When interviewing doulas, I knew Fabienne was the one based on her gentle confidence and lovely personality within minutes of meeting her. And when I asked her why she'd became a doula, her answer that she'd had an exceptional birth experience created a vision in me that I too wanted to experience an exceptional birth......and I knew she'd be a big part of that! My husband and I had taken several birth education classes before we had our first prenatal education meeting with Doula. Within 30 minutes of her practical yet lightheartedly humorous instruction, my husband turned to me and said "I've learned more than from her than in 12 hours of classes"! Fabienne was there through many late night texts over several days during pre-labor (as a first time mom, thinking i was going into labor). And when my water broke, she was there inhumanly fast and made us feel so confident, peaceful and yet in control of our experience. When I look back at my birth, I joke that if I had to choose between the three people in the room (my mom, my husband and Fabienne), I'd choose Fabienne to be there. And it's only partially a joke! She so effortlessly was there as my friend, my advocate, my voice of reason, my coach and the glue that bound the beautiful chaos into the happiest time of my life. And she did it through 26 hours of labor!!! Even after our little one was born, her knowledge was instrumental, from swaddling properly (a newborn is very different than swaddling a doll!), to avoiding wet through diapers to properly wrapping for skin to skin. She was the best part of our birth experience outside of meeting our son and we hope to have the privilege of having her there when we have our next child! I can't recommend her enough.....your child is likely the most monumental thing that will occur in your lifetime. And the situation and people surrounding that will forever be part of the fabric of your memories. Having her knowledge, experience and love as part of that will be such a gift. read more

My husband Ian and I had a wonderful experience with Fabienne. We met Fabienne at a "Meet the Doula" night at Blossom Birth and unanimously agreed that Fabienne would be the best fit for us. Over the course of my pregnancy, she was there every step of the way with her non-judgmental, accepting approach; finding humor, fun, and friendship throughout the process. I would recommend her lovely services to any lady anywhere! read more

Having a baby (and so far in parenting) is a series of choices that get muddled with so many opinions, facts, old-wives tales.. you name it. As first time parents, we almost didn't know what to expect. We're both working in tech, and hadn't really taken the time to even think about a birth plan until Month 8.... We took all of the labor and delivery classes, solicited a lot of opinions -- but by far, choosing Fabienne is the best decision we made. Something about her immediately calms you down - and gives you the confidence to make the choices that are best for your plan. Even though we only confirmed with Fabienne a couple weeks before our due date, We felt incredibly supported by her - my husband still jokes about her magical bag of tricks that got us through labor (tens machine, counter pressure, birthing positions). I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to any of my friends. My insurance also helped to reimburse the doula and Fabienne was knowledgable and extremely timely in response time to them! When we're ready for baby #2, I know Fabienne will be one of the first people I reach out to! read more

Less than a month out from our due date, I read Expecting Better (the one book I read) and learned that the author recommended having a birth doula for better outcomes. I had heard of birth doulas before but I assumed they were for other people more crunchy than us -- a couple of MBAs who call Palo Alto home and love to work. I Googled "birth doula Palo Alto" and found Fabienne. I instantly trusted Fabienne most among the three candidates I reached out to. I told her that I wanted to have the shortest labor and recovery possible, and the best possible outcome for my baby. Even though we only had three weeks from our first meeting, she was able to guide my husband and me though her vast knowledge of Lucile Packard's birthing practices (for instance that they have other pain management options besides the all-powerful Epidural), and to teach us all we had naively thought we would learn from our doctors -- birthing positions to consider, exercises to do to prepare the body leading up to d-day, ways to manage pain without medication, even how to get a proper latch after birth. We felt so empowered by Fabienne. I credit her 100% for giving my husband and me the knowledge and courage to do J's birth our way. We left the hospital after just one day, and the three of us are doing very well. Giving birth is tremendously painful and challenging and there's no way to describe it in words. But that's no reason to immediately opt for whatever the hospital wants to do. It's a reason to lean in and state your preferences, and trust Fabienne the river guide to help you get the "Fabulous Birth" you want. read more

