This is a long one, but what can I say? Worth it. Without a doubt, Meleah is the reason I can look back on my birth experience as a positive and empowering one. As a first time mom during a pandemic, I was really anxious about giving birth in the hospital (May 2020) and started doing research late in my pregnancy (32 weeks) on what it even meant to have a doula, because I really had no idea. I'd assumed it was a luxury some women opted for, one that I didn't think I needed. I reached out to Meleah late one night after finding so many amazing reviews on her service here on Yelp, and curious to know more, anxious because it felt too late in the game to even consider. She responded within five minutes (and was that speedy and responsive through the course of our work together) and I immediately felt like she gave me the emotional support I was missing from every doctor's appt I'd had up to that point. I took my time in committing because we had so many questions... and she still was so responsive and helpful in those weeks before I finally knew I had to work with her. Long birth story short, I had done a lot of research into home birth in these early pandemic days and was really keen on the idea of not being in a hospital (even though I'd started in a place of thinking home birth was about the scariest/most painful birth scenario I could think of) Meleah was a wealth of information and support for all of my questions and fears, and helped me prepare mentally for both scenarios so I felt strong either way. We decided pretty last minute to go with a hospital birth, but only because insurance would pay for it. But then, of course (as I've heard is common with a lot of birth plans) that all went out the window when I went into labor (Meleah being a huge support by my side), then went to the hospital, then was sent home because I wasn't far enough along. Through all of this, she supported me at home, drove me to the hospital, was on the phone when they wouldn't take us in and helping us go through options or what our plan would be next. I was sent home on morphine, and then, when my labor picked up again the next day so fast that I wasn't sure if I'd make it all the way back to the hospital, she called in the midwife that I'd met with and loved (Lael Stemming) who came last minute to do an exam and if it was again time to go to the hospital (so I could avoid the painful back and forth in the car again if there was a repeat of the day before). I ended up delivering at home, supported by these two amazing women, in the perfect -- hard but so so empowering -- scenario. Looking back, I Know it's what I'd wanted all along but was too fearful to go through with it. Hands down the most empowering experience of my life, and that is 100% thanks to Meleah. She was the perfect mix of understanding, patient, and empathetic, and also a tough, no-B.S. coach in those moments when I wanted to give up. She also helped my husband have an active role in the birth--arming him with the right things to say and ways to support me physically and emotionally--despite him having NO IDEA what he was doing going into this. (How could he?!) ;) I was able to have the natural birth I dreamed of, at home, and I will forever cherish the memory. Since I wasn't able to have friends or family around, Meleah was also a crucial part of my postpartum experience-- something I hadn't really even thought about needing. In those early days when I had no idea what I was doing and breastfeeding was so challenging, she would come over at a moment's notice -- even after our technical last visit had happened -- to help me troubleshoot. She was always available by text, too. I'm proud to say that, because of her, we're still successfully and happily (less painfully) breastfeeding 3 months in. You can tell she truly truly cares about her clients, and the little ones she helps bring into the world. I feel so so lucky to have literally stumbled into her via Yelp reviews. To have that level of genuine care here at a time when we felt so isolated and anxious about giving birth, I honestly feel like she was the best gift we gave ourselves in all of this. THANK YOU MELEAH. YOU'RE AN ANGEL. ;) So yeah... the point of this epic long review is just to say: SO MUCH MORE THAN FIVE STARS. If you're even questioning having a doula at your birth... JUST DO IT. Best money I've spent in this whole journey. Meleah is magic. You won't regret having her in your life at this incredible time. read more

