Heather is a wonderful birth doula. She is very education and science based focused but also very…read moresupportive of emotions, mom's well being, and listening to your gut instincts. We had 3 prep sessions with my spouse to cover the labor process, possible birth interventions, and postpartum. This time really helped both of us feel prepared and informed of our options. It gave me a chance to also ask about some of the interventions and choices at the hospital and pick Heather's brain about how she has seen them work out for other mothers. I was induced at 38 weeks and Heather was available to me at the hospital the day before my birth and during my delivery the following day. Anytime she wasn't there in person my spouse was giving updates over text and we were working through next steps. She helped me and my partner work through labor pain, each next step in the induction, and helped me push the baby out. If I give birth again, I 100% want Heather again to help support me. She is not only amazing for birth parents but also so helpful and informative for support people. You really feel like you have a village in such a physically difficult and emotional time.

My husband and I are so thankful Heather was our doula as we welcomed our first baby in late 2025…read more I felt comfortable with Heather from the initial Zoom meeting - she is warm, friendly, open, compassionate, and a wealth of knowledge. The three sessions prior to labor/delivery were extremely helpful in getting us prepared mentally, physically and emotionally. While we took also online classes with Kaiser, nothing compares to a 1:1 class where you can really ask questions and get personalized recommendations. Our baby was breech and we ended up needing an ECV and, ultimately, a scheduled C-section. Heather was so supportive through it all and made me feel much better about having a birth that didn't look like the one I initially pictured. Her presence was also so helpful at the hospital. And, reimbursement via Kaiser was a breeze! Thank you so much, Heather!

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.

Christine is such a great doula and I highly recommend her…read more We hired Christine for the birth of our second child. I didn't have a doula for my first birth and I knew I wanted some support the second time around. Even though she was out of the country when we first contacted her, she was super responsive and was a great communicator throughout the entire process. Christine met us at our home to discuss the details, such as our birth plan and an overview of her services. She was very knowledgable and professional and helped with all of the birth related questions we had. She constantly checked in to see how I was feeling and eased my mind during the weeks before my labor. On the big day I kept her informed by text as to my progress. I wasn't convinced I was in true labor and didn't call her to join us until much later. When I knew we would be staying, my husband and I decided to have her join us when we were checked into a room (the triage space was so tiny there was barely any space for even my husband). Unfortunately it was such a busy night we ended up in triage for 5 hours! They kept telling us it would only be another 30 minutes...another hour, etc. as the time ticked away. By the time we did get a room and asked her to come, I got an epidural. She drove all the way to Alta Bates in the middle of the night. I think it was around 3 or 4am. When she arrived she took charge by calming me down, talking to the nurses, and answering questions the nurses would not explain. She massaged my hands and helped me turn from side to side/change positions. When it came to the pushing part she helped me gather my strength and even held my leg back as I pushed. After the birth she assisted with communicating our wishes like delayed cord cutting and immediate skin to skin contact, no eye medicine, etc. She stayed for several hours after helping me with breast feeding positions, my baby's latch, and getting me anything I needed (like water and food). Most importantly, my husband and I were able to bond with our baby together since Christine took care of everything we needed. During the weeks after the birth of my son she checked in with me many times. She sent me resources about breastfeeding and my local leche league meetings, and during my post partum meeting she even helped clean my house and do dishes. The birth of my son was so amazing and Christine was a huge part of that. I look forward to using her again for a third baby and highly recommend her to anyone looking for a birth coach!

I loved having Christine as my doula, she has been such blessing to our family…read more Like the other reviewers mentioned Christine met with my husband and I to review our birth plan. She informed us of what goes on during labor so that we could have a better understanding. I wanted a natural birth and Christine shared with us different techniques and positions that would help with that and we also got to practice some of them. She help my husband and I to come up with questions to ask for our hospital tour. Christine made herself available anytime I had questions or when I wanted to update her on how my pregnancy was going. She had laminated scripture cards that she let us borrow and my husband read those to me during the early stages of labor. When I was ready for Christine to come to the hospital she arrived quickly. Once there she was ready to help me get into a better position that would encourage labor to progress. When trying out the different techniques she would ask if I felt comfortable or if I wanted to try something else. She genuinely cared for how I felt. When my contractions were getting stronger she reminded me to breath, talked me through them, and held my hand, comforting me with the fact that each contraction would bringing me closer to seeing my precious baby. She again checked with me to see if I was ok with her talking and touching me or if I preferred her not to. I found her words comforting and focusing on her voice really helped me get through each contraction. My contractions got more intense and I felt that I couldn't continue, Christine reassured me that everything was progressing well and that I would soon see my baby. I was able to refocus and continue to have a natural birth. My baby's head came out without the nurses or dr present and Christine was calm and did a great job calling the nurses and dr in, since my husband was kind of in a panic mode and didn't know what to do. Once my baby was here I tried breastfeeding but was having trouble getting her to latch, Christine stayed to help me. She also visited me the next day to continue to help. Christine also provided resources and referrals which was very helpful. I highly recommend Christine to anyone looking for a doula. Christine listens to your needs and does her best to accommodate them, she provides great support and comfort. My husband and I are truly grateful for Christine.