So grateful to have had Fabienne at my first birth. I was pretty nervous/leery of the process and skeptical that I would want to forego modern drugs for a natural childbirth. I was pretty sure I would pull one over on my doula/husband and get an epidural at the hospital. One of the things that drew me to Fabienne was her open mind to support whichever decisions I decided to make. We interviewed 3 doulas and I felt most comfortable that Fabienne was not judgmental or trying to push her own agenda on to me. She made it clear that she had no doubts that I could have a natural birth but wanted to support my choices. The prenatal visits were helpful for my husband and I as a couple and me, personally. One of the things that stood out was when she asked how I normally deal with stress. This was something I'd never given much consideration to before and it made me more self aware to how I cope with changes and stressful events. This helped prepare us for the unexpected (always the case with childbirth). We also built a level of trust that was important for the big event. During our delivery, Fabienne's methods to help deal with labor pains were far more effective than if my SO and I had tried to do them ourselves. As a professional, she has the experience and confidence to know the right positioning and pressure to counteract the pain effectively. I did try to ask for drugs during transition/the most intense part of labor, but Fabienne helped calm me by saying I was so close to pushing that at that point drugs would probably hurt more than helping me progress. Her unwavering encouragement helped support me to have an unmedicated birth. There's no doubt in my mind that I would have just 'taken the easy way out' and had an epidural without her by my side. Because I was able to make my own choices and take ownership of the process, my birth experience was better than I could have hoped for and completely empowering. read more

My husband and I were having our second baby and we were on the fence about having a Doula. While we had a Doula with our first daughter, we now considered ourselves "veterans". As the days got closer to our second daughter's birth, we started to wonder... Are we ready to do this on our own? While informed about the birthing process, we were no experts. What if something went wrong? Who would be there to support us? Then we met Fabienne (recommended by a friend). My husband and I were both drawn to her relaxed nature and in-depth knowledge. Clearly passionate about the care of the mother and baby (and father!) we knew she was the Doula for us. She made us feel reassured and ready for the big day - whenever our baby decided to arrive. The day of our daughter's birth, I was having what could have been false alarms. I talked with Fabienne who advised me of the next best steps. The baby was coming fast, so we decided to meet at the hospital. When I arrived I was 4.5 cm! The next few hours were filled with moving, coaching, showers, working hard and feeling grateful for the team around me. The pain was intense and Fabienne helped me stay in control. She offered suggestions we wouldn't have known and gave my husband and me space to work through it when necessary. It really does take a village! Six hours in, and feeling exhausted and ready to meet my baby, Fabienne offered that last push of reassurance I needed to deliver the baby. Our little one arrived with great gusto! I was grateful to have the mid-wife, the wonderful team of nurses, my husband and Fabienne at my side. After our daughter's birth and back at home, Fabienne came to visit. I was immediately put at ease in her caring presence. She was reassuring and answered all my new mom (again) questions. Looking back, I would not change a thing. I'm so grateful we found Fabienne and she was part of our village welcoming our daughter to the world! read more

We were so lucky to have Fabienne as our doula. She was such an amazing support not only for me during my incredibly long labor but also for my husband. She stayed up all night with us and stayed with us until the arrival of our little girl. She tried so many techniques to help me with my back labor. Despite my stubbornness for refusing pain medications for the first 20 hours of my labor, Fabienne was there rubbing my back, rubbing my head, making sure she could provide any comfort possible. She really tried to help me attempt an all natural birth. She was so understanding when I finally gave into an epidural, she was non-judgmental and continued to provide me support until the delivery of our baby girl. She is very patient, kind, and understanding. Just the type of person you need in your delivery room! read more

Fabienne was our postpartum doula when we had our son and we would definitely recommend her to everyone. She is very warm and caring person and passionate about what she's doing. For us she was such a wonderful help and encouragement. After we met her, it became evident that she is incredibly resourceful and knowledgeable. As a first time parents, it can be overwhelming to bring a newborn home from the hospital. Having Fabienne to make us feel confident that we are doing things right and address our concerns was invaluable. For example, we were nervous about giving baby the first bath. Fabienne explained all the steps and watched and guided us through bathing him ourselves. She also suggested trying infant massage and taught us some techniques. We've been practicing them ever since and it's a beautiful way to bond with our boy! Fabienne helped us enjoy breastfeeding more. She showed us some new positions with paying special attention on relaxing the shoulders and feeling more comfortable. One time we asked her to show us how to properly burp the baby, as we had some trouble making our baby burp after every feeding. Immediately after she took the baby in her lap, he burped very hard - and she was in the middle of the sentence 'This is how you position the baby for burping'. Even weeks after our boy was born, Fabienne was willing to answer some questions and give practical recommendations. Our boy is now growing well and we are grateful that we had Fabienne's support with our transition into parenthood. read more

I have worked with Fabienne in my professional capacity as a Licensed Midwife, both attending births with her as my clients' doula and seeing her role integrating doulas into the birthing community as a whole. She is the real deal. She is strong and compassionate, knows a ton of tricks to help laboring mothers, and is incredibly professional. My clients loved her and the care and talent she brought to their delivery was everything that we all needed. She is phenomenal in a home birth setting, but handled a transition to the hospital with grace and ease. I would be happy to have Fabienne as a member of my clients' birth team any time. She is a treasure and a joy to be around, and an asset to any birth. read more

