This was a wonderful experience for me and I have to give these caring midwives praise. Lael and Shannon are a wonderful team. The hospital was always busy and giving birth during COVID 19 sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. We opted for the home birth and my midwife through lifelong submitted the approval to have a home birth. When it was time to give birth, it felt good being in your own home, that you know is clean and sanitized. I didn't need too much assistance since this was my second birth but I'd recommend the whole package. I met Lael to discuss the plan for the homebirth. I had so much going on and I truly appreciate Lael and her consistency with me. I would call or text any questions or concerns and Lael and Shannon were very patient. Delivery Day: Lael showed up and I was able to do things my way, if I wanted to do a cartwheel I could. I started in the pool and it was as comfortable as possible, it's childbirth lol. After maybe an hour or two, I asked if I could find do a different position and Lael and Shannon said it was fine. It is honestly the best feeling to do things your way especially bringing a baby into the world. After delivery, Lael and Shannon helped me and my little one start the breastfeeding process (Fast forward she's still exclusively breastfed, woohoo!). This was tricky during my first pregnancy so I was amazed at how the baby latched on, it also was a relief for them to debunk a lot of theories on how newborns are hungry. Also, they clarified what steps to take next concerning my health. They completed post-partum check-ins and even sent me lunch which was so helpful. It was an amaZing experience for myself and my family, a lot of relatives were interested in a homebirth after that. Lael and Shannon, me and my family are grateful for your services. read more

Trinity Midwifery - May 7th, 2020 - Lactation Services Near Me

If you are reading this as a newly expecting couple, looking for the best midwives around, this letter is for you. In my review, I'd like to highlight everything I have found to be absolutely delightful about the midwives from Midwives Bay Area that my wife and I have worked with (Lael & Shannon). I want to share this with you as an aid for any families that desire to discover a diamond in the rough when it comes to everything related to Midwifery in the Bay Area. 4 children later, all delivered by these masterful women, and we have nothing but the best to share from our personal experiences! Dear Aspiring Family, When my wife and I were first looking for a midwife, we had various concerns about trust, expertise and care. After an extensive search through various different people and organizations, we were blessed to finally meet Lael. In this first meeting, we could tell that she was not only someone that could be trusted, she was full of experience, and she gave my wife a sense of care that we hadn't witnessed anywhere else. After leaving that meeting, we knew our search had come to an end, and we were so excited to embark on this journey with an such an amazing advocate. **Let me remind you that neither my wife nor myself had any prior exposure to home births at this point, and were completely new to the scene.** TRUST: I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I trust Lael and Shannon with my entire family, because without them, we wouldn't have the same confidence in parenting that we currently have. See, the thing about home births is that they empower the entire family unit to be connected and helpful to one another - starting with husband and wife. Collaboration has always been encouraged, and I am forever grateful for Lael and Shannon's ability to listen to the husband as well as the wife as a team unit. EXPERTISE: We have had 4 home births with Midwives Bay Area, and each birth comes with a beautiful story that I will share for the rest of my life. Their professionalism has extended beyond anything a hospital has ever been willing to offer us, and even more than this we have life-long advocates for our family that continue to impact us to this day! Both Lael & Shannon have countless home birth stories they could share like ours (in addition to their very own family stories), however what is most amazing to me is that I continue to discover areas they specilalize in. These are some of the most authentic and hard-working midwives I have ever met, and we feel so priviledged to call them when we discover we are expecting another little one :) CARE: Whether it be text messages with slight concerns, or phone calls late into the night, we feel as though Lael and Shannon are family due to the depth of care they continually provide. It's truly hard to put into words how much this means to my family, it's really the "X Factor" in searching for a midwife. Finding someone you can trust is huge, knowing that your midwives are beyond capable to give you premium support thanks to their vast expertise is priceless, but meeting someone who cares for your family as a mother cares for her children is as I said inexplicably critical. Seeing the level of care that we have experienced the past 5 years and counting ties together all the trust and expertise, to make a perfect masterpiece of a midwifery team. If it means anything to you, who are reading this as a complete stranger, we love our midwives, and have no doubt that you will too. God Bless you and your beautiful family! ...& a very big THANK YOU from the bottom of my family's heart to Lael, Shannon and the whole Midwives Bay Area team for the opportunity we have had to witness something so undeniably special from you all. read more

