stroking my leg making me feel so seen, so heard, so at home. It's like she knew I was holding back and told me it was ok to let it go. She always reminded me that what I just had to do whether it was carry and create our beautiful baby girl, labor for hours, push for hours, deliver a whole human, etc was a lottttt and that it was ok to feel the feelings and let it out. And THAT really helped. Somehow she also documented my labor and delivery, whilst still being fully present with us, and sent it to us at our postpartum appointment and I just about cried all over again viewing and watching what she captured. At every at-home visit, whether before or after the birth, she educated us with a wealth of knowledge, taught and showed us so many things, respected and supported all we felt led to do, and was just so excited for us! She not only helped physically, but she helped mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. When I would encounter not so great things during pregnancy, she would encourage and pray for us. And during the birth day, she was right there with us praying out loud in agreement with my husband, and singing along to the worship music playing. I highly doubt I could've lasted the way I did without her by my side and most likely would've had to transfer to the hospital due to exhaustion or giving up. She, Rowan Midwifery, my husband, and God were THE perfect birth team; I couldn't have asked/prayed for better. Love you girl

This review is specific to Bumps amd Bagels event. While the seminar offered useful information, it…read moreseemed to be geared primarily toward first-time moms. After the sessions, participants were grouped by due date, and every mom in my group was a first-time parent. Rather than feeling welcomed, I found myself standing outside the circle while the others talked and shared their experiences. I felt excluded and never truly included in the group discussion, so I left early. During the Q&A, I attempted to ask a question, but the speaker talked over me before I could finish, which made me feel dismissed. Overall, I left feeling that the experience was not very welcoming or inclusive for moms whose experiences differed from the majority of the group. I would recommend that second-time moms interested in New Mom School services skip the Bumps & Bagels event and book directly, keeping in mind you won't receive the $50 discount, or consider seeking group support elsewhere. Alternatively, I encourage New Mom School to consider offering a Bumps & Bagels event specifically for second-time (or experienced) moms. Having a space where parents with similar experiences can connect and share would make an introduction to the program feel much more inclusive and valuable for families beyond their first pregnancy.

Having been a newport NMS alumni for the newborn, infant and rising toddler classes, I was hesitant…read moreto sign up at the new los Al studio for the second time moms class. Since the studio is so close and this was an opportunity to extend my new mom network, I pre-registered for the second time mom class while I was pregnant. I was assigned to a class with Julie as the instructor whom I just adored from the moment I met her. She was such a warm smiling presence to come to for 8 consecutive weeks. The topics spanned different things like pelvic floor, infant PT, 2 different mental health therapists, a parent coach to help with the transition from 1 to 2. We had a small group of 7 moms and were able to meet up a couple times during our class series. I enjoyed my experience at the los Al location and the parking was certainly much less stressful than in newport. Iykyk.

You give birth once and unfortunately I had a very bad experience with Lorraine. I would not…read morerecommend it to anyone. She definitely a good marketing person of herself and she did not keep that up during the birth for me. Please think twice before you hire her. I did hire her because she has experience but sometimes it's about the excitement. She is done. She is doing it just for money and she is not even doing it right.

I always thought I would try a natural birth but I really started to do alot of research once I…read morefound out I was pregnant. So many times my friends were going to go "natural" but in the end they would give into the almighty needle. So I did a ton of research and I came to the conclusion that I was going to educate myself as much as I could and that I would hire a doula. My husband was very skeptical... His entire family laughed when I said I was going to try a natural birth. Their exact words "Why would you ever choose that?!!" So I dragged my reluctant husband to our 6 week Hypnobabies course. By the 3rd week he was fully on the natural train! He told me "I really think you can do this!" The class was great and I really loved how we bonded with the other couples!! Lorraine was our doula also and it was a great experience. From our interview to when our sweet baby girl came Lorraine was at our disposal. She kept me calm and focused during my birthing time/labor and at the end I faced some complications... Lorraine gave me the lowdown on what was going on and let me know that it was crunch time! Looking back it really was the perfect pep talk... I pushed the baby out in 3 contractions!! And believe it or not I was up and walking around 30 mins later! My husband looked more jacked up than I did, lol. I had such a positive experience with Lorraine on top of a great birthing experience. I would do everything all over again in a heartbeat!

Taba was an amazing doula and care provider for me and my husband during the pregnancy and birth of…read moreour second son. She was so generous with her time and knowledge, answering the phone at basically all hours and providing grounded, thoughtful advice throughout the process. She came over to our house several times and checked in often during my third trimester to make sure I was doing well, which I really appreciated. During the actual delivery she was an angel - she advocated for me with the nurses etc (but never in a demanding way), she absolutely changed my whole birth experience with her expert physical help and emotional support, and she even made the hospital room smell so good that multiple people commented on it :) Taba helped two of my friends give birth and they recommended her to me. I would recommend Taba as a doula to anyone else without hesitation.

Taba's help and support were vital after having a difficult birth experience. I felt supported and…read moreadvocated for throughout the process, and having Taba with us gave us a dramatically different experience the second time around. She even helped our baby latch, which gave us much more privacy and autonomy during our hospital stay.

Tiffany is amazing! She helped me and my baby with our feeding/nursing journey when I felt like no…read moreone was providing any answers and I was so stressed out as a first time mom. As an OT, I sought out Tiffany after learning that she is a lactation consultant and a speech therapist because I wasn't sure if my son was having issues latching and if his mild tongue tie was limiting him from using a bottle when I was preparing to go back to work. She went above and beyond in answering all my questions and concerns, and even took time outside of working hours in sharing her thoughts and suggestions. It was the first time that I felt seen regarding my son's feeling problems and drop in weight. There truly isn't anyone else that can provide a comprehensive service during the first year of a child's feeding/nursing life like Tiffany can. And even though I had to pay out of pocket since my insurance didn't cover her services (which was worth every penny btw), she was able to walk me through the steps to help us transition my son's feeding service to miller's outpatient so I would be in network. I honestly can not rave enough about Tiffany because she truly is great at what she does.

Tiffany was a LIFE SAVER!!! She is hands down the best lactation consultant that helped me…read more Previously, I took advice from another LC that resulted in severe pain for 3 weeks. I went to my Obgyn twice to address my pain and they couldn't figure it out. I was so desperate to relieve my pain, my milk supply dropped drastically and I was about to give up on nursing/pumping. I was referred to Tiffany by a friend and she immediately identified the issue. She gave me a detailed specified plan and my symptoms were gone in 3 days. She is seriously the most wonderful, knowledgeable, helpful, responsive, and positive LC. I am so thankful for her help. She saved me. I cannot recommend her enough. Other LCs out there have outdated knowledge or don't care as much as Tiffany. She is truly the BEST in her field.

Looma Birth connected us with an amazing night doula. We finally got to sleep during the newborn…read moremonths! Elizabeth took the time to hear our needs and helped make the process of finding the right doula for our family so much easier. Highly recommend Looma Birth!

We took a Looma Birth class a few weeks ago to learn and gained knowledge about our soon to be…read morebirth of our first child. The information that was taught and given to both my boyfriend and I was very informative. Elizabeth taught both of us so much that we had no idea about and I am feeling a lot more comfortable and confident about giving birth and the decisions that we will have to make under pressure and quickly! I highly suggest any of their classes for educational purposes and putting your mind at ease.