I can't say enough good things about Awakenings! I hired Esther for a home birth after a rather…read moretraumatic hospital birth with my previous child. I felt supported and held throughout the entire process. Esther took time to educate me on homeopathics to help alleviate headaches and helped me navigate a scary situation when my genetic testing came back with some red flags. I felt she went above and beyond when it came to helping with stuff like this that I could tell she was passionate about. I always felt that she was in my corner and when it came time for the birth (my third) she was able to give me space to birth the way I wanted to while being all hands on deck to help my husband catch our baby. It was a really healing experience for me. Postpartum she was very involved and paid close attention to details, even flagging some concerning heart rate stuff with my newborn that I was able to take to my pediatrician and have assessed. Truly full of gratitude for Esther and the experience I was able to have while guided by her professionalism, wisdom, and skill.

Esther was such a blessing to our family and to the entry of our youngest son. She is deeply…read moreknowledgeable and will give you a balanced amount of information around all the decisions that need to be made during pregnancy and beyond. We highly recommend Esther to midwife babies into this world. She's such a gift!

After reading Shannon's beautiful and transformative book Born Far From Home, I felt so drawn to…read morehaving a homebirth. I loved reading about Shannon's journey to Islam and birth work, and how her faith and spirituality intertwined with her midwifery care. I also enjoyed reading the compelling birth stories and the beautiful way in which she writes about birth. I especially felt connected to her book as a Muslim woman who was curious about homebirth, but wasn't sure if it was for me. Once I finished the book and had my first appointment with Shannon I felt confident, reassured, and excited about having a homebirth for my first baby. Since the start of my prenatal care with Shannon, I felt so comforted by the amount of time and personalized care she dedicated to us by listening to our concerns, answering our many questions, and providing the guidance we needed during this special time in our life. Her level of knowledge and expertise combined with her warm and comforting presence brought us ease during such a delicate time. I also have the same great things to say about Tara who was the second midwife to be present at the birth and meet with us for the postpartum appointments. Tara also has such a warm, beautiful, and comforting spirit and has been such a pleasure to meet with. When expressing the troubles I have with breast feeding, she has been so sweet and reassuring and I really appreciate the level of care she not only provides for our baby, but to me. I feel so fortunate and blessed to have had a successful and empowering homebirth with the utmost care and support from Shannon and Tara and I highly recommend them. I am so grateful to have been in their care.

I don't have enough good things to say about Shannon and her business. She was absolutely…read moreincredible from start to finish. From the very first phone call I felt so comfortable and genuinely heard. She took the time to answer every question and listen to my previous birth story and never made me feel rushed. She listened with understanding and compassion and for the first time I truly felt like a care provider was really listening to me. For my first birth, I had a typical hospital birth with a typical OB. Although I did not have a traumatic experience, I wanted something different for my second time around. I found Shannon and it truly was a blessing. The level of care and attention to detail was above and beyond anything I had experienced before. When the day came to give birth, having her there made me feel so safe supported and empowered. If I was ever to do this again, I would not hesitate to use Shannon and her team and have another home birth. It truly was a defining experience and something that I believe that all women should be able to experience. If you're looking for a quality Midwife service that treats you like family and truly listens to you look no further. I cannot recommend Shannon enough!

I sought out Lindy for my second pregnancy because of a less-than-ideal birth experience with our…read morefirst baby (at a different hospital in the Bay Area, not at Alta Bates). With our first, I had a long labor and the OB, midwife, and L&D nurse were not in agreement about how to manage it. The OB was pushing for a C-section, which I ended up not needing. The experience of being caught between providers was stressful and made me wonder if I might have ended up with an unnecessary surgery had I not happened to have that midwife and nurse advocating for me. With baby #2 I felt so much better being in Lindy's care. She is passionate about the mother's wellbeing alongside the health of the baby, so I felt genuinely cared for in every prenatal visit, during labor & delivery, and throughout my hospital stay. She provided holistic care at every check-up, focused not just on physical health but also on mental and emotional wellbeing. In between our visits, if issues came up I could (and did) call or email her with a whole range of questions -- from how to handle shortness of breath to medication safety during pregnancy, to how to think about postpartum support systems. As I approached my due date she also gave me a bunch of practical tips on how to get better sleep with a newborn and insisted that my partner join some of our visits so that we would all be on the same page. The labor and delivery experience with Lindy was in stark contrast to my first one. When I went into labor Lindy met us at the hospital and already had a room ready for us so we didn't have to wait around in triage. There was no back and forth between providers because it was clear that Lindy was in charge, which gave us a lot of comfort. The process was also a lot less restrictive and invasive -- no continuous monitoring, no dilation checks (which of course may vary depending on your situation). Lindy is a legend in the East Bay midwife world. She pioneered the model of private practice midwifery with hospital-based delivery in the East Bay, and she personally trained many of the private midwives in the area. I loved my experience as a patient in her care and feel fortunate to have had the opportunity.

