Working with Carla and her team was an amazing experience. We were paired up with Eduarda (Duda),…read morewho we got along with right away. Not only is she incredibly professional and punctual (she would show up early and leave late for every shift), but her communication style was perfectly aligned with what we were hoping for: patient, warm, and very knowledgeable. Our newborn baby girl seemed to absolutely love her and was very calm in her care. For anyone considering Nurturing Hands, I can't recommend Duda enough. She set the bar so high, and we're excited to continue working with her (hopefully even in the future if we decide to have kid #2).

We had such a great experience with Nurturing Hands Doulas! Carla is great and matched us with a…read morewonderful doula, Leticia. She was our night doula and provided us with the rest and recovery that we need to make our days feel more manageable and less overwhelming. She was very professional, offering advice/guidance, as needed. We highly recommend working with Nurturing Hands and Leticia.

It's 8pm on a Saturday night and I am relaxing on my couch having a glass of wine. My little man…read morehas been sleeping in his crib since he fell asleep there, ON HIS OWN, SEVEN minutes after we put him down - without a peep. You read that right. Since I have such ample time, this review will be a long one. I gave you fair warning. I'm not so rigid to think or expect that every night will unfold like tonight. There will be teeth! walking! talking! more regressions to come. However, a month after starting this process, it has become a reasonable reality for me to expect that on more days/nights rather than not (meaning NAPS and bedtime), he will go to sleep. It is a work in progress, but Dahlia guided us through it with the confidence and clarify we ourselves needed to provide to our son for the process to work. The backstory: At 11 weeks old, my son morphed from our lovely sleeping newborn waking twice a night to waking EVERY HOUR, needing to be soothed back to sleep...while sleeping in our bed. As the weeks dragged on, it became clear he was not going to outgrow this hiccup in an amount of time that would preserve my sanity (or marriage lol), and things were snowballing from bad to dreadful (more on that below). He eventually settled on a pattern of waking 4-7 times per night; however, he started having negative sleep associations to most every soothing trick in the book. I won't waste time listing such strategies or the gimmicks I bought on Amazon. Well-meaning folks always shared their soothing strategies. Well, if you can envision it, we tried it. Don't start to tell me about white noise and black out shades. Eventually, NOTHING WORKED except the boob. So sleep - meaning all naps and bedtime plus the night wake ups - became an hour long battle with raging, screaming, kicking, tears. All of which did not guarantee an outcome of sleep in the end! This was a vicious cycle on repeat at least 4 times daily which went on for almost two months (give or take some days where baby was so exhausted he slept well for a night or two). On top of this, I had impending abdominal and oral surgeries. Just icing on the cake. We knew we had to sleep train. After pouring through blogs and books about the various sleep training techniques and studies, I still had reservations (and extreme anxiety subjecting my baby to this), and needed someone to lead me through its ups and downs. Alright I'll be honest - sleep training is mostly down. It is painful. Gutwrenchingly PTSD painful if your baby is anything like mine. Enter Dahlia. She is honest, positive, supportive, respectful, and above all, will use her knowledge to SEE YOU THROUGH IT. She makes herself available and genuinely wants to help you. I cannot thank her enough and I definitely promise you will not get that from a blog. So dread. I used to DREAD naps and bedtime. The clock would hit 5:30pm and my heart would sink a little. My soul would wail a sad song. Now, I think about the time I can spend writing long reviews and blogging while he's sleeping. And the biggest plus? The little man wakes up RELAXED and RESTED and happy to see me. THANK YOU DAHLIA!

Dahlia is the BEST! We hired her for 3 months of postpartum work, which is no small task with…read moretwins! She was so caring, nurturing, and gentle with our babies, her experience was only outweighed by her sweetness and profound gift for "twinning". I feel so lucky to have had her work with us, she taught us (first-time parents) so much, from swaddling to bathing to infant massage! Every morning when Dahila arrived it was a ray of sunshine and positive energy, my babies responded so well to her songs, her feeding techniques, and her cuddles. We were so sad to say goodbye to her when it was time, and are almost jealous of the next family that gets to work with her! :) :)

Hiring Lenore as our doula was one of the best decisions we made. She was consistently warm,…read moregenuinely caring, and incredibly responsive. Her professionalism and organization were impressive, yet she remained completely approachable throughout. Lenore empowered me to create the birth plan I wanted and provided resources to help me feel prepared. She walked alongside us through important decisions and connected us to wonderful providers, including a pelvic floor therapist. During labor, her support both at home and at the hospital was critically helpful. I'm so grateful for my beautiful birthing experience! It was also reassuring that she was a known and respected presence at the hospital. My partner was initially uncertain about hiring a doula, but now says without hesitation that it was one of our best decisions. I cannot recommend Lenore highly enough.

