I didn't have a good birthing experience at Kaiser - I went into Kaiser with full intention of…read moreepidural but Kaiser didn't believe I was advancing fast and they asked me to wait until it was too late for epidural; what's worse was they didn't wait for my planceta to come out so they manually removed my planceta without any pain meds. Painful isn't enough to describe the experience. Pregnant with my second son, I didn't want to repeat the experience. Knowing I am likely birth fast again, I wanted to go without pain meds again, with as much help I can get, and natural birth of the planceta. I reached out to Tashina pretty late in my pregnancy. Knowing my situation, she responded to my email right away and managed to squeeze me into her schedule. She did a very thorough interview with me and my husband, fully understood what experience we are looking for and made amazing recommendations. She recommended me with a hospital I wasn't aware of that has great staff and with midwifery care. Since I was late stage pregnant (32+weeks), she pulled all her strings to help the new hospital accept me as a patient. And all the way up until the delivery date, she was only one text/call away for any questions I had. The birth was still painful, but with the midwifery care, Tashina's preparation with me and my husband, the hot tub setup, and her being there as my advocate, the birth was quick, smooth, and no manual extraction of placenta! My second son was almost 8lbs and no tear or stitches. Even weeks after birth, Tashina came visit and always checked in with me to help me with breastfeeding issues, baby colic issues etc. Tashina is so knowledgeable, caring and loving. We will always appreciate her help and she will always be a special person in my second sons life!

I'm convinced that fate brought Tashina into my life so I could have a beautiful, natural, and…read moreconfident first birth. Other than her deep knowledge of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, there is something extra special about Tashina and the calm presence she brings into your pre and post birth space. She not once shied away or avoided any of my questions or expectations for my birth and was so understanding of my boundaries around specific things. I felt absolutely safe and held by her to surrender to birth completely. Moreover, she helped my husband feel confident in supporting me in a natural birth too. All I can hope for is to have her at any of my future births as well! :) Thank you Tashina!

Amy Moy, is very kind, and compassionate with her services for what I needed. I'm a traumatic birth…read moresurvivor and when I decided to go along with my pregnancy the whole way through, Amy provided support and never judged me. Even though my plan switched many times. In the end. She was there when I had no one to go with me to give birth and held my hand. This time around I just needed a loving warm supportive person. This was a very special birth because I didn't really need to fight. I had a good team that understood my trauma. Amy was very helpful for my PTSD while birthing. Although I wasn't being assaulted and listened to with this birth I still needed that calming support and Amy offered me that.. I was very lucky to have Amy. Thank you.

Amy and Jenn taught a Cornerstone birth class for us. They are a treasure trove of evidence based…read moreinformation. I would highly recommend them to anyone creating a human. Amy is an experienced teacher and it shows. Jenn is knowledgeable and was a valuable co-leader. We're planning a home birth...they were able to educate us on that situation but also on hospital births if it comes to that. I discovered my love of birth videos in this class. What drama! What emotion! Reality TV. Better than hollywood. Aside from the knowledge, their attitudes were easy-going and confidence building for new parents. Can't say enough good things. :)

Jenn is an incredible doula. We hired her to help us go through the birth of our first child, and…read moreare so glad we did! We hadn't planned our pregnancy and really knew nothing about childbirth. Jenn walked us through what to expect and fielded all of our questions with ease. She helped us to feel like we could go through the birthing process with knowledge and awe at the same time. The day of the birth Jenn was there from the start. Her constant encouragement enabled my wife to get through the roughest patches of labor and stay focused. She was also great in helping me support my wife through the labor process. The birth of our baby was a wonderful, amazing experience and Jenn played a large part in making that come to be. Highly recommended!!!

Jen was present for 2 of my births and was just the reassurance and firm but gentle presence I…read moreneeded. I was determined after having my first child that the next two times I would have a doula! Yay me for following through! I contacted Dolphin Doula & Yoga and chose Jen to be my doula. A doula is so much more than just a birth coach; a doula is a partner and sister to help you before, during and after. With my second child we danced during labor in the hospital. With my third, stuck in a diagonal breach position, Jen was there to help me meditate and relax while the doctor performed a "version", turning the baby from the outside to get the head down. Yes, baby stayed head down and was delivered in the next few days! Whew!

