I'm not sure I have the words to fully describe how incredible Mary is. After our daughter was…read moreborn, my husband said that the three birth essentials are diapers, wipes, and Mary--and I couldn't agree more. Mary's prenatal yoga classes are incredibly calming and create such a beautiful sense of community. You meet wonderful moms and moms-to-be, and Mary has a gift for transporting you into a place of peace and relaxation during a time that can feel overwhelming and uncertain. Her prenatal doula appointments are never rushed and provide invaluable education, guidance, and preparation for birth. Throughout my pregnancy, I was able to text Mary with questions, concerns, and fears, and her insight and support were always incredibly valuable. When it came time to give birth, Mary was truly indispensable. She started as a calming presence during contractions, helping distract me from the intensity, keeping me focused, and providing constant encouragement. During pushing, she guided me through different positions and became my biggest cheerleader. After 4 1/2 hours of pushing, I had reached a point where I felt completely defeated and ready to give up. Mary never let me lose faith in myself and helped me find the strength to keep going. I truly believe that without her support, my birth experience would have looked very different and likely involved more interventions. Her care didn't stop after delivery. During postpartum visits, she arrived with delicious homemade goodies, checked in on my recovery, and continued to provide reassurance and guidance when I needed it most. Mary is a wealth of knowledge, compassion, and support during one of the most transformative, vulnerable, and sometimes scary experiences of your life. Having her by my side was one of the best decisions we made, and I genuinely cannot imagine going through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum without her.

I cannot recommend Mary Skinner enough. She is not just a doula--she is an angel sent from heaven…read moreto make your labor and delivery experience as smooth, supported, and empowering as possible. From the moment we connected, Mary's depth of knowledge, warmth, and intuition put me at ease. She met with my partner and me before delivery, spending hours walking us through what to expect, how to prepare my body, and how my partner could actively support my experience. No question was too small, and she answered my endless stream of inquiries with patience, wisdom, and zero judgment. When it came time to labor, Mary was by my side every step of the way. Even though my birth was not what we planned, Mary advocated for me and created a calm and sacred space with soothing massages, body oils, and sound bowls. When I think back to my labor and birth story, I literally see her face... she practically labored WITH me through her hands on support, coaching, encouragement, guidance, and unwavering empowerment. It carried me through. And her care didn't stop there. Postpartum, Mary showed up at my home with a bundle of thoughtful recovery goodies. She not only provided a healing full-body massage and prepared a soothing sitz bath, but she also cleaned my (very messy) postpartum bathroom--without hesitation or judgment. Her level of care, both physically and emotionally, is unparalleled. Mary was truly a godsend during my first pregnancy, and I will undoubtedly hire her again for every one of my future births! If you're considering working with her, don't walk--RUN to book her. She is simply the best of the best.

Jessica Chapman is a wonderful teacher! I would recommend her to anyone! My husband and I attended…read moreher Birthing from Within class in July and she definitely helped us to understand that birth can be a wonderfully natural, beautiful experience. Olivia was born on Aug 12 at 1012 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and was 21 in long. I began having contractions at 4 am and my water broke at 630 pm. The hard labor was intense but I did it with no medications, and we had no complications! She was/is perfectly healthy thank God. Her class was instrumental in helping me to go forward with no medications. I couldn't have asked for a better birth (unless I can get one with absolutely no pain) haha. Anyway, thank you again to Jessica!! -CC Oronoz image1.JPG

I will never forget my experience with Jessica's birthing class - it's incredible how someone can…read morewalk you into a situation where you're faced emotionally with what's to come during birth. That's about as close to it as you can get without yet experiencing it. Facing natural childbirth is something she clearly has a WIDE range of experience with and it was so comforting to be a part of that learning experience with my husband. We left feeling closer to each other and more understanding of our strengths, weaknesses, fears and needs, which really does hold a tremendous amount of weight when going through labor, birth and bringing a child into the world together. I had quite a few people roll their eyes when they heard about my 4 Saturdays spent at birthing classes as if it was a "hoo-hoo-hee" Lamaze type of class, with responses like "None of that shit does any good when you get there." Little do they know what we were able to take away from this wonderful experience together on such a deeper level than some generic breathing technique. I feel more confident in my (and my husband's) emotional and physical ability to get through this naturally, assuming we have that opportunity :) Jessica is unfortunately unable to be my doula as she was booked with another Mommy-to-be the same week (which is this week!), which is a super bummer as my connection with her was on point (to say the least), so don't hesitate when reaching out and scheduling a consultation as she's well sought out! Also, my birthday fell out on one of the Saturdays of our class and she made a chocolate ganache cake for me and our class. Her delivery of it was so so special, she is just an absolute gem who has 100% found her calling in this world.

