Teresa was great to work with! She's incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, kind, and professional. She…read moreassisted me after my son's tongue tie release. I will be going back to her for all my breastfeeding support. I wish I found her sooner!

I recently received help from Teresa, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. From the moment we…read morebegan working together, she was compassionate, empathetic, and incredibly knowledgeable. Breastfeeding my second child didn't come as naturally as it did with my first, and I was feeling desperately discouraged. She immediately put me at ease and guided me through positioning and latch techniques that made an enormous difference. What truly set her apart, though, was her responsiveness and dedication. When I noticed the early signs of mastitis, she dropped everything to support me. She gave me the exact steps I needed to take within those crucial first hours, and thanks to her guidance, I was able to get ahead of the issue quickly. Her support has been invaluable, and I'm so grateful for the care and expertise she provided. If you're struggling or simply need reassurance on your breastfeeding journey, she is absolutely the person you want by your side.

I don't have a lot of good words to say about Tali's services. To start of, there was a pretty…read morelengthy intake form and when she arrived, we went over the same questionnaire. Her advices were pretty generic and I didn't find it any useful. I had set clear expectations of what I was looking for from the session and that was not addressed. Later, when I followed up with questions on her portal, she declined to help sayinf those could be addressed if a follow up session is scheduled. Overall, it was a waste of time and money.

Tali has been caring, thorough, and knowledgeable every time. She listened to all of my confused,…read morefrustrated information and put the pieces together to figure out how to help. Tali genuinely cares about the parent and baby and offers solutions without pressure or judgment. And her coming to our house is such a bonus. We can't recommend her enough!

Melissa is honestly the best and I wouldn't have survived my breastfeeding journey without her. My…read morefirst had a tongue/lip tie and I was having a really hard time nursing. I also had mastitis but my OB and urgent care had misdiagnosed me with the flu. My doula referred me to Melissa and she immediately helped me navigate the healthcare system and gave me tips on how to improve breastfeeding. It all worked and I was able to nurse for 19 months. I would have honestly given up if it wasn't for her. Five years later, I am having my second and knew to have her come by immediately for help. Highly recommend her!!

I couldn't recommend Melissa more. She is knowledgeable and really makes you feel seen. She's…read morerealistic about the pressures and stress of breastfeeding and postpartum and really works with you to come up with an attainable plan. Her kind, warm and calm demeanor put you at ease. I had low supply with my first and struggled through triple feeding and ultimately wasn't able to boost my supply enough and felt like I wasn't getting a personalized plan working with lactation consultants through my insurance and would always leave feeling a little confused and like I wasn't making progress due to something I wasn't doing right. With my second baby, I found Melissa, who was recommended by a friend, and the difference was night and day. Rather than feeling like I wasn't doing enough, she made me validated and we worked together to come up with a realistic plan to try to meet my goals. She answered any and all questions I had and provided a lot of support. Again, I couldn't recommend her more.

100% recommend to anyone that is looking for breastfeeding help or wants more education around…read morebreastfeeding. As a first time mom, I am so grateful for her! I found Lazara through a Google search & what sold me was the fact she was highly recognized by the mama flow owner (the prenatal/postnatal yoga/sculpt studio) & that entire community. Lazara & her team were extremely responsive through emails & text messages. I opted for an in-person visit & Lazara drove to my place. She respected our requests of taking her shoes off & wearing a mask in our home which we appreciated since our baby was 4 weeks at the time. She quickly resolved the breastfeeding challenges I experienced & the pumping questions I had & provided so much feedback & tips that I never read online (& still haven't stumbled upon online). We learned so much from her during her visit & she provided so many useful PDF resources & also invited me to be part of her baby tribe community where moms ask questions about breastfeeding. The knowledge Lazara shared was not limited to breastfeeding; she educated us about baby massages, postnatal supplements & mom & baby craniosacral facial therapy. Lazara is passionate, intelligent, helpful, kind, personable & funny. All that plus the fact she is a neonatal nurse at Stanford truly makes her one of the best lactation consultants to hire! (PS - i have united healthcare & her services were covered through there).

I was searching for an in-home lactation consultant (LC) to help with weighted feedings, but I…read morestruggled to find one who accepted Aetna or wasn't too far away. I'm so grateful to have found Lazara through the Aetna site. I had a very challenging breastfeeding journey with my first baby and even consulted with multiple lactation consultants. This time, I wanted to avoid the same struggles and was determined to improve my experience. I wish I had found Lazara back then--it would have made my breastfeeding and pumping journey much smoother and more enjoyable early on. Lazara is not only a highly experienced and knowledgeable LC, but her 30+ years as a NICU nurse mean she has a deep understanding of everything related to babies. She evaluated far more aspects of my situation than the LCs I worked with a couple of years ago. She quickly provided numerous evidence-based suggestions, including methods, supplements, and more, to address my new challenges with my second baby. I saw improvements almost immediately with just one visit. She also offers sleep training and baby massage, which is such a wonderful bonus! Can't wait to have follow up appointment with her to have a successful breastfeeding journey this time.