I feel incredibly lucky to have had Shalin as my doula for the birth of my second child! Shalin is…read moresuch a warm, caring, and genuine person. As a doula, she is extremely capable, professional, and supportive. When I first connected with Shalin via videochat for a consultation, she instantly made me feel comfortable. I decided to go with Shalin based on how experienced and knowledgeable she seemed, as well as how comprehensive her doula services package was. Over the course of my pregnancy, Shalin visited my house several times to educate my husband and me about the birthing process, evidence-based approaches to birth, and different ways to prepare my body for birth, and to go over my birth plan. The whole process made me feel really prepared for the birth and gave me a greater understanding of what I wanted for the birth. I also appreciated that I got to know Shalin more during the pregnancy so that she didn't feel like a stranger at all. In fact, she is so warm and friendly that she felt more like a friend! She didn't push any particular views on me but wanted me to feel supported in my birth preferences.  When I went into early labor, Shalin was very responsive and kept checking in on me to see how labor was progressing, and when we decided to go to the hospital, she was super quick to meet us there. She was prepared in every way and set up lights and candles for the room. The hospital room was a vibe and very peaceful! Since I gave birth in a hospital setting, it was also important to me to have someone who could help advocate for me. When my hospital care team asked me to do certain things, Shalin checked in with me to see if I wanted to proceed with what they were asking. During the labor, she suggested different laboring positions and did counterpressure and other comfort measures, which helped me tremendously in coping with the pain. With Shalin's help and support, all my birth preferences were met! I had such a positive, empowering labor - something I never would have thought possible after my first delivery experience (without a doula).  I loved having Shalin as my doula and I highly recommend her! I can't stress enough how having her as my doula made such a difference to my second delivery experience. I am so happy with how everything went and really couldn't have done it without Shalin!

When I wrote this last time I was the supporting non-birthing parent. Thankfully just got the…read morechance to work with Shalin from the other side with the birth of our newest little one!! As always Shalin is the most incredible, compassionate, kind, resourceful, and caring doula. My full updated review is here below! :) https://yelp.to/Xwqw8UCKBk

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.

I just wanted to update my review to add that over the last few years since the birth of my first…read morechild, I have emailed Jen multiple times for assistance processing my first birth and working through options for my second birth. She was so positive and encouraging when I was doubting and questioning myself. Her support processing that first birth meant the world to me and I was able to change my story the second time around with her help. My only mistake was not having her as a doula for my first birth (she wasn't available for my second, but I would have worked with her in a heartbeat) Thank you, Jen, for helping me even years later. I appreciate you so much!

My first time giving birth at home! Labor itself wasnt easy or smooth but i am so thankful to these…read morewomen who took great care of me during pregnancy and labor! Reene and Ingles are amazing, they care for you like for their own family member! You ladies are amazing!!!!

I unequivocally recommend Renee Hanevold for prenatal care and home birth. As a CNM with former L&D…read moreexperience in several hospitals, she has delivered thousands of babies, and has seen many, many different kinds of births. She is committed to home birth as a better birth process, and because of her background she really knows what she is talking about, both about the problems that can come from hospital care and how to watch for serious medical issues that require that hospital care. Renee attended the water birth of my son (she supplied the tub). She helped me through the complication of early water breaking (four days before deliver). We had a successful home birth without pitocin, but I was confident that if we had needed to, Renee would have made the call to transfer to the hospital in a timely, non-emergency manner. Her calm, confident presence at the birth made all the difference for me. Though it is unusual, I had a tear from my birth that required stitches (normally tears can be left to heal better than sewing, but mine was a different kind) and Renee sewed me so well that several doctors who examined me since commented on what an amazing job the person had done on my stitches. For prenatal care, Renee isn't in a hurry, she gives as long as it takes to get your questions answered. She orders routine prenatal labs and ultrasounds when you need / want them, but doesn't force you to get tests you don't want. She also takes care to help mothers prepare emotionally for birth and parenthood, and she welcomes dads at prenatal visits as well. Also, she can really feel what that baby is doing inside you. Even when I couldn't tell, she knew exactly where he was and what he was doing in there. I have no regrets whatsoever about choosing Renee for my home birth, and I only hope that if I have another child I will be able to have her again, or find another midwife at least half as good.

What can I say but just thankful! My midwife recommended them to me for childbirth education…read moreclasses. It was my 3rd pregnancy but my 1st unmedicated birth so I had no idea what to expect during labor and delivery. I was worried, anxious, and scared. Over the course of 4 weeks, Amy and Jenn provided us the knowledge and tools to cope with labor. They are knowledgeable and used their own wealth of experiences. They listened and answered all of our questions. They were passionate about their work but also entertaining which we LOVED! I was hoping for an in-person class but due to the COVID-19 situation, it had to be online. Nevertheless, they made the class fun and interactive! I felt empowered and confident after the class. On 11/6/2020, I had my first unmedicated, minimal intervention birth! Thanks to Amy and Jenn!

I highly recommend taking this class! Myself and my husband had such a good experience learning…read moreabout labor and delivery in a easy to comprehend and engaging manner. Loved the hands on activities! Jen and Amy are so helpful and knowledgeable, such a great experience.

I took one of the trainnings here and I got mind blown by all the dedication and organization of…read morethis institution. They definitely put a lot of time into preparing their material and definitely have the professional in mind when setting their programs. I am alreay a professional in the birth world and taking a class here was the best professional decision I have made in years. I wish I had found them sooner. They are super dedicated and quick to respond emails and phone calls. Their programs are straight forward and hustle free while still trainning the professional to be capable and confident. Highly recommended in case you are looking for CEUs, looking into start a new carrear, wanting extra knowledge or changing your certification to a new organization.

From the owner: Private "Lamaze" childbirth classes for pregnant families in Downtown Sacramento. One couple per…read moreclass. CPI provides workshops to train student midwives, doulas, and childbirth educators. Birth Business coaching one one one sessions are provided to leverage and grow your birth business.