What a great birth experience with Napa Valley Midwives. Originally we hired Heather as our doula…read morefor our second baby. Once Covid hit we decided to change course and have a home birth. From the very beginning Heather and Kristina were so engaged with me and my pregnancy. It was the complete opposite of my OBGYN who changed all my appointments to be virtual and even forgot to schedule a few. Heather and Kristina saw me in their office and in my home following all the best practices during the pandemic. I felt safe every time I saw them. I really enjoyed the fact that they rotated which one of the saw me each appointment so that I could develop a relationship with each of them. By the time I went into labor I felt so comfortable with both of them. I believe this made the birth experience just that much better. During my labor and delivery, they were so professional but also felt like close friends since we had developed a great relationship and they truly care about their mamas. Once I delivered my baby, they gave us time to bond as a new family. While we did this they busily cleaned up. It was so impressive- you'd never know a birth had taken place in my house (haha). If you're considering a home birth, you'll be in loving and supportive hands with these two fabulous midwives.

I am not one to write yelp reviews, however, the care we received from Kristina and Heather was so…read moreegregious that I am scared for other women and feel an obligation to write about it. Our care with these midwives ended when I was 37 weeks pregnant and on day 5 of contractions. These contractions were not "real" labor contractions but rather contractions brought on by drinking large quantities of red raspberry leaf tea. They prescribed this to me because they said my son was too big and needed to be induced 2 weeks before his due date (this was later proven to be incorrect, as my son was born 11 days after his due date at a normal size and weight). During this bout of fake contractions, they registered a high blood pressure reading and told me that they feared for my life and needed to take me to the hospital or call 911 and have me removed from my home in an ambulance. I knew my high blood pressure reading happened as a result of feeling stressed out by the midwives and ultimately unsafe in their presence. They seemed to have little knowledge of white coat syndrome (a common occurrence where people have higher stress levels in the presence of a medical professional). I decided to fire them on the spot and switch my care to another midwife. Thank goodness I made this decision, otherwise I would have had a traumatic, premature hospital birth for no good reason. There were several signs along the way that Heather and Krisitina were incompetent. They made several incorrect diagnoses which were later proven incorrect by an MD at the hospital who said I was "a healthy pregnant woman ready for a homebirth." Misdiagnosis: Gestational diabetes: They put me on a very restrictive diet which caused me a lot of stress. When I raised concerns about the validity of at-home diabetes testing, Heather said she still thought it was in the ball-park. My health really suffered because of following their weird diabetes diet (I was encouraged to eat large amounts of meat, even in the middle of the night--this was the worst!) They told me they feared my son was too big and needed to be induced. This put enormous stress on me in the later phases of pregnancy and was completely inaccurate. My son was born at a totally average weight less than 8 pounds even 11 days after his due date. Another misdiagnosis! GBS. After my own research about this, I decided against antibiotic use. They went along with this, but encouraged a very expensive regime of supplements and consistently encouraged me to have antibiotics during the birth. Heather admitted to my mother that she herself had GBS and refused antibiotics in the birth of her own child. Hypocrisy?! They misdiagnosed me with a fever. Thankfully my mother was there and suggested it was warm in the house because of the heating (In December). When I went outside, my temperature was totally normal. Lack of Professionalism: They were late to most appointments. Kristina was 45 minutes late to one appointment. One time, Heather completely forgot an appointment and never showed up. She never even followed up with me to apologize, and I had to reach out to her to schedule the next appointment. They frequently did not have the right supplies for tests I needed to take, were missing batteries for their devices, and they only gave us the birth supply list at 37 weeks, when the baby could already have been born! As a first time parent this was very unsettling! Poor Communication: They didn't tell me which provider from their team would be at my birth, which was very unsettling. Then they set up an appointment with a colleague of theirs who gave me totally different suggestions about how to manage my "gestational diabetes," and at the next appointment Heather said I wasn't doing what I was supposed to do even though I was following her colleague's recommendations. Lack of Emotional Attunement. Both of these midwives acted from a place of extreme fear, rather than actually being able to see the person in front of them. They both never checked in with my husband and barely acknowledged his presence in our appointments. They asked questions in a style that felt more interrogatory rather than helpful/understanding. We left every appointment in fear, which was the last thing we wanted to feel approaching the birth! In addition to all of the grievances listed above, when we reached out to them to let them know that we had a healthy home birth and requested a refund for the fees we paid them, their response displayed a lack of compassion and accountability. They only gave us a 25% refund and never even congratulated us on the healthy home birth of our son, which was supposed to be their number one priority! I think their lack of professionalism, incompetence and lack of knowledge is evident with the numerous examples above. If you want to have a safe home birth and get good quality care, I would highly recommend choosing more experienced midwives.