Meleah was recommended to us by one of our friends. We started looking for a doula very late in our pregnancy. We interviewed a few but clicked with Meleah quickly. Our baby girl arrived 14 days after the due date in January 2020 and I had a 26-hour long labor that I was able to survive with Meleah's support. She kept me strong by calmly telling and guiding me step by step through the surges. She was with us at the hospital for the entire period of my labor. She  is very compassionate, incredibly knowledgeable, very understanding, thorough, very organized (which is what we loved when we met her for the first time). We desired to have an intervention-free unmedicated vaginal birth and Meleah prepared a plan for us that aligned with our birth preferences. She came to our house and talked with us about our birth preferences and cleared our doubts. She was always available to answer all our questions and clear our doubts. She also coached my husband and taught him techniques that he could do to help me during the surges. Things didn't go as per our birth plan because my baby went into the transverse position and could't come head down. We discussed our options with Meleah and I delivered my baby through c-section. She kept on checking on me and my baby after the birth. She came to visit us at our home again and answered all our questions I had on breastfeeding and checked on my emotional state. We highly recommend Meleah. We are so grateful for her and can't thank her enough for all the support she provided us. read more

If you are in need of a doula, I can't think of anyone I would want to recommend more than Meleah. I wanted an unmedicated birth and am 100% certain that if I did not have her by my side, I would've gotten an epidural. I have already recommended her services to a friend who has similarly glowing beliefs about Meleah. Personality: I interviewed several doulas and Meleah was by far the one my husband and I had the most chemistry with. Being first time parents we had a ton of questions and Meleah put us at ease with her expertise and confidence in the birthing process. All of us have opinions of how we want our birth to go. Meleah is respectful of your choices but will gladly offer her views if asked. Communication: Meleah is incredibly responsive and quite technologically connected compared to other doulas that we interviewed. While this was not something I required, it was definitely appreciated. She always answered any email or text in a timely manner and sought out more information about our questions to make sure she gave us a thorough response. Pregnancy: When I finally called Meleah to come to the hospital her presence was such a comfort. She anticipated my needs and made sure I was always hydrated. With direction from Meleah, my husband and her worked in tandem to provide me with the most suitable comfort measures. When I was resistant to some of her suggestions, she didn't push and respected my choices. She did however go back to her suggestions that I declined because she knew it would make me feel better, and they did. She communicated with the hospital staff so that I could concentrate on the birthing process. Emotional Support: Pregnancy, labor, and postpartum can and will cause a flurry of emotions. Meleah is there for you and truly cares about making you comfortable and confident in your abilities as a mother. While one normally views doulas as supporting a mom during pregnancy, Meleah helped us so much postpartum. When we had trouble latching during breast feeding, she offered troubleshooting ideas and new positions. Breastfeeding is so trying the first few weeks but Meleah provided me with encouragement so that I could be empowered to keep nursing. When we had mastitis, she encouraged me to give myself 24 hours to get rid of it without antibiotics but to quickly then seek medical advice if my efforts were unsuccessful. It truly does take a village to raise a child and my husband and I are so grateful to have Meleah be a part of our village. read more

I cannot recommend Meleah enough. I wasn't even clear on what a doula was or if I wanted one, and I can truly say that Meleah made the entire process feel possible for me. She has been instrumental in feeling prepared and not scared prior to birth, incredibly grounded and supported during the whole labor/birth, and continuously cared for and supported postpartum. She knows A LOT, has incredible cues to support you while going through contractions, navigating early labor and when it's time to go to the hospital, and then figuring out how to take care of this precious little life we just brought into this world. She has this amazing skill of tethering between calling on all of her experience to help you decide what move to make next during labor (get induced or not, use pitossin or not, what position to help move baby along, how to manage the pain of a contraction) while also making you feel like your (my) birth is special and unique and she's so present for every moment of it. She also was incredibly supportive for my husband, tag teaming with him supporting me in different ways, answering his questions/concerns and mine, and helping us just figure out this brand new life we have started. Truly, worth the investment and more and I couldn't be more grateful for her. read more

We first hired meleah to be our doula for our first child several years ago and had such an empowering and positive birth experience with her. There was no question who we would hire for our second child, who was born just a few weeks ago. Meleah is incredibly knowledgeable about all things related to pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and newborn care. For both pregnancies I wanted to try for a natural birth, which can be challenging in a hospital setting. Meleah provided me with the resources and insight to help me prepare both mind and body for this type of birth. Meleah is also absolutely the type of person you want by your side when that exciting day rolls around. She helped us to make the call when it was time to go to the hospital, which I was hoping to do well into active labor. Once at the hospital, she was fiercely compassionate and unquestionably defended my birth preferences whenever possible. In the months leading up to the birth she also helped me work through some birth-related fears that were causing me to lose sleep. She possesses all of the qualities you want in a doula: very empathetic, compassionate, knowledgeable, insightful, reliable, communicative, and that anchor in the chaos of birth. read more

