Jenn completely changed my postpartum experience for the better. We got home from the hospital and…read morewere lost when it came to establishing a feeding routine that would be sustainable and support our little one. She spent so much time and energy and thoughtfulness walking us through a solid schedule and approach that worked seamlessly in our lives. She doesn't provide a standard approach, but rather tailors her recommendations to the family and baby at hand. Jenn came highly recommended from a friend and our pediatrician said that she's one of the two lactation specialists that she relies on in her practice. Highly recommend working with Jenn.

Jenn made a huge impact on my breastfeeding journey with just one visit. I had been triple feeding…read morefor weeks and had contemplated giving up on breastfeeding. Pediatricians weren't able to give us a path off of supplementing and we had gotten a lot of overwhelming advice of various treatments to improve transfer. Jenn did a thoughtful evaluation and gave us a very straightforward and actionable plan to transition off of triple feeding. She really built up my confidence around breastfeeding and within two weeks we were exclusively nursing. She also checked in a few times in the following week to see how things were going. Overall a really positive experience!

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).

Tracy was a exactly what I needed. While at the hospital, I saw a total of four different lactation…read moreconsultants. While they did the best they could in the support for me, I wished I had met with Tracy from the very beginning. At the first doctor visit for our little one, the doctor was concerned of the baby's weight loss and ordered an every two hour feeding regimen and a return the following day. The baby lost even more weight and in my postpartum, sleep deprived state, I left the office in tears. All my efforts felt like they were going nowhere and I was ready to throw in the towel to formula. Feeding felt too hard. They recommended a lactation consultant. Tracy was not only on the list of recommended LCs, but highly recommended from a friend. Tracy is an experienced, professional, responsive and AWESOME lactation consultant. We had a home consultation. The support during and after her visit was reassuring, caring and instrumental in building my confidence in breastfeeding. Her follow ups were great and I appreciated the checks-ins. Highly recommend Tracy for anyone starting out.

I am a midwife myself so I thought breastfeeding would not be a problem - I teach others to…read morebreastfeed their babies. Haha. Totally different story when it is you and your baby and you are sleep deprived and in pain or your baby isn't gaining weight, etc. I have a new appreciation for the many variables that come with feeding your baby - it's the first challenge of parenting isn't it? Tracy Dillen-Massillon came to our house to help with breastfeeding. She is a GEM! An ANGEL! Worth every penny! I was having infection/pain issues and she has helped me get through the most difficult ordeal of my pregnancy, birth or postpartum period. She is to the point, concise and clear. She immediately diagnosed my problem and gave solutions. She gives you a written plan (much needed with baby brain) and does not mind emails/phone call follow up and responds promptly. I have continued to have complications but she always comes up with a plan that works and meets the challenges with her broad range of knowledge. She is very up to date on medical research. She is also very non judgmental and works with your individual needs - she has a good balance of natural and western remedies to offer you. I don't know what I would have done without her. She also leads the breastfeeding circle at natural resources on monday which is also a great less expensive option for less pressing problems. But she came and saw me within 24 hours of my first phone call and boy was I flailing, like I said, worth every penny!!!

Maggie Kler is a phenomenal lactation consultant and postpartum guide, and I recommend her without…read morereservation to anyone navigating breastfeeding, whether things are going smoothly or you're struggling to meet your goals. With my firstborn, I lived in fear for the first month that she wasn't getting enough milk. Maggie helped me measure my current transfer, improve my technique, and understand the bigger picture of my baby's development. And my baby's weight corrected exactly as Maggie predicted! Every visit with Maggie was immensely helpful, regardless if there was a specific problem or a checkin, because she uniquely helped me one connect the dots between my baby's birth, status updates from pediatrician visits, and the round-the-clock grind of newborn feeding. Maggie was such an indispensable part of that experience that I reached out to her again during my second pregnancy. This time, she helped me troubleshoot my second baby's lower appetite and different positioning issues, and reassured me that breastfeeding was working even when my baby simply chose to eat less. Seven months postpartum, her read on the situation has proven completely accurate. Maggie combines deep expertise with a mother's empathy (something well intentioned pediatricians can't always offer!) plus a real understanding of what breastfeeding can and can't control. No one made me feel more supported in the hardest moments of postpartum recovery.

It's rare that I'd describe a retail store as "life changing" but this little shop was. In my raw,…read morepostpartum days after an emergency c section and a ten day stay in a hospital, I was breastfeeding and desperate for clothes I didn't feel terrible in and that I could breastfeed easily in. I stopped here and not only did they provide a cozy, private place for me to breastfeed with a helpful Breast Friend pillow, they also had changing tables and a scale for me to use, which brought me peace of mind. Then the nice young lady working there (after giving me space and privacy to nurse) helped me find nursing bras that I love (bravado, sadly being discontinued) and I even found some great nursing shirts that I wear every day. Please support this wonderful women owned shop!