I sought help from Kelly as a last resort after a month of baby struggling to get back to birth…read moreweight. I was prescribed triple feeding which was totally unsustainable. She helped tremendously and gave us so much confidence as parents. She was so patient and knowledgeable, and professional. We got the latch down and were able to drop the triple feeding routine. Here we are almost a year later still nursing and growing right on track!

Kelly is the best lactation consultant any mama could ask for!!! A week into my breast feeding…read morejourney with my first baby I was ready to give up. (We saw a horrible lactation consultant at Kaiser who made me feel like I was starving my baby and tried to move us to formula immediately.) Thankfully we found Kelly on Yelp and she was able to see us the next day. She listened to my concerns/frustrations with breastfeeding, then watched me nurse my baby and gave such compassionate guidance. She gave me so much confidence!!! Fast forward to today, my baby girl is 9 months old and I am still exclusively breastfeeding!!! Breastfeeding is so much harder than anyone ever told me it was going to be. My recommendation for any first time mama would be to make an appointment with Kelly and get all the support you didn't even know you would need, it makes a world of a difference!

Viji is truly one of a kind. Every mother deserves someone like her by their side during their…read morebirth journey. After a traumatic first pregnancy and postpartum preeclampsia, I was considered high-risk during my second pregnancy as well. Around 32 weeks, I started seeing elevated blood pressure readings along with severe white coat syndrome. I was anxious and searching for support, and that's when I found Viji. Even before our first consultation, I had a strong feeling that she was God-sent -- a true blessing -- and that feeling only grew stronger with time. Viji stepped in with so much calm, confidence, and care. She took everything upon herself and made sure I was prepared in every possible way -- physically, mentally, and emotionally. She guided me through provider decisions, helped me find the right midwifery care, and thoughtfully connected me with an exceptional midwife, Lin Lee, who aligned perfectly with my needs. Because of Viji's discernment and support in building the right team around me, my entire experience was completely different from my first pregnancy. The birth itself felt smooth and empowering -- no tears, no episiotomy, and my blood pressure remained well controlled throughout. What truly sets Viji apart is how deeply she cares and how holistic her approach is. She took the time to understand my full medical history and personal background, worked to get to the root of my previous complications, and helped me navigate provider complexities with clarity and confidence. She also combined her Jyotish knowledge to help identify the most supportive and auspicious timing for my induction, which brought me an incredible sense of peace and trust going into labor. During labor, Viji was there through it all. She supported me with Ayurvedic care, calming massages, constant reassurance, and gentle guidance. She made sure I was comfortable, grounded, and never felt alone. She even stayed with me through the entire night -- watching over me, advocating for me, and helping me make important decisions when I was exhausted and vulnerable. Because of Viji, my second birth experience became healing, empowering, and beautiful. She didn't just help me prepare for birth -- she helped me heal from my past experience and trust my body again. I will always be grateful for her presence, her wisdom, and the love she brought into one of the most important moments of my life. I thank God every day for leading me to her at exactly the right time.

I have been working with Viji since 2023 and can confidently say that the work I've done with her…read morehas been truly transformative... far beyond anything I ever expected. I first came to Viji as a very anxious and overwhelmed mother, desperately trying to stay afloat in the struggles of parenthood. At the time, I had no idea what I was getting into, but I just knew I needed help. From day one, Viji completely blew me away with her depth of knowledge, insight, and intuition. Beyond that, she is incredibly caring and consistently goes above and beyond to support her clients. Through our work together, I've gained a deeper understanding of my inner makeup, which has empowered me to take greater control of my life and has profoundly impacted how I show up as a mother and wife. My mind was truly blown when she began incorporating Ayurveda and Jyotish (Vedic Astrology) to help explain what I was experiencing physically, emotionally, and energetically, and to guide how I move through my life. I have also integrated therapeutic bodywork and the Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP) into my work with Viji, which has only deepened the healing process. The way she thoughtfully weaves together her diverse offerings is incredible and deeply supportive. She is truly a one-stop shop for healing on every level. I am deeply grateful for the care, insight, and dedication she has brought to my journey. Viji is absolutely amazing, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. My only regret is not starting this work with her sooner.

It's rare that I'd describe a retail store as "life changing" but this little shop was. In my raw,…read morepostpartum days after an emergency c section and a ten day stay in a hospital, I was breastfeeding and desperate for clothes I didn't feel terrible in and that I could breastfeed easily in. I stopped here and not only did they provide a cozy, private place for me to breastfeed with a helpful Breast Friend pillow, they also had changing tables and a scale for me to use, which brought me peace of mind. Then the nice young lady working there (after giving me space and privacy to nurse) helped me find nursing bras that I love (bravado, sadly being discontinued) and I even found some great nursing shirts that I wear every day. Please support this wonderful women owned shop!

