Absolutely amazing class! Had so much fun learning and taking this class. Left feeling less…read moreanxious, reassured and with a birth plan! Would 100% recommend for first time moms, such a great experience.

Felicia is absolutely the best. This class is very informative! I'd say the best part is Felicia is…read morealso my birth doula, which I'm extremely grateful to have her. She helped with me the best birth experience I can ask for. I'd strongly recommend every expecting mama to take this class AND hire Felicia as your birth doula if you are considering a doula!

We feel so incredibly lucky to have had Marilou as our postpartum night doula. I ended up needing…read moreto be induced earlier than expected, so we had to arrange support at the very last minute. I was honestly pretty anxious going into it because we didn't have the opportunity to interview or even speak with her beforehand, and we were simply going off her profile that was shared with us. But from the moment she arrived, she immediately put us at ease. She was with us for those first few nights home from the hospital, when I was exhausted, emotional, and very newly postpartum. She had such a warm, gentle, and calming presence, and having her there made those overwhelming first nights feel so much more manageable. She was incredibly sweet and attentive with our baby, but she was equally caring toward me, always checking in and offering thoughtful tips for both newborn care and taking care of myself during recovery. She helped with feeds, baby laundry, and washing and assembling bottles and pump parts, and was always punctual, dependable, and proactive. Most importantly, we felt completely comfortable having her care for our brand new baby during such a vulnerable time. Our only regret is that we didn't find her sooner! Because everything came together so last minute, she was only available to be with us for a few nights, and we absolutely would have loved to have had her for longer. We're so grateful she was there when we needed her and would wholeheartedly recommend her to any family looking for a kind, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring postpartum doula. Thanks Marilou and Doulas by the Bay!

We had a wonderful experience with Brenda. She came to meet us before the baby was born, which was…read morereally helpful and gave us a chance to get comfortable with each other beforehand. Once the baby arrived, she was incredibly helpful, especially with tips and guidance on how to soothe him and help him get to sleep. She was so kind, gentle, and caring with our baby, and it was such a pleasure to have her with us during these first days. We're very grateful for all her help and would absolutely recommend her!

We learned so much in the pre-work for Rachel's birthing class that we felt the need to consider…read morealtering our birth plan. Once we started Rachel's class, we actually did change our birth plan and never felt more confident in such a life-changing decision. Her guidance and the education we received EMPOWERED us to plan for an incredibly transformational birth experience with no interventions in the comfort of our own home. My husband and I grew closer and more aligned during the class and after, as we prepared to welcome our first child. The exercises she has you practice and the information she shares should be something every expecting couple goes through. Her audio tracks taught me what I needed and helped me before during and after birth. I was even lucky enough to attend one of her prenatal yoga classes which left me with a sense of calm and space in my belly (which is rare for a pregnant woman in her third trimester)! I highly recommend you make Rachel part of your birth team by signing up for one of her classes.

Video Birth Course Review-…read more My husband and I took the YES to Birth class virtually to prepare for the birth of our daughter. I wanted a natural/un-medicated hospital birth and this class prepared me to achieve that. If I could use one word to describe my birth, I would say it was: PERFECT. Every aspect of it felt so right, and I absolutely said YES to every moment of it. My husband and I used the tools learned in this course to relax, go with the direction of my baby and my body, and have a smooth, unmedicated, natural hospital delivery. Thanks to Rachel for helping us get there!

TLDR; YES if you're a first time mom considering Kinspace, you need to sign up. It might seem…read moredaunting (another thing I need to do NOW?) but trust me it's worth it. My baby and I started at 2 months postpartum, have done a full year of Kinspace, and just "graduated." We've learned so much! Susan is phenomenal. The community is amazing and supportive. You'll meet local moms with babies of the same age, and together tackle a bunch of parenting "firsts" in the first year. I can't imagine going through it all without Susan and our mom group.

Hands down, this was the #1 best thing I did for myself and my baby postpartum…read more Susan has created such a safe and welcoming place for moms to meet other moms and learn about all things motherhood. Motherhood can be incredibly lonely and isolating and meeting up with the other moms weekly was truly a blessing. We learned so many tips and tricks and Susan always answered all of our questions. I not only came out of the group with so much knowledge but now I have a whole group of mom friends and friends for my son! I am so incredibly happy I joined Susan's group and I encourage every new mom I know to do it too.

