April & Joy were a huge part of my pregnancy and our birth story. They quickly became one the…read morehighlights of everything we did to prepare and celebrate baby. My husband and I were so anxious about this new experience and really had no idea what to expect and how to best prepare in this age of social media. We felt so overwhelmed with the over-saturation of information and since neither of us had done this before we wanted to have a trusted source and know we could prepare mentally as much as physically and financially. From the first consultation we felt comfortable and confident in Joyful Roots. My husband is a yogi and told me he instantly felt that same sense of calm with April & Joy. We joined this process a bit late so we were worried we would have to rush to learn and get through everything, but with the ease of the portal, videos and their flexibility and dedication, we were able to fit everything in and not feel pressured or rushed. They came to our home twice before birth and we met each of them separately. We also had zoom calls and a group chat up until 2+ weeks after birth. My labor and birth story was very unique and unexpected, however with the constant support and easy communication, we felt taken care of through it all. I ended up in early prodromal labor for 72+ hours and April and Joy were there for us through all of it! When I was finally admitted to the hospital, April was there to walk us through labor positions and help me feel safe. She knew what positions to help get baby in the right position as well as ease my nerves. She also made sure I was fed and hydrated. She helped my husband interpret what options we had each step of the way and how to speak to the staff, while making sure we were asking the right questions and able to advocate for what we wanted. Due to unexpected circumstances, I was not able to have a natural birth and this was not because we didn't try everything. She could tell I was exhausted and did all she could to give me a pleasant birth experience; one without trauma. She stayed until after my cesarean and I felt so cared for when I saw she was still there waiting for baby and I to return. We cannot thank April and Joy enough for all they did. I don't know how we would have navigated ourselves through this arduous journey without them. It was a hard week and we made it through with their warmth, positivity and encouragement. In our final follow up zoom, they told us "they would always be our Doulas" and we will definitely keep in touch and look forward to having them in our lives later on down the road. Thank you for everything! Love, Chelsea, Lafras and baby Atlas

We absolutely loved our doula team! Both Joy and April were so attentive and helpful throughout our…read moreentire journey from pregnancy all the way through to the weeks after birth. They are so knowledgeable and it shows in the extensive 8 week birth course that they provide. We learned so much leading up to birth and really felt we got so much preparation and value out of their course. Their frequent check ins leading up to birth (and the days past my due date) made me feel like I wasn't forgotten about. I really appreciated their words of encouragement in that time of anxiously waiting to meet our baby. Joy and April are very well known in Scripps. Our nurse that we had was so excited that they were our doulas and to be working with them. That made us feel even more relaxed and confident knowing we had a great team. Even though my birth didn't go according to plan and ended in a C-section, my husband and I are both SO grateful that we had Joy with us that day. She kept us calm, explained things to us, and ultimately made us feel like we made the right decision in the end. We couldn't recommend them enough. Thank you for everything Joy and April!

I met Jenn Smith in February 2020 after being referred to her by my chiropractor. After meeting…read moreJenn, I decided to hire her as my doula for my first child's birth in July 2020. In addition to doula services, I also hired Jenn to teach Hypnobirthing classes and to do placenta encapsulation. After sending Jenn my signed contract and her 50% retainer, communication with her started to decrease and become more difficult. I contacted Jenn at 36 weeks to try and set up our prenatal visit and received no response. I reached out again at 37 weeks on June 22nd, and Jenn finally responded and we scheduled our prenatal visit for the following week. The following day I had a placenta abruption and I had to rush to the hospital for an emergency c-section. I contacted Jenn that morning and she was able to go to the hospital and retrieve my placenta in order to do the encapsulation. Due to the emergency c-section, Jenn's contract stated I was owed three sessions of 4 hour postpartum support. We scheduled the visits the following week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday and Jenn stated she would bring my placenta pills with her to the visit. After leaving the hospital, I sent Jenn the remaining 50% of the payment due on our contract to ensure that I paid according to contract terms. On the first day of the postpartum support service, Jenn texted me 45 minutes before she was supposed to arrive to let me know she would be running late due to a family emergency. After not hearing from Jenn for two hours, I decided to cancel the visit for that day. Jenn no showed, no called for the postpartum support services we had scheduled for both Wednesday, July 1st and Friday, July 3rd. My husband and I tried to contact Jenn by phone and email on numerous occasions in regards to postpartum services and receiving my placenta pills with no success. I reached out to my chiropractor who I knew was also using Jenn as a doula to let her know how difficult it had been to contact Jenn and how she still has not provided me any of the services I paid for. My chiropractor reached out to Jenn in an attempt to get my placenta pills from her to give to me. I finally received an email from Jenn on August 5 stating she heard that I was trying to contact her and she didn't know why she had not received any of my emails or phone messages. She stated she still had my pills ready to go and that she still wanted to support me postpartum. I responded to Jenn that same day and to this day I still have not received any response from Jenn. I am now four months postpartum and still have not received my placenta pills or any doula support services from Jenn. She only provided Hypnobirthing classes. I have requested a partial refund per her contract terms of Failure for a Doula to Provide Services and Jenn has not replied to my refund email and denied my payment request on Venmo. For a first time mom, who had a scary birth experience, the last thing I should have to do is try to track down my doula who I entered into a contract with for birth support. Jenn's lack of communication has left a pretty bad impression in regards to the role of a doula. Even though my delivery did not go as planned, I still made sure I lived up to my end of the contract and made sure Jenn was paid the full balance as soon as I left the hospital. I would never recommend Jenn Smith as a doula and I would not trust her with my child.

