When I was a new overwhelmed Mom having challenges nursing my newborn, I found Debbie at Babies…read moreBreast Friend through a Yelp search and sought her 3-pack services for help nursing. Pros: I liked the fact that Debbie offered services right in the comfort of your home instead of having to go to a clinic or hospital. Debbie was knowledgeable having been a newborn care nurse for 25+ years and she was generous offering her time picking up the hospital grade pump from Kapiolani Hospital. And cost wise, Debbie's consultations were reasonably priced at under $350 for 3 in-home consultations. Cons: I had a similar experience feeling pressured and fear-mongered as the user "S.B." below. Debbie was quick to diagnose my son with tongue tie, pushed for tongue tie surgery with a specific pediatric dentist she partnered with in Aiea, and gave a barrage of threats about what would happen to my son if I didn't seek tongue tie surgery with her pediatric dentist. She also recommended taking my son to see a pediatric chiropractor to fix the alignment of his spine. I told Debbie I wasn't comfortable making decisions until I researched about the condition and procedure; that's just my personality I always get multiple opinions or quotes before moving forward. However Debbie continued to pressure me and used fear-mongering saying things like: "If you don't get tongue tie surgery, your son will have problems with speech," "If it weren't for formula, your son would be starving and hospitalized," "You are a nervous mom and you're making your son nervous." As a new Mom undergoing nursing challenges and seeking support, I did not appreciate Debbie's high pressure style and brashness. I cancelled nursing sessions with Debbie after the 2nd session, and got a 2nd opinion from Dr Kahikina at Mahinaona Pediatrics, who was a pediatrician who specialized in working with nursing moms. Dr Kahikina was not only a pediatric doctor who was knowledgeable and helpful, but she was understanding and gracious about my challenges. According to Dr Kahikina at Mahinaona Pediatrics, it turns out that there are 4 types of tongue tie and my son had the type of tongue tie that wasn't guaranteed to be fixed by dental pediatric surgery. After doing thorough research about the 4 types of tongue tie that Debbie did not disclose, I heard from multiple Moms whose nursing and breastfeeding challenges were not fixed at all after getting tongue tie surgery. Many of these Moms regretted getting the procedure done. If you do decide to work with Debbie, I recommend that you come 100% prepared and do your research about tongue tie and the pediatric dental surgical procedure because Debbie will pressure you into getting tongue tie surgery done. There is no guarantee that the surgery will fix your child's nursing challenges and tongue tie is over-diagnosed in the lactation nursing world. If you are uncomfortable, stand your ground. No new mother should ever feel pressured or fear-mongered!

Debbie is just awesome! She gave me so much of her precious time to help my little baby. I had a…read morefeeling that my LO wasn't getting enough to eat while nursing because of tongue ties. I searched the best tongue tie experts on the net and found Dr. Ghaheri, located in Portland. When I contacted him, he suggested that I seek out Debbie. Her expertise is truly unmatched when it comes to Lactation Consultants and tongue ties here on the islands. She came to my home and we discovered my motherly instincts were spot on. My baby wasn't getting enough milk (she weighed her before and after a feeding) because she had an almost class 4 tongue tie and my supply was dropping because she wasn't able to express the milk. For next to nothing I was able to secure 3 appointments with her (I need to mention that she came over one day because I was just exhausted trying to bring my supply up and feed my baby to help me for a whole afternoon into the evening and bring me a hospital grade breast pump). She helped me find a dentist to do a full tongue tie release-by the way, this procedure is covered by Quest for babies. Out of pocket it's around $400 so people accusing Debbie or any LC that they get kickbacks is absurd. Not very lucrative for Dentists to pay out money for something like this. She truly just wants to help the babies! So it's so sad to read reviews on here saying otherwise-The Dentist recommended I do a tongue and lip tie because both were pretty severe. It was like night and day how well she nursed right after the procedure. After having a combination of craniosacral therapy and chiropractic work done she nurses even better and my supply is killer!-Don't skip this step, bodywork is so important. I was luck enough to get Dr. Ann Takata. I am so thankful for Debbie. She was super supportive. Like she told me "I'll go to the ends of earth to help you if you'll go with me". After 3 weeks of going to the ends of the earth; pumping every 2 hours, securing donor breast milk and nursing a little bit and bottle feeding my daughter our life is back to normal. She is almost 10 weeks and after the procedure and body work she now spits up less, hiccups less, is gaining weight properly and her latches on like a champ. Breast fed is simply the best so if you want to achieve this and you have an inclination that your baby isn't gaining weight properly due to a tongue tie don't hesitate to call Debbie! The sooner the better and if you need the procedure done and you need moral support because you feel like 'you can't do that to your baby'(you have to make hard decisions that will hurt your child short-term but be way better for them long term lots of times, believe me!) I know how you feel and you can contact me anytime. I'm a SAHM :) I'm happy to give moral support because I know how important it is for a baby to breastfeed and for the breastfeeding Mom. This is one of the closest bonds on earth! Don't give up, there is hope! (pictures posted)