I had an AMAZING experience with Jen. She's the sweetest & makes you feel comfortable immediately…read more I was on the fence about doing an unmedicated birth after trying to go unmedicated with my first birth (and ending up getting an epidural) but I really wanted to give myself the opportunity with my second and final baby. I could not have done it without Jen! Highly recommend, worth every penny!

Let me start by saying Jen is absolutely amazing! She is kindhearted, genuine and compassionate!…read moreShe truly loves what she does and it shows in her work. We interviewed a lot of doulas before deciding to hire Jen. I had honestly already selected a doula I wanted and almost cancelled the consultation appointment with Jen but something told me to keep it and I am so glad I did. After chatting with her I knew she was the one. Her energy and calming voice was exactly what I knew I needed! Jen has been there for me EVERY step of the way on this wild rollercoaster to motherhood! She is always just a text or call away and the amount of time I've called her and spent an hour or more on the phone with her just crying, venting, laughing or bouncing thoughts with her. She's quickly become one of my dear friends! At my birth she was pivotal, and kept me calm by helping with breathing tactics and pain management tools. She even helped me push my baby out. I am so grateful to have walked this journey and to keep walking this journey with you Jen! Thankfully we also added on her postpartum package and she has been spoiling me with yummy meals, foot and back massages, sitz baths and loving on my son. Jen is an absolute gem and I highly recommend her! Oh and I almost forgot she captured my birth beautifully too with photos and videos. And the education she gives during her prenatal visits are like nothing else any other doula does. Most doulas start there visits in late 3rd trimester and show up at the birth. Jen walked along this ENTIRE journey with me. I am so grateful to her for everything!

If you are looking for relatable, zero judgement, super informed and extremely supportive and…read morehelpful midwives, Maggie and Andrea are it! We were in their care for our first pregnancy and they made us feel so much care and love throughout. I loved having a personal connection with them. We really enjoyed every appointment and I'm really sad we have "graduated" out of care and moving on to our pediatrician/family doctor. A few things that stood out and I particularly appreciated about their practice: 1. Their office is small and cozy and a few minutes from our home. 2. Labs were ran through an in network provider, so I didn't have to pay out of pocket. Even though they are not in-network with anyone. Also results always came back super fast. 3. They have referrals for just about everything related to pregnancy and postpartum and some in-network providers. 4. Most appts are an hour long and they are extremely responsive/communication is always top tear. 5. They are also lactation specialist, so no need to hire someone else if you need help or have questions once baby is born. 6. They are a great balance of holistic/western medicine and have a great relationship with Ventura County Medical if you need to go to the hospital for any reason at any time during your pregnancy, delivery or postpartum. 7. They are super down to earth, funny and relatable! We will def. be reaching out again for future pregnancies! Love them!

My husband and I couldn't have chosen a better care team for our family. Andrea and Maggie…read moresupported us through our entire first pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We left each prenatal visit excited and without worry. They are both so knowledgeable and have great energy. My birth experience was so special. They came to my house early morning and by early afternoon my son was in my arms. Maggie coached me through contractions on the phone allowing me to relax until they arrived. Once they arrived at my home, they set up quietly and quickly making sure not to disturb me. Throughout my labor, they massaged my back with essential oils and made sure I stayed hydrated and energized with water, juice, and snacks. They encouraged me as I pushed and helped move me into different positions when things got tough for me. When my boy was born, they handed him directly to me for skin-to-skin. Within the first two weeks after the birth of my son, Maggie and Andrea helped educate us on tongue ties(while still recommending we do our additional research). They referred us to a specialist who successfully cut our son's ties(tongue and lip). We saw Andrea and Maggie shortly after and they were able to demonstrate how to properly stretch the wounds. At about 5 weeks postpartum, I went to the emergency room for pain and ended up getting surgery to remove my gallbladder. While I was in the hospital my son ran out of breast milk. My husband reached out to our midwives and they were able to help us get donor milk. Once I was released, I noticed a dip in my milk supply and they saw us for two additional visits to help me increase my supply and then to confirm our baby was transferring enough milk. Andrea and Maggie are wonderful midwives with so much knowledge. They truly care about the families in their care, not just the moms and babies but the dads too. I am so lucky I found them and would never do a birth with anyone else. If you or someone you know needs quality people on their care team, Andrea and Maggie are the best.

Monica is the absolute best!!! As a first-time mom, I couldn't have asked for better support during…read moresuch a big transition in my life. She is thoughtful, knows everything about babies, and just a really sweet person. I know she is someone I can call for help and can count on her being there for me and my family. I completely trust her with our little one. I'll definitely be hiring her again for baby #2 ;)! Oh, and check out her company The Butterfly Swaddle for some amazing swaddles - support small businesses!