Jenn is absolutely amazing! She was with me for the births of both of my girls, and I truly believe…read moreI couldn't have made it through without her. She has a calm, gentle spirit, a beautiful smile, and an absolute love of all things baby. She also is a hypnobirthing instructor - sign up for the classes!! They are SO worth it!!!!! My two labors/deliveries were very different, so I summed up each one below. **My first labor/delivery experience wasn't quite what I expected. I allowed some medical interventions that seemed to snowball and create a lot of issues with my labor, and each problem created more problems.... Jenn helped me utilize hypnobirthing methods to focus and kept my head in the right place when circumstances made it hard to focus. She helped me deliver my baby safely, and I honestly don't know how I could have made it through it without her. **My second labor/delivery was the polar opposite of my first. I took Jenn's hypnobirthing classes this time, but I was still scared that things would go wrong again (terrified actually). Jenn helped me realize that I could do it and helped me stay true to what I really wanted: No medications/no IV/ as few checks as possible... And I did it! It was incredible, and hard, and amazing and made me want to have 57 more babies! Jenn + hypnobirthing helped keep me focused and in the zone the entire time. I love Jenn, and I will absolutely use her services if my crazy hormones win out and I have 57 more babies

Carlee is the best. She is super patient, wonderful empathetic kind bedside manner and extremely…read moreknowledgeable

This is a wonderful resource during pregnancy. I always learn a lot from the group check-in at the…read morebeginning of each class.

Short answer: Hire a doula, if you can afford it, it is so worth it!…read more Long review: I worked with birth doulas from BBD for both of my births (2024 and 2026). I was extremely nervous about giving birth, and my main goal the first time was just to not have trauma. Thanks to amazing support from our doulas, I discovered not only did I not have trauma, but I also find giving birth such a transformative and positive experience, something I never even considered a possibility for me. I worked with Tamara and Sage for my first birth, a late-term induction and vaginal delivery (both attended), and Tamara and Kim for my second, spontaneous labor and vaginal delivery (Kim attended). A goal in both my births was to wait until transition to get an epidural, and thanks to Sage helping me ride contractions and helping my spouse keep me comfortable I was able to wait as I had hoped. In my second birth, I used techniques I had learned from Sage as well as new ones from Kim to stay so comfortable laboring that I got to the hospital pretty late without realizing how far labor had progressed! I never considered an unmedicated birth a possibility for me, but due to doula support allowing me to stay comfortable I think I would give it a try if I have another baby. Doula support was key to keeping me out of my "fear brain", as in both births, things happened that I didn't understand and they were able to explain them, both on the phone and in person at the hospital. This allowed me to keep calm. We didn't do the birth class due to our schedules, so did 2 prenatal visits instead both times. These were helpful in getting to know the doulas, but also they gave a wealth of recommendations for birth and for postpartum - for instance, Tamara suggested identifying a lactation consultant before birth, which was an amazing suggestion given that I needed lactation support immediately with my first and I would have not lined this up without her suggestion. We really like the 2 doula model, also, which seems pretty unique. We highly recommend BBD!

I had the best experience with Breathe Bitch Doula! Louise and Mahri were incredible. They made me…read morefeel so supported and relaxed throughout my whole journey. They are set up to tag team so one of them is guaranteed to be there for the brith which was so helpful to know that someone would be there no matter what. They helped prep me and we amazing resources throughout my pregnancy, obviously during labor, and even postpartum. I'd text them with all my "my baby is doing this is it normal" questions. I want them there for any future pregnancies and labor!

Courtney is the most amazing midwife! I truly couldn't have asked for a more perfect match for my…read morehome birth. She has a kind, patient, and calming soul that brought peace to my heart and mind each and every time that I saw her. From the hour long prenatal appointments, to the calming presence at my birth, she really blew us away with her care. During my delivery, our baby was found to have shoulder dystocia. Although a scary event, Courtney remained calm and used her knowledge, expertise, and care to manipulate the situation and deliver my little girl safe and sound. She made my entire postpartum experience so enjoyable and special for my family and I. She even took the time to teach my older daughter all about the placenta. I highly recommend her to anyone considering a home birth. We will definitely be using her again if we have another little angel in the future. Thank you so much, Courtney!!

