I am so incredibly happy that Becca was our doula for our hospital birth. This was my first baby,…read moreand I knew that all I wanted was for the baby to be healthy and to avoid an emergency C-section if I could. We met with Becca and knew right away that she was the perfect person to help us in preparing for and giving birth. She immediately set us at ease by assuring us that the hospital we chose had an excellent Labor and Delivery team. She was 100% right about that, and everything else. She helped me trust myself and my body. I never thought I would have such an amazing and thoroughly happy birth experience. Becca really cares. It meant a lot to us that she also visited us after the birth to check in and provide some very welcome support. If we have another baby, we will definitely work with Becca, again!

I could not imagine my first birth without Becca! From the very first phone call, I felt an instant…read moreconnection with her--she's such a kind, caring soul and a true expert in her field. One of the things that impressed me most was how seamlessly she read the dynamic between me and my husband. She always knew when to step in with support and when to step back and give us space. That balance was invaluable during such an emotional, vulnerable time. When my birth plan didn't go the way I had envisioned, Becca's expert advice and calm presence gave me so much security in the decisions I had to make. She helped me feel grounded, informed, and confident every step of the way and encouraged me to listen to my instinct and body. Another aspect of her support that you simply can't put a price on is how connected she is at Kaiser. She knew nearly every midwife and nurse, and because of her strong relationships there, I felt reassured that the care I was receiving was exactly what I needed. Her presence gave me an extra layer of trust in the whole process. Becca communicated beautifully, supported us with such compassion, and helped make my first birth experience one that I will cherish forever. I can't recommend her enough--if you're considering a doula, Becca is truly one of a kind! Thank you so much Becca!

My wife and I had our third baby at home through Thrive in November, and again, I can do nothing…read morebut sing their praises. I had complete confidence that Thrive had our best interests at heart every moment my wife and son were in their care. As usual, they practiced informed consent, validation of experiences, and love to a degree that I have never seen or even dreamed of previously in health care settings. The highlight of this birth experience was (of course) the birth itself. This time we were graced with three of the midwives through good fortune. Again, immediately after birth, our newborn struggled to take his first breaths. We waited about 8 minutes for him to take that first breath, and yet, my wife, daughter, son and I were all calm and felt immensely supported in that moment by the three women in our presence who absolutely knew what their calling was and what their roles were in that moment. It is hard to comprehend how different that experience could have felt from a sterile, medical, environment of a hospital, and how different our newborn's first few minutes, hours, and days after birth could have been. Not to mention how the perception and feelings surrounding births could have been malformed for our young son and daughter. We are so immensely thankful to have this collective of women in Sonoma County who are such a breath of fresh air!

We had our baby at Thrive in July and it was the best experience! This was our first baby and we…read moreare so happy we decided to transfer our care from Kaiser to Thrive. The midwives are amazing; supportive, loving and really helpful. I had pregnancy insomnia and Tracy turned me onto a sleep tincture that she sells and it was like magic. I was finally able to sleep!!! The appointments were an hour long and the post partum appointments are at your home! We had trouble with breastfeeding and received so much support through text and having them come to our house. We cannot say enough good things about Thrive and Taya, Tracy, Morgan and Hannah.

Aly is a peaceful and strong force, exactly the energy you want by your side during child birth. As…read morea first time mom I was nervous, uneducated and unsure what was best for me and baby. Aly put me at ease and guided me through the entire journey from pregnancy, child birth and postpartum. It is such an intimate time and I felt completely comfortable and supported every step of the way. Aly was by our side from laboring at home to the hospital birth. I don't know what me and my husband would have done without her. Eternally grateful for her wisdom, dedication and advocacy. Thank you Aly!!

I can highly recommend Aly as both a delivery AND postpartum doula!…read more Two of my friends had worked with Aly. One had her as their postpartum night doula, and the other to help with delivery. So I didn't think twice about hiring her, based on their recommendations. Our whole experience with her from start to finish was wonderful. To prep us for delivery, Aly shared some great resources and sat with us patiently and calmly asking questions, educating us about options, and helping us figure out what we wanted (which was a natural as possible and very intentional birth experience, but in a hospital setting). Aly arrived at the perfect time, right as things were ramping up, and coached me beautifully through the end of my delivery. After a few sleepless nights, we decided to bring her in for nighttime help 2x/week and her support helped us get through those first few weeks feeling pretty good! She is also a total sweetheart, thoughtful, warm, and just a joy to be around. Thank you again Aly!

