Due to my privileged position, and very personal experience with Silicon Valley doulas, I can tell…read moreyou it has been nothing short of exceptional since their inception. Czarina brings over 20 plus years of experience, extensive training, and a true passion for supporting families through one of life's most meaningful transitions -- welcoming a new baby. Her background covers everything from lactation consulting and sleep training to postpartum depression and psychosis support, patient advocacy, birth preparation, and more. She's worked with over 300 families over her career thus far, providing truly personalized and compassionate care each and every time. Her depth of knowledge about the birth journey, babies, and the postpartum period is remarkable, and she always approaches her work with professionalism, empathy, and a calm confidence and experience. One thing I respect deeply is her clarity and integrity when it comes to her business policies. She has a no-refund policy that's clearly stated in her contract (which is completely legal and standard for her field). The reason is simple and fair, much like many other businesses she reserves specific dates and times for the families she assists and does not take other clients during those scheduled sessions. When someone cancels or tries to back out of a contract she's already set aside that time, so it's clearly ethical that her time and commitment are respected. If you're looking for a highly skilled, knowledgeable, compassionate, empathetic doula who combines unmatched experience, professionalism, and genuine care, Czarina is the person you want by your side through pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

TL;DR: Last-minute cancellations, fell asleep on duty watching our newborn, refused hands-on baby…read morecare, offered useless virtual support, prepaid for 13 nights, and refused refund. We're disputing the charges with our credit card company. Do not recommend. We hired Czarina for evening doula services shortly after welcoming our newborn, hoping for support and rest. Unfortunately, the experience caused us significantly more stress than doing it alone. The most alarming issue was that she repeatedly fell asleep snoring loudly while on duty watching our newborn. This happened on multiple visits. We could see and hear her sleeping, which meant that instead of resting, we stayed awake monitoring her to ensure our baby was safe. When we addressed this directly, her response was shocking: she claimed she was doing it to "train us to be better parents" and get us used to sleeping while the baby sleeps. As exhausted first-time parents, this felt unreassuring and completely unsafe. We hired a night doula to reduce anxiety, not to monitor the caregiver. Beyond the safety issues, basic doula duties were neglected: * Refusal of Care: She was unwilling to help wash the baby and unable to provide clear, hands-on guidance for newborn care. * Household Help: She provided little to no assistance with basic household tasks. * Ineffective Virtual Support: She attempted to substitute some support with "virtual" sessions, which offered zero value to us as parents who needed physical, hands-on help with a newborn during overnight hours. Her reliability was poor, with multiple last-minute cancellations and rescheduling. Most importantly, we prepaid for 13 nights of service. When we terminated the arrangement due to the safety concerns and poor service, she refused to provide a refund for the unused nights. We were forced to escalate this to our credit card company to try and recoup our funds. Czarina was pleasant to speak with initially, but her actions put our peace of mind at risk and violated our trust. If you are looking for reliable, hands-on postpartum care that allows you to rest, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. Ask specific questions about staying awake during night shifts, hands-on newborn care (including bathing), refund policies, and what "virtual support" entails before hiring.

Tamra is an exceptional postpartum doula -- warm, professional, and deeply knowledgeable. She…read moresupported my recovery after a C-section, guided us through feeding and newborn care, and helped our baby catch up on her growth after losing over 10% leaving the hospital. Thanks to her evidence-based guidance and personalized support, our baby was ahead of the growth curve by all measures at two weeks and one month -- and we're off to a brighter, more confident start as parents. Tamra is also extremely resourceful, connecting us with her trusted network of professionals, including lactation consultants, exactly when we needed them. She's punctual, cooperative, and inclusive -- my mother doesn't speak English, yet Tamra built a beautiful friendship with her and empowered us to care for the baby as a team. Her calm presence, reliability, and expert insight made all the difference in our first six weeks. I can't recommend Tamra highly enough -- she's a truly outstanding doula and a wonderful human being.

Tamra was an incredible support during my postpartum period. She was always gentle, intuitive, and…read morerespectful of my needs and our family's routines. Whether it was helping with my baby's sleep cues, preparing meals, or just being a non-judgmental presence when I needed to cry, she was exactly what I needed. Her knowledge about postpartum recovery and infant care was reassuring. She is very knowledgeable and she knows a lot about child development and mental health as well. I felt more confident and less alone thanks to her. I would absolutely work with her again and recommend her to any new parent!!! She is the best!!!!

If you are pregnant and trying to decide where to give birth, I HIGHLY recommend Casa Natal! All of…read morethe midwifes are caring and will sit with you for hour long visits to answer your questions. The center is BEAUTIFUL and also has huge tubs you are actually allowed to birth in, unlike other (all to my knowledge) local hospitals that do not allow water births. The perfect in between if you do not really want to do a home birth but want a home birth-like experience in a very gorgeous and peaceful setting! It is also super close to a hospital should you need it (most people do not) and while not needed was great for my peace of mind. They also have a call line where you can ask questions postpartum that is very helpful. Overall, I had a beautiful birth thanks to them and am very grateful. Birth is something you only do a once or a few times in your life, will remember forever, and I am very glad I got to experience this with the team at Casa Natal.

