I found Labor of Love by doing some of my own research online. And thank God I did! My doula,…read moreKaren, was my rock throughout my labor and was 100,000 percent amazing--I'll definitely be working with her for my second! A little backstory: I was overwhelmed and so nervous about finding "the one" person to be a part of the most important event of my life. After doing my research and reading through all these bios, I honestly was left feeling overwhelmed, especially knowing how indecisive I can be. I knew I just had to trust my intuition and my gut on this one! After looking at Karen's bio on their website, I had such a good feeling. Staci (the owner), who was super friendly and professional, helped me get connected with Karen, and I booked an interview right away! Karen was so sweet and asked me about my pregnancy experience so far. We discussed how I wanted my birth to go and any concerns I had. There wasn't any pressure to hire her, and it just felt like she was already invested in me, like I was already family. I even had her video chat with my husband to make sure we both felt comfortable and vibed well together--and we sure did! Overall, Karen ended up being the perfect balance of knowledge, experience, and professionalism. It was the most perfect amount of care I could have asked for. She was also such an advocate for my birth plan to work out. Before, during, and after my labor and birth, she was always naturally in tune with what I needed. She was never overbearing, worked so well with my husband, and gave him space to be a part of my support team as well. I am so grateful to have come across Labor of Love

The business owner is quite the opposite of the type of person any vulnerable new mom should have…read moreto work with. My experience with Labor of Love was almost two years ago now but continues to upset me when thinking back on my experience. We hired Lauren as our doula, who made it clear she expected us to go far past my due date as a first time mom. While it's possible for that to happen, it didn't in my case. At 39 weeks and at 5am while in active labor and getting ready to head to the hospital, she let us know she had Covid. Her backup was Karen, who I wish we hired to begin with as she is far more caring and professional. Though unfortunately our experience still fell short and we ultimately delivered without Karen present. We were left feeling like we invested a lot of emotion and money into this process with ultimately no help. Staci has been incredibly rude to us since then and even revoked our access to watch her training videos, sending me a link to pay her once again when wanting to rewatch for our now second baby on the way. Karen herself even recommended we ask for a partial refund due to our experience, but Staci lacks the professionalism and courtesy to her clients. Truly mindblowing that she revoked access to the training videos after we had already paid for them. I would stay far away and recommend a more experienced and caring doula group.

I can only base this off of an initial consultation, but I had an excellent first experience with…read morethe Breastfeeding Center of OC! I met with Frida, and she was truly so helpful and supportive. She gave me her full attention during the consultation and was not only informative, but also very real and authentic. She gave me some helpful insight into how the breastfeeding process typically goes and also provided some hands on teaching moments to help me feel more prepared. Prior to visiting the BF Center, I'd taken a couple of breastfeeding courses online; but there is something about meeting with someone 1:1 (especially someone as kind and supportive as Frida) that really helped set my mind at ease. I'm looking forward to continuing to meet with her postpartum!

I just took the breastfeeding 101 course and it was truly amazing. I'm pretty type A and going into…read moremy first baby feeling blinded by not knowing much is a scary thing. I feel so much more prepared about even just one thing and it's so comforting. My husband was able to come as well and they even dedicated a part of the class to the dads and how important their role is. Sarah was the instructor for the course and she was so friendly and welcoming. She was really thorough, didn't make us feel rushed, and literally answered everyone's question with such thoroughness and care. I'm so happy we did this and will be back for sure! It's nice to know there's support even during/after.

I originally found Linda on Yelp and was looking to get a lactation consultant asap as I had just…read moregotten home from the hospital and my newborn was having trouble latching. Linda was able to come out asap and she very much helped me! We realized he did better on a nipple shield and have been using one the last two weeks. He's been getting stronger and able to breast feed no problem. During our first session, she was able to confirm that my insurance would cover a postpartum Doula. So I get 11 sessions through Kaiser, which has been wonderful! So Linda comes to my house once or twice a week to help me in my recovery and breast-feeding journey. It has been really nice to have the support and the help. She's really been great! We will be working on getting him off the nipple sheilds, hopefully in the next few weeks. But having the help at home has really been great as well as the lactation support. I would definitely recommend calling her and seeing if you were insurance will cover visits from her. Thanks Linda for all the help!