Have you ever met someone and thought to yourself, dang, that human was born to do this kind of…read morework and has a real gifting for it? That was my thought about Lauren after meeting her for the first time (she taught our 6 week birth prep course). This woman was in her element. She cared, she was knowledgeable, and and she lit up the room. To our pleasant surprise and an epic answer to prayer, she ended up being our doula and what a gift she was in that space for us too. Lauren knew when to say or do something and the art of not saying or doing. We ended up having a dream birth and I'm not sure I would have been able to do it without her support. She was a part of the dream birth. She came along and partnered with me and my husband in a way that complemented and strengthened. Lauren helped me to trust myself and my body. There are no guarantees with birth. I don't love Lauren because I had a dream birth; I love her because of who she is and am so grateful she was with us and for us in the tender, sacred space of birth. No doula is for everyone, but if something about her resonates with you, book a call to see if there's a match.

Lauren is incredible! She helped me bring both of my babies into the world and I couldn't imagine…read morethe birth experience without her. She brought such a truly compassionate, intuitive, calming, and empowering presence to the experiences, and navigated all of the twists and turns with us. She felt like part of the family, and made us feel so held throughout the entire process from prenatal to postpartum. I couldn't recommend Lauren more highly. I almost want to have another baby just to be able to work with her again! If you're considering hiring her, DO IT! She's the absolute best.

I have received multiple massages from Gracie during pregnancy and postpartum and they have all…read morebeen fabulous. Especially when I was 9 months pregnant, she did a fantastic job making sure I felt comfortable and helping relieving the physical pain of the third trimester. During postpartum, I have received a couple of massages for back pain related to breastfeeding and I always leave feeling rejuvenated and more aligned. Highly recommend

I reached out to Brilliant Births to find a birth doula. They offer a matching service and…read moreconnected me to 3 doulas who work independently (not employees of BB). We were really fortunate to find our birth doula (who we love!), but the other 2 candidates were not very impressive. The first doula missed our appointment with no follow-up communication. We were initially confused and thought she was the coordinator for BB, because she only communicated by text. The actual meeting was just by telephone so there was no face-to-face interaction, which felt strange. We could've easily FaceTimed or Zoomed. So communication and reliability were not great. The second doula abruptly canceled our half-hour appointment when we were 10 minutes late for a 30-minute appointment due to my husband wrapping up a Zoom meeting. During our appointment time, she was responding to my emails (in which I apologized for being late), but insisted she could no longer meet with us. I thought this was a really bad sign about what she would be like to work with - labor and delivery is rarely precisely timed and some flexibility is needed. In addition, her email said that she lives in Portola Valley, but we live Berkeley (also where Brilliant Births is located). This also struck me as strange, because it would take 1.5 hours for her to arrive to meet us at the hospital, which is not ideal.

I cannot say enough good things about Lindsey and her postpartum care. She has a wonderful…read moregrounding and calming presence. My husband, babies and I all felt immediately comfortable with her. The oil massage, pelvic steam and food she provides are all so nourishing and healing. She is an excellent cook and her food is truly delicious. I could honestly eat it year round. It also makes it easy to get enough to provide for baby, which can be difficult in the early days. Everything is not only tasty but provides those essential nutrients to help with milk supply, building iron levels and caloric intake. We hired her for both of my babies and it's so worth it! If we're lucky enough to have more we would 100% work with her again!

I am so glad I added Lindsey's offerings to my birth journey!…read more I rented her birth tub which was such a good pain relief method for my unmedicated birth. Pick up / drop off and deposit / payment stuff was a breeze. The abhuyanga massages were such a boon to my physical and emotional well-being. When you have a newborn to care for, even when you know how important self-care is, you can find yourself rushing through things like showering etc. It was so great to have one hour where I couldn't rush things, I just had to relax and enjoy. So grounding and centering at a pivotal time in your life. Also my hair and skin were fabulous from the sesame oil which smells amazing. Lindsey has a warm, nurturing and calming presence which is important when inviting someone in to your home during such a delicate time. She always had such a helpful and never judgmental perspective on questions we had about newborn parenting. Be good to yourself and choose Lindsey, she's awesome.