If you are looking to hire a doula, look no further. Lenore is absolutely incredible at what she…read moredoes, and choosing to have her on my birthing team was one of the best decisions I've made. I honestly couldn't imagine going through the birthing journey without her. She provided so much insight, support, and value throughout every step of the way. During the prenatal sessions, she was intentional about getting to know my partner and I, as well as my birthing preferences. When the unexpected happened, she was there to offer me a fresh perspective and the right questions to ask. Lastly, when it came to giving birth, she knew exactly what to say, exactly what support I needed, and kept me feeling embodied and empowered throughout the entire experience. I can confidently say that I would never have been able to achieve my desired birth without her.

Alex is easily one of the most impactful humans I've ever had the pleasure to come across. I was…read morelucky to have been referred to her by a mom in my pregnancy and new mother's group. She has been an invaluable resource and support on my journey into becoming a single mother of 3. I found her presence incredibly calm and healing, she was so intuitive and really helped me do a lot of soul work. Even her singing voice is captivating and comforting, lulling me into quiet tears. She helped uplift me from a dark place into a transformed mother, self assured and capable. I had suffered through postpartum depression two times before, and I was fortunate to have evaded it this time around with the tremendous care of Alex. Thank you for your profound impact on my family.

Absolutely LOVE Alex! We gave birth to our first baby girl last month completely unmedicated thanks…read moreto Alex. She is extremely knowledgable, takes time to explain every single detail and gives you the information to make decisions for yourself. I was a skeptic at first before hiring a doula, but thanks to my husband's encouragement, it was the best investment spent for our baby. We've also taken all the foundational courses at the hospitals, but none of them compare to just one session with Alex. Alex is hands on, answers any and all your questions quickly and is the best advocate for you and your health and the health of your baby. From the moment we met Alex, we knew she loves her job. When your contractions start, your immediate response is to go to the hospital, but thanks to Alex, she kept me calm at home for an extra 8hrs, well fed and well hydrated and knew exactly when is the right time to go. She provided all the right massages and calming techniques from start to finish. We can't be more grateful to have found her and we'll definitely be using her for all her post delivery services, she is simply the most amazing woman you'll meet.

Taylor was recommended to us by our friend as well as various Facebook groups. She was super…read morehelpful for the birth of our son at ucsf. The one thing my husband and I loved most about her was her high eq and the ability to read the couple and situation. She was kind and nurturing and always had an answer to support any questions we had. She frequently checked in even when she was on vacation to make sure we were supported. I was also very appreciative of her not being pushy when it came to specific parts of the birth that I had envisioned. She encouraged us to think more holistically about the whole process when we were in the weeds. She helped me through hours of painful contractions which was well worth the money itself but most importantly, she helped my husband through the whole night and supporting him emotionally as he was navigating how to make the best decisions for us as a family. Overall I spent weeks agonizing if I needed a doula for the process and we are so glad we decided on one and that it was Taylor. I'd highly recommend her to our close friends and family should the time come for them as well!

Taylor is simply the best and my wife and I can't recommend her enough…read more We hired Taylor to help us with the birth of our first daughter in December 2022. My wife wanted to try for an unmedicated birth so we thought having the help of a doula would be a good idea. Now on the other side of things we can confidently say that we could not have done it without Taylor. She provided us with amazing support through the several months leading up to birth, a 30 hour labor, and post-partum life. What we loved about Taylor: - Probably the best listener we have ever met - she really worked hard to understand what our goals were and how she could best support them. She always took the time to listen to us intently. - Very knowledgeable about pregnancy, labor, and post-partum life - Taylor is such a wealth of knowledge when it comes to both traditional medicine and holistic medicine. She was able to answer so many of our questions across so many different areas. She shined at helping us understand the pros & cons of various decisions we had to make or decisions that we anticipated we might have to make. We really trusted her judgement by the time labor came around given how much experience she has and how deeply she understands pregnancy & labor. - Never pushes recommendations - Taylor never pushed recommendations or advice on us unless we specifically asked what she thought we should do. We loved this about her. She simply presents the facts and what she's seen in her experience and helps guide you to the decision that you want to make. This approach was refreshing and helped us build so much trust in her. - Willing to help at any time - even after our time with Taylor was over, she took the time to answer calls & texts from us as we were adjusting to new parent life. - Amazing endurance - during my wife's 30 hour labor Taylor helped me provide counter-pressure to my wife, kept her spirits high, had great comfort measure suggestions, and subbed in when I needed a quick break. Having Taylor with us during labor helped my wife achieve her goal of having a fully unmedicated labor. - Kindness - Taylor is one of the kindest people we know. She brought us awesome treats & thoughtful things throughout the entire time we worked with her. Overall we had the best experience with Taylor. If you are looking for a doula I would highly recommend talking to Taylor and you will quickly see why so many people have great experiences with her. If you see this Taylor, thank you again and you're the best!