My husband and I were both very pleased and impressed with Fabienne's services. We found her to be very informed, supportive, communicative, attentive, and flexible. We also appreciated that her approach was both nurturing and grounded, without the "woo woo" vibe we got from some other birth doulas we interacted with. We would definitely recommend her highly to others. read more

Fabienne is absolutely amazing! We knew we wanted to work with her when we met her at Blossom Birth's 'Meet the Doula' event. She is easy going and very knowledgeable. She has great tips on her personal experience and as well as her experiences that she has seen in the field. The birth was amazing and her verbal direction and hand counter-pressure technique was very much needed during delivery. My insurance pays for doulas and she was very thorough and quick with providing the necessary paperwork. I will definitely work with Fabienne again. read more

We knew we wanted to hire a doula as soon as we learned about the research on doulas. A friend of ours who is also a doula recommended Fabienne, and we're so happy we hired Fabienne. I don't think we would have had such a fantastic birth experience without her. Fabienne is knowledgeable, compassionate, and skillful. We met with her two times before the birth, and my husband and I were both struck by what a great listener Fabienne is. She walked us through strategies for coping with labor pain as well as adjusting to life with a newborn. The birth was truly a phenomenal experience. I had hoped to have a natural childbirth because I felt like it would be beneficial for our baby. What I didn't expect was how joyful, strong, and happy I would feel about the whole experience. After a gradual and gentle early labor, once my water broke, I delivered in three fast and furious hours. Fabienne arrived at our home after my water broke. Contractions were intense and strong, and Fabienne was a wonderful support to both me and my husband. Labor moved so fast, that she rode in the car with us, supporting me to not push. We made it to the hospital and I delivered 30 minutes later. At Kaiser Redwood City, Fabienne worked seamlessly with the nurses and midwife. It was her voice that I focused on during transition and pushing. She stayed for a few hours after delivery, and helped us have that "golden hour" of skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding after delivery. Once we were home, she was also a very helpful resource in coping with some breastfeeding challenges. We will definitely hire Fabienne for the birth of our next baby! read more

I've read a million times that no two births are exactly alike, which is why I immediately knew I'd like to have the support of a doula for the birth of my second kiddo. My first baby was born 10 years ago and the realization that things might be slightly different was pretty sobering. I had managed my first labor- about 12 "active" hours- without any pain medication and with the help of my mom. Unfortunately (with the exception of being unmedicated), the birth was far from what I wanted... hooked up to IVs, no food or drink, relegated to stay in bed, pushing (for what felt like forever!) with no guidance and flat on my back. I just knew there was a better way. This time I was sure I wanted to have my son naturally again but my situation was completely different. This was the first baby my husband and I would have together and I wanted a professional to help us both! When we met Fabienne we both knew instantly that we wanted her on our team. She was so loving, calm and wise (and funny, thank God!)- even in the few minutes we had to chat when we first met her- that we both felt at ease. Just for reference- my husband is a bit of a tough cookie when it comes to letting people in so it is genuinely saying something that he was so supportive! The prenatal sessions with Fabienne really helped me get my vision together for how I wanted to bring this new little man into the world. It has always felt like she was my sister, guiding me through my options and showing me everything she could do to help me so that I would be comfortable no matter what we needed to try during labor. To say it was comforting would be an understatement. Fabienne continued to be encouraging and understanding, even when I thought I was in labor (like a new mom again!) and it would slow down or stop. Eventually, our midwife recommended we go into the hospital to get induced. Fabienne had already reassured me that I could get through an induction with my labor plan intact and no medication, so I felt confident. At around 330am, my water broke and contractions started getting more intense so I went to the birth ball and started bouncing like Fabienne had showed me. My husband texted Fabienne and she headed to the hospital (with little regard for the speed limit but a ton of consideration for me!). By the time she got there- around 4am- the contractions had gotten significantly stronger and were coming about a minute apart. It was so reassuring to see Fabienne walk in with all of her bag of tricks and her wide, welcoming smile. I knew I could get through it as soon as I saw her. Fabienne went right to work, quietly and calmly rubbing my back and applying counterpressure during the contractions. She would remind me to relax during the breaks in between (even if they were short) and kept reminding me I was doing a good job. I remember asking her if she had ever seen an induction kick off labor this intense with contractions this close together- and even though she said she hadn't, I still felt calm and supported. She was my anchor throughout and I know my husband sincerely appreciated that she kept him calm, as well. She knew exactly what my husband needed and he has told me many times that she was "priceless" and "an excellent non-verbal communicator" that helped him feel comfortable. Honestly, things got a bit hazy and hectic and the room suddenly filled with people, but Fabienne's focus remained on me the whole time. As a great example, when I started pushing, my midwife recommended I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth in between pushes. Before I could even say anything, Fabienne let her know I had a cold and couldn't breathe through my nose. It was obvious she was as in tune to what I was going through as I was and it felt great to have a champion in my corner. After our son, Aesop Thomas, was born at 542am without any pain medication and no complications, Fabienne stayed at my side. She helped me gently guide him to latch on both sides right after he was born. It gave me a ton of confidence and has helped the two of us bond quickly. After we got home from the hospital, Fabienne visited and helped us to get a better latch and even answered frantic calls with all of our questions! I honestly couldn't have done it without her and I would recommend her to absolutely anyone looking to have a brilliant support system. I consider her my sister on so many levels and words cannot express my gratitude to her. Thank you, Fabienne! We are beyond blessed to have you share this wonderful experience with our family. read more