We feel so lucky that Krista was available to be our night doula! From our very first night with…read moreher, we instantly felt at ease. Krista is calm, down-to-earth, and genuinely caring. It was clear how much she loved and cared for our little guy. She always seemed to know exactly what he needed to help him settle, and we truly looked forward to the nights she came over. Having Krista there gave us the gift of much-needed sleep, rest, and recovery during such a special--and exhausting--time. Thank you so much, Krista, for taking such wonderful care of our baby boy and for taking such great care of us, too. Future families are incredibly lucky to have you!

Krista is sensitive to our needs, informative on questions and extremely competent and loving in…read moreinteracting with our grandson. She has been an integral part of the team and I so appreciate her involvement!

I knew I wanted to have a doula as a first time mom having a hospital birth to have extra support…read morefor my husband and I. The idea of having photos or videos was an added bonus and when I found Paige, I was so happy to see that she could do it all! Paige made us feel so comfortable and prepared from the start, and I was really confident going into my birth that I would have the support that I needed. I don't think it would've been possible to have the amazing birth experience that I did without her. She helped coach me through contractions, manage pain, and helped my mom and husband better support me. It really made all the difference. We also ended up going with a photo and video package which was such a great decision. Birth is a crazy experience and it's so nice having it documented, especially all our special first moments together. I highly recommend hiring Paige!

Paige was amazing to work with. I hired her for our family maternity shoot and newborn shoot. She…read moreis patient, calm, positive and has an amazing eye. I looked at dozens of other websites and photographers in the area, I feel that her editing and her whimsical style was perfect for what I was looking for. She came to the Santa Cruz area and met us along the coast line in the spot that we picked out. Although there were many moving parts, she was able to truly capture the moment and I am thrilled with our photos!! We look forward to the newborn shoot to come...

Doula Care Collective provides community for families. Whether you need birth support, postpartum…read morecare or go to one of their monthly educational gatherings you won't be disappointed. It takes a village! I highly recommend reaching out if you are looking for any of the above!

There truly aren't enough words to describe how incredible my postpartum experience was because of…read moreKavita. As a third-time mom, I knew we wanted night support, but I still felt a bit apprehensive and nervous...having someone else watch my baby while I was sleeping is daunting! However, from my very first conversation with her, I knew she was the perfect fit for our family. Kavita brought an immediate sense of peace, calm, and trust into our home. With a 4 and 2 year old to care for as well, her presence made such a huge difference. Because of the support she gave me (and the sleep I was actually able to get!), I felt like I could actually function and keep up with all three kids. She has such a gentle, intuitive way about her--she not only cared for our son with so much love and expertise, but also supported me in a way that made me feel truly seen and cared for. I'm endlessly grateful for the role she played in such a special time in our lives. If you're looking for a postpartum doula, look no further. I cannot recommend her enough--she's literally an angel!

Kavita is an incredible Doula. As a first time dad, I felt like Kavita had so much knowledge and…read moreexperience to give me. I had so much confidence in her care and attention for my son. I had many questions about best practices and products to use for the different stages of his development. My home felt peaceful with her calm and reassuring presence as she worked. Kavita is always looking for ways to improve her care and services that are unique to your child as an individual. I can't recommend her enough! Angel+life saver!

Jackie from Birth Realm is the worst. I tried to book a doula from her on several occasions and she…read morebooked the doula with other people out from under me both times without offering the professional courtesy of letting me know she wasn't holding the doula or that other people could book with her first or even that other people were interested. I had zero idea there was any sense of urgency whatsoever. I was pretty frustrated after the first time but gave it another shot given the good reviews. so then I was on a waiting list for several months and responded immediately to let her know I was interested but I had to wait till I was back in the country to chat with the doula. Again, nothing was said about other people waiting or that there was any urgency. Had I known there was some amount of urgency I would have scrambled to take a call during vacation in Japan. Anyway, I waited until after vacation. IMMEDIATELY after I chatted with the doula I sent Jackie an email to let her know I was interested and to please lock her in. But oh I guess that somehow the doula I just talked to was already booked and she no longer has any available. I have no idea why she even allowed that call to happen if the doula was already booked but she not only disrespected and wasted my time she clearly has no respect for the people who work for her as the doula's time was wasted too. At this point I'm glad it didn't work out as I have no desire to support a business who operates like this. Her prices are like 40-35% higher than everyone else's too but it clearly isn't merited. Pregnancy is already stressful enough, thanks Jackie for making this already hard time significantly worse.

