I can't say enough good things about Awakenings! I hired Esther for a home birth after a rather traumatic hospital birth with my previous child. I felt supported and held throughout the entire process. Esther took time to educate me on homeopathics to help alleviate headaches and helped me navigate a scary situation when my genetic testing came back with some red flags. I felt she went above and beyond when it came to helping with stuff like this that I could tell she was passionate about. I always felt that she was in my corner and when it came time for the birth (my third) she was able to give me space to birth the way I wanted to while being all hands on deck to help my husband catch our baby. It was a really healing experience for me. Postpartum she was very involved and paid close attention to details, even flagging some concerning heart rate stuff with my newborn that I was able to take to my pediatrician and have assessed. Truly full of gratitude for Esther and the experience I was able to have while guided by her professionalism, wisdom, and skill. read more

Esther was such a blessing to our family and to the entry of our youngest son. She is deeply knowledgeable and will give you a balanced amount of information around all the decisions that need to be made during pregnancy and beyond. We highly recommend Esther to midwife babies into this world. She's such a gift! read more

How to even write a review? I undoubtedly would've had a C-section without the wisdom, support, presence, and steadfast groundedness of Esther Healey. Instead I had a VBAC and am so grateful. It's hard to write a review of Esther's "midwifery" services without saying she is also a lactation consultant, homeopath, cranio sacral practitioner, herbalist, baby whisperer, parent coach, feminist warrior and truly simply a healer. Pre natal appointments: Esther was knowledgeable, reassuring, flexible and open. She listens carefully without judgement and finds the essence of the issue as well as answers. We often brought our 2 1/2 year-old to appointments which was delightful. She supported our whole family emotionally as well as walked us through the many many medical decisions to be made with clarity. She has an incredible grasp on Western medicine as well as non-traditional medicine such as herbs, homeopathy, counseling, and the magic of midwifery. Birth: We ended up transferring from home to the hospital, and I was not afraid because Esther was so grounded and reassuring about her decision. It was the right decision and Esther stayed with us for over two days. She never left. She made sure both I and the baby were more than comfortable, that we were at ease and peaceful. She did craniosacral for the baby after she was born. She helped me with every decision on our path. And she supported breast-feeding so beautifully we had a latched baby in an hour as well as milk supply from her many interventions. Post partum: She came over so often, I lost count. She did all of the babies care at home (so lovingly) as well as supporting me through a difficult recovery. She had herbal remedies, pharmaceutical tips, homeopathic remedies, and really anything you can think of. She checked in frequently for support. We are so beyond grateful to Esther and her wisdom we almost added a middle name Esther for our baby. Worth every penny, Esther is truly amazing. read more

I first met Esther when I was donated breastmilk to other families in need and Esther was able to coordinate those handoffs. When I became pregnant with my second and decided to have a homebirth, Esther immediately came to mind. She was fantastic throughout my second pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. She was dedicated, reliable, and knowledgeable. She handled the intricacies of prenatal care during the height of COVID by being both careful and graceful. Her confidence inspired me to have the courage to commit to a home birth. I greatly appreciate her calm presence and patience especially during all of the postpartum visits. She provided homeopathic remedies for both me and my little one, which gave us all immediate and lasting relief. I would 100% recommend Esther as part of your birth team! read more

Esther at Awakenings was my midwife for the birth of my first child. The monthly prenatal care I received was the best health care I've ever experienced in my life. 2+ hour long sessions in which we addressed and resolved some long standing health issues not even directly related to pregnancy. My birth was very long and had some complications and was ultimately successfully completed at home which is what I wanted. I trusted Esther completely and am so grateful to have had my birth experience, even with its challenges. The postpartum care I received was also excellent and included much more sessions and for longer than most midwives offer. This is a big reason I chose Esther, she keeps her client list smaller and is able to give each birthing person a lot of attention and care. read more

Deborah and Juli are the most caring and supportive midwives I have found. They have made such a huge imprint on my life. They have continually gone above and beyond to make me feel safe, comfortable and cared for. They are an amazing team! I wish every mother could have a birth experience with these marvelous women! I would HIGHLY recommend them. I had my second baby with Awakenings in October of 2010. For my first Homebirth I had a terrible experience with a different tri-valley based midwife who was absent, uncaring and ultimately did not make space in her life for me. When I became pregnant with my second child I interviewed several different midwives. Eventually I chose Awakenings because of their years of experience, their down to earth nature and their faith in women. My experience with them became much more that. Every appointment was fulfilling and informative. I remember one in particular where at then end of the appointment Juli walked me out and asked if I felt "whole and complete" with our time together that day. What an amazing thing to ask someone and the end of a prenatal visit!!!! That was her way of making sure that I got what I needed. She really made me feel that she cared about me as a whole person not just a pregnant lady. They always seemed to know exactly what to say and exactly what I needed. The day my son was born was no exception, I was amazed at how Deborah knew exactly what to say and do. She had spent so much time getting to know me at each of our appointments that when the day finally arrived she didn't even have to ask...she just knew! I had a very long early labor from about 7am until 9pm. When Deborah called to check on me, I was tired and frustrated and felt like nothing was happening. Deborah spent about 30 min on the phone with me, she gave me a few key pieces of advice, and a lot of loving, comforting words and within hours my happy, healthy 11-POUND baby boy was born!! (and thanks to Deborah, I didn't even tear!) DEBORAH AND JULI HELPED ME CREATE THE BIRTH EXPERIENCE I HAD ALWAYS DREAMED OF!!! They also have the most extensive postpartum care I have ever found. they are so knowledgeable and informative without being jugemental. I really felt that they cared about my family and I long after I had the baby. They were always there when I needed them. LOVE THOSE LADIES!! read more