Renee was a truly a blessing to our family while we prepared to have our first baby. After…read moreexperiencing doctors' appointments where it felt like we had maybe 10 minutes to get all of our questions out, it was a relief to be able to sit with Renee until all our questions were answered. Once labor began, she didn't hesitate to come down and help us through the tough beginning. As the husband during labor, it feels like you need to be in 3 places at once, so having Renee to help made it much more manageable. She helped us form a realistic birth plan, supported us, and advocated for us even when we were faced with friction from the medical staff! After our baby was born, she continually checked on us and helped out with the tricky lactation learning curve. I can't imagine what the birth of our first baby would have been like without Renee there through the whole process. We're so thankful for her loving care. She's very clearly passionate about her work, and we couldn't have asked for better.

Renee is amazing and I highly recommend working with her. At first, I was hesitant about having a…read moredoula (someone I didn't know) in the delivery room. But after meeting with her twice before giving birth, her energy, reassurance, and depth of knowledge immediately put me at ease. During labor, I felt supported and genuinely cared for every step of the way. She also helped my husband feel confident in his role as my primary birth partner, which meant everything to us as first-time parents. After birth, she visited us in our home for lactation support. This was paramount to my success in learning how to breastfeed. I'm so grateful for Renee's partnership and I will absolutely be asking her to be part of my next pregnancy and birth.

Gingi supported my prenatal and postpartum healing journey -- helping both myself and my 8 week old…read morebaby. I attended her womb movement class while pregnant and absolutely love it! She was also incredibly knowledgeable about breastfeeding and newborn care to reduce gassiness and offered the most amazing body massage afterwards! She validated my experiences as a new mother and created a very comfortable and safe space for me. I look forward to working with her again and highly recommend her services!

VBAC/HBAC success story!…read more As a second-time mom, I knew I wanted my birth experience to be drastically different than my first. I lived in New Jersey when we found out we were pregnant, so I started looking for midwives and OBs out there. I could not find someone who felt right for me. Some wouldn't listen/validate my concerns, others were asking over $10K out-of-pocket up front. As a result, I didn't feel comfortable having any prenatal care at all for the first 30 weeks. Fast forward, my husband got a job in the Bay Area. We were eager to find prenatal care that I felt right about upon moving here. I researched midwives and found Gingi's website. I reached out. We chatted on the phone so she could get an idea of my previous birth and I could ask her some initial questions, and we agreed to meet. I kept researching other midwives, but as soon as I met Gingi, I knew she was the one. The search was over and I had finally found a care provider that I felt confident with. This is so key for an expecting mother. Confidence and trust in your care provider is crucial to obtaining the birth you desire. I could not have had the natural home birth I desired if Gingi Allen wasn't my midwife. God led me to her. She was attentive, caring, and so wise. When my labs showed low iron, she recommended natural ways of increasing my levels. It worked. When we found out my son was breech at 36 weeks, she recommended ways we could flip him. He flipped naturally. My husband was working nights 80 hours a week, I was chasing my 18-month old toddler around, working from home full-time, and unpacking from the move. She reminded me to slow down, reflect, meditate, pause. She really looked at my health from a holistic perspective. Because of her recommendations, I have a fantastic acupuncturist, osteopath and massage therapist. The team she assembled for me was amazing. She was approaching maternity leave herself, and made sure that Grace Bender, her fellow CNM, was there to attend to me postpartum. She was amazing and also at my birth. Kai, her apprentice, was fantastic, and conducted my bone closing ceremony postpartum. During my birth, Gingi really encouraged me to listen to my body. I asked her questions, like "should I push now?" LOL and she would say, "What is your body telling you to do?" She was so patient with me. Listen, my birth, from prodromal labor in the beginning to pushing at the end, was literally a total of 48 hours. She never wavered. She never said, "Well, if x, y or z doesn't happen in this timeframe, then we'll have to.....blah blah blah" That's usually what a woman hears before their care provider deviates from the birth plan. That never happened with Gingi. I loved that she didn't tell me how dilated I was. That was something triggering for me, since I stalled at 9 cm with my first son before I had the C-section. That's not even something I asked Gingi to refrain from doing. She just KNEW that dilating to 10cm was something I was concerned wouldn't happen, so she didn't allow me to worry about it during birth. I'm telling you, this woman's instincts are SUPERB. Trust me when I say, Gingi is the midwife YOU WANT AND NEED. I could not have birthed my beautiful 9lb, 11 oz son at home , after a previous C-section, if I didn't have Gingi. A comment my last midwife made (with my first son), was that my son was "big" which is why I stalled. He was 8 lbs, 12 oz. So literally my second son was almost a FULL POUND LARGER, and I had him at home, COMPLETELY NATURAL. I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT WITHOUT GINGI! She is amazing. Just hire her already. You'll be thrilled you did. I was only under her care from weeks 30-40 and still had the most amazing prenatal care experience. My postpartum care, first with her and then, Grace, was crucial to my recovery. I had PPD the first time, but not this time! Gingi Allen will do everything she can to ensure all women in her care have an amazing prenatal care and birth experience. As you can tell, I highly recommend.