Casey is something special. I've called on her when I needed help, processing and general guidance…read moreon what this big world is. She's not fluffy, she's not too ethereal, she's a modern woman's support system. She's kind and helpful and open. Each time I connect with Casey, I know it won't be the last. If you're on the fence, reach out and schedule time with her but I deeply suggest doing a natal chart reading to get your bearings. Thank you Casey!

So much care put into my session with Casey. She was so attentive and compassionate. I had a failed…read moreembryo transfer last year and am preparing for another in the coming months and reached out to Casey per recommendation from a friend and I am so glad that I did! She walked me through benefits of different herbs specific to my situation. She listened and took the time to hear me out. So much was included within the session I had which was a Guided Healing Chakra Alignment. She had me lay under a warm red light on my belly for a few minutes, did a reading based on my birth info then prepped the herb to steam. The yoni steam with the sound bath was absolutely beautiful. An experience that requires openness and encouraged me to connect with my own self. She then did an oracle reading. I felt cared for and supported. Afterwards she provided a detailed summary of all that we discussed and things she'd recommend to support me on my journey outside of the reading. Loved that I had something to reference afterwards to recall some great nuggets we discussed in person. 10 out of 10 highly recommend!

I called to inquire about post-partum services to help my wife and I with our newborn. The person…read morewho answered said, "Hello", I asked if they offered post-partum services & she said, "We don't offer services to men because men can't have babies." What a joke. I'm trying to be a supportive partner and call on behalf of our family and was greeted with that BS. Absolute trash.

From the owner: Providing birth doula services, postpartum doula services, placenta encapsulation (preparation),…read morebelly casting, breastfeeding home support, and many classes to get you ready for your new bundle of joy in Vallejo and surrounding areas.

Abbie was everything I was looking for in a doula: knowledgeable, responsive, and calm. My birth…read moredidn't go quite as planned and Abbie was there to help at every turn. As a first time mom, I was very happy to have a doula and I would recommend Abbie as your doula 100%.

Best Doula ever!! Sorry for such a late review... We were due with our second one in November. I…read morecontacted Abbie somewhere around July 2021. And she immediately replied back when I told her I really really really want to go for a VBAC after a very traumatic c-section with my first born. Abbie gave me the dates when she can come over to our house and discuss everything about our past birth experiences and future plans for this new birth and baby. VBAC was something I have been dreaming all these years as my c-section recovery was too much for my body and it didn't let me bond with my baby. I told abbie everything and she supported me and my decisions from the first day we met till the day we bid goodbyes to each other. She taught so many ways, exercises and labor positions to cope with everything related to birth especially a VBAC birth. She gave us so many resources about what to expect for our labor, birth, baby and even breastfeeding. The best part was that she was so accommodating and friendly that her presence never felt like a stranger or a new person, but rather it felt like I knew her for so long. We had to change the location of our birth in the last moment after my water broke, because the hospital we chose was over-booked, she never even flinched about that change and went ahead with whatever was needed in that moment because I felt that for her my needs and my mental health and support was most important in that moment. So if you want an experienced, patient, extremely supportive and gentle doula who will listen to you, suggest you what and how you can do things right and who is very resourceful, hire Abbie right away!!