Awakenings Birth Services - Midwives Near Me - Oakland, California

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Our midwife recommended we take a homebirth preparation course with Awakenings. We also signed up for the newborn care course and reserved our tub rental with them. WHY OUR EXPERIENCE WITH AWAKENINGS WAS UPSETTING: we are a young couple of color who want to have a home birth because we understand that the hospital setting is especially dangerous for us given the history that our people have had to endure in these institutions. Choosing a home birth is also our way of reclaiming what our ancestors taught us. However, Awakenings is NOT in the business of helping couples like us. They are in the business of making homebirths trendy for their people, (i.e. mostly white hetero folks), even though they claim that they are for the community. Below are examples of our unpleasant experiences: HOMEBIRTH AND NEWBORN COURSE - A total of 4 days/12 hours of homebirth prep for $300. - $75 for 3 hours I do want to share that Esther gave a little discount on the courses after I reached out to her and shared more details about our situation. For that, I was very grateful. However, for a business that has such structured cancellation policies and other policies in place, the structure of the class was very poor. There was no agenda, a lot of hesitation on what information to share, treated couples like children (e.g. "no, that's not the correct answer), used indigenous tools/knowledge, but showed little to no regard to the culture, the birth videos were all white vaginas and the list can go on. At one point, she asked what we visualized our births to be like and I shared that I wanted to experience an orgasmic birth (to me it's simply feeling ecstatic and a rush of physical and emotional energy), her response was not to get too attached to having an orgasmic birth. What a way to burst my bubble! Of course I'm visualizing for the best experience with the understanding that not everything goes according to plan, but her response left me with a bad taste. All the info that we received had already been given to us by our birth team and by doing our own research, so the class didn't really fill any gaps. TUB RENTAL It's cheaper to buy your own than to rent from them (for the cheaper tub). Found that out a bit late so we totally understand why they kept the deposit. However, after we had agreed on the refund total via email, we get a check in the mail with a note saying "Please note the discrepancy from your calculations which is due to calculating sales tax." What business keeps sales tax for a returned item?? And why did she agree to send a check for a certain amount, but then change the total at the last minute without communicating it first? CONCLUSION These people do not care about improving birth outcomes for all if they do not include the needs or non-hetero POC. They function using a very capitalistic system--which is fine, but therefore not a place where struggling families who actually need and deserve compassionate birth services can count on. The rest of our birth team (NOT Awakenings) has been absolutely wonderful. We can tell and feel that they do birth work because it's their calling and we cannot stop sharing how grateful we are for having them. So when we compare our midwives and doula to Awakenings, intentions become clear to us. read more

Esther is an extraordinary midwife. She will make you feel at ease, cared and loved. Her gentle personality embraces you through out your pregnancy and labor. Esther's passion and dedication for her clients goes above and beyond words. Her knowledge is extensive and her support of not only the body and mind, but also the spirit; make her an ideal midwife. Esther is compassionate, loving, positive, and encouraging from beginning to end. She embodies midwifery. read more

Obviously, choosing a midwife is a very personal choice, and as such, your mileage may vary. My wife and I had a lot of trouble finding a midwife for the birth of our son Isaac. We were overjoyed when we found Awakenings and they agreed to be our midwives around week 35. Unfortunately, that joy did not last. My wife never felt she was getting the level of care and support she desired, and when I called them a few weeks later to complain they dropped my wife as a client without ever speaking to her. I cannot speak to their level of competence, as we did not give birth with them, but I felt the way they handled us was extremely unprofessional. As I said your experience could be totally different. I do, however, offer a few pieces of advice if you are considering employing Awakenings: 1. Meet all of the midwives first. My wife made her decision to go with Awakenings after meeting only 2 of the midwives. She did not get a good vibe from the 3rd and Awakenings will not guarantee who will show up at your birth. You have to buy into the practice, not into an individual. 2. Despite the 415 area code, all of the midwives seem to live in the East Bay. Whether intentional or not, my wife and I were made to feel like coming out to San Francisco was such a pain and inconvenience to them. Obviously if you live in the East Bay this would not be a factor. Please feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about my experience you would like to ask. read more

Awakenings Birth Services is an amazing group of midwives! Deborah Simone, Juli Tilsner, and Sharon Craig are caring, attentive, and a highly skilled group. I had my first baby with them and everything from pre-natal care to labor/birth and post-partum care was remarkable. My little girl, Sahara, was born in September 2007 and decided to flip at the last minute and come breech - butt first! They handled the situation with grace and ease and my little girl was born safely and comfortably into a room of family and friends. read more

After ending up in the hospital to give birth to my first son, I finally got to have the birth experience that I wanted, at home. Deborah and Juli were my midwives...I got exceptional pre-natal care, really very thorough and intuitive. SO MUCH more attention that you'll ever get at a hospital! There's no comparison! They helped me to work through my fears...put me at ease. They helped me with headaches I was having. They really know what they're doing when it comes to networking with other healers, recommending herbal remedies. Juli and Deborah are extremely skilled and experienced. I can't say enough good things. My labor and delivery were intense and positive and the after care I received--including help w/ placenta therapy!-- helped w/ my healing and post-partum depression. They were invaluable. I wish I had time to write more. read more

I cannot say enough about Awakenings Birth Services. I'm only in week 31, but in comparison to my fellow preggos, I am so much more informed, confident and calm about my pregnancy and birthing my first child. Not only do the three midwives who come to my home for visits offer my partner and myself reading material, videos, and more reading material 9we have homework!) we are all working together to prepare my partner (he has high blood pressure, cholesterol and is an insomniac) for the arrival of our first child. The knowledge and support of these women certainly includes any and everything I have thus far needed in my pregnancy, but their interest and experiences, support and guidance are offering my partner and I so much more than what I expected. This week I'm asking for referrals for doulas and am wading through the vast vaccine info. I am, as usually, receiving information and guidance from my amazing team of midwives. And I'm looking forward to our next appointment. I have questions. And I know they will help me find the answers. I've turned on a few friends to these ladies. And I've been thanked for it. If you are considering a home birth, set up an interview. You'll meet two out of the three right away, and you'll likely know if they are the right ladies for you. read more