Working with Birth Realm was incredible. We felt such immense support from Jackie and Sondra, and I…read morefelt at ease each night they came to care for our baby. We can't express enough gratitude for all their help!

We feel incredibly lucky to have found Fernanda during those first few months with our daughter. As…read morefirst-time parents, we had endless questions, and Fernanda was such a reassuring source of knowledge and support. She guided us through everything--from how much to feed our baby, to understanding fussy phases, to answering all the little questions that every new parent worries about. One of the biggest gifts she gave us was sleep. Thanks to her guidance and support, our daughter was sleeping through the night by 12 weeks, which made such a positive difference for our whole family. Because Fernanda cared for our baby overnight, we were able to get proper rest ourselves and truly enjoy our time with our daughter during the day instead of constantly feeling exhausted. She also remained calm and dependable in unexpected situations. During a small earthquake one night, she stayed with our baby, keeping her safe and comforting her in the crib while I made my way to the room. That moment really showed us how trustworthy and composed she is. Fernanda is warm, knowledgeable, patient, and genuinely cares about the families she works with. She helped make what can be an overwhelming transition into parenthood feel so much smoother and more enjoyable. We are incredibly grateful for her support and would wholeheartedly recommend her to any family looking for an exceptional postpartum night nurse.

We really appreciate Fernanda's help during the first 6 weeks of our LO's life! Fernanda is truly…read morethe 'village' we desperately need as first time parents. She's professional and kind. With Fernanda's exceptional expertise, we were able to navigate the first few weeks with much more ease.

Linda helped us care for our newborn baby in the first few months after she was born. She's the…read morekind of person that put this neurotic first time mom at complete ease. When she first scooped up our daughter she immediately started talking to her, singing to her, playing with her and reading her stories. So many other care providers work hard to just keep a baby quiet but Linda works hard to make sure that your child is happy and constantly learning and growing. We were very sad to hear that she was leaving Austin. She left enormous shoes for us to fill.

Don't let Linda's bubbly personality make you think that she will be too much energy for you during…read morelabor. Linda is calm and quiet and encouraging and tuned in when she is working. She gets in the zone and knows exactly what you will need as a laboring mom. She will be present and responsive to your needs but not overbearing or taking center stage. She knows how to support the laboring mom and at the same time support those around you and teach your loved ones how to help you. Linda was my birth doula in July 2013 for the homebirth of my first baby. I don't know what I would've done without her. Even though I had midwives at home and my husband, the care she provided was essential. My husband is sensitive to my needs and caring but Linda was able to show my husband how to help me and support me more specifically. She did not steal the show, but was just present enough during the whole thing. I see pictures of my labor now and see Linda as an integral part of the process, even holding me up at times, yet she was never too much, never bossy, and was in fact a very calming presence. Linda has not given birth to a baby herself, but I see that as a strength to her work as a Doula. She doesn't have preconceived ideas about how your birth should go. She doesn't have her own experience to compare to yours. She has been to many births and knows the process well. She is very experienced and knowledgeable and when she assists birthing moms in the hospital the nurses and doctors trust her and love her help. She has a lot of helpful things to try to comfort and assist you during labor. She can use massage, essential oils, a labor ball, and many helpful position suggestions. There's this idea that in the hospital the nurses will be coaching and helping you through labor every step of the way...and there's this idea that at home, your midwives will be coaching you along. And while this is true to a small extent, it's not like the olden days and nurses and midwives aren't by your side like they used to be. Linda fills that role, though. She is the one who will hold your hand, massage your back, help you to focus your breath, encourage you, tell you that what you're going through is normal, and convince you that you are strong and that your body can do it! She's the one you want by your side even if you already have a wonderful support team of family, friends, and partner. I didn't know what to expect in giving birth for the first time and I wasn't sure if I really needed Linda, but now that I've gone through it, I would NEVER chose to give birth without her. She checks in frequently as you near your due date, she gives the best (and least intimidating) childbirth education ever, and after giving birth she gives excellent follow up care. She helped me to feel confident as a new mom, she assisted and supported me in breastfeeding. She's very knowledgeable in lactation support. And most of all, she helped me to feel like I could do this. I don't know of anyone who has used her services and ever regretted it. You want this girl!