I had my 3rd baby at home with Lael. I was 39 but had always had healthy pregnancies. Lael was affordable (especially compared to hospital prices) and very knowledgeable in the whole process. She was professional but makes you feel so comfortable. She came to my house for every visit during pregnancy and she just hung out while I labored. She had lots of great suggestions to help and homeopathy knowledge. I would recommend Lael in a heartbeat! The birth was fast and I never saw a mess she had it all cleaned up so fast. read more

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I highly recommend Lael and Shannon. I am so blessed to have found this midwifery practice. Prior to working with Lael and Shannon I have had 4 natural hospital deliveries. My hospital births were good and healthy but with each birth I got more and more anxious about pregnancy and birth. It is so hard, so painful, so intense. After hearing from friends about how amazing home birth care is, my husband and I prayed about it and decided to search for a home birth midwife. I found Lael on yelp and decided to give her a call. She was so kind, caring and knowledgeable it was a no brained for us. From the very beginning they were honest, respectful, full of wisdom and equipped me and my husband to make informed decisions regarding my health and prenatal care. They always exhibited a genuine care for me and my family. They welcomed me and all my children to every visit. They actually like children... it's very refreshing. During my prenatal care they connected me with other caring mothers from all over the Bay Area, which was so special to talk with others who are on a similar journey and get to hear their stories. My husband and I felt so supported and fortified in our home birth journey. The anxiety that surrounded birth during my other pregnancies was absolutely stilled. Lael and Shannon helped us see the miracle of pregnancy and birth for the gift that it is. They encouraged me to not fear birth but to take ownership of it and enjoy it. Lael and Shannon took so much time with me during each appointment and they were very quick to help me with pregnancy questions and concerns along the way. They have been very responsive to my texts. When D-day came, my labor was so relaxed and easy. Just enjoying being in my own home with my children. I had a difficult time even acknowledging I was in labor because of how calm and different the experience was from my hospital births. Unfortunately, because Labor was virtually painless I didn't call Lael in time for delivery, so my husband delivered our baby 10 minutes before she got to our home. My husband felt ready and equipped because of Lael and Shannon. Next time I'll call sooner These two are delightful and God has gifted them greatly! read more

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We just had our second baby delivered by Lael this past December. She delivered my daughter 8 yeas ago, and when I became pregnant again I literally couldn't imagine anyone but Lael being there for me/us. During delivery, when stuff gets real, Lael is fantastic. This baby came unexpectedly quickly (e.g. we wouldn't have made it to the hospital even if we'd planned on going!) and while waiting for Lael to arrive I was in a decent amount of pain (labor!). As soon as she came, her presence and amazing energy relaxed me and the baby came about 15 minutes later. As it had been 8 years, I had forgotten how truly wonderful Lael is during the delivery process. She is incredibly supportive, very knowledgable, positive, and reminds you that everything is just as it should be! Outside of labor, the pre and post natal process of a home birth is really superb. The home visits, ability to contact the midwives so much more easily than doctors (at least for me), answering all the baby questions. Very helpful and valuable. Shannon has been a wonderful resource for nursing help as well! If we have another I will 100% be asking Lael and Shannon to attend. Good luck mamas! read more

If you are considering a home birth, I highly recommend Lael as your midwife. I was blessed enough to have used her for my first and only delivery in early 2016. My home birth experience was fantastic and the delivery of my 9 pound 10 ounces baby was the best delivery I could imagine! Lael is warm, educated, experienced and has a gift of calming first time mommies to be. She is full of resources (check out her website plus just ask her any questions you might have). If you do have questions I would suggest making a list and asking her during her in-home visits with you. My husband and I had a ton of questions before the birth and even more questions after the birth (I didn't know how to breastfeed. She helped with that. I had mastitis, she helped with that. Both baby and I got thrush, she helped with that. Trust me the list of questions went on and on!) Also through Lael I found a great Bradley Method class/doula. Both Lael and the doula helped me feel comfortable throughout the pregnancy (even with gestational diabetes!). I still went to the regular hospital for my routine pregnancy checkups however I knew I wanted to do the actual delivery at home. Every time I had testing done at the hospital I would give a print out of the results to Lael for her review. When I got closer to my due date Lael came to my house more often and regularly checked my baby's position. I eventually went one week and one day past my due date and sure enough Lael had a recommendation on what to do. She mentioned her tip would probably have my baby coming within 2 days. Sure enough she was right (like usual)! I hope this review is useful. Take care and good luck Mommas and Mommas-to-be! You got this! :) read more