Awakenings Services is an amazing trio of midwives who work within the model of spiritual midwifery. Embodying a holistic approach to body, spirit and mind, each midwife seems to specialize in one of these areas, while joining together to provide an integrated prenatal, labor and birth and postpartum team. My journey towards having a home birth was made possible by Juli Tilsner who responded to my inquiry of their services. Distraught that I would not be able to have my dream home birth, due to financial and insurance obstacles, Juli responded quickly by saying a hospital birth was not an option and offered a sliding scale and a payment plan. Thanks to Juli's initial outreach I was able to benefit from the number of services Awakenings provides. Amongst the skills which Juli specializes in is homeopathy. Knowledgeable in prescribing the appropriate medicine for the aches and pains of the mother's changing body, I was educated in the ability to use it for the ongoing health care of myself and my family. Other gifts which Juli provided was connecting us with an amazing childbirth teacher in the Bradley technique, as well as an excellent Doula who became an integral part of our birth team. Deborah Simone is the spirit rock of this midwifery trio. With over twenty years experience, Deborah brings an unprecedented confidence to her practice, instilling a penetrating calm. On the ground level Deborah has a prolific knowledge of the earths herbal remedies, yet on a higher ground, she embodies an other world spirit which guides one to connecting with ones own inner knowing. I not only experienced this in dealing with my fears throughout the pregnancy but felt this immediately when she came for my last stage of labor where her presence brought an ease to me as I pushed my baby out and into my arms. As a link between body and spirit is the mind which is the realm of Esther Healy. Working with me on identifying the thoughts which connected to the emotions I was experiencing, Esther was able to help me clear the path for a peaceful birth. Her bright positive presence will bring out the best in any mamma who may have the good fortune to work with Esther. The expanded postpartum care which Awakenings provides is an incredible continuum of their services where they help you establish breastfeeding. At every visit they will also assess your health and that of your baby. Going above and beyond their contractual obligations, they have continued to meet with me well beyond the seven or eight times which they are scheduled to meet with you in the first six weeks after birth. Finally they also have connected me with a holistic parent group where I receive further support as I continue on this amazing adventure of motherhood! My deepest thanks goes out to Awakenings and I highly recommend them to anyone considering a home birth. read more

I had my baby a month ago with the midwives from Awakenings, and I can't recommend them enough. I was in their care from the beginning of my pregnancy, and they helped me prepare for my VBAC from Day 1 with passion, compassion, wisdom and amazing knowledge and support. Our prenatal visits , which were always done at my house, were extremely helpful, as each of the 3 midwives spent countless hours helping me work through the issues I had with my previous cesarean birth. They were so patient with me and also gave me referrals to several other local resources to help me prepare for the birth. Additionally, they loaned me videos and books specifically geared to helping my 2-year-old prepare for the birth too, in case we decided to have him at the birth (which we did- and he was totally prepared for it!). Deborah and Sharon were the midwives on call for my birth. Just as with our prenatal visits, they were there for me, with tons of technical expertise and even more encouragement and compassion. My baby arrived as planned at home, and the whole experience has been completely healing for my family and me. Without their dedication to safe VBAC and their passion about their work in general, I wouldn't have been able to prepare for and have the birth I desperately needed to recover from my previous birth experience. Since the birth, they've come to my house for all my postpartum visits and to check on and weigh the baby. The level of care they provide isn't even comparable to what other professionals provide. I recommend them strongly, and especially if you're a candidate for VBAC. read more

fact-based review: I found the midwives at Awakenings (Deborah, Juli, and Esther) to be extremely professional, experienced, informed, and punctual. The process worked very well for me, as they started with an informative consultation; followed with a binder full of useful information for pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood; provided prenatal care in my home; advised on doula support; attended my birth as soon as we called them; prevented an episiotomy when my baby presented with fists by his cheeks; and provided 6 weeks of postpartum care. During the birth I never doubted the health of myself or my child. They were attentively monitoring and at the same time giving me space to remain in the primal part of my brain, where instinctually my body was birthing my baby. My little boy was born with open eyes and pink cheeks and began to nurse within minutes. emotion-based review: It is true - midwives are not doctors or surgeons - they are angels. Awakenings provides so much more than prenatal, birth, and postnatal care. I invited them into the most intimate parts of my physical and emotional self, and they came respectfully, but confidently. They listened to all my concerns and desires and addressed them each thoroughly and thoughtfully. When it came time to give birth, I knew I could do it. I had the confidence not only from within myself, but from my birth team, led by my midwives. 18 months later, when I called them full of self-doubt and confusion, they spent an hour on the phone with me providing encouragement and affirmation. They are my angels and my family. If I were blessed with another pregnancy, I could not imagine any better way to birth my baby than with Awakenings. read more

Juli and Deborah are amazing! I was very nauseous in my first trimester and I was sold on Awakenings from our first phone call. Deborah was so compassionate, knowledgeable and sweet. She "got" me instantly and seemed to know exactly what I needed to hear in that moment. She recommended a bunch of foods for me to try to eat and just generally put my mind at ease. That would be the case throughout my whole pregnancy. Deborah and Juli's approach is always "All is well". Their wisdom and experience made me feel so relaxed, taken care of and in great hands through every home appointment, decision making process and stage of the pregnancy. My dream of a peaceful, intimate and magical birth came true two months ago (I have a beautiful baby boy who's giggling beside me as I write) and I feel so blessed and grateful that these women were by my side for it all! Thank you very much Awakenings!! read more

I wrote a review for Awakenings a while ago- and felt compelled to write another one after I saw a negative review on here. I am an acupuncturist and herbalist and over the last 4 years I have worked very closely with dozens of Deborah and Juli's clients. We work to help labor come more easily, reduce stress and anxiety, body pain, breech baby, and so many other various things that come up during the pregnancy. And during this time I have seen women have the most wonderful home births and others who have had more complicated conditions needing inteventions as well. And with every single birthing mama I have worked with along side Juli and Deborah- I have never seen anything other than incredible knowledge, experience, and compassion in helping women labor and get through any obstacles that may come up. they work with holistic options to help women get to the next place in the birthing process, as well as make incredibly capable and informed decisions on when to move to more medical interventions. I think its important to just acknowledge that though birth is one of the most joyous experiences to have it is also riddled with intense emotions as well- and so many things can happen that we must be prepared for and capable of working with. Juli and Deborah have the level of knowledge it takes to keep with their ideals while dealing with any difficult realities that may come up. in all these years, I have never, not once, from any of the women I have worked with under their care, heard anything other than praise for their knowledge, compassion, and constant vigilance of making sure mama and baby are safe and taken care of. i hear things like "they were amazing" and "i literally couldn't have done it without them" on a regular basis. When things get complicated in birth as they sometimes do, and interventions may become needed that weren't expected -it can be hard not to feel the need to point a finger or have someone to blame. i understand this. but i also wanted to counter some of this after i read it- because i have seen nothing but the opposite of that in my practice. they truly have been incredible with the women i have worked with while under their care. In the last 4 years i have felt nothing but honored and in awe of their work and knowledge, and feel incredibly lucky to get work with such women. i have learned more about the birthing process and healthy pregnancy from them than i could have imagined. i honestly and most sincerely couldn't recommend better midwives in the bay area for home birth. and to be honest, i think the best recommendation i can give is that knowing what i know, and seeing what i've seen, i know that when i am ready to give birth- Awakenings will be the ones I choose. read more