I had my baby girl in June 2021 and I'm so glad I chose Casa Natal (los gatos) for her birth…read more I was with an OB for the first half of my pregnancy and I was able to see the difference in the care provided at Casa Natal versus my OB's office. My OB appointments lasted for only 15 minutes and I didn't feel supported or heard. At Casa Natal, every appointment lasted for an hour, the midwives checked not only for my physical but also my mental health and answered all of my questions. I was able to get acquainted to Melissa, Julia and all the student midwives during my visits. I also took the breastfeeding class that Emily hosted and it was informative and helpful. Coming to the actual birth, it was truly a beautiful experience. I got the exact birth that I had hoped for as a first time parent. I felt supported throughout my labor. Melissa, Tara, and Charlie attended my birth and were the best team I could have asked for apart from my husband. Tara and Charlie guided me with different positions and techniques to help progress with the labor. After about 6 hours of laboring at the birth center, I delivered my baby vaginally, without any interventions and I was back home 4 hours after my baby was born. They also provided me with excellent postpartum care and lactation support. If you're looking for a holistic natural birth experience, look no further. This team is it!

This review is a bummer to write, but after reading other reviews about communication delays and…read moreissues on the administrative end, it's clear i'm not the only one experiencing this issue and something needs to be seriously addressed. Alicia herself is wonderful, and we used her for placenta encapsulation in 2019. We had an overall good experience, so as we are nearing the birth of our 3rd baby, I reached back out to Alicia as a return client looking for placenta encapsulation again. It took 4 days to get an initial response to my email. Julia (Alicia's assistant) reached out to let me know Alicia is on maternity leave and had a few clarification questions to get the ball rolling with another doula. Unfortunately, I never heard from Julia or anyone else again. I've since left a voicemail and 4 follow-up emails with no response. If Born Doulas is too busy to accept me as a client, I would have appreciated hearing that upfront vs. just ghosting me, especially as a returning client. These types of customer service issues are just unacceptable, and if you are looking for a doula or placenta encapsulation company during the very delicate time of pregnancy and delivery, I recommend looking elsewhere and finding a company that cares about communication.

I can't begin to describe how wonderful, passionate, caring and knowledgeable Alicia is! From the…read morebeginning she guided us during the pregnancy, had many great tips for me, and helped me make my (right) big decisions towards the end. My birth story took longer than we expected, 40+ hours and Alicia was so supportive and strong even till the last seconds, let me correct that, even after the birth! Her stamina throughout the 40+ hours is just amazing! She was always there reassuring me that everything is going well, and making sure I'm hydrated and nourished to go on with the big game. This alone makes me want to tell every women, regardless how supportive your husband is, you still need a doula 100% especially Alicia 10000%! Before and after the birth I had many complications, that caused me to be hospitalized right after my birth, so my newborn was left with my clueless husband and mother. Alicia right away came over and helped them in so many ways, guiding and teaching them how to take care of our baby. She kept checking in on me before and after the birth regarding my condition, and helped me in all kinds of ways, sending over wonderful people to help with my condition, etc. We are eternally grateful to you Alicia! Baby M sending all his love!

At the risk of sounding dramatic, Wendy and Kersti have changed my life. There's no other way I…read moreknow how to put it. I went into this pregnancy not knowing anything about pregnancy nor birth. I mean that - I'd never even held a baby before, and I'm in my thirties! I was nervous and knew I needed guidance. A close friend of mine referred them to me after she had her own positive experience delivering her first baby at the hospital (without an epidural). A delivery without an epidural sounded like a good idea, and if my friend can do it with their help, I felt SO COULD I! So I scheduled to meet them in person, and then Googled the definition of a doula because that's how foreign the birth world was to me. Fast forward to today, I am 3 months postpartum, and incredibly grateful to have had Wendy and Kersti there for me, as a first time mom home birth. They prepared me, a total pregnancy/birth newbie, to having a home birth! They are supportive with whatever birth plan you decide and will provide tons of resources and information to help you make an informed decision, on whatever you feel comfortable with. I appreciated that they are well balanced, and will present evidence based research, as well as speak from their own experiences, but never pushing their opinions upon you. After months of research, I made the decision to go forward with a home birth and it was the most magical experience of my life. It was relaxing, calm, stress-free, and I felt SO supported throughout my entire pregnancy journey, after birth, and ESPECIALLY during labor. Wendy was present during my labor. When she arrived it was like my guardian angel had arrived, and I was so happy to see her. She had lavender essential oils and her hands worked magic on me during the most intense contractions. The back massages helped me Soooo much and she did it for hours. She not only supported me, but also my husband, and she knew just what to say to keep me positive and relaxed, and knew how to direct my husband to help. She also took photos throughout the labor. It all happened so fast, so it was so fun to have photos to go back and relive the moments. I will cherish these photos forever. Thank you Wendy and Kersti for helping bring my baby boy to this world. I know without a doubt that I'd like them to be my doulas again for my future baby.