After interviewing several doulas, there were a few things that really made us feel comfortable with Meleah. First and foremost, since we knew we were planning a hospital birth, we felt that she struck a perfect balance of being able to focus on supporting us to have an unmedicated birth while also speaking the language of the hospital. Of course, I'm sure she's also great for births in other settings, but for us, she was really unique in that she seemed extremely knowledgeable about unmedicated birth in a hospital setting. We wound up having a more eventful pregnancy than expected, resulting in an induction at 39 weeks. While this was not our wish, Meleah was right there with us to help explain and process the doctors' advice and to prepare for what was to come. She gave us the best advice we got: be patient since inductions can take a long time! She was right, and the patience enabled me to have a vaginal delivery. Once we were in the hospital, Meleah provided extremely helpful support by text and phone. I am 100% sure that I would have had a "failed" induction within the first 24 hours if it weren't for her support and encouragement. It was only because of Meleah's support that we were able to ask the right questions to get the care we needed. Once I was in active labor, Meleah joined us at the hospital and was, once again, an amazing support. She brought her signature blend of compassion and assertiveness, never being pushy but never being afraid to ask for what I needed (we went through the entire supply of heating packs on the labor and delivery ward!). When I decided to get an epidural, Meleah was incredibly supportive, understanding that it was the best choice for me at that time (we were 3+ days in at that point!). Because of her support, I knew that I was making an informed, conscious choice about my body and birth, and never felt like I had "failed" at an unmedicated birth--just that things took a different path. After our daughter was born, she needed significant care in the NICU. In all of the chaos surrounding her transfer to the NICU, Meleah focused on caring for me and enabled my partner to be with our baby. She taught me to hand express colostrum since I could not try to nurse, and I credit her with helping me establish my milk supply even with a period of separation from our baby. After I was discharged, Meleah was an amazing support, checking in on us regularly, reminding us to take pictures of our sweet babe, and telling us that we had to eat! She and her doula partner came to our home for a postpartum visit (bearing snacks!) and helped connect us with breastfeeding support and other resources to process our daughter's arrival. Our initial reason for seeking Meleah's support was to have an unmedicated hospital birth. I had no idea that she would provide something far more important: a sense of agency and empowerment as we made countless choices surrounding the care for our family. Our work with Meleah and her doula partner didn't just help me have a successful birth, it helped me process all that had happened and to feel confident that we made quality, informed choices every step of the process. read more

I had the absolute best experience with Meleah. During our home visits she was grounded and calm and down to earth. During the birth she was so strong and supportive and knew exactly what I needed to do. This was my second birth so I knew what I was getting into, she helped me get through a completely natural water birth at the SF Birth Center. I highly recommend her, she will be there for you with open arms. read more

Meleah is AMAZING. I highly recommend her. She helped me through a very difficult natural miscarriage - she texted and called me throughout and the miscarriage went on quite awhile. It was a very scary experience and she was there every step of the way. Oh, did I mention that I had not even hired her or paid her a dime while she was reaching out to me because I lost the pregnancy pretty early on? She would not take any payment because I would not be needing her doula services (even though I offered). She continued to text me and follow up to make sure I was ok. She is an amazing and extremely caring person. You will not be disappointed working with her. Her level of care is impeccable. read more