Lindy delivered our baby this past August and we are extremely happy to have had her throughout the…read morewhole process. Being our first child we were very nervous about the whole process, but Lindy made us feel reassured with her knowledge and experience. She took the time to explain everything we needed/wanted to know and gave us tools we needed to be confident in delivery and postpartum. Our baby is happy and healthy and we are extremely grateful for Lindy's guidance through it all. Thanks Lindy!! - Mitchell and Kim

Kiki is amazing! Knowledgeable, comforting and patient, she made me feel safe and calm during the…read morebirth of my daughter (now 10 months old). She was by my side for the duration of my labor helping me to breathe, move and stay calm. When my labor stalled she employed a number of natural techniques to get things quickly moving again. This was my first pregnancy and honestly, if I didn't have Kiki with me advising me and walking me through the process I would have been a frightened mess. I strongly recommend Kiki without reservation!

When I first found out I was pregnant with my second baby I knew that I wanted to attempt a home…read morebirth. I search online for the best midwifes in SF and Maria popped up. After my first in person visit with Maria and Suzannah I felt confident in my decision. My husband, who was apprehensive at first of a home birth, also felt more at ease. Throughout my pregnancy, Maria was there for me physically and emotionally every step of the way. The student midwife/photographer, Suzannah, was even able to schedule a maternity photo shoot for me! Once it came time for my labor I was met with a hands on team, compassion, and professionalism. Since I had a toddler at home, my husband had to take care of the little one for parts of the labor. Maria filled in the gaps that were needed when my husband couldn't be present. Overall, having a home birth was such a special, intimate, and pure moment. It was the best decision I could have made for myself, my baby, and my family. I did not anticipate how fulfilled and proud of myself I would feel. Thank you Maria and Suzannah for supporting me through my pregnancy and labor. You both helped create such a calm and safe environment for me to bring my baby into the world. The support I felt from other women during this journey is unmatched. I could not have gotten this type of support and compassion in a hospital setting. I will definitely be reaching out to Maria when we're ready for baby #3!

We used Maria for our two boys, one born in 2018, and one in 2021. Both experiences were great…read more Through both pregnancies, we had ample time in appointments to get to know each other. She had calm and thoughtful responses to our questions, and a refreshing openness to discuss benefits and concerns at any stage without giving any feeling of pressure. By the time my wife was in labor with our first boy, we had complete trust that Maria could encourage and guide us through labor and delivery at home. We chose a home-birth for our second son, too. Maria always stays steady, clear, and calm, exactly the type of person you'd want at such a special and transformative event. Just like all the other reviewers, we can thank Maria enough - she is a true gem!

We had an outstanding experience with DOULAS by the BAY. They matched us with Mary Ann Cherie…read moreWolowski, who was with our family for the first eight weeks after our baby was born. She started right on the day after delivery while we were still at the hospital. This was incredibly helpful because it allowed my partner to focus on caring for our toddler while I recovered from my C-section and bonded with our newborn. Mary Ann was exceptional in every aspect of newborn and postpartum care. With her background as RN and an experienced nanny, she confidently took charge from day one. She handled everything--from swaddling and keeping the baby on a feeding schedule to making sure I stayed on track with pumping. She always had my pump parts cleaned, sterilized, and ready to use, which made those early weeks so much easier. She also gave me invaluable breastfeeding support. Thanks to her guidance, I established a full milk supply within just three days of my C-section, and I'm still successfully breastfeeding. She also referred us to an amazing lactation consultant who was an absolute game changer. Mary Ann was meticulous about everything baby-related and followed best practices in every detail. Her logging and tracking were incredibly thorough, giving us complete peace of mind. She was professional, respectful, organized, and kept everything spotless. The greatest gift she gave our family was rest. There were moments when it almost felt unreal how much recovery time my partner and I were able to get because we trusted her completely. She would even bring me a glass of iced water wherever I was--a small act of kindness that made a huge difference in my recovery. Because she took care of so much, I was able to focus on postpartum healing and even carve out time for simple self-care, like getting a haircut. Although her primary responsibility was caring for our newborn, she also formed a wonderful bond with our toddler and always made him feel included. She consistently went above and beyond by helping keep our home clean, making countless trips up and down the stairs without ever complaining, and never leaving before everything was tidied up--even if it meant staying a little past the end of her shift. We're incredibly grateful to Doulas by the Bay for matching us with someone who fit our family so perfectly. The agency made the process smooth, and Mary Ann exceeded every expectation we had. We wholeheartedly recommend Doulas by the Bay to any family looking for expert postpartum support. They gave us the gift of rest, confidence, and a much smoother transition into life as a family of four.