I had my second baby with Deborah and Juli. Having a homebirth was one of the most pivotal experiences of my life, and I have my midwives to thank for it. They work superbly as a team. Our first baby was at Alta Bates, and from what I hear a pretty typical experience. We had a doctor that we trusted (friend's cousin), and she came through as expected, but I learned that it's hard to expect a pizza at a hamburger joint. Let me explain... We planned on a natural birth, giving baby immediate access to the breast, and a calm setting. When we expressed our wishes to the nurse, we were met with a chuckle and "we'll see." Seriously. Needless to say, my confidence shattered and literally the entire staff used to giving birth the one way they know how, our wishes were quickly pushed to the side. In hindsight, we should have known better. A hospital is used to giving birth a certain way, and does it repeatedly day in and out. Enter Deborah and Juli. From the initial interview until four weeks after the birth of our daughter, they were there. They provided a perfect balance between scientific research and emotional support, and helped me believe that I had the strength within me to do this. Ultimately, the inner confidence that grew within me was pivotal, as our daughter came out waaay faster than expected and my husband and I gave birth on our own until literally the last minute. Do I feel cheated that Deborah and Juli couldn't make it in time to catch our baby? Absolutely not. On the contrary, their training and hand holding prepared us for the birth we had. While I felt insecure and powerless in the hospital, I felt confident and strong in my home birth. While I felt abandoned after the delivery in the hospital, I was given ultimate support at home - they cooked for me, gave step-by-step instructions to help heal me "down there", and even prepared placenta pills to prevent post-partum depression (which helped a lot!) Overall, if you're looking for a laid-back yet informed pair of midwives, you can't go wrong with this duo. read more

We have been absolutly thrilled with the attention and service we've received from the midwives at Awakenings! We first began looking for a midwife when I was 10 weeks pregnant. We contacted several and interviewed two. We felt an immediate connection with Sharon and Julie when they came to visit with us. The care I was given was great. Becasue we started early we got to know all three midwives as if they were family and felt confident to know that who ever of the team was able to attend the birth, that we could be fully supported. This is a great benefit over solo midwives because if your midwife is at another birth when you go into labor she may send backup that you don't even know! They are masters at giving true informed consent. They present all of the options when it comes to all of the little decisions one must make when they are pregnant. And they do it with no attachment to what you decide! The birth experience was priceless. Because they'd given us so much information well ahead of time, we were able to have everything ready for the big day. Deborah and Juli were there for the birth and provided strong support and tender care to me and my baby. I think my favorite part of the whole birth day was how Juli and Deborah show such genuine joy and gratitude for the opportunity to witness the birth of our daughter. It was the kind of joy and gratitude you would expect from someone who had never attended a birth before, but these women have attended hundreds! read more

I love Juli and Deborah. Each of them have so much to offer. They are Incredible!!! Because of their support throughout my pregnancy, birth and postpartum, I had an amazing birth and bonding experience with my second child. I believe that this helped her to be such a peaceful, healthy baby and has contributed to the incredible bond I feel with her. My first birth I wanted a natural birth, but I didn't know as much about birth as I know now. I chose to have the birth in a hospital with midwives. Not to get into too many details, his birth ended up following down the line of typical interventions for the majority of hospital births and I delivered vaginally with cervidil then pitocin and epidural. Still an amazing experience, it wasn't really what I had in mind. For my second birth I wanted more. I started teaching prenatal yoga and learned so much more about options for birth and decided that home was the safest and best place for me. I interviewed numerous midwives and from a friend's recommendation I found Awakenings. My friend said that "they were exactly what she needed." I couldn't say it any better and agree 100% with my experience. At all appointments they were generous with their time, provided support in ways I didn't even realize I needed, referred me to excellent practicioners for accupuncture, pediatrics, and more. They provided me with incredible information and resources so that I can take better care of myself and my family. They cured a UTI where I tested positive for Group B strep within one month, provided immune support through flu season, helped with homeopathic remedies for hip pain, and helped me process emotions from my first birth. This birth was very fast and I don't live close by. My partner called the on call midwife, Juli, once I thought I was in labor. She checked in again soon after and by that time my labor was obviously progressing. Her and Deborah came over right away. Deborah was taking care of all preparations for the birth while Juli was by my side. They were so calm and supportive. They created a safe and warm space to welcome my baby into this world. The postpartum care was incredible and so much more involved than my hospital birth. I healed quickly after this birth with less pain and more energy for my baby. No tears which I attribute to the perineum support during the delivery. I cannot thank Juli and Deborah enough. They have transformed the meaning of care for me and I wish more women had the same level of support for their birth. read more

I gave birth to my 3rd baby at home with the help of Juli and Deborah. This magical event happened over a year ago, and thinking about everything that transpired in those 12 hours still brings a tear to my eye. From the very beginning Juli and Deborah were honest and forthcoming. I felt like a participant in my child's birth, not merely a spectator observing from the sidelines. They answered any and every question I had; no subject was taboo, and I was never scoffed at or made to feel small for questioning one of their recommendations. On the day of little J's birth, both Juli and Deborah were on the scene. They let me labor on my own without interruption and only intervened when they felt I needed a little guidance. My family has recently moved out of the area, and we don't plan on having anymore children in the near future, but if circumstances change, I will definitely turn to Awakenings Birth Services for their help. read more