Meleah Ekstrand -- so nice that we used her twice! We first worked with Meleah in early 2017 for the birth of my daughter. We interviewed a number of highly recommended doulas and Meleah blew us away with her warmth, open mind, open heart, knowledge, calming presence, patience and professionalism. Unlike many families, we did not have a specific birth plan, nor were we set on having a natural birth. Rather, we preferred to play it by ear, enjoy the process as much as possible and infuse great energy into the experience. Meleah made that happen for us. In our prep sessions, she was sort of like our "birth therapist", helping my husband and I to learn, discuss and communicate. When D-Day rolled around, she was precisely tuned into what I needed (hello, four hours of counter-pressure massage!) and asked questions and provided answers without any hint of judgement. My husband was immensely thankful for her partnership, and she seamlessly integrated into the delivery room team. All of this created a wonderful and empowering day, in large part because of Meleah helping guide me there. When I got pregnant the following year, we reached out to Meleah right away to support us with #2. Once again, Meleah - fresh off of her own baby #4! - jumped in as part of our family team and got us through delivery day with ease, strength and positivity. The births of children are days that parents will never forget. I'm so grateful that Meleah's special presence will always be part of those memories. read more

I can't say enough great things about Meleah! She was our birth doula for our first born and helped us navigate all of the unknowns of child birth so perfectly - we felt so at ease knowing she was with us. Her appointments leading up to delivery are incredibly helpful and she takes the time to answer all of your questions and make you feel prepared for various scenarios that may come up. Once labor started and contractions got stronger, Meleah was at our side coaching us through things and accompanied us to the hospital. Her experience and familiarity of the hospital were invaluable once we got there in the middle of the night. After I got an epidural, we all tried to get some rest and Meleah stayed right by my side all night. She was such a great coach and support system for us while we did this for the first time/not knowing what to expect. She even takes the time to check in numerous times post delivery including a home visit. My husband and I both rave about her to this day and he's even said of all the things we've spent money on for new baby, hiring Meleah as our birth doula was one of the best investments we made. read more

Meleah was my amazing birth doula. I cannot recommend her enough if you are wanting support before during and after your birth. Meleah is extremely knowledgeable, non-judgmental and supportive. She has a lot of tricks up here sleeve for making birth less frightening and more meaningful. She also goes above and beyond with additional post natal support. She's very talented at her job and a terrific human being. I also really appreciate that she's had 3 kids herself! read more

We hired Meleah for the birth of our baby, and I can't imagine going through it without her! She went above and beyond in our four prep sessions so we were very comfortable with her and familiar with her methods. She was very responsive by email and text. She could tell I was very nervous about the whole process, so she recommended some really great books that helped me prepare mentally for the birth. Meleah also helped us draft a very clear birth plan so the doctors were able to quickly review and understand our wishes. One of the most valuable services that Meleah provided was advocating for us in the hospital. When we arrived at the hospital, Meleah flagged down a midwife right away so we could head to a delivery room before the baby was born. We didn't even have time to be admitted before the baby arrived, so Meleah's help in getting us to a hospital room was essential. I would highly recommend Meleah, and I've already passed on her info to some of my pregnant friends. read more

I don't even know where to begin to explain how amazing Meleah was in our birth journey! My husband and I hired a doula because we wanted an experienced advocate in the room with us to help us navigate every medical decision we had to make. Meleah was so so much more than that! She was our rock throughout the whole journey. She knew the exact recipe for me during labor. When it came to coaching me through contractions, she took a calm, steady and supportive narrative and when it came time to push she knew I needed an energetic cheerleader that counted down each push. What I appreciated most about Meleah was her unwavering emotional support. When I was disappointed in myself for needing an epidural before my 6cm goal, she was there to reassure me that I was doing awesome and that I had already made so much progress. She also made an amazing team with my nurse and the rest of the hospital staff working with them to make sure I had what I needed. One of my favorite parts of our relationship with Meleah was the postpartum visit where she made sure we were settling in with our baby girl. We got to laugh and reminisce about the birth. We felt so close to her after and we love keeping in touch; she's always quick to respond with any questions we shoot her way. We will 500% be making sure she is at our next birth if we have one! read more