I reached out to find a birth doula and the initial meeting giving an overview of how they work was…read moreclear and straightforward. Doulas through this company are employees (not independent providers) and they stress that this is really good for always having a backup. We were then matched with 2 doula candidates and the scheduling process was easy and professional. However, we ultimately felt that these candidates were not properly trained or vetted. We never received any materials such as CVs for the doulas. The first doula said right away that she had never been a birth doula before and we would be her first birth. Her only experience was that she had been a night doula before. I was shocked that she had never even shadowed another birth doula as part of her training as a company employee. Bless her heart for being honest, but I did not want to pay to be her guinea pig. After this, I requested an additional candidate, but I was told the other one should be great. The second doula was also not a good fit. She kept emphasizing that at previous births hospital staff did not believe she was a birth doula (and thought she was just a family friend). It became clear why. I asked about her qualifications and she said she's working on her bachelor's degree even though she already has a master's degree. I thought this was strange and asked some follow up questions and ultimately could not determine what degree she had (maybe an associate's degree) or didn't have (definitely did not already have a master's). I also asked some basic medical questions about pain control and epidurals and she was not able to answer them. Ultimately we were able to find a wonderful birth doula through another matching company - experienced and with a real master's degree (in public health).

Ellie is my favorite midwife I saw during my pregnancy at Alta Bates hospital. I was there for so…read morelong I think I saw 6 midwives and 3-4 MDs. She's so calming, empathetic, and knowledgeable. I was hoping so badly I'd give birth when she was on shift but I kissed her by a few hours.

We worked with Ellie starting early in our pregnancy with our second. For my first, I had an…read moreunmedicated hospital birth in SF at UCSF. I can't say enough good things about Ellie. Her demeanor instantly puts you at ease. She is professional, reassuring, confident and keeps a sense of humor. I think I laughed about something every visit. My birth was VERY fast, and Ellie was totally calm and collected, reassuring my husband (who was super freaked out this time). With Ellie, I truly felt like my health and well-being were being cared for before, during, and after my birth. Compare that to the first time around, where I felt like it was only about the health of the baby (which is certainly super important, but us mamas go through a lot getting those little things to the other side!). I joke with my husband that I want to have another baby just to have Ellie as my midwife again! Our 2 year old even named her babydoll after her.

It's 8pm on a Saturday night and I am relaxing on my couch having a glass of wine. My little man…read morehas been sleeping in his crib since he fell asleep there, ON HIS OWN, SEVEN minutes after we put him down - without a peep. You read that right. Since I have such ample time, this review will be a long one. I gave you fair warning. I'm not so rigid to think or expect that every night will unfold like tonight. There will be teeth! walking! talking! more regressions to come. However, a month after starting this process, it has become a reasonable reality for me to expect that on more days/nights rather than not (meaning NAPS and bedtime), he will go to sleep. It is a work in progress, but Dahlia guided us through it with the confidence and clarify we ourselves needed to provide to our son for the process to work. The backstory: At 11 weeks old, my son morphed from our lovely sleeping newborn waking twice a night to waking EVERY HOUR, needing to be soothed back to sleep...while sleeping in our bed. As the weeks dragged on, it became clear he was not going to outgrow this hiccup in an amount of time that would preserve my sanity (or marriage lol), and things were snowballing from bad to dreadful (more on that below). He eventually settled on a pattern of waking 4-7 times per night; however, he started having negative sleep associations to most every soothing trick in the book. I won't waste time listing such strategies or the gimmicks I bought on Amazon. Well-meaning folks always shared their soothing strategies. Well, if you can envision it, we tried it. Don't start to tell me about white noise and black out shades. Eventually, NOTHING WORKED except the boob. So sleep - meaning all naps and bedtime plus the night wake ups - became an hour long battle with raging, screaming, kicking, tears. All of which did not guarantee an outcome of sleep in the end! This was a vicious cycle on repeat at least 4 times daily which went on for almost two months (give or take some days where baby was so exhausted he slept well for a night or two). On top of this, I had impending abdominal and oral surgeries. Just icing on the cake. We knew we had to sleep train. After pouring through blogs and books about the various sleep training techniques and studies, I still had reservations (and extreme anxiety subjecting my baby to this), and needed someone to lead me through its ups and downs. Alright I'll be honest - sleep training is mostly down. It is painful. Gutwrenchingly PTSD painful if your baby is anything like mine. Enter Dahlia. She is honest, positive, supportive, respectful, and above all, will use her knowledge to SEE YOU THROUGH IT. She makes herself available and genuinely wants to help you. I cannot thank her enough and I definitely promise you will not get that from a blog. So dread. I used to DREAD naps and bedtime. The clock would hit 5:30pm and my heart would sink a little. My soul would wail a sad song. Now, I think about the time I can spend writing long reviews and blogging while he's sleeping. And the biggest plus? The little man wakes up RELAXED and RESTED and happy to see me. THANK YOU DAHLIA!