There are so many glowing reviews on here, but I feel like I have to add to the collection because…read moremy experience with Wendy and Kersti was truly life-changing. I am SO GRATEFUL for these two ladies that I just have to share my story!! We didn't hire a doula with our first child, who is now approaching his second birthday. My goal was to have an unmedicated birth and although I succeeded, the entire experience left me absolutely traumatized and panicked at the idea of having to ever go through that again. When we found out we were pregnant with our second child, I was so fearful about the birth I couldn't even speak about it without tearing up and feeling anxious all over. I had a hard time even getting excited about the pregnancy because it meant I had to give birth again, and I was terrified. This led my husband and I to being a search for a doula. My goal was once again to have an unmedicated birth, but I felt incapable of doing that without something being drastically different. Enter Wendy and Kersti. We met with this mother/daughter team over coffee and I quickly fell in love with them. Kersti had the recent experience of having given birth "without fear" herself and Wendy had this amazing mix of strength and confidence in her tone alongside a spirit of gentleness. We had met with a few other doulas in our search, but I constantly felt like they were all too soft-spoken/comforting/gentle and I needed someone a bit more direct alongside those qualities. Wendy was JUST that. :) We counted the cost as if it were a part of the hospital bill, because we knew to have the birth we wanted, it would require an investment. IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY!! Over the course of the next few months, we developed a great relationship with Wendy and Kersti. They answered all of our questions with evidence-based research that consistently put my mind at ease. They also gave me a lot of natural methods to prepare both my mind and my body for birth. It took a few months, but through conversations with th, I started to feel more confident and prepared for birth. THEN THE BIG DAY CAME! :) I started having contractions one morning about 12-15 minutes apart and that went on all day. They were mild and I wasn't sure if it was labor or not (my first child was induced), so I stayed in constant text/phone communication with Wendy throughout the day. Finally, when they started getting closer at around 3:30pm, we headed to the hospital and met Wendy in the parking lot. I can't even express to you the relief that washed over me seeing her face. This amazing woman, who had been coaching me for months, met me with a smile and confidence in that parking lot as we walked into the hospital -- almost like we were ready for the big game. We checked in and she immediately started diffusing essential oils, helping me get comfortable, massaging my feet, turning on music and fielding questions from the nurses as I went through contraction after contraction. My contractions were intensifying quickly and Wendy was RIGHT there every second of the way, offering new positions, ideas, distractions and support to keep me going. She knew exactly when she needed to intercede to help me more and when she needed to take a back seat and support my husband Dan as he came alongside me. Within 2.5 hours, I went from 4.5 centimeters to holding my sweet baby boy in my arms. I can confidently say that my birth was beautiful -- something I felt like I would never be able to say and something I contribute HUGELY to this team of incredible women. I am positive the reason I progressed so quickly and smoothly was because I felt relaxed, supported, confident and READY to deliver my baby. After feeling nothing but panic, dread and fear with my first birth, this was life-changing for me. I felt IN CONTROL and SUPPORTED my entire labor and knew I was capable of delivering my baby boy--who ended up being 9 lbs and 3 oz! We also have incredible photos of some special moments during the birth, thanks to Wendy. Whew! So much to say, and I could say more!! All that to express to you that these women are worth gold. If you are hoping to have a positive birth experience and especially if you want to do it medication-free, I would say with confidence HIRE WENDY & KERSTI! We will definitely be using them again with future kiddos! :)

As a new mom I was all over the place. I was SO thankful that I secured postpartum services with…read moreReyna. You will think to yourself that you can go get massages on your own but sadly, you won't have the headspace to do that the first couple weeks. Reyna comes to your home to take care of you so you don't have to be far from your little one. She offers so much knowledge and her calming energy was always appreciated. Do yourself a favor and contact her! Thank you Reyna for taking such good care of me during my postpartum journey!

Reyna has done amazing massages, both prenatal and postpartum. She focuses me on my breath and…read morespeaks words of affirmation and asks me about my experiences, feelings, worries, etc. She validates it all. Before the prenatal massage, she did a side lying release on me. Whatever she did that day worked and sent me into labor later that evening! (I was almost 40 weeks) Her hand is firm, flow is nice, and the pressure is just right. Looking forward to the next massage!