Linda was of great help in regard to my situation and was so quick setting up a meeting time…read more I highly recommend her expertise if you're looking for advice, guidance, and detailed work for your breastfeeding/lactation needs.

Janis was a Godsend to my wife and I, and I cannot thank her enough for all the help she gave to…read moreus. In an age with so much misinformation and lack of care towards pregnant women, Janis proved to be an excellent resource and was a wellspring of knowledge, information, and encouragement. The techniques and lessons we learned from Janis helped my wife have a natural drug-free birth, something my wife thought was inconceivable at first. An amazing storyteller, Janis weaves her lessons organically through the art of narration, which helped us connect how the skills we learned would apply to real-life situations. There is a ton of knowledge that Janis imparts on her students, from recognizing early signs of labor, handling contractions, breastfeeding, to post-partum care. All of this is taught without pushing us to give birth a certain way; rather, Janis taught us all the pros and cons of different styles of birth so we felt extremely well-informed to make good choices that fit our birth plan. Additionally, Janis shows that she cares about both the mom and the birth partner, and she encourages both to work together. Her kindness, blunt honesty, and openness made for an ideal learning environment, and it helped my wife and I learn and grow together. She is confident in her lessons, which helped us feel confident when it was time for labor. When it came time for my wife to give birth, I could not believe just how valuable everything we learned from Janis proved to be. It was miraculous, watching all the techniques and lessons come together to help give my wife a mostly pain-free birth. I am in awe just thinking about it. I wish everyone who was pregnant would attend her classes. Janis is a gold mine of information, and taking her class was one of the best decisions we made in our lives. I truly do believe it helped us have an excellent birth experience, and I shudder to think what could have been. The cherry on top is that it is an affordable price for hours and hours of knowledge that can help remove the fears surrounding pregnancy and labor. Thank you, Janis, for all that you've taught us. Mahalo!

I couldn't have asked for a more amazing teacher. Not only did she fully educated me and prepare…read more me for labor and breastfeeding , but she also gave me the confidence to have the most empowering birth possible. I never thought labor would be so enjoyable and I have to say I've had no issues breastfeeding either!! She is such an amazing gifted women !! 100/10 recommendations!!!! Thank you for everything Janis!!!

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.

Absolutely love and appreciate Jen so much. She responded to my request right away, and we quickly…read morestarted our breastfeeding journey together. I ended up booking six sessions with her, and while I never quite got to where I originally hoped to be--because truly, 2 under 2 is no joke--Jen helped me build so much confidence and showed me how beautiful feeding and bonding with your baby can be, no matter what that journey looks like. She's incredibly laid-back, warm, and funny, which is so important when you're in such a vulnerable season. I always felt comfortable with her and never judged or pressured. Highly recommend Jen to anyone who needs a little extra support with breastfeeding!

Jennifer is very helpful!! I couldn't get my baby to latch for the first week and I desperately…read moreneed help. I found Jennifer through yelp and she is responsive. She came over to our house and provided instruction that resolved the latching problem in one session. She also provided a lot of helpful resources. I greatly appreciate her help and would definitely recommend her to anyone that needs lactation support.

If you are looking for a pediatric OT who is as kind as she is knowledgeable, go see Yvonne. She…read morecreated such a safe, non-judgmental space for us after a difficult start elsewhere. Yvonne never rushed us and took the time to really listen to my concerns about my baby's tension and latching. She provided us with a clear, gentle path forward with home stretches and expert referrals, helping us avoid immediate surgery. It's rare to find a provider so dedicated to coordinating care and ensuring parents feel empowered. We've seen so much improvement in our baby--we are so grateful for her!

We've had such a wonderful experience working with Yvonne for our toddler's occupational and…read morefeeding therapy. She is incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and so great with kids. Our daughter was born three months prematurely with some developmental delays and struggled to gain weight after we brought her home. We had the hardest time finding immediate care and were fortunate to find Yvonne. Our daughter made noticeable progress in a short amount of time, and Yvonne gave us so many practical tips and fun strategies that we could easily use. Feeding therapy can be such a challenging area to find good support in, and we feel so lucky to have found her. She's not only helped our toddler make progress with eating, but also helped us as parents feel more confident and supported. We can't recommend her highly enough!