Healthy Horizons is a great place to get lactation help and they have such cute clothing as well…read more.... have to remember to stop here for the next baby shower! I am writing this review because Sheila Janakos doesn't just help new parents in her store/lactation support center but she is also a generous soul who helps the community. I have been on the board of a nonprofit for 32 years now called Nursing Mothers Counsel which provides free lactation support via phone with volunteers trained in lactation and counseling support. We are a great back up source for parents who may not need the expert support that Sheila and her IBCLC staff provide, or who are in need of support after business hours. We are so grateful to Healthy Horizons for donating 4 Medela Symphony Pumps to NMC for use as grant rentals for low income families we serve. This substantial donation will certainly help many low income families in the Bay Area and Santa Cruz County. Sheila has remained an affiliate member of our small non-profit and supported NMC with donations throughout her many years associated with our organization. Thank you so much Sheila and Healthy Horizons for your generosity and support!

TL;DR: Last-minute cancellations, fell asleep on duty watching our newborn, refused hands-on baby…read morecare, offered useless virtual support, prepaid for 13 nights, and refused refund. We're disputing the charges with our credit card company. Do not recommend. We hired Czarina for evening doula services shortly after welcoming our newborn, hoping for support and rest. Unfortunately, the experience caused us significantly more stress than doing it alone. The most alarming issue was that she repeatedly fell asleep snoring loudly while on duty watching our newborn. This happened on multiple visits. We could see and hear her sleeping, which meant that instead of resting, we stayed awake monitoring her to ensure our baby was safe. When we addressed this directly, her response was shocking: she claimed she was doing it to "train us to be better parents" and get us used to sleeping while the baby sleeps. As exhausted first-time parents, this felt unreassuring and completely unsafe. We hired a night doula to reduce anxiety, not to monitor the caregiver. Beyond the safety issues, basic doula duties were neglected: * Refusal of Care: She was unwilling to help wash the baby and unable to provide clear, hands-on guidance for newborn care. * Household Help: She provided little to no assistance with basic household tasks. * Ineffective Virtual Support: She attempted to substitute some support with "virtual" sessions, which offered zero value to us as parents who needed physical, hands-on help with a newborn during overnight hours. Her reliability was poor, with multiple last-minute cancellations and rescheduling. Most importantly, we prepaid for 13 nights of service. When we terminated the arrangement due to the safety concerns and poor service, she refused to provide a refund for the unused nights. We were forced to escalate this to our credit card company to try and recoup our funds. Czarina was pleasant to speak with initially, but her actions put our peace of mind at risk and violated our trust. If you are looking for reliable, hands-on postpartum care that allows you to rest, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. Ask specific questions about staying awake during night shifts, hands-on newborn care (including bathing), refund policies, and what "virtual support" entails before hiring.

As others have reported we had a horrific experience with Czarina, and most unfortunately, we felt…read moretaken advantage of at a time when we were quite vulnerable right after we had our first child, and were struggling. If you don't take anything from this review, I ask you to please schedule a trial run as others have reported, Czarina will ask you to prepay for multiple days before having a chance to experience with her. Context: We hired Czarina as a night doula for 6 nights. Czarina showed up 5 minutes late (and also left 5 minutes early). When she arrived at our home, she made it pretty clear she was unhappy with our setup (we had our baby sleeping in our room, and our milk/fridge on our main level, requiring going up and down stairs for a bottle). She made it pretty obvious she was unhappy with the stairs which is like the one thing I needed her to do -- fetch stuff from downstairs. Second we had asked Czarina to wake my wife at very specific times to enable specific feedings. We were struggling with breast feeding, struggling to get feeding right at all and wanted to stick to a specific schedule (as recommended by our dr). Czarina failed to wake us up, claiming that she missed our alarm (turns out Czarina feel asleep as a night doula). Finally when my wife woke up and Czarina did bring the infant in, we had asked that she change her as our infant didn't like being wet during a feeding at all. Despite asking multiple times, the baby was brought in wet which prolonged each feeding. Overall Czarina was just not a fit for us, and despite having multiple attempts to receive a refund, Czarina has refused to provide any refunds. I beg you to read this review but also the others and reach out if you have questions. Being a new parent is incredibly stressful and I'd hate for you to have even more stress.

Sarah provided me with compassionate and expert support in my journey feeding my kiddo. I greatly…read moreappreciated her warm, non-judgmental approach and her wise advice. She was able to meet with me on short notice, followed up via text to check in on me after our first appointment, and has fielded several questions via email, even while she was traveling. I am very grateful for her support and would highly recommend her!

At 5 days postpartum, I was feeling incredibly stressed and overwhelmed, but Sarah came to our home…read moreimmediately to help. She spent several hours with my husband and me, teaching us everything from the basics of breastfeeding and milk supply to the specifics of breast anatomy. Her calm demeanor was exactly what we needed; she completely eased my anxiety and gave us the confidence we were lacking. This was truly the most helpful support we've received since coming home from the hospital. If you are looking for an expert who is both knowledgeable and deeply compassionate, look no further.