Trinity Midwifery - Lactation Services Near Me

Lael is a fabulous midwife. She has a fantastic website full of useful information and online resources, and while I had a very textbook pregnancy and delivery, Lael's descriptions of what to expect were very accurate. We felt very cared for both during our pregnancy, labor, and now six weeks post partem. Additionally, she was very accommodating with our schedules! She lives about an hour from us, on the other side of the bay, my husband and I are both commuters (read: frequently out of the house from 6am until 6pm,) and she would drive out to see us at 7pm. I am giving Trinity Midwifery 5 stars because 4.75 isn't an option, but I do have one small criticism. Lael is a bit disorganized when it comes to paperwork, and that can be quite frustrating, but if you ask her (sometimes more than once,) she will get you what you need. Besides which, in the realm of pushing a tiny human out of my body, knowledge and experience matter way more than an occasionally misplaced bit of paperwork. This is our first child, and I won't go into our reasoning behind choosing a home birth here, but if you are curious or considering working with a midwife, please feel free to contact me, I'd be happy to talk to you about our decision and the factors that to it. read more

Trinity Midwifery - Lael examining our newborn child. (Photo credit to Jamie Diger of Pixels and Paper.) - Lactation Services Near Me

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We loved working with Lael and Shannon. They were both calm and steady throughout the birth and very encouraging in the hardest moments. We felt safe and in good hands throughout and challenging as it was the atmosphere was always relaxed, positive and natural. I can't recommend home birth more highly and Lael and Shannon are wonderful guides through the journey of pregnancy and birth. read more

We knew we wanted to have our child at home, so we got a midwife very early on in my wife's pregnancy. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, our initial midwife didn't work out and we ended up setting up a meeting with Lael from Trinity Midwifery. During our initial interview, it quickly became clear that she was a great fit for us. We were so thankful that our previous midwife hadn't worked out because it meant we got to experience birth with Lael. We finally had someone we felt comfortable and safe with, we trusted, and just really got along well with. She did all of our prenatal visits in our home, was always available for any questions, and was extremely easygoing and likable. The actual birth went great. There were no complications. Lael guided us along and helped us feel comfortable. She had an apprentice and an assist midwife for when our daughter arrived, who were both great as well. I could give the whole story, but the review would be too long for anyone to read. Long story short: Lael was amazing and if/when we decide to have another child, she will be one of the first people we call because we'd love the opportunity to work with her again. read more

I consider myself so very lucky to have had Lael as our midwife for two home births. I felt completely safe and taken care of during both my home births with Lael- she is calm, centered, and an incredible resource for any parents getting ready to welcome a baby. Her prenatal and post-natal care is loving provided and, during my labors, her relaxed demeanor and confidence in the birthing process helped me focus on the task at hand while also helping my partner stay calm. Both of the births were not without their own little hiccups but Lael attended closely to my birth process and the baby's health. We are so grateful for her guidance and would highly recommend her to anyone seeking a home birth. read more

Trinity Midwifery - Lael always lovingly included my older kids in the process during prenatal visits. - Lactation Services Near Me

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I had a perfect experience with Lael. She is a wonderful midwife and provided excellent prenatal and postnatal care. Her assistant, Grace, was also very delightful and helpful. They are a great team and work well together. I loved working with them both and felt Grace didn't miss a beat when she would step in for Lael. I had a perfect labor at home and I give all the credit to my birth team and my husband. Lael and Grace monitored me and my baby every step of the way. They were very communicative and reassuring throughout the 18 hours at home. I felt safe and perfectly cared for. At the hospital, Lael was a powerful and professional advocate for the treatment that I wanted. I couldn't have asked for a better care provider. Every appointment was detailed and thoughtful. Unlike going to the OB office for my appointment, Lael took her time with me and truly provided the "care" that a pregnant woman deserves. read more