Unable to answer basic questions regarding her work / how she helps clients during discovery call…read more Rudely cut the call when we sought clarification on the vague information provided. Given our experience, we're unable to believe the authenticity of the reviews seen on this page. Needless to say, would NOT recommend!

Prior to this experience, I did not know a doula was available to new expecting parents…read more Janae was well trained, professional and available to any questions we had. She provided continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to us before, during, and shortly after childbirth to ensure a safe, empowering experience. Janae offered comfort techniques, advocacy, and guidance, which was very important to us. Janae's services also included postpartum support. I highly recommend her services to new expecting parents. She brought me and my wife comfort, confidence, a safe place for birthing our beautiful daughter. We couldnt of had such a wonderful experience without her. We are so Grateful and thankful to of had her by our side. Thanks Janae, we adore you!!!

Best decision we ever made regarding our care for pregnancy and labor/delivery! This is our first…read morebaby and with everything going on in hospitals, policies and now covid issues, my husband and I were weary about going the traditional route for pre and postnatal care. So I started looking into alternatives and then I met Fawn, Kim and their midwife student Jamie! I was convinced they were the right choice for us from the very first meeting. These ladies care and actually show that they care. Every appointment they listened to what I was going through and made helpful suggestions. They were able to monitor my vitals and order labs like blood work and ultrasounds. Near the end of my pregnancy I had some liver issues and they caught it by listening to what I was going through and ordering more blood work. Labor and delivery went better than I thought it would. They were very understanding! This being my first delivery, everyone thought labor would be long. However, a few hours later, I believed things were progressing. They came out to check on me when I expressed my concerns, even though everyone thought it would be a long time. They cared about me and my peace of mind, dropping everything to check on me. Sure enough, labor was progressing quickly and I had my daughter a few hours after they arrived. During delivery, they were calm and peaceful. They encouraged me to listen to my body and to try different positions to find what was best for me. I was able to focus on what I needed and nothing else. I loved my experience with Fawn, Kim and their midwife student Jamie. I recommend these lovely ladies to any and every expecting mother who wants to have amazing and attentive care.

Fawn, Kim and Jamie are three of the most wonderful human beings you will ever meet. They are an…read moreincredible team that know how to create a kind, caring, safe and loving environment that lasts from your first visit to your last. Collectively they have an incredible amount of experience and expertise. My wife and I looked forward to every single visit we had as they were fun and relaxed while always remaining professional. The birth of our child was absolutely incredible, the way they work is seamless attending to every need without you really noticing but at the same time feeling like you are surrounded by family. We plan on having many children and will use them for every birth! The only two bad reviews on here are laughable after working with them and clearly these people are confused, because nothing they wrote could be further from the truth. Using this service has been the best decision my wife and I could have made for our birth and for our family!

After interviewing a few doulas, I found Jen and knew right away that she would be the best fit for…read moreme, especially as a first-time mom. Her experience as both a nurse and a doula is amazing, but what stood out to me most was her genuine passion for all things birth-related. Her positive, reassuring energy is just an added bonus. Before the birth, we had a few sessions where Jen educated my husband and me about the birth process, what to expect, and the different decisions we might face during labor and delivery. Having her knowledge and guidance helped me feel so much more relaxed and confident throughout my pregnancy. Instead of obsessively researching every possible scenario that could go wrong, I felt like I had someone I trusted who could help me navigate whatever came up. When I went into labor, my husband and I were able to rely on Jen for guidance and support all the way through delivery and even afterward. I ended up having an incredible birth experience, and I truly attribute so much of that to having Jen as part of my support system. I was able to give birth in a position that felt comfortable and natural to me, had no tearing(!!!), and had a quick and smooth delivery. I would absolutely recommend Jen to anyone looking for a doula, and I honestly can't imagine giving birth again without her if I can help it! We are so grateful for everything she did for our family and feel extra special that our baby got to be her 350th birth. Thank you so much, Jen!!

We took an EBB course with Jennifer. She's the best instructor anyone can ask for. She was very…read moreknowledgeable and absolutely amazing with how she shared her knowledge and taught the class, she's super through, had a great attitude and energy, was very open to question, and even shared her very personal experience in the last class. I learned so much in her class. She took her time collecting so many resources and putting them together in ways that were easy to consume and refer to afterwards. I woud highly recommend her class. And even though i didn't get the opportunity to use her doula services, I can't imagine a better doula by your side.