My wife just gave birth yesterday and she heard a lot of the benefits of placenta encapsulation…read more After hearing about lotus birth services, she decided to have me contact Crystal for preparation of placenta consumption through encapsulation. What a wonderful person crystal was to work with. I was already stressed enough with everything following the arrival of my son, but she made it so much easier to deal with the placenta. She came to Kapiolani hospital to pick up the placenta and delivered the pills back the following day. Her method of preparation is also worry free. Definitely recommend this place if you have any questions or services for anything birthing related.

I contacted Crystal about placenta encapsulation after a close friend recommended her. After I met…read morewith Crystal I immediately regretted not having set her up as my doula for the entirety of my pregnancy. Crystal is professional yet sweet and you can tell she truly loves what she does. Not to mention, her prices are very reasonable for the care you are receiving. I had my placenta encapsulated and had a tincture made. Crystal was super helpful in explaining the process and making sure I was taken care of. I waited a few days after I gave birth to start the placenta pills because I wanted to catch up on sleep first and I only wish I had started them sooner. Since taking them I have lost all signs of baby blues, I feel great, and have noticed an increase in my breastmilk supply. I highly recommend Crystal for both placenta encapsulation and doula services.

Jill was truly incredible throughout my entire journey as my doula-- from pregnancy to labor and…read moreeven into postpartum. She brought such a deep sense of peace, confidence, and calm during a time that can feel so overwhelming. Her steady presence, encouragement, and knowledge made me feel safe, supported, and empowered every step of the way. I genuinely cannot imagine my experience without her by our side. If you're looking for a doula who will advocate for you, nurture you, and bring such grounding energy into your birth space, Jill is the one. And as a huge bonus for military families, she accepts Tricare, which makes her support even more accessible. I'm forever grateful for her.

Amazing doula services and classes. Excellent communication and responsiveness. Allowed me to have…read morea successful vbac:)

BEST DECISION I COULD HAVE EVER MADE. If you are a mother wanting to feel empowered with your…read morepregnancy and birth, please do yourself a favor and hire Selena and her team. You could be in no greater care than with these incredible women. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have had this experience. During my first pregnancy, I was living in LA and had every intention of giving birth in a hospital. By 35 weeks pregnant, I felt uneasy with the care I was receiving by the OBGYN and wanted to seek out other options. Long story short, I ended up hiring a midwife and doula and gave birth at home 3 weeks later. It was one of the best days of my life. With this second pregnancy, I knew I wanted another home birth from the absolute get-go, so this was my first experience having midwife care from the beginning of my pregnancy up until 6 weeks postpartum. Selena, Jasmine, and Amber have been the most gracious, helpful, knowledgeable, supportive, and loving team I could have ever hoped for. No matter what hour of the day (or night) they have been there to answer any questions and guide me through the entire journey. The level of care I received is unmatched. Truly, I can go on and on about how much I am an advocate for home birth, especially with a team like this one. I had the home birth or my dreams, in large part due to them. I trust no team more than them. We are family. Love them forever.

my husband and i had the pleasure working with Selena, Amber and Jasmine. we were both iffy about…read moregoing to a hospital for check ups and birth. having a home birth can scary as well but these ladies made it so stress free! Selena answered the million questions we had for her. made us feel that this was definitely the way to do our birth! i loved how she let us be hands on with what we asked. my husband caught our baby and handed her right to me. so beautiful and amazing. my body recovered amazingly as well. i've had 2 births in the hospital and this has been the best one yet! we got the HK Package a little pricy but worth it. it included the birth pool and liner. they also set up and break down for you. this was great since it allowed my husband and i to bond with our newborn with a clean atmosphere. i also used Jasmine service for my placenta made into capsules. this is a separate price not included in the package. after the birth, Amber was very attentive to our needs. she responded quick to our text and calls. she never made me feel as if i was a bother. she is very knowledgeable especially when it came to questions on breastfeeding. all my worries were normal lol but it helped when she provided information! Amber you were an amazing doula. if we're still on island for our next baby we would love to work with y'all again! thank you ladies!