Esther is one of the top professionals in her field, and we highly recommend her as a primary care provider during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. When we found Esther, we were looking for a midwife to provide us with care throughout the process of having our first child so that we could optimize our health and wellbeing and be guided by a knowledgeable practitioner who sees pregnancy and birth as a ordinary/extraordinary life event and rite of passage, rather than a medical issue (unless of course unless medical issues arise). We had the most empowering, thorough, comprehensive, and warm experience of being cared for by Esther and her apprentice, Lucy. Every woman should have access to such amazing care! Our baby is gorgeous and healthy, thanks to Esther's extensive knowledge of how to promote women's health and wellbeing and her skilled approach to caring for my and my baby's mental/emotional/physical/spiritual wellbeing. Any issues during my pregnancy, birth and postpartum were dealt with in a proactive, empowering and skilled manner, our home birth was magical and challenging in all the best ways, and our family is stronger, more empowered, and more in love than ever. We couldn't have done any of it without Esther and her team. We were lucky enough to not have any major complications or medical issues that required intervention throughout my pregnancy, birth and postpartum, but Esther was never opposed to providing or seeking medical intervention if necessary. In fact, she was especially open and non-judgmental and helped us balance a more alternative/natural approach with a medical-model approach. She provided comprehensive information on every issue to give us true informed consent and helped us navigate getting certain labs and tests through Kaiser when we chose that route. We can't recommend her enough!!! read more

I know Julie and Deborah personally. They are amazing woman who love and care for each of their clients with loving attention. Ever present in noticing important details within each pregnancy and ever available for each and every woman under their care. They are wonderful, wise and generous woman that I am blessed to know. I recommend them highly! read more

If you are looking for a gentle hand that will guide you through the most profound life altering experience of your life PLEASE DON'T GO WITH AWAKINGS BIRTH SERVICE. We had an awful experience. Through sharing this very personal information I hope what happened to me does not happen to another woman. I sought out the care of a midwife for the birth of our first child. I was really impressed with how ABS had three midwifes in practice together and how they have two midwifes at the birth. This made my husband feel more secure because he was not 100% certain with the whole homebirth idea. But after we meet two of the midwifes, Deborah and Julie he was excited to embrace the journey. They were good for the prenatal care but during my labor they fell short in a BIG WAY. My husband and I were left laboring for 50 hours at home with a first time doula (whom they provided) The midwife, Deborah, came to check on me 6 hours into my labor where she assured me some labors are long. She did not check my vitals and told me to stop putting so much drama around the contractions. If you have ever been in labor you know some drama/pain can come along with them! After 48 hours of laboring and zero progression I knew I had to go to the hospital. My husband was worried and my Doula was exhausted and worried. No one had called to check in on her. Finally the Doula called Deborah (why didn't she call before???) and informed her I wanted to go to the hospital. She finally came over where she offered to give me herbs to speed up the process. With a preface that I would have to work HARDER if she gave them to me (WORK HARDER). I refused the herbs and we packed my bag for the hospital. When I went to the hospital they found my baby in fetal distress (he is fine, thankfully). The Dr's told us if we had waited any longer it could had been fatal. I had an emergency C-section. The midwifes never made me feel safe or secure in this whole process. Any compassion or kindness to a women laboring for 50 hours went out the window when Deborah had other clients to visit that day. When we came home with our son I didn't want to see her. She called my cell 7 times in one day to try and come over and resolve the whole thing. She even pushed past my husband in the doorway to come and talk to me (he had told her I was busy. I guess she didn't care). When she found me with company she left. Then a week later they wanted to have a talk with me and my husband to process everything that happen. I was not in the space to do this for I was suffering from postpartum depression and recovering from a major surgery. One would think that a group of professionals working in this area would also know it was too soon to meet but we all meet one morning at my house. I wanted to hear their side of it. The Doula apologized for not calling sooner and I thought Deborah was going to apologize for not checking on me and apologize to the Doula for not checking in on her (Deborah knew she was in training and had never done a home birth). Deborah never apologized to anyone. All she could tell me is that the midwifes ONLY comes to the birth and that is why the provided me a Doula. So they are only there to catch the baby and the part that leads up to that...well you're on your own. If you are considering contacting this birth service please reconsider. There are so many other amazing midwifes out there. Look at all your options because every woman deserves some compassion and love in their labor! read more

I gave birth to my second child with Awakenings. My first was a home birth with different midwives. These women are amazing. They are really good at what they do. They are extremely professional and knowledgeable. They have tons of experience. They are who you want if everything goes perfectly and if anything goes astray. They are very highly skilled, tempered with strong intuition. My son's birth had some complications, they remained calm and collected, and handled everything in a very professional, level headed manor. I never felt worry from them and that gave me great confidence. They gave great advise, suggestions, and instructions and worked coherently and effectively as a team with each other, myself, and my husband. I felt their prenatal and postpartum care was thorough and educational. They connected me with other wonderful health care providers for my over all healing postpartum. They worked with me to meet my financial needs. Having a home birth is an amazing process, completely unlike a hospital birth, even when using midwives in a hospital setting. If a woman is a good candidate for a home birth, and the midwives will screen you too, to make sure of this, then home is the best place for her to give birth. Normal birth does not belong in the hospital. Hospitals are really good at high risk births. They are not as good at NOT interfering in a naturally progressing labor. I highly recommend Awakenings Birth Services. I highly recommend interviewing several midwives and asking very pointed, hard to ask questions and ultimately using who you feel most comfortable with. read more

I gave birth to my baby girl at home with the help of the midwives of Awakenings Birth Services. I was still on the fence about having a homebirth when I met with the midwives but after talking with them, during the 2-hour interview at my home, I was convinced that a home birth was what I wanted. And, that I wanted to do it with them. They were able to answer all of my questions and dispel so many of the common fears that accompany the idea of giving birth at home. Thus, having plenty of answers for my skeptical family and friends. Over the 6 months that followed the interview, I had a pre-natal visit every 3 weeks, many of which lasted an hour and a half. (The month before your due date they come once a week.) I felt relaxed and excited about every visit because I could ask any number of questions without feeling rushed. They encourage you to talk about both physical and emotional concerns. Sharon, Juli, and Deborah helped me in so many ways prepare for a healthy pregnancy and natural childbirth. They were also there for me during the somewhat scary postpartum days. For example, like many first time moms, I was having a hard time getting my baby to breastfeed properly so, my nipples were very sore. Sharon came over, 2 days after the birth, unscheduled, at 9:30pm on a Saturday night to help us. I am so grateful for that visit because it set us on the right track. Because Awakenings is a three woman team, you may find that you connect more with one of the midwives than the others, but that's kind of the beauty of the team. They all have different qualities that compliment one another. And you will always have two of them at your home birth. That was a huge selling point for me. And on the night of my baby's birth, I felt taken care of! read more