Meleah was a fantastic doula and I'm so happy I chose to work with her! She was incredibly helpful throughout my pregnancy, from answering my myriad questions to helping guide me through the many decisions I had to make regarding my pregnancy and birth. I really appreciated how quick Meleah was to respond to my questions and her care and warmth in everything she did -- it's very apparent how passionate Meleah is about what she does! My goal was to have an unmedicated birth and Meleah provided me the support I needed to make that happen. She was such a source of strength, especially during my transition phase and her guidance helped me have a smooth and relatively quick birth. She was nothing short of amazing and I can't emphasize enough how grateful I am that she was there! Even after my birth, Meleah maintained in contact and provided a ton of support as I was navigating issues with breastfeeding. Again, her genuine care for me and my baby and her desire to help us through our challenges was very evident. There are so many wonderful things I could say about Meleah, but the bottom line is that she is truly gifted at what she does and I truly could not have asked for more in a doula! Thank you so so so much Meleah!!! You are AMAZING and we are so thankful for all your support and care! read more

Meleah was recommended to us by our birth class teacher because we needed someone with experience with cerclage. We were having our first baby girl and we could not have been happier with the experience that she contributed to create for us. We liked her style from the first meeting, her positive energy and ability to read situations and people. Her presence at birth gave us confidence and strength to achieve a completely natural birth. She was very generous with her time and advice and sharing of knowledge. She was very accommodating for payment and made it easy for us to pay for her services the way we preferred. In short, she made this experience wonderful for us and we would surely go back to her for the birth of a second child. read more

Pregnant with my first, I wanted a natural birth and knew I needed someone there who knew what she was doing. Meleah was recommended by two people in different circles, so I figured that was a good sign and called her first. My husband was skeptical of "the whole doula thing," but once he met Meleah, he was sold. She was open, knowledgeable, and confident, and we didn't need to meet anyone else! During labor she was with us for over 24 hours and stayed present and supportive (and awake!) the whole time. I relied on her at home, where she knew when to rest and when to pull out her bag of tricks to get things going, and at the hospital, where she represented me and made sure I had the experience I had hoped for. I wanted a medication-free birth, and I believe that I would have caved to pain relief or some other intervention if she hadn't been there next to me. She really did bring out my inner strength! Meleah continues to be available even months after the birth; she is a great resource and a wonderful person. We are so grateful for her support! read more

Hey Yelp - can I give her ten stars? It's challenging to summarize Meleah in a little Yelp review because I could write an essay about my love for this ANGEL of a woman. She stepped in to help us while our hired doula was on a trip (which of course was when our baby arrived). I was nervous to have someone that I didn't know attending our birth, but from the first second she arrived I felt connected and cared for. We almost didn't hire a doula because of the extra cost, but after my experience with Meleah I wish I had an extra $10,000 to give her - she deserves so much more than she charges. She was familiar with nearly every midwife/nurse/doctor that we encountered at Marin General - we were impressed with how much they all seemed to really respect her role and experience level, and she easily integrated into the care team. Meleah is an incredibly wise and grounded person, with strong values, a down-to-earth personality, and excellent communication skills. She's open-minded and supportive of different views and perspectives, and strikes the perfect balance between caring, calm and assertive. She is the epitome of the ideal birth doula. read more

Before the birth of my baby, I was on the fence about whether I needed a doula. Now that I am 6 months postpartum, I can honestly say that working with Meleah was one of the best baby-related decisions I've made so far. My birth experience was far from what I had imagined, with many surprise twists along the way and I would have been a wreck without Meleah. Throughout an unplanned C-section and my baby being rushed to the NICU for respiratory support, Meleah was a godsend. She put everything in context for me when the nurses and doctors failed to clearly explain what was going on, advocated for me in the perfect way, took care of me in the early hours of my c-section recovery, helped me stay in touch with my husband while he was in the NICU with the baby, literally got my colostrum flowing, and stayed through the night to make sure we were all in a solid place before she left the hospital. In summary, Meleah is wonderful to work with, has great instincts/ intuition on the birthing process, and has my absolute highest recommendation! read more