I can't say enough wonderful things about Kiersten. She has a servant's heart, a passion for women…read moreand families, and the giftings of so many needed services during the postpartum period. She was so kind and a resource of knowledge to me during my postpartum period. She will be a blessing to all families who invest in themselves by hiring Kiersten.

From the owner: Placenta Encapsulation. Lactation Services. Childbirth Education. Postpartum Doula Serving the…read moreNorth Shore of Oahu, Honolulu, Waikiki, Kapolei, Ewa Beach, Mililani, Wahiawa, Waianae, Kailua, Kaneohe, Queens Medical Center, Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children, Birth Center at Castle Madical Center, Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center, Tripler Army Medical Center & More. Placenta Encapsulation, Lactation Support, Meal Preparation, Belly Binding and Natural Infant Care.

We are so grateful to have found Cindy! This was my 2nd low intervention / no pain medication birth…read moreand she was the second doula we have used. We thought the first one was incredible. Cindy exceeded our expectations!! She has experience in teaching childbirth classes so was able to lead us through simulations before the birth to assist my husband to support me in labor. During my labor she was there the entire time and was good at changing positions to help keep labor progressing and my husband involved in supporting me. She was very mindful of our birth plan, for example she advocated to be sure our nurse learned how to change the bed to a squatting position with the bar in early labor. Baby came quickly, had she not done this our nurse would not have known how. She stayed and helped us move to the postpartum room ensuring breastfeeding was well established before she left. She also came to our home a few days after the birth to help out and made me a postpartum ginger soup and a egg drop one and assisted with helping me learn how to baby-wear a newborn. She has a wealth of knowledge of childbirth & postpartum care & worked well with with the hospital staff. Cindy possesses positive energy and a intuition to know how to help without being intrusive. Mahalo nui loa Cindy!! Highly Recommend!!

Hiring Cindy as my doula was one of the best decisions I made in my life. I didn't have the best…read moreexperience with the doula I hired for my first child (wasn't bad just wasn't a good fit), so when I was getting ready for my second, I wasn't so sure I really wanted to go through the trouble of finding another one. I was planning to have a hospital birth but also wanted to go without unnecessary medication, and wasn't so sure my husband and I could do it without extra support. I'm soooooo glad I searched for a doula and found Cindy! She was very intuitively sensitive of and attentive to our needs as a whole family (and not just me) and even paid attention to the needs of my older child. She didn't push any agenda on us or make us feel judged. She made every effort to listen to what we wanted with our birth and after care plan and gave us the space to figure it out when we weren't sure. She also seemed to just know what we needed without us really knowing it or being able to articulate it ourselves. The best part was how supportive she was in so many practical ways after the birth without being overbearing and invasive (like some family members can be). Even though I have pretty supportive family around, having the attentive support of another impartial, caring woman I could trust during a very vulnerable time made my second birth experience so much smoother, easier, and full of joyful memories. She met with us before the birth to get to know us, and was not only there with us before, during and after labor, but she also checked in on us a couple times in the weeks after to provide whatever support we needed at the time. My husband and I continue to talk about what a great experience that was because of Cindy. I don't regret a single penny spent on her services. I highly recommend Cindy to my pregnant friends even if they're not looking for a doula!

I started working with Crystal because I had struggled with hypothalamic amenorrhea for years, and…read moreI was exhausted after trying different Dr.'s and healing modalities. After our first consult I felt heard, and confident that she would support me in my own agenda, which was to get normal cycles without using hormones, and avoid resulting infertility issues. She gave me some practical suggestions (getting labs from my OBGYN, paying attention to mucus, and articles to read about PCOS, and HA) as well as some lifestyle changes to consider trying. Her background as a dietician has helped me make food choices that will best support a regular menstrual cycle. I don't feel rushed, or like I need to do anything I don't want to do when I check in with her. More than that, she's always available by phone, and I can call her whenever I need support. I can tell she's knowledgeable and passionate about what she does by her sheer interest in my needs, and the amount of time she spends with me. She's not afraid to do more research on my behalf, and that is worth more to me than a regular practitioner who is often pressed for time. Having said that, if I wanted to use a medical approach, she has the experience and background to help me through it. All in all, I highly recommend working with Crystal if you're looking for support and ressources that you can't find with your OBGYN alone. I look forward to working with her, and she'll be an integral part of my team when I decide to conceive and have children.

From the owner: -Postpartum Doula & Nutrition -Postpartum Healing…read more-Lactation Education -Meal Prep: Lactation & Healing -Baby Sleep Support