I was lucky enough just a little more than two weeks ago to give birth to my second daughter at home with the help of Juli and Deborah from Awakenings and I can't say enough about how great they are! From the beginning of our relationship with them up though this week my partner, older daughter and I have had a wonderful experience thanks to their thoughtful and knowledgeable support and caring presence. The prenatal care that I received was thorough, thoughtful and very helpful; I loved being seen in my home where I felt that all three (Juli, Deborah and Sharon) were getting to know me and my family. They helped me with everything that came up in my pregnancy and they helped me prepare for a home birth, including helping my partner and I prepare our older daughter for the experience. They were lovely at including her in all our prenatal visits, talking with her and providing us with resources for preparing her. Our birth experience was wonderful - Juli and Deborah provided us with all the support we needed and yet also gave us space to have our own gentle experience. My daughter was thrilled to be there for the moment of birth and hop into the tub to greet her new sister! In the time just after our baby was born I felt so cared for by Juli and Deborah - they took gentle, thoughtful, attentive care of both me and our new baby. When they left us, tired but happy, I felt that I had been completely supported and provided for. Lastly, I can't overstate the importance of their post-partum care. They visited me four times in the first week and helped me to manage the adjustment to adding a new baby into our lives. From their practical advice, the placental therapy, and just their warm, emotional support, my partner and I have both felt that their help has been invaluable. I feel so lucky to have found the Awakenings team and to have had such a positive experience bringing my new daughter into the world. read more

i used Awakenings twice. what more can i say???! my first was born almost 5 yrs ago. my pregnancy went well, but my emotions got the best of me during my 7th month. i clearly remember juli that month looking at me and then my partner and saying, "it breaks my heart to see a mother so sad". something about that statement--the feeling it evoked--and the look in her eyes made my partner finally see how serious of an issue it was. from there, all three midwives supported me in every way they knew. my sadness dissolved within that very month. my labor went smoothly, we felt safe, and each postpartum was amazing. they shared genuine joy with us. when we got pregnant again 3 yrs later, we had no doubt that we would use them again. unfortunately, i miscarried, but i received amazing emotional support from them. by the time i got pregnant again, the group was down to deborah and juli. once again, we had a great experience. here's a major perk to using these women: they come to YOU for prenatals. by the time we went into labor, they were like a part of our household. it felt very natural to have them in my space. they didn't feel like guests. they knew my house, they knew my family. this felt huge to me, nevermind the fact that i never had to pack up my son, pack up a lunch for my perpetually hungry pregnant belly and my son, get in the car, go somewhere and hope that my toddler would be entertained so that i could have a fulfilling visit, etc, etc, etc..... let me also just say that i got as little or as much as i needed each visit. there were times when i needed a full 90 minutes of attention. other times i only needed 30 (particularly the 2nd time around). juli and deborah always honored my changing needs and desires. needless to say, i highly recommend them! read more

I came to Juli and Deborah to birth my second child. My background was unique because I had apprenticed to a midwife in my past and my first child's birth had been with the midwife that I had apprenticed to. I know a lot about birth and was feeling very particular about choosing a midwifery practice for my second birth because I did not necessarily get to choose who was at my first child's birth, rather I felt an obligation to be with the midwife who I had worked for in the past. As soon as I met Juli and Deborah I knew that I would not need to interview any other midwives. What struck me most from the interview was that they were a great team. There were subjects that Deborah was bold and talkative about where Juli was reserved and observant and vice versa. Deborah offered expertise in herbs, and Juli offered expertise in homeopathy and flower essences. Their personalities complimented each other and I could tell that they both respected each other. I also liked that they were both older women; I know it is not always true across the board and sometimes a younger midwife can have a great deal of experience and wisdom, but for myself I very much wanted in a midwife the wisdom and experience that can only come with age. I also like that they were so 'counter-culture.' The prenatal care was excellent. I had a very uncomfortable pregnancy and Deborah and Juli had plenty of advice for all of my complaints. The prenatals were long and I grew to look forward to the chatting and storytelling. Deborah is a wonderful conversationalist and storyteller. So much of the connection and understanding built between the midwife and the mother is through storytelling and conversation. Towards the end of my pregnancy my emotional/spiritual side was going through some serious catharsis, this is where my relationship with Juli grew very stronger. She was an amazing listener and offered me a lot of insight into my dreams and experiences. Esther of Mandala Midwifery was also there for a lot of my cathartic prenatals and she was also very caring and had sue really wonderful insights. My second, like my first, was 10 days past due. I was desperate to go into labor, but Deborah and Juli just kept reminding me to trust my body. There was no talk of castor oil or stripping membranes. I am so thankful for this in retrospect and I am so happy that my baby got to chose his birthdate. I was a little nervous about having 3 midwives at the birth because when I am in labor I like to have privacy. It turned out not to be a problem at all because only Juli was checking on me in labor. I felt closest with Juli, though I never expressed it to them, but I think they must have picked up on it since she was the one who attended to me in labor. They were all in the room for the actual birth. When I was pushing I was very scared, my second child was much bigger than my first (3lb 8 oz bigger) and I needed a firm voice to get me to get over my fear and push past it. Juli was that strong voice for me. The afterbirth and postpartum care was wonderful, as with the prenatals the visits were long and full of storytelling and chatting. I would whole heartily recommend them to anyone who was looking for a peaceful, hands-off birthing experience. read more