Dahlia is the BEST! We hired her for 3 months of postpartum work, which is no small task with…read moretwins! She was so caring, nurturing, and gentle with our babies, her experience was only outweighed by her sweetness and profound gift for "twinning". I feel so lucky to have had her work with us, she taught us (first-time parents) so much, from swaddling to bathing to infant massage! Every morning when Dahila arrived it was a ray of sunshine and positive energy, my babies responded so well to her songs, her feeding techniques, and her cuddles. We were so sad to say goodbye to her when it was time, and are almost jealous of the next family that gets to work with her! :) :)

Nova was recommended to me for a home birth VBAC (already had one successful one). After finding…read moreout I was a woman of plus size, I was denied service with them. Their claim was that their VBACs need to be "pristine" because of liability reasons. My being plus size is not evidence based and is in fact, the same kind of shaming that I would expect from a typical medical doctor and not someone who practices midwifery. This was deeply disappointing. I'm grateful they can offer home birth options for women but if you don't fit their mold, you won't be accepted. Huh.. I went on to have a successful unmedicated 2nd VBAC.

We found nova midwifery through a friend... we were interested in having a home birth but weren't…read moresure, so we reached out to a friend to learn about their experience. They recommended Mason at Nova, so we called for an initial consult. Our son was delivered in 2015 at kaiser without intervention, and we liked the experience... except for all the medical stuff like wearing a heart monitor and sleeping in a hospital and all the worry that seems to come along with being in a hospital. For our second birth, we wanted a natural birth, but maybe a little more comfortable. We ended up hiring Mason and Melissa at Nova for our prenatal care, delivery, and recovery, and had a really nice experience. First, they're both 5 star people. Good bedside manner, good sense of humor, a nice wealth of knowledge. They are very good at quelling your fears and questions that come along with pregnancy and delivery, and appointments are typically really positive (you got this girl!). I would say from the husband side that a homebirth was WAY more enjoyable for me. My own bed, my own home, my own food, and I got to catch my daughter as my wife leaned over the ottoman. What an experience! I'll never look at that ottoman the same. I feel like these women checked all the boxes, professional, fun, empathetic, and knowledgeable. I hear they have new space in Walnut Creek, but one of the nicest things for us is they did some home visits for prenatal care since they had other clients in our area. Towards the end, we saw them in the office, and it was always a tranquil environment, very different from the kaiser waiting room. I think the recovery is the biggest advantage to the homebirth. These ladies support you through the first few weeks, and being home with your newborn is sooooo nice in the first few hours of life. I don't think I would have been comfortable with my first child at home, but now that I know what I'm doing, homebirths and nova are the only way I would go for an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery.

I saw Debbie Coleman during my second pregnancy. Although her office was running behind schedule…read moreand the waiting room visits were lengthy I felt like she was knowledgeable and made me feel safe and comfortable with having a natural birth at Alta Bates. She was out of town during my labor and delivery but she gave me enough resources to feel comfortable with delivering with another midwife/Dr. I'm currently pregnant with my 3rd child and will go back to her. Yes parking sucks at the San Leandro office but there's plenty of street parking and parking close to the library across the street.

Debbie and her team are the kindest, helped me through out my pregnancy and gave me the best…read morereferrals and advice to keep me from being extremely sick with my daughter. And I even decided to leave a picture in her office after my birth because she made me feel so loved and comfortable...