The staff at this office were polite and helpful through the whole visit. I showed up a little…read moreearly and didn't wait too long to be called back. The nurse who first spoke with me was patient and asked good questions before the doctor came in. The doctor actually listened and didn't rush through things. Took time to ask about my background and explain things in a way that made sense. Overall the place felt clean and organized. It's not easy to find a place that makes you feel comfortable but this one does a decent job at it.

Melissa has been my midwife for two planned home births, one of which happened at home, and one of…read morewhich necessitated transferring care to an OB and hospital setting. In both, she inspired confidence, respected my feelings and opinions, offered excellent knowledge and guidance, and overall provided professional, nurturing, effective and wonderful care. I cannot thank Melissa enough for the critical role she has played in the births of my two beautiful sons. Love!

Dr. Melissa is a treasure for all new moms and their babies! She is not just a great chiropractor…read morebut also a wonderful caring and supportive person! And besides the chiropractic treatments, she's willing to share lots of knowledge with her patients. I am so lucky that I met her during my pregnancy! God bless Dr. Melissa

I had a great experience with Dr.Ko. I felt at ease and she really helped with my pregnancy pains…read more The adjustments were gentle, effective, and specifically tailored for me. The office environment was calm, clean, and welcoming, and the staff was always kind. I highly recommend this chiropractor to any expecting mom!

Madrone - Monitrice package…read more We chose Madrone as our midwife because from the first time we met, they had a calming, safe presence that made us feel completely at ease with our upcoming birth. We chose the monitrice package because I wanted the reassurance a midwife could provide me with, and it was the absolute best decision. Having a Doula and midwife was the best of both worlds, we felt supported emotionally and had the hands on care from a midwife. This helped us realize our goals of laboring at home as long as possible, and having an unmedicated, natural birth at the hospital. I had my partner, mother and Madrone in the birth room, and Madrone balanced everyone out perfectly. They helped ensure each person had a place and space in my birth, all while taking photos to document it which I will treasure for the rest of time. Madrone was not only there for us during our birth, but before and after in such an impactful way. They helped us prepare before mentally and physically, helping us put together our birth plan and leading us through meditative breathing exercises. Madrone was also there after our birth, with several in person sessions as well as available for support along the way as we got settled in at home. It was so reassuring to have someone so knowledgable to ask questions as things came up - breastfeeding, diaper rash, eye boogers - Madrone had helpful information and answers to everything we asked them. Why we loved working with Madrone: - They are knowledgable and incredibly good at being a Doula and Midwife - They have a warmth and calming presence that always made us feel at ease and safe - They have a very balanced and practical approach to preparing, birth, and the postpartum. - They are respected by every birth worker I came in to contact with. Everyone loves Madrone! - They are humorous and full of so much bright energy, and that helped me through some of the most painful moments during birth. - They allowed me to confidently labor at home as long as possible, monitoring baby's heart rate while my contractions intensified - they cut out my stitches at three weeks when they were no longer serving me. Saving me an unnecessary visit to the doctor. Questions I asked Madrone that they were able to support and guide me through: - What are the pros/cons of the hep b shot? - I think my water just broke... does this look like amniotic fluid (photo of captured fluid in a jar sent... lol)? - How do we communicate to our family that we need them to get the Tdap and flue shots if they want to be around the baby? - Why does our baby have goop on his eyes? - I think my milk supply is too strong for baby to drink, what should I do? - I think my stitches fell out, what should I do? - Is the level of prolapse normal at 3 weeks? - How much should I be resting?

STOP. THIS IS IT. You can stop researching and interviewing doulas now because Mireille is THE…read moreBEST! We started looking for a doula at 6 weeks pregnant so we definitely had the time and energy to look for a doula and we are SO HAPPY we found Mireille. After she came to our home to chat with us, we knew she was the one! We found Mireille through our birthing class at Harmony. she had worked with our midwives, Lin and Maria (shoutout to BAM!) before and was familiar with El Camino Los Gatos so we knew she was perfect! Mireille helped us with our birth plan, eased any fears, and supported us to have a natural childbirth! We couldn't have done it without her. She was there from when we first called her all the way until baby was born, never leaving us :) The best part was she really supported my partner in being part of the birthing process. Will definitely come back to Mireille for our next birth :)

I cannot recommend Marilou at Doulas by the Bay highly enough. She was our postpartum night doula…read morefor the first few weeks after our son was born, and she was incredible. As new parents, the sleep deprivation is real, but knowing she was there allowed us to finally get the much-needed rest we required to function. Beyond just being a set of expert hands, she became a trusted guide for us and taught us invaluable newborn care tips that we still use daily. We trusted her implicitly with our baby from night one which was critical for us as anxious new parents. Marilou's calm, professional, and warm presence made us feel so at ease during a very vulnerable time. We truly loved our time with her and are so grateful for the care she provided. If you are looking for a doula who is knowledgeable, nurturing, and completely trustworthy, Marilou is amazing!

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).