I truly believe that I had the best pregnancy and fastest labor because of the care and wisdom shared by Shannon and Lael. I chose this dynamic duo because of their personal experience with home birthing their own children, combined with the hundreds of births they've attended. Even though this was my fourth pregnancy and third home birth, I was able to learn some new tricks thanks to their advice! Our prenatal appointments were more like empowerment sessions that left me feeling confident about my body's ability to carry and naturally birth my baby. My labor was intense but with my newfound confidence I birthed a beautiful healthy baby girl. I felt safe and comfortable in their care the entire time and that is a feeling money can't buy in the midst of a pandemic. If you want to have peace of mind when you're in labor then I highly recommend adding Shannon and Lael to your birth team. read more

My experience with Lael was awesome. I had a smooth 7 hour labor and popped out my little girl after Lael helped her move past a lip that wasn't progressing so well. PRO's: she was very responsive, and worked well with us regarding our payment. We all know how tough insurance can be and she understood. Her assistant, Grace, was so sweet. In those last weeks they were both my rock as we all know how tough those last weeks can be. CONS: after I had my girl, contact with her became increasingly difficult. Now, she DID go to Germany so grace did my newborn checks but even when she came back I had a couple questions regarding how much we still owed and what was going on with insurance and I never got a response. Also, when they passed the new vaccination law I wanted to discuss it with her so I Sent her a text but she never responded. Granted shes up at odd hours delivering babies and such I just wish I had more contact with her. I wouldn't subtract any stars for this because of how great the delivery was. We love you Lael! read more

Trinity Midwifery - Our happy, born at home, baby - Lactation Services Near Me

This review is long overdue. Lael and her former partner, Judy Luce, helped me deliver my daughter in 2013. During the pregnancy, I grew very close to her. She was loving, friendly, intelligent, and so knowledgeable about all aspects of birth and pregnancy. After 10 hours of labor my progress stalled at 9.5 cm. She helped calm and assure me through the next 4 hours that, although I couldn't push just yet, the baby was doing just fine. When I was finally ready to push, we discovered that baby was occiput posterior (sunny side up), which is likely what caused the stall. She calmly and methodically oiled me and helped slowly twist baby until she was born. It was amazing. There is no doubt in my mind that in the hospital I would have been pushed into unnecessary interventions with my stall and an OP baby. In reality, she just needed a little extra time and calm assistance tio enter this world. Also, as to a previous review, it's nearly impossible to figure out a baby is OP without a late ultrasound. I'm totally fine with finding out during birth. Of course that experience led me back to Lael in 2015 for the birth of my son. This time her experience as a mother helped me to prepare for being a parent of two, how to handle sibling rivalry, and the first months with two. This time Lael had Grace an assistant, who is also a fantastic midwife. The two of them showed up to my house when baby decided to show up 3 weeks early on Thanksgiving Day. This time it was a quick 4 hours from start to finish, but again they reassured and calmed me along the way. It was a beautiful birth. After both births, the baby and I got 6 weeks of visits from these beautiful women. I will honestly say I miss regular visits with Lael. She truly becomes a friend during this time in your life, and I while heartedly recommend her to anyone looking for a homebirth experience. read more

From a husband/father - this practice is amazing. Both my wife and I were incredibly blessed to have found them. We've had four kids in the hospital and this was our fifth. I never thought home-birth would be our thing, but MAN am I glad my wife convinced me. Hospitals have always felt more like a sterile processing/triage center and less like a place to have a baby, but I was scared to not have the perceived safety net of being at the hospital if anything went wrong. After talking with Lael and Shannon, I was much more comfortable with the idea and, overtime, felt more and more confident that home birth was the right decision. They are super gracious, experienced, patient, loving, knowledgeable and personable. They are very supportive of doing things naturally, but without rubbing you down with crystals or making you wear a birthing dress made from humanely raised granola and hemp. They're not judgmental at all if you have preferences that don't align perfectly with theirs, nor prideful if you have question about their preferences. If you are even considering home birth, I highly recommend giving them a call to discuss the option. read more

