Amanda cared for my partner and I after our baby was born. She is very skillful as a masseuse and a delight to have in your home. Couldn't be a bigger fan! read more

I met Amanda when I was very disappointed and stressed by my OB/GYN and she supported me so much, since our first talk I felt that I trust her and want her to be with me on my delivery. She is so calm and positive thinker, and when you with her you 100 percent sure that things will go in right direction. She helped me to change doctor, what was right decision and have natural birth without epidural. She was so supportive and always was in touch with me before and during delivery, she was my shrink, midwife and much more. Amanda is amazing person who I'm trust and definitely recommend as great professional doula. P.S. She also do a great massage read more

I am so glad we found Amanda! Having a doula at the birth of our daughter was a huge priority for us. At the beginning of my third trimester I broke my leg falling down the stairs and everything took a backseat to that. Needless to say when I was in my 36th week, we had the time and energy to start interviewing doula's and we had talked to several before a family member recommended us to Amanda who had just moved to the bay area. What a godsend! Her energy was so warm and loving and wise. She's so knowledgeable and well articulated. We met a couple times before I went into labor and was always available to answer my questions and concerns via text or by phone. The advice she gave me during our talks about the birth experience really helped me focus during the real deal! This is our first baby and I spent about 33-40 mins or so actively pushing before the baby was born! I honestly don't think that would have happened without her. She was invaluable in helping me focus and work with my body. Her calm and positive manner was much appreciated. She helped my mom arrive and settle into the birth center and kept her updated, as that was the only family I wanted around during my birth experience but I didn't necessarily want her in the room with me. She helped to maneuver that with skill and grace! Cannot recommend highly enough. read more

Amanda Fischer is the amazing Doula that attended the birth of my second child. I recommend her wholeheartedly for many reasons. 1) She has a very neutral, loving, adaptable personality. I think she is one of those people who can get along with anybody in any situation. This part of her character makes her very well suited for Doula work. She understands the demands of birth and that each woman's path is unique. There is no one correct formula for birth and she will support you in the way that *you* need. I interviewed several doulas for the the birth of my second child. I had a bad doula experience with my first birth and did not want to repeat the same mistakes. I learned a lot from it and knew what I was looking for. When I interviewed Amanda and explained what happened with my first birth, she made a comment along the lines of some women needing to "let go of control" to have successful births. This is a common idea/ presumption in birthing circles, and it may apply to some women, but this did not apply to my first birth and I challenged her (in a kind way) on this presumption during the interview. In many birth books and birth classes, pregnant women are trained to "let go" of control, attachment to outcomes, birth plans, the activities of others around them, bodily functions, personal and physical needs, expectations, choices, etc. I find this philosophy to be completely counter-intuitive, unnatural and patently aggressive towards birthing Mothers. This philosophy is designed to support the efficient and profitable business model of "assembly line" births found in American Hospitalse where birthing women are never leading their own births and are only "given permission" to make certain choices. In fact, I believe it is the birth workers that mostly need to "let go" of control so that birthing Mothers can progress safely and naturally through their individual labors as their body and needs require. When I asserted my reasoning and explained what I would need from Amanda for *my* birth, she gracefully and genuinely acknowledged my ideas, needs and explained why and how she would accommodate me. She had let go of *her* attachments and had effortlessly understood and empathized with my needs. Wow, it was then that I realized how special Amanda is! I further explained that I wanted to have the safest birth possible, which meant that it was going to be attended by a Midwife and Doula in the comfort of my home. I wanted to see how she would handle a "mother led birth" scenario and this interview was my test. She allowed me to lead, even when I challenged her preconceived notions. I can not emphasize enough how special and valuable this skill is, to birthing Mothers who want a Mother led birth. Many birth workers allow their "expert" experience and knowledge to *lead* the direction of their client's births. It takes a unique kind of ego and gentle spirit to be the Birth Expert *and* support a Mother led birth that may differ from the Birth-Worker's past experience. 2) Amanda is also a mother, a practicing yogini and massage therapist. She has a deep understanding of the female anatomy. She is also very fit. These are also huge assets for birthing Moms. She is strong enough to assist with physical support during labor if needed. She also has a very intuitive and gentle/ respectful touch. Amanda gave me a wonderful soothing and relaxing massage during the later part of the first phase of my labor. This helped me ease into a state of deep relaxation as I approached the second phase. 3) In her words, she "will do whatever you need" during your labor. For example, I needed her to make sure that my birth pool stayed at the right temperature and she attended dutifully to it to ensure that it was ready at all times. You may need her to prepare food or help with your kids or remain at your side as your constant companion, etc. She will do what you ask with joy and kindness. Some birth workers have strong feelings and rules about what they will and won't do (the Doula at my first birth did not want to attend to the birth pool and so it was neglected and too cold when I needed to use it). This is not Amanda. She deeply cares for her Moms and she wants to assist you, in the ways that you need, to have a beautiful birth experience. 4) She takes instruction well. When I wanted companionship, she was with me. When I expressed that I wanted to be alone, she gave me space. I did not need her to read my mind, I just needed her to be accommodating to my requests. She did, with grace and ease. When I went into "transition", my needs were changing rapidly; Into pool. oops, too hot.. Ice! cold water! fan! okay, just right! She was on it, no problem. I am very happy to recommend Wisdom Birth Doula / Amanda Fischer and I hope this review is helpful. Thanks for reading! :-) read more