Sara is truly a baby whisperer. After our move to San Francisco from London, she helped our son…read moreadjust his jet lag and then guided us through a gentle sleep training approach that really clicked for him. Very quickly, our little guy was sleeping through the night and taking long, restorative naps. Before working with Sara, we were really struggling. He was waking regularly throughout the night, and we were doing everything to get him back down. It was taking a real toll on our whole family. What made Sara stand out immediately was how aligned she was with our values. We are very conscious of attachment, and any version of cry-it-out or Ferber felt far too harsh for us. Sara's approach was gentle, thoughtful, and deeply respectful of both baby and parents. She gave us a framework that felt humane, intuitive, and sustainable. She is incredibly patient, generous with her knowledge, and so perceptive. One of the most amazing things she taught us was how to really tune into the different kinds of cries and better understand what our son was actually communicating. That alone was invaluable. We are so grateful for Sara and all of her guidance during this chapter. She brought so much calm, clarity, and confidence into our home at a time when we really needed it. When we have a second baby, she will absolutely be our first call.

I logged into my Yelp account for the first time JUST to review Sara, because I can't imagine doing…read morethis first-time mom thing without her. She just knows absolutely everything about babies, and knowing that I could call on her gave me so much confidence and comfort. Some of the best things about Sara: - Most importantly, Sara gets results! Our baby was a pretty good sleeper from the get go, but as soon as the doctor gave us the go-ahead to stop waking him to feed every three hours, Sara had him sleeping six hours a night. By two months after his due date, he was sleeping 10 hours, and at six months, he's sleeping 12 hours a night with no noticeable regression. - Hiring Sara doesn't just give you relief for one night. She gives you a game plan to develop good sleep habits that you can implement on the nights she's not there, so that your baby becomes a good sleeper every night. We had done all the reading and online courses (Taking Cara Babies, etc.), but it's just different doing it in real life, and Sara can show you how to apply that generic wisdom to your specific baby. For example: She figured out--without us having to experiment for months--that the best thing for our baby was firmly tapping his hip so his whole torso jostled slightly. It relaxed him and got him right back to sleep. We theoretically knew that movement/rocking helped babies, but would never have thought to apply that to our baby by patting his hip! - She has literally seen it all and can help with any kind of baby. Our baby was a preemie who spent weeks in the NICU and had to take a cross-country flight very early and then adjust to a new home. Sara put us instantly at ease with caring for him overnight, despite his special needs, and had very concrete ideas about how to adapt the conventional sleep wisdom to his specific circumstance. - You will face no judgment from Sara. She's seen it all and knows way more than you, but she is super deferential to your decisions on parenting and will share hilarious stories about her own child-rearing experience to make you feel comfortable. - She's attentive to all facets of your baby's well-being, not just his sleep. On the very first night she came to us, she noticed that the way we were mixing baby's formula (shaking instead of swirling) was likely to worsen his reflux. Literally overnight, our baby went from shrieking in agony and arching his back after every feed to having bad reflux symptoms maybe once or twice a week. For that alone, I would have paid Sara any sum of money. - Having Sara in our Rolodex has made us much more adventurous and confident parents. We took a trip to Hawaii and are planning a trip to Japan; I doubt we would have done either without Sara's assurance that she'd get our baby back on track and over jetlag in a night or two. - She gets results fast. After five months of ignoring Sara's nap/daytime recommendations and winding up with a baby that required hours of movement/snuggling/very specific sounds to fall asleep during the day, we finally caved and asked Sara for a daytime consult. In literally a single two-hour stretch, she got our baby falling asleep easily in his crib for naps and has freed up hours of our day. - She's not at all doctrinaire about baby sleep philosophies. She's not a hippie dippie doula who makes you feel guilty if your child fusses or cries. But she also doesn't use crying it out or Ferber or any of harsher sleep training schools. She meets the parents where they are comfortable and is happy to use whatever method they think is best. But we deferred to her recommendation (for naps; she got us full nights of sleep with zero crying)--which involve some crying, but never more than a minute or two, and never without you cuddling and comforting when it felt right--and it worked really well for our baby. I could go on and on, but send me a message if you want more details. I know she's expensive, but it's one of the best investments we've made. It was worth every dollar to get enough sleep; it made us happier people and better parents.

Catriona has been wonderful with our newborn baby and supporting our family as we transition into…read moreparenthood. I really can't imagine bringing a newborn home without her support. Truly, it was the best money we've spent on all things baby related. She helped me to set up my own routine to adjust to life with a baby and has gotten our baby on a schedule that helps him sleep through the night.