Courtney changed my life and opened my eyes to what birth can really be! A powerful and life…read morechanging/transformative experience and I will forever be grateful to her. Her wisdom, patience, and love for what she does shines through and is inspiring. My care under Courtney was exceptional. She was my midwife, doula, managed my placenta and even became a friend I couldn't be happier with my birth experience

Where do I begin?! This was our second birth and it was honestly just a dream! Exactly how I…read moreenvisioned our little lady arriving earthside and there is no way I could have done it without the support of Meghan. I had used an epidural with our first birth after 40 long hours of labor and feeling like I needed some relief. This time, I wanted to try and go without an epidural but by the time I had arrived to the hospital, where we met Meghan, I was tired and ready to throw in the towel. Meghan gently led me to the birth center room and we quickly ordered nitrous oxide to take the edge off and it was exactly what I needed. With her guidance and my husband's love and assistance, we had our dream birth with a dream baby and I am so very thankful she was there! She has a gentle way about her while still being such a strong presence. During each surge she knew exactly what i needed to hear and was right there for me. I just can't say enough good things!!!!

I used Meghan for placenta Encapsulation a couple months ago. Meghan went above and beyond and…read moredelivered my capsules in 1 day and even included some delicious chocolates and goodies! If you want a quick turnaround time for placenta encapsulation definitely go with Meghan! I'm still taking my capsules and I feel great. Thank you so much!

My husband and I had an incredible experience working with our night doula, Jacqui. From the very…read morebeginning, she brought such a calming, warm, and reassuring presence into our home and immediately put us at ease as new parents. She is extremely knowledgeable and experienced, and naturally wonderful with newborns. Not only did our daughter thrive under her care, but my husband and I were finally able to get much needed rest and feel more confident as parents. Jacqui also taught us so much along the way and always made us feel supported, never judged. We are so grateful for her help during those early months and truly cannot recommend her highly enough to any family looking for a compassionate and highly skilled doula.

We had a great experience with our doula, Katie. She was incredibly supportive during those first…read morefew weeks with our newborn and helped us so much. She was kind, caring, and always made us feel supported. She truly felt like the big sister I needed during such an important time. The only downside of my experience was the lactation support. I only attended two sessions because, unfortunately, they were very stressful. During the first visit, the lactation consultant arrived late, seemed rushed, and left me with a few nipple shields that ultimately didn't work well for me. At the end, I didn't end up using them because they weren't helpful. The second session felt very similar. It also felt rushed and stressful, and my baby became stressed as well. Because of those experiences, I decided not to continue with the lactation sessions. Overall, I'm very grateful for Katie's support, and she made a huge positive difference during our postpartum journey.

Dorinda is truly amazing! My husband was traveling out of town and I desperately needed night…read moresupport with our 3 month old so that I could be ready for our toddler in the morning. From the moment we FaceTimed her for a consult, she immediately offered a sense of comfort and support. She was so sweet and pretty quickly learned our son's needs. She provided super helpful tips which have now changed our nights. And, she was thoughtful to check in with me during the day even after caring for our son all night. Thank you, Dorinda!

I found Dorinda through her glowing reviews here on Yelp, which we found to be very accurate from…read morestart to finish of our time together. Dorinda came to our home before the birth to talk in depth and was very tuned into my pregnancy experience; she provided a lot of supportive words/sent me funny memes and videos during the last dragging weeks of pregnancy. She also sent baby resources like a list of recommended items - this consultation would be especially useful for first time parents. Once we were home from the hospital, Dorinda came over the first night and provided a burst of energy and positivity. She sat next to my bed as I fed our new (second) baby and helped me stay awake and make sure she was getting a proper, full feed. We talked everything from birth care to postpartum recovery to current events and family chat (she's a mom and parents her 2 kids in San Diego, so she's been there too!). For subsequent visits we figured out ways to maximize my healing and sleep once I could pump and Dorinda could give a bottle. It's been a game changer for recovery and mental health, especially juggling a toddler, newborn, high energy dog, busy lives and jobs during the day. During my first postpartum I struggled with baby blues, isolation, and extreme exhaustion symptoms but have had none of that this time around and am so grateful. Why we clicked with Dorinda - she's smart, caring, attuned to the whole family's needs, is a strong communicator, and fits into systems we already have developed. She cares about evidence-based parenting and safe sleep. But is just like having a friend around in your home. Highly recommend!