I was blessed to meet Amanda when she lead a group one night with my Midwife, Dana Gordon. She is so knowledgeable about pregnancy and so compassionate to listen and talk about our concerns about being pregnant, labor and postpartum. In a nutshell, she radiates love and light! I was happy to find out that Amanda gives prenatal massage. We scheduled a session and OH MY was it wonderful!! She gave my body relief from some aches and pains of carrying around a baby in my belly =) and she taught me about some special essential oils and visualizations to connect to my baby. It was a wonderful massage and I would highly recommend her to all you pregnant mamas out there!! read more

My wife and I met Amanda through midwife Dana Gordon during our second trimester. She is kind, knowledgeable, easy talk to, and has lots of stories/experiences to share. She attended our home birth and played a vital role in the birth of our daughter: after a very long labor when we seemed to be "stuck" and faced a move to hospital, Amanda stayed at my wife's side, ran a warm bath and encouraged her to keep pushing, keep trying. We finally progressed and our daughter was born shortly thereafter. She made us a delicious, nourishing breakfast and stayed with us for several hours afterwards. And of course the icing on the cake is the placenta encapsulation and tincture she prepared, which included a beautiful heart ornament created from the umbilical cord. My wife takes 1-2 capsules a day and notices a difference in her mood. The tincture is still curing, but we look forward to using that as well. If we have another child, we hope Amanda will work with us again--she is a lovely person, a positive presence and has become a great friend. read more

I was very honored to have Amanda as my doula! I had an all natural "homebirth" style labor at South Miami Hospital. I had a always wanted a homebirth but my husband is a paramedic and did approve due to the unknown emergencies that he sees all the time at work and our distance from the hospital was what he felt was to far for a quick transport if a life threatening situation occurred. However, I was determined to birth my child in a peaceful environment, drug free and with minimal medical intervention. From the moment I met Amanda I had a connection with her and to have her positive, loving and confident gentle presence at the birth of my first son was the best gift/choice I made for my new family. I was very intimidated by the idea of hospital birth and was geared to deal with bullying by the nurses to accept drugs for pain management and ultimately scared of the C-word, "c-section". Amanda met with me during the pregnancy to go over my birth plan and offered as many visits as I felt I needed. My husband and I were prepared for the worst but I felt so strongly to have a doula to advocate for us to stay on an all natural path. Once labor began Amanda and I talked on the phone and she offered support as the contractions increased. Around midnight she came to our house to help me labor at home throughout the night and it truly gave us the peace of mind knowing how experienced she was. She provided support for both my husband and me to labor as long as possible at home before going to the hospital and gave me the assurance that I would know when I was ready and to trust in my body. At the hospital (in triage they said I was eight cm.) Amanda made sure I was as comfortable as possible and gave me a soothing foot and back massage. She advocated for me/us by reminding me of my birth plan and letting me know the pros and cons when the hospital staff asked to do specific procedures such as breaking my water, standing/squatting pushing positions and letting the umbilical cord pulse before clamping. She's also provided breast feeding support immediately after delivery until my baby latched on. She came to our house for a postpartum visit and continues to provide support for me as questions come up that I want to talk to someone about. I will absolutely ask Amanda to be at the birth of my future children. I highly recommend a doula to everyone I know and I can't imagine someone not falling in love with Amanda immediately!! read more