Love them! Lael is super passionate about her work, and has a lot of experience and knowledge, overall is such a kindhearted person. Would recommend to all of my friends and family. She was amazing for working with me and accommodating for my specific needs, really showed her compassion and love for her work! read more

Lael has been an amazing advocate and midwife over the last 3 years. When my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our first, we wanted to pursue the most natural birth possible but didn't know what that looked like. I didn't even know people could give birth at home! When we went to our first couple appointments through the OBGYN, we asked a lot of questions about natural birth and less invasive methods. We quickly realized that we would be like a fish swimming up-stream the entire pregnancy, pushing against the current of the "normal" birthing process which includes drugs, intervention, and often ends in C-sections. It was clear we needed something different because we wanted someone we could trust; someone who had similar views as us and someone we wouldn't be questioning every step of the way. After much research, Kevan and I became willing to entertain the idea of a homebirth. The first step was to interview a few midwives (and found a few we liked), but during our meeting with Lael, we knew right away that she was the perfect fit for us. We have been nothing but impressed with the type of midwifery care she provides compared to the sterile and inflexible environment provided through the doctor's office. Lael is confident, reassuring, patient, answered all our questions, and walked us through the pregnancy and birth one step at a time. All along the way, Lael empowered me to learn how to make different decisions first as a pregnant woman, then as a new family. She also gave a lot of space for us to decide what is right without pressuring with her own view (sometimes I would want her to just decide for me but she'd challenge me to come up with my own convictions and belief system). She was also very helpful with navigating the opinions and doubt that family and friends would express. All throughout the pregnancy I could text or call at any time and she would respond with an encouragement or the direction that I needed. Even to this day I consider her a friend and feel comfortable checking in about different questions and childrearing advice. When she comes into our home it feels very comfortable as though she is part of our family. So far she has walked us through and delivered two amazing all-natural homebirths. Lael will continue to be my midwife as long as she is willing to have us, and as long as we continue to have children! *** This review was focused on Lael, but I have just as many good things to say about her assistant, Grace, and could do an entire review for her as well. She actually did most of the delivery for both of my births and provided the highest quality of care as well. read more

Please think twice about using lael and shannon. Everything they said sounded so good up until labor arrived. The told us that once my fiance hit contractions at 4-1-2, they would be on there way to the house. Instead all they said was give it 2 more hours as the widwives needed to rest more. My fiance was pale in the face, throwing up everything she ate or drank, and was in 10/10 on the pain scale. Once we called and we saod my fiance was bad and needed help, she showed up in about an hour to onky check her cervix and the babies heart rate; no vitals on my fiance whatsoever even though she was in terrible condition. Once we found out that she was at 3cm dilated, shannon told her to have a half glass of wine as she went downstairs to get more sleep on our couch. Meanwhile my fiance was in so much pain and needed to goto the hospital. Very unprofessional as we were told our experience would be completely different. DO NOT RECCOMEND USING LAEL AND SHANNON. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL! read more

I used Lael for my first pregnancy/delivery, she was great. She was very accommodating with meeting times and came to me for all my visits which was very helpful, especially towards the end. I went into labor immediately after my water broke and Lael came to me right away. Although I had a great doula (Renata Provost) who helped me through labor, Lael was also there the whole time helping me along and coaching me through the process. Luckily my labor was only 3 hours and my daughter was born perfect without any complications, but had that not been the case, I feel fully confident Lael could have handled anything that came up. She is extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of baby and has imparted invaluable knowledge to this new mom. I've text Lael with random questions even now 10 months after my birth and she always replies even though she isn't getting paid to do so. She genuinely cares about her moms and their babies and it shows! read more

We recently had a baby and used Lael as our midwife. She is very sweet and we very much enjoyed working with her. She comes highly recommended if your considering a home birth with a midwife. :) read more