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.

Shannon is everything we could have imagined for a doula--she is welcoming, warm, thoughtful, and…read morehas a lovely sense of humor! You get the whole package (and then some!) with her. As part of her doula services, she comes to your home for 3 prenatal visits, where you get the opportunity to try out practical exercises (from pregnancy massage techniques to pain alleviating exercises, talk through how your pregnancy is going individualizing our care and even review a manual binder that she provides for you. And of course, the main event, true labor and giving birth! Shannon has a way of just blending into your family during such an intense moment and your family's needs, stepping up and stepping down seamlessly, but always right there when we needed her. During labor/birth at the hospital, Shannon's belief and faith in me to surrender and brave through a natural birth never wavered. She really did it *all*--preparing bone broth for me to sip on in the midst of a contraction, acting as head cheerleader, setting the oxytocin mood in our delivery room with string lights, aromatherapy, and music. Oh, and not to mention, the hip squeezes and back rubs she provides in the most intense moments of labor. My husband and I had never been so impressed with a service before! Oh, I'm not done...she even did labor/birth photos for us, and a newborn session in our home two weeks postpartum. *cries happy tears* Thanks to Shannon, I experienced the most FUN and empowering birth. 12/10 recommend investing in her services!

For anyone seeking a birth doula, I wholeheartedly recommend Shannon. In our search, she stood out…read moreduring our initial meeting by not only trying to understand what we cared about but being able to reflect that understanding back at us with even more clarity. It was clear to us that Shannon's approach is personalized, recognizing that not every path to parenthood is the same. Having attended over 400 births, Shannon also brought a wealth of experience with her that shone through in her calming presence, well-balanced guidance, and the articulate birth plan she helped us craft. Her ability to address our worries without ever being dismissive, provide valuable advice at the right moment, and offer a diverse array of resources made our journey as first-time parents all the more enjoyable and helped us be prepared.

I can't say enough good things about the San Francisco Birth Center. I gave birth to both of my…read moresons here--my first in March 2019 and my second in November 2021--and both experiences were everything I hoped for and more. From the very first prenatal class, I felt truly respected and empowered. The midwives and educators took time to explain every part of the process--no condescension, no pressure, just real information that helped me feel confident and grounded. The birth prep classes weren't just informative--they were community-building. I connected with other expectant parents, and we grew together as we learned what it meant to welcome our babies into the world with intention and care. Both of my births were completely natural and 1 took place on the bed and the other in the tub--peaceful, powerful, and free of any complications thanks to the expert, attentive care of the midwives. Their calm presence, deep knowledge, and trust in the birthing process made me feel safe and supported every step of the way. San Francisco Birth Center isn't just a place to give birth--it's a space that honors families, nurtures community, and deeply respects birthing people. I'm endlessly grateful for the role they played in two of the most important days of my life.

Nancy, Serena, Mason, Echo, and everybody who works at the birth center are absolute legends. I…read morecannot recommend them enough. I delivered my first baby at the birth center a couple months ago and it was the single best medical experience of my life (which is a high bar as I founded and sold a healthcare company and have a lot of experience in the space!). Like many people, I was hesitant to choose a birth center over a hospital--especially for my first child--but I am so glad I did. None of my friends who delivered at a hospital had the kind of personalized care, home visits, texting support, or thoughtful pregnancy and postpartum care that I received. I ended up coaching and advising my hospital friends because they just didn't get the same support. The birth center itself is immaculate, warm, and calming. I was able to move freely throughout labor without being hooked up to monitors, and everything around me--from the music to the lighting to the temperature--was set up with care. I was physically and emotionally supported every step of the way. My husband was also included fully in the process, and he was moved to tears watching how incredibly these women cared for us. The only reason to become a midwife is if you truly love it. It's a demanding, 24/7 job, and the system doesn't make it easy. These women clearly love what they do, and it shows in every interaction. I labored for 21 hours and felt deeply supported every minute. The education and classes offered during pregnancy helped me feel ready, prepared, and confident. I met great people there who I'm still in touch with. Postpartum care--including home visits and constant texting with the team-- was incredible because they knew me and I could ask questions and know I was going to get an answer I trusted asap. They helped me through full recovery, mastitis, feeding issues, and more. I will 100% have my future kids here.