I couldn't be luckier I found Maria to help me out. I started working with Maria when my daughter…read morewas 2 weeks old after a few unsuccessful doula hires. Honestly, finding her was like a breath of fresh air. Initially, I thought my life is not going to be the same again but step by step she showed me that everything is doable even with a small baby. She helped me for the first 12 weeks right until we started the daycare. She is caring, genuine and professional. Having 2 kids of her own made her learn a lot about the babies and she LOVES taking care of the little ones. I would recommend her services to any mom. She was there for my daughter and me, helping out with the baby, light household cleaning and making sure I get my rest too. She was always on top of making sure the nursery is clean, and everything is organized. I literally didn't have to ask for much as she always was ahead of the game. She is also a professional massage therapist, so you can get a little treat here and there if you are lucky.

Melitta is 100% the reason why I'm breastfeeding my 6 month old and love it so so much. For the…read morefirst two months of my baby's life, he simply refused to latch. He didn't have a tongue tie, he just hated breastfeeding. I did too. Every single day I came so close to quitting because it was truly making me miserable. Well, I had two visits with Melitta, and she changed everything. She's warm and knowledgeable and not at all dogmatic about breastfeeding. I truly felt that she was there to help me to whatever I wanted to do and didn't have any agenda of her own. She was really observant about me and my baby's situation and was able to provide me with more than just random tips that I had already heard about how to be successful, but more like a paradigm shift in the way I think about breastfeeding. It's hard to explain, but she somehow took the pressure off and gave me a renewed confidence and openness at the same time. She also talked to my baby in a way I've never heard anyone talk to a baby before. She would look him in the eyes and say in a plain, kind voice things like, "Okay, now we're going to try something different, and you might find it frustrating, but that's okay." Hearing someone talk to a baby like a real person and treat them with respect left a really big impression on me and has influenced the way that I parent. I'm really in awe of how much Melitta has done for me. In the early days, I thought breastfeeding was the worst thing ever and I spent most of my waking hours thinking about how awful it was. Now it's easy, fast, convenient, and a huge source of joy for me and my baby.

Melitta was incredibly helpful with figuring out breastfeeding with our twins. Kaiser also offered…read moreLC services, and she was super clear about when she thought it would be helpful for her to visit and when she thought we should wait another few days. She was supportive and knew when I just needed to cry and let it out, and she gave me the most clear and helpful feedback for things to try to build my supply as well as how to be realistic about what my body was able to do. I recommend her to all my friends!

I recently had the pleasure of working with Rebecca as a lactation consultant, referred to me by my…read moremidwife. Rebecca made a fantastic first impression with her quick email replies. Maybe she could sense my desperation? Either way, we quickly set up an in-home visit (an invaluable bonus of not having to leave the house with a 2 week old baby). She not only had a very reasonable rate, but even offered a sliding scale. After struggling with breastfeeding in any and every way possible (latching, positioning, etc.), Rebecca's help was extremely welcomed. She was calm, confident, reassuring, caring and knowledgeable. We worked together for over 2 hours at that session, calling it quits at the baby's discretion. Although I don't have a "miracle worker" story about how everything was magically fixed and we lived happily ever after, I do have a happy ending the breastfeeding saga. It took a few more weeks (and a few more tricks) for me to really apply everything that Rebecca taught me in that session, but now my baby and I are pros, and I really do owe much of the success to Rebecca's help. I would highly recommend her services as a lactation consultant to anyone!

Rebecca Plum is an extremely talented, composed, and compassionate Midwife. I worked with Rebecca…read morewhile she was the primary Midwife for my doula clients, and from the very beginning I was impressed with the quality and the individually tailored care that she provided. I was first exposed to her work ethic and birth philosophy during our homebirth -team meeting. This is a time for everyone who is planning on attending the birth to gather and discuss the women's birth vision, discuss roles and prepare for various scenarios that might unfold. Rebecca smoothly moderated the session so that everyone knew what was expected of them which allowed us to all see ourselves as a team working to provide this couple with the love, respect and care that they deserved. What really stood out to me was Rebecca's deeply intuitive nature and her ability to address under currents and subtle signals, bring them into the conversation and positively harness all the unknowns and natural anxieties that can accompany birth. While being ever professional and remarkably prepared, she sparked an excitement in the air and made it down right fun. During the birth Rebecca continued to be the ever calm, smooth and joyful presence. As a doula, I have been a part of many birth teams and seen many provider's styles. Rebecca's style is at the core about trusting the birthing woman, the natural birth process, and giving the woman space to trust herself. She imbued the birth space with laughter and a true love for her work and the family that she served. It was contagious. Knowledge, experience, choice, and laughter- not a bad combination for a midwife!

The entire staff is incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. They have cared for me exceptionally…read morewell.

Staff is very helpful and informative, quality of care is amazing they go above and beyond…read more Definitely recommend