Lael was my midwife for all three of my deliveries and the experience I had with her was beyond anything I could have ever imagined, especially since my husband and I both were apprehensive to have a home birth with our first child. Lael exudes confidence, not only in her own abilities, but in her trust of the birth process, which is extremely comforting during labor. During my labors she was like a rock, holding the space for me when things felt scary or uncertain. To this day, I look to Lael for guidance with raising my three children, and I feel forever grateful to her, not only for ensuring I have three healthy births, but for the level of care she continues to provide for our family. read more

I had just moved to California in 2014, so in 2015 when I became pregnant I was a little apprehensive and unfamiliar terrain of the Kaiser system. After much research, my partner and I decided we were going to have a home-birth. I didn't have friends or family out here to ask for recommendations .... so i googled, yelped, and researched for some. I found Lael Stimming on the Berkeley parents network and her reviews and feedback were great. I set meetings and interviews with several midwives and doulas; but as soon as I met Lael I knew I had found the one. It's just this chemistry that just happens organically. You have to follow that instinct. We met a few times during the pregnancy for prenatal appointments (as well as post partum) and more frequently as my due date approached. She was knowledgeable, warm and confident - without condescension or indifference. She made me feel confident as well and that delivery would be great. Although I kept going to my Kaiser prenatal appointments, when I met with Lael I felt much better mentally, emotionally, and physically. A few weeks before due date we met for a birth meeting, here we went over the plan once again and i was introduced to Grace - her assistant. She was also very gentle and efficient and both of them together made an excellent team! No one ever really knows what to expect or how that day will go. Yet, what i did know is that women, were made for this and we have the power that society has tried to convince us we don't through scare tactics and terrorizing our ideas of labor and birth. I am so happy that I chose Lael to guide me so that i was able to tap into this inner strength. She was who i chose in 2015, with my first, but also with my second a few months ago in 2017! She is the best!! read more

It has taken me two and a half years since the birth of our first baby with Lael to write this. I thought to disregard my experience with her but unfortunately talking to other moms who used midwives for their births and talking to other midwives, I realize looking back that my care with Lael was horrible. In the beginning she was great, was caring, nurturing and wonderful. I took the benefit of the doubt that her slow response to texts that took two days or longer was acceptable. I gave her feedback and it got better. I was trying to work with her because I liked her. Unfortunately towards the end of my pregnancy, it all went downhill. She had promised a-lot of things in the beginning. She assured me that I wouldn't need to worry about breastfeeding, that I didn't need to worry about postpartum care. But when it came time for me to give birth she had let me labor on for 30 hours and pushing for 11 hours. And it turned out that the baby was posterior and I had to go to the hospital for the baby to get forcepted. I had to drive to a hospital 40 minutes away from home and was pushing as I was walking to the hospital room. Lael should have been able to figure out if the baby was posterior and I wouldn't have had to go through so much strain. Thankfully everything was ok and the baby was fine. After birth though, I went through postpartum depression as I had learned from another midwife that if one labors for that long it can cause extreme fatigue resulting in ppd. In addition to the ppd, postpartum care was extremely disappointing. It turns out that I have an umbilical hernia and diastasis recti which she has never told me about or checked me on, and has never gave me any solutions to prevent that during my pregnancy. I had to find out on my own that I have this. I was so upset and sad, and I have never fully recovered from the diastasis and hernia as of now. She also promised to help support with breast-feeding and it was just not enough and breastfeeding was not successful. Postpartum sessions were not thorough and I had to ASK her to check on my third degree tears. She wouldn't have done it if I didn't ask her! There were many things she should have checked on but decided just to have a nonchalant conversation and leave. She was able to answer some of my questions for about a month but after that she never returned my phone calls or responded to my email regarding my traumatic experience of learning about the diastasis injury. Basically, once she got her final paycheck, she didn't care for me or baby. Such lack of care is absolutely unacceptable and unprofessional. Would never recommend her to anyone. read more

Lael was my midwife for my 3rd birth at the end of 2014. My initial reason for choosing her was because I needed a midwife very close to me (I go very fast), and look at that; she lives down the street! After getting to know her and having several visits with her, I really looked forward to our next meeting. She is kind, calm, and really gave me the attention I was looking for. She arrived as soon as I needed her, was collected during the birth, and helped to make my son's birth one of the greatest memories. Thank you! read more