Wow wow wow. Monica is beyond words and beyond any review I could leave. She was so informed and…read moreavailable and helpful to our family ( over the phone and text during Covid) especially with no family or friends to help during this time I could cry thinking about how much she has supported me. I am a first time mom with a 4 month old that I would not have been able to sleep train without her. Now he sleeps every night 11 hours straight and is such a happy boy. Monica continues to be a point of immense comfort, help and humor to me during different transition periods. If I could leave more than 5 stars I would.

Alice was super amazing, I was having the hardest time breastfeeding and she came right away! She…read morearrived and took off her shoes and immediately washed her hands so we weren't worried about germs. She pulled out all her tools out of her bag like Mary Poppins! She helped us with a weighted feed, asked us tons of relevant questions to help identify the problem, and gave us several things to try including an SNS system in which she gave us. She was very knowledgeable and we left feeling empowered. She also followed up with us to see how things were going and to see if we had questions. I would highly recommend her to anyone!

Alice is wonderful and I highly recommend her if you're looking for a lactation consultant! Alice…read moreis very kind, experienced, and patient with her approach. She's also very responsive and provides good communication via text, which is amazing when you always have a sleeping newborn in your arms! I've been working with Alice for two months now and she conveniently comes to my home. The first visit was urgent and I was able to see her in less than 24 hours of getting connected to her--I was in so much pain and she helped me establish a good latch with my newborn, which set us up for success. During our other visits, Alice has helped me with a large range of issues like managing oversupply, using the bottle, pump, etc. While the visits have been covered by insurance, she really goes above and beyond by remaining accessible to answer questions as needed. Her communication and kindness really stand out! As a first time mom, I didn't realize how hard breastfeeding would be and how many issues would pop up. It's been very reassuring to have Alice as a resource.

We had such a wonderful experience working with Nakomi! She supported us both during birth and…read morethrough the first 8 weeks postpartum, and we can't imagine having gone through it without her. Before and during labor, she brought such a calming presence and shared great soothing techniques -- from breathing guidance to gentle stretch exercises that helped my wife stay comfortable and confident through contractions. Her energy in the delivery room was reassuring and grounding, exactly what we needed. After birth, she was incredible with our baby during the night shifts. Those first weeks can be overwhelming, but she made sure both mom and baby had everything they needed to be happy and rested. We woke up to a fed, peaceful baby and a bit of sanity restored -- truly priceless. She's experienced, intuitive, and genuinely caring -- the kind of person who makes you feel supported at every step. We wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking for birth or postpartum support.

We interviewed several providers for a postpartum doula and Nakomi stood out immediately for her…read morecalming presence and approach. Working with her in the first few weeks after our baby was born was effortless and a major source of support. Highly recommended.

We are SO grateful to have had Lauren's help with caring for our newborn during the early…read morepostpartum weeks. As first-time parents, we were anxious and sleep-deprived upon coming home from the hospital with our baby, and having Lauren there during that first night at home was absolutely life-saving -- I felt so grateful and relieved to see her walk through the door. She was so warm and reassuring, and I knew that our baby would be in good hands. Each night that she came, she would answer all our random questions that we had written down, teach us how to soothe and care for our new baby, and give us the opportunity to catch up on much-needed sleep while she looked after the baby overnight. Then before leaving each morning, she would always give us a summary of how the night went, including anything notable about the baby's health or behavior and any relevant advice. It's clear that Lauren is an expert at what she does, and it was amazing to have her as our trusted advisor on all things baby-related. She is a patient and professional teacher, and her guidance has helped build our confidence as new parents. Anyone would be lucky to work with her! Thank you, Lauren!

We kept calling Lauren "Mary Poppins." Not only was she practically perfect in every way - she is -…read morebut she was just what we needed when we needed it. Coming home from the hospital as first time parents and knowing Lauren was there to support us helped relieve our "newborn" stress. Lauren adapted her style to our needs. She is extremely experienced and anticipated what we would need before issues arose. She is attentive, attuned and communicates well. She helped us grow in confidence for caring for our child so that by the time she left, although we missed her company, we felt equipped for parenthood. Before I met Lauren, I was hesitant to accept that a night doula could fit into our family. Those first few months are so intimate, and I didn't want to have anyone around that would dampen the experience. Well, that worry was unfounded with Lauren. Lauren helped me be able to focus on my son better than I could have without her help. If you are thinking of hiring Lauren, don't take my word for it - see for yourself.