I would not have been able to have a natural, unmedicated birth without Meleah. My husband and I found Meleah through a friend who highly recommended her. From our initial meeting, Meleah impressed us with her expertise about pregnancy and childbirth and her ability to make us feel comfortable. Meleah came to our home for 4 visits prior to the birth of our daughter (+1 postnatal visit). She thoroughly covered different aspects of labor/delivery at each visit and always left plenty of time to discuss concerns we had. I especially appreciated that she would bring comforting measures for labor pain (TENS machine, essential oils, a CUB stool, etc.) with her so that she knew in advance what I liked and didn't liked. It also helped me become familiar with the tools so there weren't any surprises during my labor. Meleah always very patiently answered all of our first-time parent questions. A strong advocate of evidence-based birth, she provided us with resources that allowed us to make informed decisions about my birth and baby plans. Meleah has a unique way of making every conversation we had flow easily. By the time I went into labor, Meleah had become a close friend with whom I felt very at ease sharing my birth. Meleah was VERY responsive to the many e-mails and texts we sent her. We would often receive a response from her within minutes. She checked-in with me often to see how I was feeling, especially in the weeks leading to my due date. It has been a few months since I gave birth, and I still text Meleah questions about the baby. She continues to respond promptly with knowledgeable advice. My labor progressed quickly, and Meleah met us at the hospital. She immediately went to work to get me into positions that helped me cope with my contractions. While Meleah generally has a gentle demeanor, she was assertive in advocating for me at the hospital. She gave me options that I didn't know I had (such as wireless fetal monitoring) and helped me communicate my needs. During my labor, Meleah was constantly reading my body signals and adjusting my comfort measures. She instructed my husband in ways he could be helpful which allowed him to become very much part of the birth processing. Meleah constantly reminded me of the strength I had to deliver the baby without any medications. I recommend Meleah and her doula services without reservations. read more

One thing I knew for sure once I found out I was pregnant was that I wanted a doula. My goal was to have a birthing experience that did not involve medications or unnecessary interventions. I wanted to experience childbirth as so many women throughout time have, before it became a "medical" experience. I knew that my chances of having that kind of experience was greater if we hired a doula and my husband was completely on board with it. I also knew having a doula there would help him feel more relaxed and confident amid the chaos that may be happening. We interviewed 2 doulas before Meleah and had more interviews lined up after her. However, once meeting her we knew she fit exactly what we wanted and canceled the other interviews. It was important to me that we find someone who had been pregnant and given birth so that she really could relate to what I was experiencing. Not only was she kind and personable, she was very professional and even wrote us a thank you note after the interview before she knew we had decided to hire her. This being my first baby I anticipated that my labor would be long but none of us could have anticipated that it would be 68 hours. Meleah's ability to be mentally and emotionally present the entire time was invaluable. She ensured I was educated about my options and supported every decision I made. While my birth did not go as I had expected, I look back on it and feel good about it because Meleah was there to assure I felt in control of what was happening. Though she would have been helpful had my birth been by the book, she was extremely helpful during my difficult labor and birth and we are so thankful to have had her expertise, guidance and compassion. She even still stays in touch now that my baby is 7 weeks old and really encourages me to reach out if I have any questions or concerns which is SO nice! Without a doubt, having Meleah as our doula was the best decision we made for ourselves and our baby. read more

I am so grateful that my husband and I had Meleah and her partner Heather as our doulas for the birth of our son in October 2018. I can't praise her highly enough! Before the birth, Meleah helped us to envision what we wanted to happen while also helping us to educate ourselves and think through how we'd respond to various choices we might have to make during labor and delivery. Thank goodness she did, because things definitely did not go according to plan! I was so fortunate to have Meleah's calming presence by my side when I had to be induced and quickly started having strong contractions with little relief between them. I would never have made it through almost 10 hours of unmedicated labor without her words of encouragement and hands-on pain mitigation (those hip squeezes!). Meleah was also there by our side when we finally, after 20 hours, made the decision to have a c section. And she was in the recovery room afterwards to help my husband enjoy skin-to-skin time and to help our son breastfeed for the first time. Afterwards, Meleah followed up with a postpartum visit, where she shared very helpful advice, especially regarding sleep strategies, and then regularly with encouraging text messages. I only have good things to say about my experience with Meleah as our doula. Thank you, Meleah! read more