I highly recommend Awakenings Birth Services. My husband and I had the homebirth of our dreams with Juli Tilsner and Deborah Simone in Sept. 2010 and are pregnant with #2. When I confirmed the second pregnancy part of my excitement was about the fact that we get to plan another homebirth with Awakenings! With baby #1 I started prenatal care at Kaiser but at 20 weeks (after a series of events which coincided with educating myself about birth as a natural physiological process) we made the leap to plan a homebirth. We interviewed other midwives but Juli and Deborah were the ones who had the right combination of experience, parameters of care provided, energy, and open-mindedness that we were looking for. They make house calls for every prenatal visit, explain all of our choices for prenatal, birth, and postpartum options without judgement, making it clear the decisions we make are to be our own, they were merely providing information for us to make the decisions. They handled all the labs, etc, everything they did for us at Kaiser but without the hassle and germs of going to the hospital. They fully prepared us for the birth, including having a team meeting with us and our doula in advance so we were all on the same page about what everyone's role was on the day of (mine was just to be cared for while baby made his entrance). The birth was everything I hoped for, calm and totally unmedicated. Not to mention I didn't have even one tiny tear, thanks to the counter pressure the midwives applied while I was pushing. When baby was born however, he had a bit of trouble breathing, so the midwives gave him some oxygen. He continued to have a rasp in his breath so Juli slept on our couch all night, set her alarm to wake up once per hour, and checked on him continuously until it cleared up. She did tell us that if we wanted to go to the emergency room she would come with and support us, but since she and Deborah had seen this before clear up on its own, we decided to wait a few hours and see. I'm so glad we did, I couldn't imagine going to the hospital at 4am after hours of labor for something that cleared up on its own. Also, baby had trouble breastfeeding at first and Juli came back over the next day after he was born to go over more ways to hold him, which we kept trying until we found something that worked. Lastly, I think one of the best things about Awakenings care are the postpartum visits. I couldn't imagine having to take a tiny baby to the hospital in his first few weeks of life. Juli and Deborah cared for both of us postpartum extremely well, including baby's genetic screening tests. After explaining to my Kaiser pediatrician the care baby was receiving, Doc agreed we didn't need to come into the hospital for baby's first visit until 2 months. I know this was a lengthy review, but we clearly LOVE Awakenings and I've been meaning to write a recommendation for them for a long time! read more

I can't say enough good things about Awakenings Birth Services. Deborah and Juli are amazing, skilled and truly love what they do. I wanted to give birth to my first child at home and did a lot of research in the years prior. After interviewing a few other midwives on the phone, I met Deborah in person and hired ABS on the spot. My pregnancy was smooth and relatively easy. I live in Pacifica and they never acted like it was an issue driving to the many appointments. Juli went out of her way to check my blood pressure more often because it was starting to creep up near the end of pregnancy. I had insurance through Kaiser and had a couple of ultrasounds there since it was free for me and the OB never seemed concerned about my BP being right on the cusp of worrisome. I felt like I had much better care with Deborah and Juli than I would have at the hospital, even as far as BP was concerned. They don't just treat the symptoms, they get to the root of why something is off. They "made" me stop working at my high-pressured job two weeks earlier than I'd planned. It fixed the BP issue. I felt so comfortable with both of the midwives. I truly felt like they were part of my family and had my, and my baby's, best interest at heart. Once labor started I updated them like they asked. I had a long early stage and I was feeling pretty defeated by about hour 22. I really wanted them to come and check me because I didn't want to do it anymore. Deborah came and really helped me work through my emotions and pain and helped speed things along. Once my doula was there, she became a great support for my partner. With Deborah's help, I dilated 7 cm in 3.5 hours. She encouraged me the whole time and helped me stay home and not transfer for pain relief. I then pushed my baby out in 20 minutes. They both truly took care of me, my baby and my partner. I had a lot of postpartum issues with emotions, breastfeeding, etc. They literally saved my breastfeeding relationship more than once! Deborah came over more than she was expected to, just to help and do some "therapy" with me to help me with my issues. I still feel like SHE is the reason I was able to finally bond with my daughter. She cried with me, laughed with me, commiserated with me, and hugged me so many times. She knew exactly what I needed and when I needed it. She is known as the baby whisperer. She showed us how to calm our fussy, crying newborn and just went above and beyond what was expected. She is amazing and we will always think of her as part of our family. Awakenings Birth Services is truly amazing! They are so knowledgeable, compassionate, caring, and truly believe in the power of women to birth naturally and at home. If we ever become pregnant, they will be the first ones to know, so we can have another wonderful birth with them. read more

Coming across Esther was a huge blessing from the universe. She was the first and only midwife I interviewed and I knew she was the one. Her soul emanates positive energy and love. My son's birth was such a mix of emotions, of uncertainty and strength. I will forever be grateful to Esther who stayed patient and positive with me during the whole journey. She poured her heart into absolutely everything. Not only was she my midwife, but she taught the childbirth education class that I was in. Esther is full of an incredible amount of useful information. read more

Working with Esther has been such a gift. She is warm and supportive and offers guidance but not dogma, which made me feel so comfortable throughout the process. Highly recommend! read more

You brought us the most precious gift possible----Our son---enough said----All the ladies at Awakenings are hands down great in our book! They were all patient, attentive, kind, and the most important to us----they knew what they were doing & talking about! Their expertise didnt end when Zachary came to us---Sharon kept us informed, answered our questions during follow ups as well....Every time i would leave a message, although he was already with us, someone would call us back....We need more souls like you around, you make it a great experience to go through...Thank you, one & all...Allen/Jill/Zachary read more

I would give 10 stars if I could. I have had two amazing homebirths with Awakenings Birth Service and Esther Healey. From beginning to end my experience was all I could have hoped for in a pregnancy and child birth. I think one of the ways homebirth care stands out from hospital care is the prenatal care you receive. With Esther it is personal, thoughtful, thorough, and comfortable. Prenatal care with Esther included frequent 2 hour long visits either at her house or ours where we could talk about any range of topics regarding my pregnancy, health, hopes, fears, or parenting. I could bring my young daughter to all appointments and Esther was happy to talk about new parenthood and any challenges we were facing. My daughter LOVED playing with her chart and pens. She is knowledgeable and informative and will help give the parents the information they need to make the decisions that are right for their family. During labor and delivery both times Esther had a way of knowing just what we needed. The first time she hung back as my partner, doula, and I spent time laboring but was right there when we were ready for her. For my second labor that was very quick and intense she arrived quickly, got everything set up while simultaneously providing me with the perfect touch or encouraging word that made me feel safe. As my baby came out with his elbow up by his face she expertly guided him out without me having any tearing. It's hard to write in a short yelp review all the gifts Esther has provided my family. I loved pregnancy and childbirth. I think a lot of that is thanks to Esther and her ability to make me feel calm, ready, and confident. I could not have imagined a better midwife. She is exactly who you want by your side through pregnancy and childbirth and beyond. I hope if I ever am lucky enough to have another baby that Esther can be my midwife again. read more