Best decision ever to hire Fabienne as our birth doula!!! Caring, competent and simply "fabulous". We would recommend a birth doula and Fabienne in particular to all pregnant couples, especially if it is the first pregnancy. We could not imagine how this birth would have been without her. We always wanted a postpartum doula and not a birth doula. Now we know it is exactly the other way around. We didn't necessarily need a postpartum doula, but definitely a birth doula. And for us being far away from family and friends, it was great to have someone around who we could trust. read more

Fabienne was my postpartum doula after the birth of my son April 2016. She was a lifesaver for me in countless ways. I knew my son was having trouble with breast-feeding from the beginning, and she connected me to an excellent lactation consultant and pediatric dentist to help diagnose and correct a tongue tie that could have negatively impacted him his whole life if Fabienne hadn't helped correctly identify the problem very early in my babies life. She spent hours trying to help me breast-feed, and even came with me to the pediatric dentist to have the tongue tie revision procedure in the East Bay and held my hand through the whole thing. My baby is now a happy and healthy six-month-old, and I will hire Fabienne again when I am ready to have baby number two. read more

I would highly recommend Fabienne to anyone. She has such a calming demeanor and is so knowledgeable. Even though I had to have a scheduled c-section due to a breech baby, Fabienne's emotional support was wonderful and her support with breastfeeding was so valuable. Thank you! read more

I am so glad I had Fabienne there for my birth. My husband and I were having our second child. From the very beginning, Fabienne has been accommodating, attentive, and kind. She is a fountain of knowledge and strength. Throughout my pregnancy, she was able to answer all my questions and most of all reassure me that my birth will be a beautiful. She was easy to reach and was there throughout my hospital stay. Her prenatal visits were very helpful. During labor, she was calm, understanding, and energetic. She reminded me of my purpose, of my plan and was the voice of reason when I couldn't focus. Because of her, I was able to naturally give birth to my son without medical intervention. There were times when I wanted to cave in, but she reminded me how far I've come along and the strength I hold. She is also a very strong woman who was able to hold me up and was able to withstand my screaming! I would recommend her to anyone and would have her at my next birth in a heartbeat. I am blessed to have found her. She was born to be a doula. read more

Fabienne was able to help us on such short notice and continued to be flexible as our needs changed. I was able to nurse better and with more confidence after her help. We also felt more confident as parents in general with her reassurance and guidance in areas where we were struggling. Aside from helping me to have my placenta encapsulated, which was a huge success, Fabienne's help as a post-partum doula allowed us to feel more confident as first-time parents doing things like bathing the baby and nursing in new positions that allowed me and baby to be more comfortable. Her calm and confident way of assisting was much appreciated. She was such a huge part of our daughter's homecoming and getting settled into our new life with baby. We cannot thank Fabienne enough for her knowledge and expertise and especially her kindness. Learning I would be able to encapsulate my placenta was truly such a gift and granted me relief and peace. There are not enough words to thank her! read more

Fabienne was wonderful. Her passion for birth and her dedication to her clients was completely apparent. During labor, Fabienne provided gentle reflections on our desired birth which was welcome since our hospital pushed for things to happen on a timeline. Fabienne worked hard to keep my labor active. Fabienne continuously suggested changing positions for contractions. She encouraged laboring in the hot tub and used aromatherapy. At one point, she researched on her phone and then proposed an exercise to do during contractions to optimize me son's position in utero. Fabienne applied counter-pressure during contractions and massage in between. She gave my husband and I space and time when we needed it. Fabienne was calm, confident, and encouraging. Fabienne's post-natal visit was comforting too. She brought homemade scones and snuggled our baby boy while we laughed and cried as we reflected back on our experience. read more