Being under the care of Collective Birth was one of the highlights of my pregnancy and birth. Aimée…read moreand Jas walked beside us with so much care, humor, and respect through every physical and emotional shift. They listened deeply, answered every question, made space for all feelings--from "I hate being pregnant" to "I feel like a goddess"! Appointments were unhurried, thoughtful, and deeply personal. They were always available by text, email, or phone, and quickly understood how best to support me. They cared not only about my physical well-being, but also about the emotional journey my partner and I were on. No matter what your intentions or hopes are for your birth, they will meet you there and support you fully, without judgment. On the day of our daughter Aurora's birth, Aimée and Jas brought an incredible combination of patience, expertise, and calm. They turned every possible stone to support a vaginal birth and saved me and my baby from a C-section. My partner was able to receive our baby himself, an experience we will cherish forever. I will never forget their genuine joy when Aurora finally arrived after a long and challenging labor. In one of the most vulnerable moments of our lives, they made us feel safe, supported, and deeply cared for. By the end of our journey, they felt like family. We left every appointment grateful we had chosen them, and we miss our visits dearly. I cannot imagine having gone through pregnancy and birth with anyone else, and I would choose them again without hesitation. I would wholeheartedly recommend Collective Birth to first-time parents, seasoned parents, and anyone looking for deeply personalized, compassionate, and empowering care. --Cami, Zach, and Aurora

We welcomed our third child 6 weeks ago and could not have asked for a better prenatal and birthing…read moreexperience than we had. We credit so much of that to the care we received from Flo, Jasmine, and Aimée. I can not recommend them highly enough. For context, I delivered at 44 years old with an IVF pregnancy. From the get go we felt in such good hands. In approaching the care of mom, they make space for the whole person (and the the partner/family experience). At each appointment my husband and I felt heard and seen as we moved through the process. They ask questions and listen deeply. They tend to not just your physical state but your emotions - your head, heart, and soul. This was critical in healing from the trauma of our second birthing experience and making space for a different kind of experience. Their care is based in expertise, research, data, and professional experience and they also leave room for our primal knowledge and intuition. This allowed us to trust my body while also having medical experts alongside us. A month before our child was due, my father died. This was an unexpected emotional wave at an already emotional time, and they held space for me to process and integrate this grief into the final weeks of pregnancy and labor. Our delivery experience was exactly what we hoped for - and I know how rare that is having had two previous experiences that did no go as we had hoped. Flo, Jasmine, and Aimée are an incredible team who helped us manifest a safe and healing delivery. (Some background: Our second child was born during the depths of the pandemic. We had a stressful pregnancy and a traumatic birthing and immediate postnatal experience, during which we received subpar care from a team of doctors. Coming into this third pregnancy we were intent on having a different experience, hence choosing midwifery care. After interviewing two different teams of midwifes we chose Collective Birth.)