Short answer: Meleah is awesome - my wife and I could not recommend her more highly. She was an integral part of our birth planning, a calming and knowledgeable team member in the delivery room and a strong advocate for our specific birth preferences throughout the process. In short, Meleah is worth her weight in gold. For our baby due in September 2016, both my wife and I were initially unsure about getting a doula as my wife was planning on an epidural from day 1. We'd heard a lot of less than positive stories about doulas pushing for natural birth, so we were a bit apprehensive. As it turns out, that could not be further from the truth, at least with Meleah. She helped us lay out our preferences, gave us some tools and practices for prepping for early labor at home, and really held my hand (first time dad) throughout the delivery process. She was vocal when needed, confident and assertive, but encouraging and nimble when it came time for me to take charge of supporting my wife. Despite our best laid plans, when our birth got more intense and moved quicker than expected, Meleah was there to step in and help us get through any way we could. Beyond everything else, her ability to adjust and audible was amazing. We could not and would not have been as happy with our birth story without her. If you can, book her today. You will not regret it - we didn't for one second. read more

Two years ago I found out I was pregnant with twins. We weren't expecting twins & I was very overwhelmed & nervous.:) When a friend suggested that I get a doula- I took her up on the idea. I knew a doula would be a great support, but I had NO IDEA how much she would ease my anxieties, & transform my whole pregnancy & birth experience. Working with Meleah was absolutely amazing. Meleah met with me regularly throughout my pregnancy. She was so kind & warm & friendly- and right off I felt so comfortable working with her. She listened to all my questions & concerns. She taught me positions for comfort /exercises to do during labor, she reminded me how to breastfeed & showed me ways for breastfeeding twins, she asked my preferences on so many things for my birth & it made me realize that I did have choices & control in this scary situation! I could feel the fears melt away. She checked in with me regularly up to my birth- it was such a huge support to have her there. When I had an emergency c-section 5 weeks early- she was there in the hospital waiting for me. Even her presence was just so calming. She's done this so many times before- she just knows what she is doing & was so confident at advocating for my needs. While I was waiting for my c- section, she rubbed my feet with oils. She brought scents for me to smell because the medicine was making me sick. And she talked me through & prepared me for Everything. It made me feel so safe. Especially in the operating room where I was so nervous! After the babies were born I threw up over and over and over again. She held barf bags for me over & over again, and gave me cold cloths for my head, and ice chips, warm blankets, and literally helped me breastfeed my babies. It was so amazing & so helpful to have her there so my husband could be present & not totally overwhelmed himself. He was so thankful for the extra support & an advocate there who knew our wishes & preferences. Who would help be our voice while we were going through the birth of our twins. She added so much- she transformed my birth experience (the one that was supposed to be my scariest with twins & a first c- section) into my easiest. I can't believe all she did. And I can't believe I waited til babies 3-4 to get a doula. It is a total game changer. I will never forget what she did for us & wish every single woman out there could have one. I could not recommend Meleah enough- she loves what she does, and is really, really, really good at it. Thank you Meleah- you are amazing. read more

Meleah was my doula in June 2016. She was a fantastic doula. It was my second birth and my second doula experience (first time was with another doula in another city). I didn't live in San Francisco when I hired her so we did a Skype interview, and then a Skype "meeting" with her and my husband. She was great from the beginning and I felt I could talk freely with her. She helped me address some of my fears from my previous birth. She made herself readily available by text and phone. I preferred text and she always responded to my texts within minutes, if not seconds. She went on my hospital tour with me (UCSF Mission Bay--what a great hospital choice, by the way!) and tried to find out as much as she could about delivering at that hospital. In the end she was only present for about an hour of my labor and delivery experience because I had a very fast birth, unlike my previous one. Nevertheless, her help was really essential. She encouraged me to relax during contractions. She was firm and direct, which was helpful for me and my personality--repeating my name, Scriptures, and other affirmations--while she did hip squeezes (I was just using nitrous oxide). Meleah was assertive with the nurse when I was in the throes of pushing--and I got to deliver standing up as a result. She volunteered to stay for a while after I gave birth but we were happy just bonding with the baby. She came for a postpartum visit a few days later, helped me with my baby's latch (she is a La Leche League leader), and even folded laundry for me! I felt supported by Meleah throughout my pregnancy and birth, and I know if I needed help now she would also do her best to provide it. read more