Deborah and Juli (and wonderful intern Esther) took wonderful care of me during my second pregnancy. During the course of my first pregnancy, I received care that I thought was SEVERELY lacking in more ways than one. First from a highly respected OB at Golden Gate Obstetrics (barely clocking in with 10 min. visits, and when I told her I was having some back pain her response was "well, that's all part of pregnancy!" oh well!) then I transferred care to UCSF mainly because I thought I'd be getting midwife care, only to discover that because I labored on a weekend, I saw a "midwife" for about 10 minutes of my labor... but I digress!....... Anyway, I had pushed for 5 hours with my first baby before I finally asked the UCSF staff to try and turn my baby's head because I was sure it was stuck. It was, and they didn't and I wound up with a c-section and long recovery and left wondering what the hell had happened. With my next baby, I felt I needed to completely take a different road and have a COMPLETELY different experience and use a different model of care. Awakenings happily took me on as not only someone who wanted to try for a VBAC, but as someone who wanted to go for a HBAC. Deborah and Juli could not promise me that I would have the perfect birth or that I would even birth vaginally and avoid another surgery. They could guarantee that we could work together to do everything possible to have a healthy, holistic pregnancy, to get to know me, my family and our needs and to work like hell to avoid another c-section.... and they did. I received EXCELLENT and thorough prenatal care, in my own home for long lengths of time. They address every concern I had and helped me to process my first birth. They helped me navigate through the hospital's labeling of my pregnancy as "high risk" and also gave me excellent reassurance when I was told my baby had some terrible sounding thing called a "bilateral plexus choroid cyst" on it's brain. (sounds pretty bad, right?) They were able to tell me more about those cysts than the doctors at UCSF ever bothered to. Our birth was a wonderful home birth for the first half. When my second baby also became stuck and it was apparent that he could not make it out, Deborah and Juli helped me transfer care to the hospital for a c-section, which I had come to terms with accepting as pretty much the only way I could birth a child out of my body. DId I get my HBAC? No. Did I have a healthy pregnancy? Yes! Did the Awakenings team work with me to do everything in our power to avoid a c-section surgery. Absolutely. I had a strong healthy baby and felt good about the way it all went down. They stayed with me in the hospital the ENTIRE time until I made it out of post-op. They visited me in the hospital twice afterward and made COUNTLESS home visits for extensive postpartum care. My experience with them was top notch and very thorough. If you are looking to try a VBAC, this is your crew! read more

I attended a truly fabulous workshop with Juli Tilsner on Optimal Fetal Positioning a month ago. Juli is an excellent teacher. She was very clear and also relaxed so that it was easy for participants to ask questions and become involved. Juli proceeded logically to explain what helps create optimal conditions for birthing and then to show us how we can offer information both prenatally and during birthing to encourage optimal positions for babies. Juli had arranged to have two pregnant moms come to our class so that we could learn palapation skills. A few weeks after this class I attended a birth where the skills I learned, I believe, made a big difference in how the birthing progressed. I am so grateful to Juli for sharing her knowledge so that I can be more effective as a doula in supporting mothers as their journey unfolds during birth. Cindy Whitman-Bradley read more

It's nearly impossible to condense my thoughts on these wonderful and competent women into a brief review. I had my son a little over a month ago under the care of Juli, Deborah, and Esther. My relationship with these women lasted a good 6-7 months and I learned so much invaluable information during that time; about women's health, the birthing process, my relationship with my husband, my response to motherhood. These ladies represent what is unique to homebirthing. I felt they really provided customized care, emotional support, my husband was an active participant through the whole process and caught my baby! I was especially impressed with the postpartum care. We saw them maybe 7 or 8 additional visits after the baby came which was a very difficult time for us, and they were like little angels who refused to let go until the job was done. They approach their work with such knowledge and dedication, and really empowered my husband and I to have an incredible home birth experience. Thanks so much Deborah and Juli! read more

I write with the highest recommendation possible for Awakenings Birth Services. I am a medical professional and had many questions for the midwives. They answered each and every one of them with patience and expertise. They allayed all of my concerns and fears and I was constantly learning about pregnancy, birth, my newborn and many more important subjects including something as tangential as treating my 4 year old naturally for utis. They were truly invaluable and their work with us and our birth experience was a life changing one. I started my care late, around 22 weeks and Deborah was present for the birth. I formed such a special bond with Deborah and will truly miss her. She inspired me and I feel like a changed person having had her as our midwife. She impacted me, my husband, and our family in many ways. The resources provided were excellent, articles every Momma should have. The time spent durings appts, at my home, were between and hour and hour and a half. I always felt my like my questions were answered and I was getting excellent, comprehensive care. The postnatal care was also outstanding. I have never felt so well cared for by a medical professional. They helped me through GBS positive without antibiotics and were so on top of early mastitis (without antibiotics) that it resolved without any difficulty - I worried about breast feeding and the need for antibiotics and they treating me naturally and avoided antibiotics There are truly no words to express the amazing experience we had with Deborah and awakenings. Consider yourself lucky to have them care for you! A very happy Mama! read more

Awakenings is an extraordinary team of women to work with...I too cannot recommend them highly enough. They provide a tremenous amount of expertise, experience, and personal care through the entire pregnancy/birth/postpartum experience. I'd like to specifically comment on a few of the points that Steve S (first post) made. 1. I live in SF, about as far away from the EB as possible (out by the ocean) and I never, ever, felt like it was a hassle for them to come out to see us. On the contrary, they were always happy to head out our way... 2. Going with a team of 3 midwives allows you to be GUARANTEED that 2 of the 3 of them will be at your birth. I loved this, because I wanted my prenatal care provider to be at my birth. Going with only one midwife always leaves the possiblity that another client will be in labor, that the midwife has her day off, or is on vacation. If that's the case, you get her back-up midwife - whom you've probably never met before. Awakenings usually has all three midwives come to your house for an initial meeting before you decide to work with them, and then for your prenatal visits they rotate, one coming to your house every three weeks (except the last month, which is every week), so you can get to know them all. (Also I should mention that their visits were never rushed - they always stayed at least an hour) By the end of my pregnancy I trusted each of them so much and was certain that I'd be happy with whichever two ended up at my birth. 3. One other comment - I cannot overstate the incredible postpartum care that they provide. Looking for a midwife, I never really thought about how important postpartum care was - but if you're looking for a midwife, please check out what they offer post-partum. Awakenings offered us such great support, coming to our house every other day for a few weeks, then once a week for a few weeks, then every other week, for a total of 6 weeks as our baby's primary care providers. And their visits were always at least an hour long. I am so grateful to them for their knowledge, wisdom, support and love! read more